FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A pretty normal day was going on for this group of irregulars, with the exception of the fact that this group of irregulars consisted of both humans and Pokémon. Together they were journeying across countrysides meeting new people and Pokémon as well as gaining new experiences battling. A sort of reunion meeting was happening amongst the group, and that included ALL of this human's Pokémon. Amongst them was the Pokémon that was worshipped in some regions as a deity, and it had the ability to manipulate space according to its will. This of course, was initially thought to pose a problem, until it was discovered that space would still exist even without it. "It's been a while since I've seen YOU, Palkia. I've been meaning to ask you about a few things but of course you aren't bound by Poké Balls so you arrived at your own leisure partially. What exactly is the extent that you can truly distort space? That alternate space that I was sent to... it must have taken a lot to send me there. Have you tried to recreate that same type of thing with the enhancement of the Orb?" The Trainer said. "I haven't used it since that one time, but it seems like you are inviting me to do so," it responded. "Well, yes. I'd like to see the extent of the enhancement of your powers." With that statement, Palkia floated down to the ground. It didn't speak but instead, opened up a slice of space in which it then entered. After it returned, the Lustrous Orb was in its claws. It then repeated the process again, and when it did it the second time, not only did the gems on is shoulders glow pink, but the orb itself now glew pink. Instead of a normal sized slice, a portal was visible, that showed what looked like another version of the same place, but slightly distorted, like ripples in a pond. Serena, on the other hand, had been hunting when she saw the claws, and the portal open. She crouched behind a bush thinking to herself about how something like that could have happened. She of course, looked at her own claws and tried to mimic the motion, then upon finding that she couldn't do it, decided to walk to the side of the, unbeknownst to her, separate piece of space, just looking at it. /Huh, it's like...a reflection in the lake...but, it's in the air./ she didn't dare touch it, not yet anyway. Her eyes examined the edges warily, as if it would expand to swallow her up, but when it didn't, she got more brave, walking out in front of it and peering into it suspiciously. Nothing. "That's rather odd... it's different than normal. I'm not certain I want to just go and stick my head in there..." He said. The next stage was to obviously find out what was on the other side of it, since it appear to simply be more than just a regular portal. He reached on the ground, after spotting a nearby large rock that he could roll, and then he stood near the edge, making extra careful not to directly be in front of the portal either, and then he rolled the rock inside. If there was something other side, then it probably would do several things. It could get curious, and roll the rock back, eat it, spit it out if it was large enough to eat it in the first place, or it could destroy the rock in which case he'd be able to probably see the results later. She jumped back defensively as something came through the portal, what in the world? Her claws were at the ready in a defensive stance. When it didn't do anything after rolling in, she warily walked up to it and poked it with a claw. Nothing. Just a rock. She felt silly, but then, that meant that there was something on the other side. She bent and hefted up the rock, then pushed it back through, if a bit harder than intended to send it perhaps three feet into the air before it would land back on the other side. It didn't belong here, even if it was just a rock. Eventually though, curiosity more than anything got the better of her, and she testingly poked a claw through near the side, and wiggled it around before pulling it back and looking at it. /Well...it's staying open, whatever it is, so if i did go through, then I could get back...plus there'd probably be more food over on that side, doesn't seem to be damaged, plentiful hunting versus standing here and starving...no contest./ After seeing the rock forcibly pushed back through the portal, he knew that there definitely was something on the other side. Though he still had no indication of what it was just that it didn't eat or destroy the rock, and instead pushed it back. After a while of waiting to see if anything would come through, he noticed that what appeared to be a claw poking through the portal. "Well that's interesting..." he said quietly. He ventured closer to the portal and felt brave enough to stick his hand in, but as the mystery being did, he quickly withdrew it. Hand, hand hand hand! She jumped back and scratched at it, but it had gone before her claws could even make contact. Something was over there, something was alive, as it could move...she hesitated, then decided to risk it. She ran at the portal full force, but at an opposite angle of where the hand had come out, hoping to avoid being caught as she passed through. The portal felt just like it looked, if a bit more elastic, but when the fabric of the portal tore, she found herself among quite a few Pokémon that were bigger than her, and immediately made for the bushes--or the closest source of cover. What had she gotten herself into?! Did he just imagine that? For a second there it seemed like there was something out of the corner of his eye, and then it quickly moved out of focus. "Did you see that? I mean I really hope that I wasn't imagining that." He moved closer to the portal, and then tried to follow the line of sight in which he saw the foreign object move. "No, you definitely didn't imagine it... there was something that emerged from the portal, and if you look closely, you can still see the evidence of it being disturbed." Tensa said, pointing at it with a claw. What WAS that thing? She knew what the Pokémon were, she would have been a fool not to, but the peach thing, that walked on two legs, had no tail or any sort of counter balance, and still it could move around just fine, it wasn't logical, not to her Pokémon mind. She crawled through the underbrush, thankfully she had enough of her hunter's instinct left to not make too many noises, but still she was forced to come to a complete stop when her scarf got caught amongst the branches. She pulled at it, her folly, as it caused the bush to rustle, but she wasn't leaving without her scarf. "I do see the evidence..." As soon as he finished that sentence he heard a rustling in the bushes. He turned around to try and find the source of the rustling that he knew had to have been caused by whatever came through the portal. "Actually, I think there is an easier way to see if this happens to be a Pokémon or not." Kyn whipped out his Pokédex and scanned the area by moving it around near the bushes, until it found something. It recited out the entry for Bagon, and then he put it away. "A Bagon? A Bagon is what came from the other side? How... intriguing..." he said to no one in particular. The rustling in the bushes came to a stop with the snap of a branch, and a growl. A hooked claw in her scarf loosened it back to comfortable standards, her eyes darting as her instinctual mind ordered her to hide, somewhere, anywhere...yet her eyes only fell upon the tree, and to do so would mean exposing herself, if only for a split second. She knelt there in battle with her hunter skills, and her civilized skills, curse Marlow for ever teaching her about them! They weren't going to save her now. Kyn decided directly address the Bagon to see whether or not he would be able to even get a response. "Excuse me, but why don't you come out here? I can obviously tell that you've got SOME level of instinct, but you're still curious enough to have come here. Besides, there's really not point in trying to go back the way you came now anyway," he said, moving back near the way that led back to the portal. He didn't even knew if he would be understood, but it'd be worth a try anyway just to see. Her eyes blinked, shocked, did the creature just speak her language? it hadn't been before, she was sure of that, still with so many Pokémon gathered around, outside of a town, how could it be safe? He didn't sound like he wanted to hurt her, but her instincts read it as a trap. Deep breath, they weren't chasing after her, she was safe...and soon her hunter instinct had died enough to where she could think rationally. Group of Pokémon, not fighting, strange creature that could speak her language, not being hurt by Pokémon, all were sentient...? Another deep breath, and she forced herself away from the tree, finding a break between the two bushes, still very defensive, not exactly sure if she was safe, but her blue muzzle peeked from the bushes, along with the start of her headplate, and her green eyes focused on the male who had spoken--his scent told her that much. Finally her brain ran over the last bit of information, and his movement, that was her way HOME! "Is that a threat?" She didn't sound scared, adrenaline had long been pumping, and while the voice was clearly female, it wasn't meek, nor shy. As he saw the muzzle poke out he was at least glad to see that the Pokédex had at least identified it correctly, but then he saw something that didn't quite line up with what he saw. Was that... a GOLDEN headplate? That would be rather interesting to see. Then he heard a voice, a voice that he was at least glad responded to him, showing not only a sign of intelligence but a sign of understanding. It took a while before he realised the actual tone in which the sentence was said. "Oh. Wait... I'm not... what I mean to say is... No, it isn't..." He was tripping over his thoughts again. "Not exactly the best first impression it seems," Tensa commented with a chuckle. Her muzzle disappeared back into the brush. "If you intend to keep me from going home you're sadly mistaken." There was that Rogue resolve, to get it done in the least amount of trouble possible, but it was she who had gotten herself into this, and it made her hesitate, she didn't even know if her abilities would FUNCTION in this world, and this indecision made her resort to a bluff that may or may not even have been an actual bluff, she didn't know for sure. She was glad for the loam of the soil which muffled her claw clicking steps, but now she really wished that she knew how to fly, it would make escaping from this predicament a lot easier. "Whoa, hold on! Why would I keep you from going back there? Although I walked in front of the portal, that doesn't mean that you couldn't just simply walk around me. I just wanted to see you. Besides, you're a Pokémon. You could just go right through me if you wanted to, probably." He said, stepping slightly to the side, but still partially in the path that would essentially force her to have to cross his line of sight. "Lots of 'mon around, with a full grown Sceptile chummy with you, sure, i could have 'just gone around' " She snorted, much too much like a dragon for perhaps her own good. She didn't sound reassured, and she knew she was nothing in comparison to the Sceptile, or any of the other Pokémon that were there. But he said he just wanted to see her...had he been LOOKING into her world for a Bagon? Why her? there were several other Bagon in the rogues other than her, but they were all likely still helping out with the dump mission. She resigned to stepping out into the open, claws changing from the normal steps to clicking as she emerged properly from the bushes in what was clearly a defensive stance. She hated having to be on the defense, her body wasn't made for it, and still her mind screamed at her to either find a way to be on the offense, or to run away. "What about Tensa? I suppose it would look rather counter-intuitive. Oh, and there's one more thing... the Bagon that I've seen... don't have headplates like you. That's something I noticed right away. I hope I don't sound rude though." His tone of voice was absolutely calm and curious, despite the current situation, and her understandable cautiousness. He failed to really notice that she actually emerged from the bushes has he was stroking his facial hair and practically staring off into space. He wasn't paying attention to her now, she could have easily slipped by him, but with the Sceptile...Tensa was his name? Standing there, she didn't dare. "Idiot." she muttered, under her breath. "Pointing out the differences in how someone looks, it would be like me pointing out that you've been shaved." Of course, she wouldn't know that he hadn't really, but it was a good assumption since he had hair in some places, but not even short fur in others. "That's an interesting way of looking at it actually. I suppose from your perspective it would look like that. You must not have very many humans in that world. But, I've got more questions for you, that is if you don't mind. Oh, that reminds me, interdimensional travel usually makes me hungry. Are YOU hungry?" He probably was beginning to ramble, but at least it was a simple one, and not one that would seem absolutely idiotic with no end in sight. Her stomach rumbled in the way that showed that she was indeed hungry; but she wasn't weak enough to -not- hunt on her own, at least, she didn't think she was. "Are all Pokémon here sentient?" She asked, with a slight bit of contempt in her voice. It was the whole reason that she had ventured through the portal after all, to see if she could find prey, as is she looked at her claws to assure that she could charge them with the shadow energy, and once they showed the first signs, dropped it. So they DID work here. "No, not all of them are. However, a good portion of them are. I'm certain that if you go to areas that aren't touched by humans you'll find more that aren't." There was no way he'd not heard her stomach. The possible reason that she'd ask this circled around in his head, and then after a while he though of something judging from her responses earlier. "Am I the first human you've ever seen?" For him, it was pretty odd question, but if it was true that he was the first human, than what could that world on the other side possibly have been like? There was that word again, humans, and apparently they were the dominant species here, not Pokémon, if they'd been forced away from their 'natural, wild tendencies' in large areas. She scratched just beneath her headplate. "I don't even know what those are." She admitted. "We have no...hue mans where I come from. There are a few Pokémon who claim to have been taught by things called trainers, but they were released and ended up with us. They're among the crazy population, usually get turned into food because it's kinder to them than to let them keep being delusional." "That's interesting... In that world, it means that there is the possibility that humans may have existed there but something happened to them. You mentioned the word trainer, that's what they call us... humans like me. Pokémon Trainers." He probably would be a complete oddity in that world, and so he rethought his decision to want to go there. If there was remnants of them, it would seem that they were practically fictitious. "It's going to be a bit difficult to explain the concepts involved though," Tensa added. /Then, they're not crazy..../ her nose twitched. "Well, it seems I can't hunt here in good conscience, not if they're sentient...pity, with the sudden weather shift most of the prey have moved on to healthier places than Tao..." It wasn't like he could ever visit, so naming places didn't have any consequences. "A lot of people have left since Sorbet went back into hibernation." this was a common practice to her, since she was a dragon. "You could still hunt, but I suppose you won't. Heji stiill hunts for us and himself on occasion." "He's the Luxray," Kyn hurriedly said. Obviously these names and places had absolutely no meaning to him, but he figured that they must hold some significance, but he didn't know if now was the right time to ask about them. "Tensa... remind me to ask about those names... if you would. A little knowledge about that world wouldn't hurt, since I probably can't go there without being... oh, what's the word I heard someone use... the equivalent of gang banged, but with Pokémon." Tensa shook his head, not being able to remember either. Suddenly though, out of nowhere, Palkia addressed the group. "Everyone... this portal appears to be still open, and it has me a little concerned. I can open it again, but if it doesn't close soon that might cause a few problems." Her green eyes shifted around the Pokémon, then back to the human male before her. "Gang...banged...no, you'd probably be killed, unless you were lucky enough to take refuge with the rescuers, who would only trust you 'cause you can talk like us--" but then her eyes drifted to the big one and her pupils contracted to look up so high, and into the light. "No one goes in the woods if they can help it, at least, unless they live there..." Almost as she spoke a Rattata crossed through the barrier, and she leapt after it, bringing it down within a few leaping steps, then went back to where she had been standing, the now corpse in her mouth. "There's only Rattata, Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Sandshrew around where it opened up anyway." she spoke, unconsciously ripping off one of the creature's legs and chewing on it. "Most of the Sneasel moved out of the creeping forest ages ago." "Well... I don't go anywhere without Tensa, so he'd be with me, but what about the rest of my Pokémon? Obviously I know nothing about your world so, what are the Rescuers?" The idea of even a slight possibility of finding some form of refuge did appeal to him, though he was still hesitant about entering that world, though he wouldn't let her know that. "Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself properly." He bowed. "My name is Kynexn." "The rescuers are a bunch of goodie-two-shoes that think that everything has to be done one way and only one way." she licked her claws then went back to eating, at least until he spoke his name. "Serena...As for your other Pokémon..well, there are a lot of you, but i don't think that you'd be able to take on even the merchants and survive, even with your escort." She clammed up as her mind bade her to this time, knowing that she was getting dangerously close to giving him information that might allow him to take some of the Pokémon away. "Now you're really giving me supporting evidence that going there wouldn't be the best decision for me. This might be one time where I will have to sate my curiosity sated by meeting a being from that world and keeping it at that. Though I just don't know." His voice trailed off at those last few words, but he didn't completely lose his thoughts and instead simply dropped the previous ones. "Hm, you called this group an escort. You're actually the second... well, being to do that." "That's what it is...a protective group that surrounds you and ensures your safety, either by way of money, or trust." when she had finished with the Rattata there had been little left aside from bones, which she promptly began digging a hole for, and swept the bones inside before covering them up again, wiping her mouth with her arm, then licking the blood off of her arm. "if you want a look at my world you just need a rather brave Psychic type." She was now fiddling with the end of the scarf that had gotten caught in the bushes, and picked at a frayed string at the end. "When you put it that way yes, but they're not always around me. As for the Psychic type... there is Medicham... but he's pretty much the only one NOT here right now. Also, I was going to ask you if you were a carnivore or an herbivore but.... that would be pointless now. But are you a pure carnivore?" "Mostly. I eat some herbs and vegetables if my stomach gets upset, and minerals from the rocks from my cave if my body says i need them. Berries are common when i -have- to eat but can't find prey." she paused at the admission that some of them weren't here, raising her eyebrow ridge. "Well, apparently...I have time. Marlow might be expecting me back, but since i can't exactly encase souls in a jar to take back to him, I'm sure he'll be fine." "Ah what the hell. I've done dangerous things before. I might just risk it. I'll just need to go get Medicham. So, how would Medicham er... enhance my chances of staying alive?" He had already thought of all the reason why what he was about to do would make people say, "What the hell were you thinking, sticking your hand into something like that?" but of course it didn't matter now. He was going to do it, since there was a pretty good chance that he'd be able to get back anyway via Palkia. "Psychic Pokémon can disrupt the flow of energy to make people see what they want to see...In this case...well, depending on your psychic's ability actually...worst case scenario would be that he wouldn't be able to render a different version of yourself...probably would be best to go with a Sceptile appearance since you 'smell' like one...you'll have to leave pretty much everything behind though, if you're to pass for a newcomer." What was she doing?! she wasn't even sure. "There are some things... that I absolutely need, though there are a lot that I don't. Though I'm not to confident in what might happen if the change isn't able to be maintained. I'm just hoping that these Rescuers will be lenient and such. Now... if I do go... do you have any idea what I would have to leave behind here?" He didn't exactly have very many things really, but there was pretty much the possibility of being able to return to his own world, if things got to rough to handle there. "Well...on the premise that you're just going there to be shown how well things are being rebuilt, and not forming a team to go on missions, you wont be limited to one accessory, but you can only have four Pokémon in a group at most, including yourself, so with Tensa and Medicham that leaves you space for one more." She pointed at Palkia. "And you...probably shouldn't be seen...There's a Ho-oh and a Lugia around and while I'm sure they would love to meet you...it probably wouldn't be wise, as there's only one family of each where i come from." "That probably means that there is another version of me there too," Reshiram finally said, after pretty much observing the whole situation in silence. "Well... couldn't they just... come through later, and do the same thing that we might be doing? Splitting up into groups of four I mean. I really don't want to leave them behind... as for Palkia... well, the other one has probably noticed the severe distortion as well by now. I don't yet know if it'll be able to do the same thing though." Kyn said, walking closer to the portal. "Sorbet said his other selves were still sleeping in their stones...in fact that's where he's sleeping now, apparently he was awoken too early." She shrugged a little. "And they COULD, i guess, but i wouldn't be available to guide them to the town since I'd be with you...I guess i could see if Marlow would be willing but..." now it was her turn to stop in mid sentence. Of course, Marlow! There was a psychic Pokémon that might be willing to assist him with his memories...which meant that he'd leave sooner; but she'd promised to help him, and so she would, regardless of the outcome. "That might cause a problem if I do show up then. Oh well, I guess I'll just enjoy myself flying again. I do so love flying at high speeds. Especially at higher altitudes." "Well, it was just a random chance that the portal managed to land near where you were. I'm pretty sure that with practice, it can be moved closer to the village, but not close enough to well, y'know arouse suspicion. Also... who is this Marlow that you speak of?" Kyn was close enough to the portal to actually clearly see through it, now that the distortions had settled. "So similar yet... apparently that side is pretty much completely different," he muttered. At the mention of flying, she looked up at the Reshiram. "I wish I could...waiting is annoying." She paused. "Marlow...is my partner, he's a rather unusual Duskull." As she spoke, she moved towards the portal. "You can actually see my cave from here, or at least, the mountain that my cave is in." She pointed with her claw at the speck of brown between the trees, most of which were dying. "We just had a bad blizzard a little while ago, it's messed up a lot of things in the forest, but as i said, the town is being rebuilt...So who's to be your fourth?" "Hm, I haven't seen very many Duskull. Now I do have another question. Is... is your cave able to fit Pokémon that are human sized? Actually, I should say Tensa sized since I'm actually taller than the average human." He'd unintentionally zoned out again, after the mention of her cave, and didn't hear the question. "It's big enough to fit a fully grown Salamence comfortably." She tapped her foot as he seemed to have zoned out, and looked over at Tensa like 'how do you deal with this all the time?' finally shaking her head as if to drive it from her mind. "Kyn... you've got to select a fourth Pokémon." Tensa said, noticing Serena's look, and grinning at her. Almost immediately, he answered. "Oh, right... uh. Inferno." He said, indicating his Infernape for Serena. "As for the other groups, I definitely think that Striker would be team leader for one of them," he said, pointing to his Scyther. "Then go get your Medicham and finish setting up who else is coming, and who, if any are staying behind." She was starting to get a bit annoyed. "Of course you COULD let them decide for themselves, they do have logic centers in their brains I'm sure." her tail flicked behind her, twitching with the emotion of impatience. "I was simply stating a fact Serena, nothing more." Kyn said, before turning away from the portal and walking away. The rest of the Pokémon present moved closer to the portal, and then introduced themselves to Serena, some of them having picked up slightly human mannerisms, along with other who pretty much were almost humans with a Pokémon skin. It wasn't long before amidst the sea of Pokémon her tongue got names mixed up, she wasn't really that good with names, sometimes referring to them with their Pokémon species name instead and apologizing. Once they were finally through the introductions, and small talk, she finally got MOST of them right, and had learned some of the terminology that they used. 'Party' now became common, although she still didn't know what a 'Poké Ball' was. She questioned that, if they could see outside from inside their Poké Ball, why they couldn't all have gone that way. "As for the manner of traveling via Poké Balls... it mainly has to do with the fact that Kyn doesn't like keeping us in them. Besides the fresh air aspect, it also has to do with the way other Trainers use them. They basically objectify us sometimes, so that is one of the things that separates him from them. He really dislikes using them. That's why he let us out as much as possible, sometimes in full parties." Liru explained. After about half an hour, Kyn returned with Medicham. Serena blinked at the Lucario, there were quite a few of them in the village for one reason or another. "Then why are they necessary at all, why even have them exist? Simply so that everyone can go out and force a 'mon to be theirs? It sounds like an arranged marriage..." "I have a bit of difficult understand it myself, but perhaps Kyn might be able to explain it a bit better. Actually... I can feel him coming. He'll be here shortly." Liru then pointed to the West, indicating where he would be coming from. "Serena... has everyone been introduced?" Kyn asked. "They have...though I'm going to have to ask them occasionally to repeat them, I'm afraid I'm not too good with names..." She held her head for emphasis. "Did get into a bit of interesting discussion that crosses over to those...'crazy' Pokémon that I mentioned previously...they say they come from spherical objects which Liru calls Poké Balls." She looked to him to make sure she'd gotten his name right. "Poké Balls? Well, I definitely know that you haven't seen before. If you want to know more about them I can show you." He took out Inferno's Poké Ball, and maximised it, showing how it went from the size of a Cheri Berry to something a bit bigger than an Aguav berry. Serena almost jumped as it enlarged, her mind had formed something that was alive that captured Pokémon. "Huh, but that's certainly not big enough to hold a Pokémon, in fact I'm sure I wouldn't even be able to get my claws in there..." she tentatively poked it with the tip of her claw. "You probably wouldn't. It's a bit more complicated than that. Inferno... if you wouldn't mind...?" Inferno understood, and walked over to Kyn. He took the Poké Ball from Kyn and then walked closer to him. He turned the ball around and then pushed the button on the front, then became engulfed in red light, that then went back inside the Poké Ball. She shuddered visibly. "Why in the world would you humans USE something like that? It's like a torture device. Especially if they were unsuspecting that it was coming. Why is there a need for such...brutality? Even if the Pokémon might learn to like the trainer later, surely capturing them in such a...THING would hinder it." "They way you view it makes it seem like Stockholm Syndrome. But you pretty much described most of the reasons why I don't like using them. With the exception of... the torture analogy. Anyway, as for the matter of capturing them in these... that's something that I don't do anymore. Obviously Pokémon are intelligent enough to decide for themselves, so I usually ask them if they would join me or not. Though unfortunately, that's not how it always was with me. It wasn't until I met Tensa that my views of Pokémon really changed." He quickly let Inferno back out and minimised the ball. "There are more than one type of these. Though, I think I'll my little speech sink in before speaking anymore." Her claws, tail, and even mouth twitched as the monologue sunk in, she already knew that there would likely be repercussions should she attack him. "Why are they necessary?" It was a simple question, with a not so easy nature. "Why can't they just go out into the...wild and find Pokémon that are like them and will get along?" She shook her head, now more conscious of how exposed she was. "It's Mechanical...and people believe that Pokémon are HAPPY like this?" "They aren't really necessary. For one thing, it's not easy to find Pokémon that are just willing to cooperate with humans. Plus... there's...also the small matter of... almost every human not being able to understand Pokémon, be it their speech or their body language." Serena snorted. "So it would take them time, if they were smart it wouldn't endanger them, surely not." she put her claws to her head, a very human gesture as if she was getting a headache with all this information. "Are we ready to go? No, you're still looking human. You have your..." She said the next word carefully as if not to offend them. "Friend with you? As well, you should probably take the time for questions about my world, since it will look odd for me to be explaining basics when I'm supposed to be a child...well, not mentally, but physically I'm still a child." "Serena... I've since that Pokémon aren't as judging as humans are in most cases, so I've got a few more important things to tell you before we go. I remember earlier you did say that I slightly smelled like a Sceptile. Well, that's because of Tensa. Now you said you live in a cave but... do the rest of the Pokémon have housing? It's also the matter of a size issue again." "Yes, Most teams live in houses shaped like them, though PK, the leader of the Merchants, has provided lodging for villagers and teams that can't afford a home of their own." She didn't flinch at the words 'because of Tensa'. People kept telling her she smelled like death all the time, it was because she still hunted while most Pokémon buy their food. "The lodging is bought with Poke...but it doesn't exactly appeal to me, too many voices...the town's the same way." "That's going to be rather interesting to see. Though if our houses were shaped like us that'd pose a bit of a problem, as you could probably imagine." He rolled his eyes. "Plus... as you mentioned, we're amongst the more dominant species, so our lifestyles are different. Oh... right! That's... another issue. I don't have any of their currency, obviously." "So long as it's not too expensive...I should be able to afford most of anything that you could want...though i don't know why you'd want anything from my world...it couldn't be clothes or an evolution scroll--it seems like you don't need them here anyway--but i can buy food at the Spinda cafe...er, do you humans eat the same things we Pokémon do?" She looked a bit incredulous at it, but it was an honest question. "Well... I do, but for the most part no. I eat most of my meals cooked most of the time, but there have been times where I've eaten berries, and things made from berries. Actually, that reminds me, I should probably stock up on PokéBlock just in case..." Kyn said, beginning to dig around in his backpack to find some of them. "Everything at the Spinda Cafe is cooked, in fact, they don't serve anything that might offend other Pokémon, even though -I- limit myself to only eating non-sentient Pokémon doesn't mean that everyone does. More controversial dishes we'd have to go to the bay for, which is several hours away by foot. Oh, i never said what to leave behind, did I? Well anything in the pack should be okay, you may get questions as to where you got that style though, Leavanny and Gnasher don't make that style in the village." She raised an eyebrow at the word PokéBlock, tested it against her pointed tongue, but didn't ask, she had asked enough about a world she would never get to visit again, at least, that was her inclination. "Aha, here's one." He was referring to a PokéBlock case, that had an array of colored blocks inside. There were in sequence, so he took out a yellow, green, pink, blue, red-orange PokéBlock. "Obviously you're a hunter but, since it probably won't matter much, would you do me the honor of trying these and telling me which one, if any you prefer?" Serena looked at the blocks sceptically, she was supposed to eat these things? they looked like clay...but since he had said 'honor' and that was a word she knew very well, since Soba and Udon talked about the honor of dragons all the time, or at least she assumed so, since that was all she heard them talk about when she was around them. "I...guess?" she carefully, not sure how much it would take for her razor sharp claws to puncture his skin, she knew it didn't take much for them to cut any other Pokémon's skin...after a few...humiliating times of trying to pick it up between two digits, she poked it with one claw and popped it in her mouth. This one had been the yellow. She chomped down on it and let it sit in her mouth for a while, then swallowed and cleared her palette of its flavor. "It's alright, sour doesn't really speak to me though." She chose a next one, this one had been the Red orange. "Mmm, like Cinnamon~ that's got a kick to it, like i can breath fire." Again, the next one was popped into her mouth, this one the green, and it immediately made her want to spit it out. "Eesh....Only after eating a Michel berry could i swallow that." "Well, it seems you an I at least have similar taste regarding that particular aspect of PokéBlock. Spiciness. Tensa and I both love the red orange ones. Micle Berries are very rare though. At least here. Dunno about there. I usually offer the Pokémon I encounter PokéBlock after meeting them... to determine certain aspects. It's part of being a Pokémon Breeder. Though I'm not REALLY a Breeder." She paused with the pink one near her lips, clearly about to ask what a breeder was, then decided that she didn't want to know. "Neck, that one's really, really sweet, a bit too much so actually..." the last one almost matched the same color as her scales, as such as she marveled at the closeness of hue before her eyes before popping it into her mouth as she had the others, and just like the others she took the time to savor the flavor and texture. "that one's really good, though it's a little bland...it's too bad that the Red and blue one weren't mixed together..." "Heh. That's actually an issue that I've dealt with. I actually have one that combines both of those flavors. I've got to take into account a huge number of Pokémon preferences and variations. You'd be surprised with the numbers of combinations that I've had to come up with." He reached into his pack once more, and pulled out a PokéBlock case labeled Spicy-Dry, that had gold ones in it. "This is the last one, and then we'll head out after Medicham y'know does his thing." He opened it so that one would drop in his hand, and then he handed it to her. Having things handed to her made it quite a bit easier on her, she found, and chuckled at the fact that THIS one, was the exact same as her headplates, it made her wonder if something in this block was what made her headplates the color they were. Instead of popping this one in her mouth, since it was in her palm rather than on her claw, she slurped it up with her tongue, and let it sit in her mouth for a while, her eyes closed in pleasure. "Ah, that was good~ but we don't have them where i come from." "Well, then I guess I'll give you something to remember your first encounter with a human. I can always make more, provided that I come back here. Though of course... me simply disappearing for an extended period of time might cause a bit of a problem... But then again, I don't know how much time passes between this distortion. IT could be hours, it could be seconds, it could even be days. You and I will just have to see on the other side." He handed her the PokéBlock case and then turned to Medicham and nodded. She didn't believe it, simply because it wasn't in her NATURE to believe it. PK had always said that nothing was for free, but he seemed to be defying those words. Serena had learned all too well that things were never free, even when stealing them. There were always repercussions, even if you successfully got away with something else. There was always any number of Pokémon coming or going in a shop, yet somehow they could always narrow it down to you...this was why Serena had had that other section of tunnel kept separate, even though it was in their possession. She waited, as there was not much else to do, until the four of them had finished getting ready for the trip. She still thought she was crazy, she still thought this would end badly...but the decision was already made and she couldn't go back on it now, and not with them already ready to go. She took a breath and pushed back through the barrier, stepping off to the side to wait for them to join her on this side. "This is it... hopefully I'll see you all soon." He said, waving goodbye to the remain party. Before setting off through the portal. Medicham himself was currently floating in midair, meditating to cast the appearance onto Kyn. As they walked through the portal, Kyn of course, started to spend a whole bunch of time looking around and observing, but then remember that he was in a hurry to follow Serena and he didn't want to keep her waiting. "You're going to have to remember to only use Pokémon speech here." She said almost absently from beside him, watching the other three appear. "They might just regard human speech as a totally different language, but someone traveling far just to see Tao being rebuilt will be spectacle enough." She swept through the bushes, resorting to walking plantigrade so that they could keep up, and so that she didn't lose her balance. "We'll make a stop by the cave first to arrange for Marlow to greet a second group." She tapped into the bond she had with him, it was still daytime so he'd likely need to feed off of her just a bit to maintain form. "Even if he'll just be a talking skull on the ground at that point." she added, mostly to her self. Er... Serena... I don't know what you mean by Pokémon speech since I can't actually speak Pokémon completely. I mean I'm not speaking Pokémon right now, YOU are. Oh my goodness... how... oh my head hurts now..." Kyn rubbed his temples from the information overload that he'd just caused himself. If she'd told him what she meant by Pokémon speech, then it'd definitely clear up a few things. "Huh, strange, perhaps humans and Pokémon aren't as different as they seem...I mean, it sounds like it's got a very difficult accent to understand, but i CAN understand it as long as i focus." What HAD made her focus this way anyway? She stopped as her eyes caught sight of a Pidgey hanging by it's ankles, cutting it down with one claw, and catching the rope before it hit the ground. "Lucky~ Now Marlow wont have to go hungry." The bird tried to peck at her, even flap it's wings to get away, she let it, holding onto the vine, then pulled it down to hold it under her arm, letting it peck at her scales, but it barely did anything at all to her dragon hide. "So, you're the first I've met, I suppose Marlow will be the second. Hm, so... Marlow is a Duskull... but, do you think he'd mind if we showed him my true form? I mean if he's a Duskull, then I'm assuming that he wouldn't be able to smell me anyway. It's not like I plan on revealing myself to EVERYONE on purpose, just that I feel... as if I want to confide in more than just you." "Marlow 'should' already know that we have visitors coming, at least, if he's awake. I don't think he'd mind, perhaps even be ecstatic if Medicham would do him a favor when he doesn't have to keep concentrating." She left out the word your for a reason, here they didn't have property lines like belongings, but soon they had come to the circular clearing that outlined the cave, which from where they stood now was dark and looked lifeless. "Ghost Pokémon here...well they're dead Pokémon...and...they have nightmares of their past life...he had friends before." She touched the rock of the cave entrance and went quiet. Meanwhile... in Serena's Cave..... Said Duskull was currently lounging on one of the tables in the cave, while wondering what had happened to Serena. She had been gone for almost half the day, which was not exactly something that happened a lot. He couldn't currently do anything because it was the middle of the day now, and she wasn't around to help him keep his form to look for her... a bit of a predicament. "I wonder what could have happened to her. Of course she can handle herself but, that still doesn't explain why such a routine trip would take so long." A few seconds after he'd had that thought, the indication of his answer had arrived. "Humans don't really understand Ghost Pokémon much... but of course, it'd also help if they would have a way of communicating with them other than by voice alone. Certainly some would misinterpret let's say... an example of a playful Haunter, as an attempt to terrorize them, but really, if it's like you said, then it would take someone like me, to really I suppose to help with that, or the Pokémon researchers. Hm, this cave does seem pretty big..." Serena's claws clicked against the stone, making it easy to follow her, more so as the ghost lights lit up as they passed them, turning on the torches to the usual orange color. She wasn't sure if this would impress or scare, but this was the way things were set up. "Marlow, I'm back." Her voice called through the tunnel, and she sidestepped the table and the pillows which served for chairs. The fire was still roaring in the back, lighting the room in a cozy glow. "Told you it was set up for my final evolutionary stage." "That's pretty interesting... reminds me of certain things back home," he said, specifically talking to Serena. He ducked down and then stood back up inside the cave, just looking around. He casually looked around... looking for Marlow, he didn't want to be rude and ask where he was, considering that Serena seemed to see him perfectly, but what he was looking for, was the conventional Duskull. "Serena, you've been gone for half a day... Anyway, what do you mean final evolutionary stage? That's not your final evolutionary stage. Who exactly have you brought here?" He was still waiting for Serena to provide him with the energy he needed to be able to maintain his form, and finally move around freely inside the cave. "Half a day?!" her voice nearly shrieked. "But it was only maybe an hour..." She shook her head, following the sound of his voice to the skull she knew to be Marlow, where she set down the case and snapped the bird's neck, a quick death. It was dropped to the ground moments later. "Well...some acquaintances from a different world." She chose her words carefully, but opened up her mind so that he could browse the images that she had gone through for the time she had been in the other world. "Ah, so there is a bit of a time distortion between us. We'll have to take that into account." Kyn said, sitting down. He sat down near the fire, and took off a good portion of his clothing, leaving the bare minimum; pants, shirt, cape thing, and boots. Marlow quickly absorbed the fading life energy from the bird, though the process was invisible to most, and then the blood red energy cloak formed. He immediately hovered, then floated closer towards the newcomers. "Yes, very interesting..." "Marlow, as much as I'm sure you'd like to look over our guests, we were...gifted something that should be put in the other room...would you mind too terribly?" She held up the PokéBlock case in both hands. "Sorry the meal is so small, there's not much prey out there, it's a good thing the Pidgeotto only eats grain." assuming that the case would have been taken by now, she ran her claws over her headplates as if it would provide her some solace, and really? The friction did help, but petting herself made her self conscious, and the claws dropped to their side. "I'm assuming I can drop the form now," Medicham said, releasing his concentration, revealing Kyn's true form. He still floated in the air though, due to his preference of at least being eye level with Kyn. "So, you're Marlow obviously. Well, my name is Kynexn. I pretty much wanna see a small bit of this world, since well, Pokémon are the dominant species here." He didn't make any comment about Marlow not only looking different than a normal Duskull by way of the Skull, but also the fact that the 'cloak' was blood red. "You can consider us both new to this world... in different ways I suppose," Marlow said rather sadly, though it was barely detectable in his voice. He sighed, or what could be considered a sigh, considering that he didn't really have lungs. Marlow carried the object into the designate area and then returned. Serena wanted to hug the skull, but figured it would embarrass him, instead she grabbed the scarf, coming up behind him and tying the knot around the front. It was a daily routine that she was used to. She was pleased that Kyn had taken what she said to heart, about not pointing out differences in appearances. "Oh, my apologies Medicham, i should have let you know sooner." She walked to her room where she had her straw bed, and dug in the corner for a portion of their Poke, which was kept in a small sack. "I'll probably be taking them into town, at least to the Spinda cafe--it's all rebuilt now, or at least, from what i could see from the top of the trees..." She didn't have to Elaborate on why she was up in the tree tops, Marlow should have known that she was trying to fly, but she didn't want to say that in front of anyone else. "Oh Yay! Food. I was looking forward to this part. Anyway... someone should go check on the portal to see if it is still there. Someone will have to tell it to come over to THIS side, until the rest get here. Then we it can just open it to let the rest in later." Kyn said, now knowing that he could freely speak about his world, at least to these two. "Such strange words. Without Serena, you'd have seemed absolutely crazy." Marlow stated, folding his arms together. "That's what I said." Serena shook her head, but shot Marlow a look that clearly said 'ask him.' before shifting to the Medicham. "If it had been only an hour spent in your world and half a day here, then it's likely only been perhaps a few moments since we disappeared." She had divided the money into two, smaller sacks, and set them both on the table. "In fact, I'm sure without the memories you would have thought me a bit loopy too." "More heh, strange words incoming. What we've experienced, scientists call time dilation. I'm certain that it can be fixed though. This was just an experiment, so to speak, and well, it lead to this. I've pretty much traveled most all the places that I can think of, that don't have humans, with the exception of that one time I visited a Pokémon Village. To find a world like this, where essentially ALL of it is consisting of Pokémon Villages is like a dream come true! I just love Pokémon!" He said, not bothering to contain his excitement. Marlow slightly glazed over at this new information. "So, how many of them are still on the... other side?" he said at Serena, the phrase felt so foreign to him, yet there he was using it as if it was everyday. "If they're more like this group, then the village is gonna be swamped." "A lot..." she said quietly. "However if we leave the time distortion the way it is, and have only a couple of them come through a day...well, day for us, more like hours for you guys apparently...we can ease the flow...but we'll run out of money if we take them all for a trip to the Spinda cafe. I'm not sure many people will notice since there's new teams joining all the time. They'll just think that they've been sent out on a mission, or out to help clean up or something..." she waved her claw at him dismissively. "I think he might enjoy the bay though, it's too bad that it's so far away...anyway i figure that if you take one group and I take another that we should be still within communication boundaries...you'd just have to be...carried." "Serena, I just did a quick calculation in my head, based on the information Marlow gave me. If they wait for a least three to five hours there, a full day to a day and half would have passed here, give or take." "Hmmm... well, I suppose I could... just this one time. If they've managed to convince you enough not to distrust them, then they're acceptable by me. I will guide them." He said neutrally. Serena fixed an eye on Marlow with a 'don't give anything away.' look, before her nose wrinkled as if she was exasperated with him for not asking the Medicham for help. /Seriously Marlow, when are you going to get another chance? I can't exactly Stall much longer./ She pushed that thought through the link, tying the bag in a fashion that it could be used as a backpack. Being a Psychic-type, he was used to occasionally hearing people's thoughts, but this was something different. I was as clear as they were talking just a minute ago. Of course, Kyn and the rest didn't seem to hear it so... he wasn't exactly quite sure if he was imagining it or not. [Well, I just figured that it would be best to at least let them get slightly acquainted with this world. At least before my selfish goals are accomplished.] He thought, 'blinking' a few times. "I probably would have liked to visit that... Bay area, you called it. But yeah, for now I'll just follow you to the Spinda Café. So I guess I'll just leave the other stuff from my world here in your cave, if that's alright with you." Kyn said, now leaving his bag in the cave. "That's fine, and we'll make a stop by the portal so you can let them know of the time distortion." Serena suggested "That way they will have an approximate time to join us...hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep before the next group joins us." She rather quite blocked him from her torn ranting in her head, she didn't want him to go, and yet she had made a promise to assist him. She sighed inwardly, slipped on the backpack and started out the door again. "If you wish to come with us Marlow, it seems I'm going to be out anyway...don't want you turning back into just a skull." Of course, under the sun he might just turn back into a skull anyway, depending on how much energy she had to close off for her own movement. "I'd definitely be a taller than average anything... with the exception of a Blaziken, and the monstrous 'mon that are over eight feet tall..." Kyn muttered quietly. There it goes again... assist... but assist with what? The urge to say something was overwhelming, but it had to be controlled. Those were their thoughts, not his, something that shouldn't be meddled with, unless absolutely necessary, but oh the curiosity! "Well, I haven't been outside in a while, but let's hurry up and see. The quicker they get here, the quicker things can return to relative... and I do mean relatively normal." He was of course referring to the mission that they had recently been on, of in which they had to clean up some of the remnants of Sorbet's rampage. "They know about the storm, Marlow." She explained quickly, and hoped that the way she phrased it would give him an idea of just how limited the information had been. Back through the opening in the mountainside, back through the clearing, and back into the forest. "Actually Kyn, I've seen Sceptile taller than Tensa, and also shorter, why would you say that you're too tall to appear to be one?" occasionally she dropped to all fours to reset a trap, but didn't stop walking, it was just a show of how versatile her body was at moving in whatever way she needed it to, even if it wasn't the conventional way for a Bagon to walk. "Ah, see, there, we've found another difference Serena. It appears... that there is a great degree of size variation here. Where I come from, there is only a few inches margin of difference. Speaking of... you're taller than the Bagon back home." Kyn said, rather matter-of-factly. "That world seems a bit boring now. Having Pokémon being pretty uniform. I suppose that means that you haven't seen any Duskull that have my rather unique appearance, have you?" Marlow addressed the issue in a way that he understood a major difference, based on the way Kyn explained himself. "Pokémon actually GROW here before they evolve, you had a thing earlier that called me 'pretty' when you pointed it at me...it probably has the median of what's found here, or at least the height at which we're no longer considered hatchlings." She paused at Marlow. "Marlow...You're the most unique Duskull in the village, though it makes me wonder where they got their skulls from." her claw tapped against her scales. "It'll probably be a good idea for you to pretend you're mute in the village Kyn, and let Tensa speak for you, since you don't speak our language." "That's fascinating...! As for what you said Marlow... yes, there is absolutely no other Duskull like you. As for the matter of speaking your language... it's just the words that I would have trouble with. If I completely forgot everything I know about being human, it wouldn't be a problem, but of course, I can't exactly do that unless my memory is wiped, and I don't really want to have my memory wiped just to be able to fit in. I don't really think Tensa will be able to help much either. Basically, you can look at it from a sort of dire humorous situation. He's been 'contaminated' by humans too. So, he'll probably have forgotten most of it too, but I don't know. I think that perhaps Striker would actually be best here, since he is still in touch with his primal side, as well as having been a clan leader of a swarm." "Memory..." Marlow finally said, letting it slip. [At least you do have memory... and your friends are still here...] "Living with Trainers pretty much as he teasingly said, 'contaminates' Pokémon a bit. At least the ones that you can say are 'tamed'. There are some in which they are just too primal to be tamed and so they retain their qualities and only the toughest and most skilled Trainers can handle them." Inferno explained. Serena twitched, she felt that slip, and her tail flicked, she tried to hide it, but it came out in her voice anyway. "There are some Pokémon here that have given up their primal urges, gone herbivore when they are so clearly carnivorous. I guess that you could say that they have become both the trainer and the Pokémon, letting one speak for them at a time, whichever they dub the proper time to let that one speak...Like a Charmander learning to control it's emotions." Her tail twitched again. "Marlow has done his best to make me...civilized...and Merlot has as well." /'I am not a servant.'/ The memory flooded back to her mind's eye, how she had gotten into a fight with the Lugia, verbally at least. /'You are a dragon, all dragons were meant to serve in Castle Draclugia!' 'I serve who and what i please, this artificial cave of yours makes me feel ill, and so as soon as possible me and my partner will be leaving.' 'Even if I could help you teach him?' 'What did you say?' 'Don't play dumb, I know you've been in the library every day, researching information, but you know better to steal from me, little rogue, very good.'/ she shook her head and was glad that they had arrived back at the portal. "I was definitely resisting the urge to ask you if you had caught any other Pokémon like that Pidgey. I'm not exactly a natural hunter. As you can probably imagine I'd be using more... human techniques to hunt. Though Striker has given me some knowledge about various let's say... natural techniques. Though, my Pokémon have no problem with ME eating Pokémon due to the fact that they are all pretty much at the top of the food chain. Heji is a pack hunter, and he's actually brought food for us, as well as food for himself." Marlow headed towards the entrance without saying anything else, and waited there, being in a slight hurry to get the rest of the Pokémon here. He still completely passed over any indication of asking the Medicham for help. Serena shrugged a little. "Back when there was a lot of food here i used to capture dozens of the denizens of the forest at a time, we have cages built into the rockface back in the cave. A short bit ago I captured a Pidgeotto to assist Marlow with...well...passing through walls with another creature. A Pidgeotto is about my size, so when he could pass that through safely i knew it would be safe for me to travel with him." She paused, realizing she was partially off topic. "She now lays eggs for me to eat, unfortunately they're infertile eggs, so it doesn't grant Marlow any sustenance, but so long as I'm alive he can always feed off of my energy for that." She listened more, then held up a claw to stop him. "You wanted to inform the Pokémon on the other side of the time distortion over here." She pointed at the rift behind them. "But at the rate you're going we'll be waiting here until I've shed my Shelgon plates." "Hey. We've got plenty of time. After all we did establish that it would only be a few minutes having passed there. But let's go on ahead anyway." Kyn then walked out to where Marlow was, having let sit most of his belongings behind in the cave. "I haven't work this cape in plain sight in at least three years." He said quietly. "Where exactly do you get your sense of fashion? These accessories... don't usually appear amongst the Pokémon I've seen." Marlow said, in response to seeing this new outfit. "It's a lot easier to maintain... if he doesn't have so much clothing on." Though the way that statement was phrased, caused Tensa to chuckle. "Very well..." She ignored the comment about less clothes. She found her scales to be the most comfortable way to be, but the scarf had been necessary to mark her as a team, and she had grown used to it. She followed the claw marks that she had made on the trees months earlier, leading them to the village, or at least, to a raised overview where they could get more of a feel for the surroundings. "This." She said as she pulled back the bough of a bush, revealing the 'village' down below. "Is Tao. It's grown quite a bit recently." She said with a fair bit of pride; without the rogue's cleaning up the dirty work they would never have gotten this far. "That... does remind me of the village in our world. Yes. So this is probably what I can expect to see, in more parts of this world. So, Serena, have Flying Pokémon been used to map this area, and maybe the Bay area?" Kyn asked, looking down with his not so eagle eyes. "Yeah, but it took a lot to get it this way." [Of course it's grown. Rogue Teams get stuck doing the dirty work. And in this case, it was actually literal. Your nose did not like it.] "Excuse me but... you never told us about the Rogues. What do they do? We've learned about the Merchants and the Rescuers but not about the Rogues." Medicham said, finally hinting at the possibility. "It doesn't look that much different, just that, well, the buildings are shaped like Pokémon once again," Tensa said. "They have, in fact I think a lot of the villagers are having to relearn their way around the town now that it's been...remodeled..." She looked at Marlow sharply. /Oh for god's sake Marlow, i was avoiding our affiliation on Purpose! There's a psychic in our midst./ Her temper had visibly risen, the points of her plates at her neck stood out, still she continued on as if nothing had happened, as if it had been a lapse in her memory for the way to phrase the next part. "There should be maps around to assist new teams as well." Then, of course, Medicham spoke, and her pupils slitted at the mention of the rogue teams. "It wasn't, and still isn't, important what the Rogues do." She said shortly. /Limit this speech Marlow, to absolute necessity./ She stepped off the hill and slid down to the next level with practiced ease. [Serena you're such a square. Let a little chaos in your life.] "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You should probably not ask about it again." He said flatly. Marlow then stretched his arms and then folded them together in front of him. "I would have loved to have flown over this village on Reshiram, say maybe 10,000 to 20,000 feet or so, but there is the issue of stone... sleeping. I guess the maps will have to do for now. Serena you don't consider me a stray, do you?" Kyn asked. "Is it one of those things where it's best not to meddle in the affairs of said group?" Tensa asked, with his arms to his sides. He pretty much had the same thoughts as the rest of them as to who and what the Rogues were. Though, if they were advised not to delve more into it, then he and Kyn, would not do so. Had Serena been in better mind, she would have been able to smooth things over, tell them that the rogue's got things done by any means necessary, that when others didn't have the stomach they got the job done, and she didn't even want to have to resort to the 'You actually think any of the others would allow someone who is wild in a sophisticated guild like the Merchants or Rescuers' card. The time away from them, just that slight bit of time to breath, gave her back her composure, with less threatening posture. "If you're not having second thoughts, you can come down. A promise is a promise." /I have enough chaos in my life without you adding more to it Marlow./ She snorted, not that he would hear it from up on the hill. "Oh right, we'll be down shortly." Kyn said quickly, slid down the mound, carefully following Serena. As he eased his way down the slope, he caught a glimpse of something in the distance, but he decided that it wasn't worth it to investigate right now. Medicham of course floated down the slope as his usual method of movement. One of the advantages of being a Psychic type was definitely the ability to levitate over most surfaces. Tensa took a different approach of getting down the slope, and jumped as if he were leaping from branch to branch, which looked sort of impressive to those that were still up on the first area of the hill. Inferno took a similar path and leaped even further than Tensa had, during each step, demonstrating his athletic ability as well. Marlow, after seeing everybody else down lower, finally took his time floating down to meet them, despite having the apparent sense of urgency earlier. Though in this case, it seemed like he was deliberately trying to agitate Serena into losing her temper. Serena was no fool, she knew the Pokémon were showing their skills to try to intimidate her, as if she would do something wrong. She was however, close to snapping at Marlow. Her claws flexed, the slight sheen of purple against the blue scales--but she reigned it back in quickly enough as the rest of them joined her down on the lower portion, on even ground with the outskirts, though they still had to get over the moat that surrounded the inner city. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have snapped, perhaps the lack of rest is weighing on me heavier than I thought it was..." She paused, exhaled, then spoke again. "Yes, there are three divisions in this town. Rescuers who do everything by the book, to the letter, but they're mostly kids who want to be heroes. You have the Merchants who just want to make money, they don't care who they sell to, and treat the other two factions equally..." another pause as she gathered her words properly. "And lastly you have the Rogues...we're the ones who do the dirty work, have to really, to be able to get the job done at no matter the cost. A lot of the teams you see there are thugs, it's true, but that's because when other 'mon fail we're the ones who are put in...we're the last resort. No one wants to deal with us normally, because that would be admitting that things are as bad as they are...I have something to show you before we go to the Cafe...if you'll excuse the detour." "These divisions sound rather interesting. Is there any way that I'd be able to learn more about them... without let's say... meeting anyone within them? Though if it's unavoidable I guess I could handle it..." Kyn said, looking around the area. "Detour? No, I don't mind a detour. By the way, do you have a sequential way of indicating how time passes?" "Well... that's a bit interesting. Sometimes, I'd say that Kyn seems like he could be a mix of all three of those that you mentioned. That's not exactly the most clear way of saying it though." Medicham commented. "Hm, seems like most 'mon don't really understand the Rogues." Tensa said, now thinking about what type of guild he would be in, if he were going to stay. "I have yet to see an instance where two or more of the guild have been able to get along. At least in my..." he shifted around for words. Technically he was not alive, so he couldn't say lifetime. "time here." "Well, I like helping people, so maybe I'd be good at being a rescuer. But, for now we're just getting a tour obviously, and are not here to form teams." Inferno said, looking around. Serena stepped across the bridge that crossed the moat. "You've already met two from one of the guilds...Us. We are rogues...and you're very right, we're not understood; we're considered the bad guys because our methods are...questionable." There still weren't many Pokémon around, they were likely all in the Cafe, but she directed them towards the Snowflake Memorial; the air cooling, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. "That's not entirely true Marlow...but you haven't been in the town, haven't heard the stories..." Soon they were standing by the memorial. "This...is the snowflake memorial...formed from..." Her voice stuttered, "Nevermelt Ice...On the inside...are all the names of the Pokémon that were lost during the blizzard...during the time when Sorbet the Kyurem went on a disturbed rampage...when all the guilds worked together to save as much of the village as we could...this was before Marlow and I joined the rogues...but I listened." she paused. "Pokémon die in these fights...in this world." Her face was serious. "As well as I'm sure you'd defend Kyn in any setting, I would be accountable if any of you lost your lives here...If you became ghosts of your former selves and couldn't remember anything of your old life." The last words were directed at Marlow, as were her eyes locked on him. "Isn't that right, Marlow." "A sudden influx of Ghosts to this village would be... interesting." Kyn said, thinking about what Serena said, and at the same time being careful about the way he phrased it and the tone in which he said it. [So that's what they were thinking about... Marlow's memory.] It made sense now, those stray thoughts that he could hear as they traveled. "I don't think we're going to be here very long though. Maybe only a few days. Though, there is the possibility that we'd visit you again. "Enough to get acquainted with some, and observe the various lifestyles, I suppose." Tensa added. "A sudden influx of Ghosts to this village would be... interesting." Marlow said at the same time as Kyn. "Yes... I suppose there's no more avoiding it. I've only seen glimpses. Nightmares, the worst memory of some of my previous life." "I don't think it will work like that. Even if we all... um... die together. I doubt we'd all end up here." Inferno said, not sure of whether or not what he was saying would come as across as rude or insensitive. "Not all Pokémon do come back as ghosts, it's true...some will be gone forever." she looked up at the memorial names, then subconsciously moved towards Inferno, who was, as a fire Pokémon, warmer than the normal air otherwise. "As it is...this is why i will request, and hold you to a promise...If there is danger, you'll run away and leave me to face it...I'll risk my own life, but not yours." She didn't wait for the response, instead working her way towards the Cafe which was, of course; shaped like a Spinda head. "I think that with all this talk that we should make our way to the cafe now, shake off this...gloom." "FEED ME SEYMOUR!" Kyn shouted with a chuckle. He was pretty sure that Serena wouldn't get the reference. He then walked with her to the Spinda Cafe. "Definitely sure that as a chef himself, Kyn would definitely appreciate the artistic aspect of the food there, if there is any." Tensa said. The rest of the group followed silently, keeping their thoughts in their heads, perhaps for a later date. They too were interested in the food that the Cafe had to offer. As it turned out, there were close to lunch themselves. "Been a while since we've been to this place Serena. Maybe the menu has changed." Marlow said, looking around. The Bagon lead the way, opening the door into the cafe and entered, her eyes scanning the the tables, and when she found one big enough she started walking in that direction, ignoring the look from the cashier Hops, who was a Shuckle. She slit into a booth with a sigh, shifting the bag from her back to beside her chair where she could keep an eye on it. "I doubt it, but perhaps..." She didn't, of course, get the reference. "Vertigo will be here soon, try...not to watch him walk." she advised. relaxing. "Now of course, we're settled in." Marlow simply floated nearby, at the opposite end one of the booths. If he were to "sit" down, it wouldn't really do much, as his skull would just look awkward sitting on a table or a seat. "Eh?" Serena blinked at Kyn? "Oh, no no, in fact just looking at him can make people dizzy. He is a Spinda and has his own tempo." She paused, realizing she had just made a pun. "That brings up a question...have you all felt any different after coming here?" She shifted, looking away from the Spinda as he came around and handed out menus to the rest of them, all in footprint runes. "Hello, I'm Vertigo and I'll be your waiter tonight." the Spinda said. "Can I get drinks for you today?" "Pecheri shake for me." Serena said to the Spinda, "The check will be mine when it comes as well, Vertigo." Medicham acted quickly and due to his knowledge, was able to relay the information to Kyn to allow him to at least understand the menu. He'd had experience with it, but was sure that most of the others had not. "I think I'll just have a plain milkshake." "I'll just have some simple Oran berry juice." Kyn whispered over to Serena. "I'll have what she's having." Tensa said, to the Spinda. "I'm pretty good, for now I think I'll just take water." Inferno said. "Right, so then...two Pecheri shakes, a water, Oran berry juice and a milkshake." he teetered away, not bothering to wait for Marlow's order. "Sorry, i forgot to mention that you wouldn't be able to understand the menu...quick thinking." Her eyes looked at the Medicham suspiciously. "The question still stands." "I've been been feeling fine." Was the answer pretty much mirrored by everyone, except Medicham. His voice came out out rather nervously as he tried to think of the best way to begin. "Well... I'm not sure if it's normal but... it seems as though I've been able to hear all your thoughts as clearly as if you were speaking them, ever since I came here." Serena shifted a little, tilting her head. "Well...when i was on YOUR side, i felt like i was limited...like an ability was missing from my arsenal...there just wasn't a good force behind it when i tried to make sure i could still summon the dark energy to my claws." she looked at them for a moment. "I would think that that's because we're /unhindered/ here. I know most Treecko prefer to go without accessories because then they have stronger abilities when they're unburdened." "Then I guess you'll just have to get used to it. I'm not even remotely Psychic but, I'm sure that when it comes to telepathy... they have to learn how to deal the the large amounts of thoughts ... let's say, floating in the air." Kyn said. "You're right about some parts. It's never been this overwhelmingly strong before." Medicham replied. "You were a Meditite once, put yourself into a partial trance and you can ignore them, you would, however, have to really focus in order to participate in the conversation." Soon their drinks had arrived, and Serena sipped on her shake, which was topped with a Cheri berry. "It will get worse as more 'mon come in." she shivered a little as the shake hit her stomach, it was cold, but not unbearably so. "Oh dear. That makes me wonder what someone like ME," he stressed the word allow them to focus on it, "would be affected by this change." "I suppose I could do that but, I think I'll just have to deal with it for now. Guess it'll just be the equivalent of a stadium filled with pe---Pokémon." Medicham said. Marlow chuckled at Medicham's almost slip up, and then continued to observe the rest of the group. "I.... couldn't read the menu either..." Inferno said with a slightly embarrassed tone. Serena shot a glance at Marlow. "You're testing my patience today Marlow." her nose wrinkled. "Well Kyn, I'm sure that if you had any hidden abilities previously that they would show now." Her eyes flicked to Inferno, a little shocked. "Ah...hm..well then, your eating habits? Then perhaps we can assess what you would like to eat...that goes for anyone not -brave- enough to admit it previously." The word had been said as if it was a quality to be proud of, as if he had nothing to be ashamed of. /Honestly, what is with you?/ "I'm an omnivore, more on the carnivorous side. Though I'm a pretty good herbivore too, but," he then quieted his voice again, " it's just that once one tastes meat... it's hard to go back to being an herbivore all the time." Have no idea what you're talking about Serena.] "That does make sense." Marlow then chuckled seemingly at nothing. "I'm pretty much and omnivore too, more on the herbivorous side though. Though I won't refuse meat if it is offered to me." Inferno said. "Well, you can say that I started out as a omnivore too, became carnivorous, then herbivorous. I'd pretty much eat anything." Tensa said. Her mouth twitched at Tensa's comment, the only sign she had heard him, and took the phrasing funny. "Right then...so you'll have to trust me for your meals this lunch." Serena found herself in a position of selecting food for Pokémon when she wasn't really sure what any of it tasted like cooked, since she preferred hers raw. /You're being annoying today, stop it or I'll put some gashes in that cloak of yours./ "Here goes nothing...." Kyn said, waiting to see what types of things that would possibly suit his very open and willing taste. [Sounds like a mother threatening to discipline her child.] "I wish I could taste stuff too." Marlow said, chuckling at Serena, fading under the table and disappearing. "Serena, you and I should go hunting later." Tensa said under his breath. He also was waiting for his choices. "Just remember they don't serve other Pokémon here." she said. "There's Tembrava, Roasted Combusken leg with chips, Takoyaki, Grilled Remoraid, Roasted Ducklett, Deep fried Stunfisk, Octillery Sashimi and Bulba buns." She hadn't given any offers that were too expensive, nor that were sweet desserts. She thought she would try the Tembrava, it sounded interesting. Kyn looked slightly disappointed still when he was reminded that they didn't serve that particular form of meat there, something that he was sure of that back home would be highly controversial. "Takoyaki. Be interested in tasting what it is like without...." He didn't need to finish. "I believe I will just have some of that er... Combusken leg with fries." Tensa said, also sharing some of Kyn's thoughts about the lack of certain ingredients. "I think I shall pass on eating anything for now," Medicham stated. "I'd hate to do this to them, but I think I'm going to take the Sashimi. I may just order it again later.... and cook it!" Inferno said. Serena nodded and waved the Spinda over again. "Takoyaki, Roasted Combusken, Tembrava for me, and Sashimi." she said pointing to them one at a time in turn for who the orders were for. She flicked her tail and swallowed some more of her shake. "Yes Tensa, I think that we should, perhaps in Gambitville if we had the time to get there." "Hey. Don't exclude me just because I'm.... ME," Kyn said. "I do know how to hunt too." His tone was that of slightly joking, slightly serious. "Hmm, well, that's really up to Serena. I don't mind since I have seen you... own the prowl." Tensa added. "It sounds like you all might be able to work together, to take down significantly larger prey that way then." Inferno commented, having a little bit of experience on the subject as well. "I don't know if I'll be able to help you all the way though. Only when you get back, then." Medicham said, thinking about the process in which they would be acting by. She flicked her tongue out, showing the tipped point. "Kyn...I don't think you know what you'd be up against here...and you don't have claws, nor sharp teeth, nor decently tough skin. You're not hunting; you'd be a liability, and a hindrance." she looked at Medicham meaningfully. It wasn't an insult, though it probably would have come across as such. "Marlow. You might just have a decent meal yet." "I don't need claws or teeth, or a tough hide Serena. I have tools. As long as they don't use their elements against me, or are as fast as Scyther and Ninjask, I should be fine. Oh, and if they happen to be at least twice my size." Kyn tried. It should make sense. There were many more situations that he could think of, but right now he just wanted to see if those factors would convince Serena. At this moment, Marlow chose to reappear, and made a comment. "You will too, won't you?" he asked, thinking about the size of prey that Tensa might have hunted, being human sized. Marlow's popping up made Vertigo, who was walking around delivering the food to the table, hop back and almost lose the meals left on his arms, but he recovered and set down the rest of the food, as well as the check beside Serena, when he walked away she resumed speaking. "There is no honor in using more than what you have been given from birth...and Gambitville have 'mon like Tauros, which are dangerous for even skilled hunters that are working together." she had folded her arms so that her head rested on her wrists. She glanced down at Marlow, then back up at Kyn. "...Show me you can do that, because i doubt that your tools will even 'work' here, and then we'll see. For now, enjoy your lunch." "We shall see." He didn't feel like now would be the best time to talk about that particular aspect of hunting back in his world. At the current moment he did just exactly as Serena said, and then he started to eat the Takoyaki. He picked up one in each hand, and then took a careful bite of one in the right hand. Tensa, picked up the leg and then took a rather large bite, being surprised at the taste, but enjoying it, as shown on his face. Inferno picked up a piece of the Sashimi, and felt it in his fingers for a bit, before simply popping it into his mouth and eating it, without saying anything. "I suppose I should apologize to Vertigo for startling him like that." Marlow stated solemnly. Medicham levitated his milkshake and then took a sip of it. Serena picked up one of her Tembrava with her claws, and bit off everything but the decorative tails in one bite. She didn't have to chew it too much, but swallowed soon after. There were only two of them, and as it joined the other food in her stomach her body realized how hungry it really was. The other was gone in an instant, and she reigned in her hunger, playing with the garnish that she would never eat. "Why? He knew you were around, and he knows your personality well enough, he should have expected something like that...what were you doing under the table anyway?" "I was just looking at things from a different perspective." Marlow said honestly. He then floated back up to eye level with the table. 4"Well, this Takoyaki IS different but... I still enjoy it." Kyn said, now fully digging into his meal. He still was very delicate with it. Even though it was differently made, it was still Takoyaki and he didn't want the steaming inside to leak onto his fingers. The others appeared to be enjoying their meals as well, and did not engage in conversation while doing so. She waited for the others to finish their food, in the meantime reached out to poke the crack on Marlow's skull. "The crack is getting bigger." She muttered. "I do hope that the reward from our last mission is an Evo scroll..." She sighed a bit, whether or not the poke had connected. Then she brought her attention back to Kyn as he spoke. "Well, I've not had anything other than what might have been served here, so i wouldn't know, but I'm glad you are enjoying it." "Alright, well, thank you for paying for us Serena." Kyn said, finishing the last of his Takoyaki balls. The rest of the gang were finished their meals too. Tensa finished after Kyn, followed by Inferno. Medicham was only about a quarter of the way through his milkshake. The Spinda collected the empty plates, and Serena gave what would have been a very disturbing smile to anyone who might see it. "It's no problem, It was just going to sit around and be a hoard for a while anyway." She said as if it was nothing. She played with the shake that was about half way done. "About how far is it to Gambitville anyway? Will it take us more than a few days to get there?" Kyn asked. He really wanted to go and see if he'd be able to find the larger Tauros type Pokémon. "Now hold on Kyn, we've got to get the others here first before we do anything else." Tensa said, but still understood his eagerness. "I've never ever been that far myself. the most I've gone is from the Creeping forest, to here." Marlow chimed in. Serena took a moment to answer, thinking of the ONE time she had gone there before she answered. "Two days, roughly, without breaks or resting, two and a half if we're not pushing ourselves and taking a break occasionally." She drank down the rest of the drink in a gulp. "which, no doubt, will be ideal for you...I'd much prefer to travel at night, as that's my usual...awake time." She yawned, putting her claw in front of her mouth to make the appearance of her teeth lessened. "Oh? Right, you wanted to bring the others here,I suppose some of them will want to come hunting too...we will probably insult the Luxray if we went without him." "Possibly. I still have more to tell you, though not at this current location. Shall we head back then?" Kyn stated. "I want to visit them for a bit," Marlow stated, referring to the Pokémon on the other side. Inferno nodded in agreement with Marlow, and stood up. Medicham had finally finished his milkshake. They all stood up following Inferno's example, and waited for Serena. "Mmm...I will not join you on the other side this time, I need sleep." She picked up the bill and the bag beside her, walking to Hops the Cashier and dealing out the money quietly, before walking with them out the door. Thankfully these guilds didn't take money from the teams as /others/ did; and slowly she found herself walking them back to the rift, where she laid herself in a plant. "I...shall wait here." The bag of poke which was a bit lighter now that she had paid the bill, clutched to her chest. Well we'll be back in a matter of minutes, so... uh..." Kyn stammered. He simply stopped chatting after that and walked through the portal. Marlow, allowing himself to be carried by Kyn, braced for an unknown effect as he traveled through the portal. "I suppose we might as well do the same, closing our eyes and waiting for a few minutes." Inferno said. Medicham nodded in agreement with him, and he then he began to meditate. "A few minutes there is still a few hours here..." it was the last bit that she said before her eyes closed and she was out like a light. On the other side, Kyn and Marlow emerged from the portal, to meet the group who were waiting for new. "Guys, I've worked out the more specific aspects of the time dilation. We need to space our arrivals every four hours here. Three more of you should come with me. I'll explain everything on the other side." He quickly said. The three members that decided to go next were Striker, Heji, and Pendragon. Then he attempted to step back through the portal but was stopped by Marlow. "Hold it... all of these Pokémon are... with you... fascinating. The four team member limit does sort of limit us slightly. It seems like such a feat to be able to have all of these Pokémon at your command." Marlow said quietly. "Well, I wouldn't exactly put it like that... I'm not really commanding them in most cases. Just giving suggestions. Anyway, I really want to get back as soon as possible." Kyn said. "Very well, Marlow said. "This world really isn't that much different than ours, with the exception of the excessive number of humans." Marlow then went quiet and Kyn took that as his cue to go forward, and walked through the portal. The rest of them slowly followed, simply walking through due to their trust in Kyn. The hours passed and Serena slept, finally when she felt the portal ripple again, her eyes snapped open, and her pupils slitted automatically. Somewhere along the line, night had fallen. She shook off the sleep, and sat up. "Ugh." she stretched. "That's NOT my usual 5 hours." Her neck popped as she turned to face the human, her green eyes glowing as a cats' would in the dark. "welcome back to this world." She muttered, more to herself than the newcomers. "This should be an interesting experience," Striker said. "Hello again, Serena." Heji said, looking down at her. It hadn't been that long since he had seen her, but he said it anyway. "So, where exactly are we going to be going then?" Pendragon asked with slight boredness in his voice. "Actually... I forgot... Serena, what are we going to do with the groups again...?" Kyn asked. "I was going to go back to Serena's cave, and I think you might have been headed there as well, even if you didn't say so." Tensa said. "I think the answer he was looking for was this one, Tensa." She said as she stood. "Is this. Hunting. I do hope that your choices for the hunting party will prove not to be their folly." She directed the next question to Heji. "What do you think of Tauros, Heji..." she had remembered the name this time. "...And perhaps the idea of taking one down...Of course before that Kyn has something to prove to me, before I will allow him to come with us." "I need to go back to your cave first." Kyn stated seriously. He had several items in his pack that he would need if he were going to be on equal footing with Pokémon again. "Tauros... are something that I have not hunted in a long time. Mainly because I mostly go out on my own and it would take a lot longer for me to take down a Tauros than if I were to do it in a pride. Now everyone in the party is my pride, but they are not all pack hunters." "Ah, that might explain why Kyn decided to bring me through then. If we are going hunting, then he brought the most ideal of us." Striker commented. "So what does that make me then?" Pendragon said a bit incredulously. "I don't know, have you ever hunted before?" Tensa asked. Serena might have said, 'incredulous' but it was too big of a word for her. When Tensa insinuated that he had never hunted before, she snorted indignantly. She ignored it other than that, choosing to focus on Heji. "It was brought up at lunch, that we might go for a journey and hunt together. Tauros roam two days away from here in a place called Gambitville." after she said this, her eyes looked to Kyn questioningly, then began to lead the way back towards the cave, stopping after a few steps. "Actually...since prey is so few in these woods...I'll be your prey. If you can track me back to my cave before dawn, then we'll consider you hunters worthy to hunt a Tauros. Stay here and I'll be back with your pack Kyn, with whatever it is that you need from it." She didn't, however, wait for a response. Instead she took off, digging her claws into the soil as the blue green energy took over her body, allowing her to run with little to no wind resistance...then once more she returned; mere moments later, without the bag of coins, but with his pack in her claws. This is what she held up to him in one palm. Kyn took his pack from Serena, and then said, "A human's sense of smell is far inferior to animals and Pokémon. I am not a hunter in the conventional sense." Heji, was curious as to the way Kyn would go about this task. He had the ability to track by means other than regular vision alone. "Let's see you put some of what I taught you to use then." Striker said with a grin. Marlow, now able to maintain his energy cloak again, tagged alongside Serena. Serena closed her eyes for a moment. "Hunters are not made by senses that you lack, but those that you have." her shoulders rolled. "You have my scent...I expect you before dawn...and if you can not make it back to me by that time, I will be going to look for you." Once she was sure that she had been heard, she climbed a nearest tree, leaving marks in the bark, and once she was out of sight to them, she jumped down, scraping the bark on her way down purposely, leaving tracks, breaking small limbs, the typical signs of a creature--but she didn't travel in a straight line at all; instead swerving like a normal animal would. These were her hunting grounds. Half way through, she stopped making purposeful tracking signs, instead going into hunter mode. No claws to dig into the soil, and soon she had easily made her way back to her cave. "This, i think, shall be interesting." "I won't use it unless I absolutely have to. I doubt the point of this exercise is for that." Kyn said. He then headed in the direction of which Serena headed. The first thing he noticed, was a disturbance with one of the trees, as he was paying attention to a few of the typical signs that might be left by her. "No way. There's no way she'd make it that obvious. It must be that she's got something more difficult planned down the line." He moved closer to the affected tree. Upon closer examination, he was able to extrapolate that Serena had indeed caused it. His next move was to climb up the affected tree, and look from there. From this perspective, he saw even more signs of her having been here. He wasn't able to see any immediately obvious signs with his naked eye, so he went back down to his pack. "Well, she definitely started going this way. But, I need a bit more information." He said, to pretty much either one in the group excluding Tensa. From his pack he retrieved a pair of binoculars, and looked around at the trees for obvious signs of disturbance. After assessing similar markings on another nearby, tree, he traveled to that one and did the same. He managed to make his way deeper into the forest, following the obvious signs, and waiting for the point in which they would start to disappear. The signs did stop as he expected. She had stopped playing with him here, and it was now a completely new game. Kyn took out his hunting knife, and made markings of his own in the trees, leaving a pattern similar a three clawed animal. As he sat down in the tree, looking around, he decided that he had no choice but to use technology, a fact that disappointed him slightly. He took out his Pokédex, and switched to the newly integrated PokéRadar feature, after making a pass over the last visible tracking sign that Serena had made, he then started heading in another direction, that took him farther away from the previous track than he would have thought possible. "I really wish I didn't have to do this. I'm a modern human, not all of us are trained in hunting and tracking anymore. I'm going to get some advice from a Ranger when I get back home," He said, following the indications by the PokéRadar. Serena stayed seated at the entrance of the cave, her eyes focused on shadows that her eyes could JUST make out, she knew the Pokémon of the group would be able to JUST make her out too. then she saw the illuminated screen, and frowned, more to herself than Marlow beside her. She sighed breathlessly, running hear claws over her headplates. Her eyes opened after a short blink, and she slowly waved her fingers towards his Pokémon, hinting at breaking off one by one covertly. "This... isn't what I expected at all." Kyn sighed and continued progressing. He stopped, to once again climb up a tree and look around for anything that might give an indication as to where she had gone. When he couldn't find anything else, he just instead followed the general path that the radar had indicated, and eventually exited the forest. Serena was waiting for him, as promised, her one arm had crossed across her body; the other had a Dragon pulse perched upon it, coating her and the surrounding area in an eerie blue green glow. She didn't look up at him this time, the frown creased her features. She wasn't going to confront him about it, instead, slowly her slitted pupils traveled up to meet his eyes; if he was going to lie, it would be to her face. 046 AM] : Kyn sat down near Serena, and sighed. "Well Serena. You certainly moved in an interesting way. I wasn't able to track you at all past a certain point. It appears as if I need to go back to the Rangers and learn a bit more again. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I just didn't realise how out of touch I was. I do remember one important thing though. If I had more time to study you, I may have had a better chance. That's what I used to do." "If you took time to study me you would have been more lost than you already were." She stood, and threw the dragon pulse up into the sky, not as effective as launching it up, but still. "The reason? It was a typical pattern left by a Pokémon who had narrowly escaped capture and was running for it's life." "I suppose then, that that is why I wasn't able to recall. I haven't really encountered anything like that yet. It will definitely be another method to learn. Though, of course, most of what I've ever encountered... has never really gotten the chance to flee." "If you were tracking something, and another creature came across it's path and startled it, you would lose the trail with that way of thinking....Did you even LOOK at the displacement of leaves, or assume that because i was no longer setting down my claws that i no longer was touching the ground or leaving footprints?" she chided. Did she dare leave him alone though? No, that was the problem, she didn't, not with Devonshire around, not with the scavengers at the bone yard. "You've failed." She finalized. "However, since you didn't try to hide it from me, since you had enough honor to do that..." she sighed, she was going to regret this, she knew. "...You can come and see if you can't assist in one way or another." "I did seem to forget a lot of what I learned. Perhaps this place will be better to practice than back home and... I'm not sure what to say about you letting me come along other than a thank you." She wrinkled her nose at his thank you, instead just waving it off. "I'll give you all one last chance then, to get some sleep--since you managed to get here before dawn, and to decide if you DON'T want to come, just because you were picked does not mean that you have to obey without question, not here at least." she still thought of Poké Balls as torture devices, no matter how many times she had try to convince herself otherwise. It was actually for a good reason that she was going to try to convince herself of this, but didn't let on just now. "After we start however, i won't deal with whining, and you'll, naturally, eat only what you can catch." "It reminds me of one of those survival shows back home, the only whine you'll find is the kind that you drink." Kyn said with a chuckle, picturing all the non actual ways to survive. "Kyn, you know you only watch those shows to get a chuckle out of what most people perceive surviving in the wild to be." Tensa said. "I've already made my decision Serena. Though, it has been quite some time since I have actually done anything hunting related." Striker said, rubbing his blades together. "You shall have my decision in the morning as well, Serena." Heji said, padding closer to her. Marlow, to the best of his ability tried to show how happy he was on his face. "Depending on what size 'mon they bring down, they might not be able to eat them all at once..." Serena nodded to Striker and had to resist the urge to swat at Heji's tail, it was a stupid impulse, but one that showed that she was still a kid. Her own tail flicked as she resisted what her body wanted to do. She was glad that Heji and she were on the same team, and that a direct force of his Intimidate wouldn't be used on her. "Ah, you've just reminded me, if not purposely Heji, to notify you that your Species limitations of only having one ability has been lifted." she thought about what she was saying. "Well, perhaps you can feel the difference as I could, being a hunter and more in tune with your body." "This is not something I have noticed yet. I may need to battle before I can feel the difference. Either that or something needs to anger me." Heji stated. "My abilities are unhindered here? Then that could be useful in some cases. Striker pondered. "This is still something that I'm going to have to getting used to. They'll be able to use completely different strategies as well." Kyn said, thinking of all the new combinations that could be used. With Heji's Intimidate, combined with the other abilities, would make his moves much more powerful. "I don't think I really would be much different even if I had an additional ability here." Tensa commented. Marlow sighed again. "Though each of my forms only have a single ability, so the only difference that I noticed there was a slight decrease in intensity, or some similar word." Serena looked at Marlow for a moment. "Don't get all mopey on me again." She said, taking off her scarf and folding it on the ground. "Heji...if you would like to battle, I would be more than willing to give up a few hours of sleep to let you experience the difference..." She trailed off at Kyn's words however. /He's doing it again.../ she thought to herself. "Doesn't that get annoying?" She asked Heji quietly, her voice little more than a whisper. Clearly she didn't like the idea of being told what to do. This was a wild world, and even if a bystander might see more than what she could, she wasn't exactly keen on letting people tell her what to do. This world was a place to get back to your roots, back in touch with the earth around them, at least, that was what she believed it would be for them. Heji padded over to Serena even closer and then laid down closer so that he could whisper to her. "It's a lifestyle choice. I wanted to become stronger, and I knew that I couldn't do it simply by surviving off stolen food in a city. He doesn't really give us 'commands' like other Trainers do. There's also something that we all really love, that absolutely confuses his opponents to the highest degree. This sounds strange to them but it won't to you. He uses a method that puts us in direct control of the battle, allowing out instincts to take over, albeit limited. Where as the other Pokémon are reliant on Trainer commands, to the point where they're at a major disadvantage. I have achieved my goal. I am stronger than I was." She frowned a little at the explanation, running over each sentence in her head. "Then why would he need to formulate strategies for you, if it's your instincts that drive you still?" It was a sign of how much she was forcing herself to trust to allow the Luxray this close to her, had he wished he could have easily gutted her from this position...well, at least if his claws were as sharp as she THOUGHT they were. In order to get her instincts to shut up, she walked to his side, about to his forepaw shoulder and sat beside him, not really putting her weight on him, but this way she was away from the claws, and would have enough reaction time in case he DID attack...and of course they could still talk, that was another point, though they were now almost completely blocking the entrance to the cave, and that notion reminded her of the others, the bugs in particular. "It's warmer in the cave for you insectoids, if you would like to go in...just don't eat my curtains or bedding." She looked up at Marlow suspiciously with a 'do you need to sleep too?' look. "It's really more of a facade," Heji admitted, "Back home, battles are officially sanctioned by a League. It's really like you think there in that case. Technically Pokémon that are owned, and I say owned loosely, more like brainwashed, by Trainers, aren't supposed to make moves without their Trainer's orders. It would look strange, if we just started battling without being told to. It allows him to allow us to think for ourselves." Heji gave a yawn after he finished his story. "Thank you for the offer Serena, I will humbly accept your invitation. Oh and, yes, lucky for you, I do not have a preference for inorganic material," Striker said with a smile. [Well, you do have to consider that while you were gone, I was still in my base container, with no way to move. A bit lonely too.] Striker's comment made her a little more uneasy, since her cotton curtains and straw bedding were VERY organic material, even if they didn't look it. Still she took Heji's answer at face value, rather than asking questions to a tired mind. She picked up her scarf from the ground after scratching her neck with her claws, then putting it back on. /In that case, see to it that our Pidgeotto gets fed for the next couple days, Won't you? Before we leave we're also going to have to move the big rock over the doorway so that no intruders would be able to get in./ This wasn't -totally- true, as there was another way for creatures to get in, but they wouldn't know about it, since it was over the berry garden and not connected to anything else. [Oh, I suppose I will. It simply won't do if our bird weakens.] Marlow drifted back into the cave afterwards. "Oh, Serena, this may seem like an odd question but... do you know how long ago you hatched?" Kyn asked, facing her. "Don't you ever get tired of asking Pokémon that question?" Heji drawled. Serena looked a little annoyed at the question, really, but since she was still young, and knew he hadn't had much experience with dragons (or she assumed he didn't) she didn't exactly mind answering. "Maybe 10 seasons ago? With all the snow from Sorbet it was hard to judge the change this past year, so it could have been as few as 7...I would advise you against asking anyone but child level dragon types that question, for the record...we can get to have survived a VERY long time and still be considered in our prime...If you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of before I sleep, don't let me keep you awake." /Going to check on the covers of the berry patch./ she relayed, moving to the side of the wall as her claws coated themselves with the shadow energy she was so used to using, climbing up the face of the mountain to the ledge that, if she wasn't on, would have been invisible to the Pokémon from both above, and around it. "I don't ask EVERY Pokémon that I meet that question. Also, I wasn't planning on asking anyone else that question. I can understand why she advised that. For one, it'd be like going up to someone back home and asking, 'Excuse me sir, you look pretty ancient. About how close are you to death?' in the worse case I'd assume. But it's just generally not something I plan on doing here. She just well... from what I've experienced in the Dragon Village as well with Lance and the Blackthorn City area, is very young. I didn't want to start with that question, so I figured I might try to ask it a bit more casually later. As it turns out, it seems that my initial suspicion was correct. Though of course, she definitely acts well beyond her age." Kyn said to Heji. "Do you think, that your knowledge of Pokémon will come in handy here? We've already been shown that it is in some ways vastly different than our world. You're going to have more of their abilities to contend with." Heji retorted. Marlow took what little time he had left, to prepare enough food for the Pidgeotto to have at least two days worth, since he wouldn't likely be able to move very much. Serena looked over the grate of leaves and where there were some missing, she added them. The grid of wood down below the soil provided decent stability, and the thin layer of leaves still let enough light in to nourish the berries within the cave. Of course if someone did accidentally fall through, there was also a net hanging from one side of the wall to another to capture any unsuspecting Pokémon--it had been difficult to convince the Spinarak to give her their old webs, but well worth it. Soon, at least, soon enough, she was running off the top of the ledge and jumping down, the fall wasn't high enough that she NEEDED to use her head to cushion the fall, and so she didn't, choosing instead to hook her claws into the rock face and obliterate the marks she had used to get up there, this had the bonus of sharpening her claws to further points. Kyn leaned against the wall near the cave entrance to wait for Serena. He wasn't tired himself, like some of his Pokémon were, so he felt ready to depart as soon as she was ready. Heji passed the time by looking around himself with his X-ray vision, and after he'd pretty much seen all there was to see outside, he turn around and began looking inside. Having not really looked through thick rocks much, his first impression was that of a scientist examining an oddity. "Well, these rocks certainly look strange with their varying density in places. Oh, there's Striker." He said, narrating his experience. Serena hadn't been too long upstairs, of course she wasn't sure what to think when she heard Heji talking about the density in the rocks, and her muscles tensed. "Just so long as what you see stays in your head and isn't broadcast." she muttered as she passed Heji. She sombred as she looked up at Kyn, it was an unfortunate difference in height. "I have something to discuss with you, however..." She tugged at the end of the scarf subconsciously. "Er... is it something that is going to be discussed in the cave or... can it be discussed out here?" Kyn was used to bad news coming in the form of a sentence beginning 'I have something to discuss with you,' but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Heji nodded at Serena, and then his eyes went back to normal. "I'd like a tour of your cave before we leave though, if you don't mind." "It'll...have to be discussed out here...Marlow's in there feeding the bird..." She had looked down. "Marlow...will be leaving, I don't know when, perhaps when he's evolved, or perhaps when...he's got his memories back." She blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. "When he's gone, I'll be all alone here again...I don't...want to be alone again. I can't go into the Dragon's forest with my own kin, and even there they...don't socialize with one another." "I see... well, that does pose a bit of an issue... but, I think I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it. It involves being slightly deceptive..." Kyn said with concern. He'd been in a similar situation, but not quite exactly how this one was, but enough to understand her feelings. Heji was able to see that this was a difficult topic for Serena to discuss so he decided to temporarily go deaf. She didn't meet his eyes, she couldn't, her tail even had curled around her leg slightly, as if it could offer any more protection than she already could afford herself. "Rogues...aren't exactly known for being straight out honest, deception is part of the game." she said, a bit conscious of the fact that Heji was there. "If you have something in mind...I'll hear it out." "It involves placing a desire in his subconscious to be near you. It doesn't have to be all the time, but he'd probably go on a quest to see if his friends were... given a second chance at existence, and if not, then he'd come back to you. It'd be so subtle that he wouldn't even notice it. Have you ever had a primal urge to just do something, then after you did it, didn't realise why you did it?" Serena shook her head. "Making someone want to be around you isn't the same as a normal friendship, it would be the same as if a trainer was ordering him to go somewhere...and it would be as you dictated. 'Not knowing why he came back.'." she sighed, flicking her tail back out behind her. "No, I don't want to begrudge him a life with his friends, even if they are his old friends and not me...after all, what kind of friend would -I- be making him do that?" "That is an excellent point. But, have you ever considered, that maybe the subconscious thing that I said... may already be there? That's another thing that you'd be able to find out, if you asked, I suppose, though you might consider that too personal of an intrusion. I don't know." She went quiet, her mouth twitching. "The only reason he's staying with me now and not off looking is because I'm the one that he's tied to...the reason that i can talk to him mentally is because he leeches from my energy to be able to do anything during the time that Father is in the sky." She slipped, she didn't care. "Only when Mother watches over us, can he even form his cloak of his own accord, and if he hasn't eaten even that is difficult." she paused. "What I'm looking for..." she phrased it carefully. "Is a way out...if it's not there, if he never comes to see me when I'm considered an adult, and I'm left to my own devices. I will never take a mate here, not in this region, this i already know. I'm an anomaly, i have a tail, and while it's a good survival tool now, it marks me as...defected." "This seems like a situation in which you feel as if once Marlow no longer depends on you that he'll leave you to look for his friends, and you're conflicted on that because, although you don't want him to leave, you also feel like he deserves to have the opportunity to look for his friends. This... actually reminds me of something I've encountered before. With the exception of the manner of you having a tail. That is a..." he phrased it carefully as not to cause offense, "situation in which it unfortunately comes down to nature's way of dictating survival. That I have no control over. As for Marlow, I think you SHOULD tell him how you feel." Serena snorted. She had come to terms with the fact that she was a freak a LONG time ago, mentioning it now made no difference. "I have no right to disrupt what life he has a right to live...Gambitville is the place of which he thinks that his friends--and he--came from...in his past life. He'll have to open up and ask him himself...but if Medicham can help him regain his memories, then I'm sure he'll find him there while we're hunting." For the first time in a LONG time, she felt weak, as if she'd just crawled out of the egg after fighting so very long against her shell. "I should let you relax...I'll see you in a couple hours." She walked away, nudging Heji with the tip of her tail in a way that could have been a pat on the head from any human, and took survey of all those inside as her claws clicked against the stone towards her straw nest. Kyn took the time to take in this response, before deciding to remain silent, and follow her inside. He pet Heji under the chin before walking inside the cave as well. "I guess I'll just... stay out here and... I dunno, guard or something." Heji said, as Serena passed. "You need not, if you don't want to." Her voice called back as she walked in, laying down in her nest before pulling the curtains across the chamber, sheltering her from the light of the torches and the fire. Once she was alone, she let the silent tears fall, and drifted back to sleep. It was the birds that woke her up at dawn, or at least, things that SOUNDED like birds. The air vent that lead over to the berry patch was relaying the sound to her, and immediately her eyes snapped open. The curtain she had drawn over was flung back. "Marlow, Birds in the berry patch!" She hissed, looking up to his usual sleeping place on the mantle." "Serena, what can I do now? The only thing I might be able to do is have the possibility of scaring them away." He said, not on the mantle, but from a corner nearby. "Useless." she hissed, running over the table and making it creak, she couldn't help but notice that the cave was practically empty. Without Marlow she couldn't go through the wall to get to the patch, she had no choice but to use the aerial entrance which might as well have gotten her trapped in the web already. She ran outside and to the left, likely kicking sand and soil into Heji's face if he wasn't already up and moving, and pushed herself via a mix of Dragon Rush and shadow claw, up the almost entirely vertical slope. "Oh damn me..." She muttered, the leaves had been blown away, the grid was in shambles, and of all things there were not only PIDGEOT in there, but Swellow as well. She twitched in rage, they were just birds...really, powerful birds that could drop her from a height even her headplates could save her from, but just birds none the less. Of course, this also meant that her Spinarak netting was covering one of them, making it harder for them to move. Still she stood frozen. /No chance.../ she realized. Heji had since moved out the way of the entrance, consider a suggestion that Kyn had made about an hour into their time outside. Marlow realised that Serena was in for a bit of a struggle, so he searched around for Striker. After finding him, he quickly said, "We're having a bit of a bird problem up above. Do you think you'd be able to carry Heji up to the top of the cliff face to assist Serena?" Striker considered this for a moment, before saying, "I can try, but since he's about the same size as me, it will be difficult." He headed outside, to meet Heji and Kyn, and tell them about Serena's situation. "I see... I think you can do it Striker, so go for it!" Kyn encouraged. The fall wasn't long, not was it hard, but still it took a lot for Serena to even jump from where she had stood into the damp, gloomy cave. There were no torches in here, it gave her the upper hand since she was nocturnal, but still it startled the birds. There were four of them, two Pidgeot and two Swellow, and they were now all staring at her like she was a worm. "Those. Are. MINE." She roared as best as she could, being a Bagon it wasn't as impressive as it would have been had she been fully grown. It was no surprise when they came at her, she had expected it. Normally she would have been launching herself from a tree at them, but she had no trees here aside from the shabby berry trees that they had been eating from. Oran, Sitrus and even yes, Micle berries littered the floor, half eaten. She managed to Dodge one of the four birds--she wasn't sure how, which ran into the wall and--she didn't have time to look, but hoped that it had knocked itself out cold. The others pecked at her, and she let her instincts turn her back on them, the sharp tipped points of her headplates, and her headplates themselves, the most of what they could reach with their beaks and talons. Her instincts screamed for an opening, to turn this fight back around to the offensive, but with the relentless pecking she didn't see an opportunity. One slash made it down her back to her tail, and she winced as she felt the warm blood start to trickle down her back. Even a fully evolved bird could damage a child dragon, she knew all too well. Thankfully it was shallow, and wouldn't hinder her too much IF she was given the opportunity to attack back. Striker explained to Heji that the most probably way for him to be carried would have to be by gripping him around the back, while they were face to face, since they were practically the same size. Striker wrapped his scythes backwards around Heji, gripping him tight. Heji placed his paws around Striker's back as instructed, and then moved forward to land on his, or what would be the equivalent of his, lap. He then wrapped his hindpaws around Striker's legs. "Um, not to rush you or anything but, I do believe that Serena wouldn't protest if you were to arrive right NOW." "This would have been easier if we had Reshiram..." Kyn commented quietly. Somewhere along the line one of the birds pecked another's head, and two of them started squabbling amongst themselves, this had been the opening, and her claws didn't disappoint her, she spun almost on point, and while the claws themselves were JUST out of reach of the birds body, the energy streaming off of them collided and knocked the one bird back, bloody gashes across it's chest, but it could still fly, could still fight. The opening gave her time to run away from the wall, the walls were both her friends and enemies here, and when the one had been blown back it attracted the attention of the others, who resumed chasing her. She wondered, idly, if she had enough room to make a Dragon Rush blast work, or if it would make the entire thing crumble around her--and decided not to risk it. Still as she ran she had enough focus to form a Dragon Pulse in her mouth and between her hands, trying to get it to a reasonable size, which was fairly difficult. Striker and Heji made their way up the cliff face, and after they landed, Striker collapsed on his side, so that he wouldn't be on top of Heji. He was panting rapidly, and was visibly strained. Definitely not looking forward to having to bring Heji back down the cliff, and he thought about alternate ways to get back into the cave, and how he'd get there, after he'd recovered. "Heji... .... this.... really shows.... ... my age...." Striker said, the negativity in his voice showing. He was strong at his age, but he tired out much easier. Heji made his way over to where Serena was, by tracking her scent, and dropping down. The scent of blood was also recognizable. The black shape caught her eye and she groaned, another one? No, it wasn't a bird, but a Lion, HEJI? How had he gotten even UP there to come down? She didn't have time to ponder it, instead turning in mid leap to fire off the green ball, landing on her back to which she gave a hiss of pain. She was vulnerable, and before she could turn over she saw a flash of red across her stomach, they were trying to GUT her now? Her instincts had had her turning in the direction the talons were coming though, and she found herself almost entirely unable to move. Dirt would help cinch the wound, but now she had another to worry about. She was starting to get angry at these birds, as if she wasn't before, and to make matters worse the one that had hit it's head was getting back up! Damn her luck. /Marlow?/ Her voice was feeble at best, but she'd made her way to the trunk of one of the trees, which offered her a little protection from the birds, though not much. /If i don't get the chance to say it later...you were a good partner./ She wasn't bluffing, she knew that these birds were really trying to kill her now, she'd never been so out matched, and where HAD this birds come from anyway? Yesterday there hadn't been so much as a Pidgey around the cavern. Heji began to build electricity around himself, causing the surrounding area to glow. This allowed him to notice more of his surroundings without needing to use his X-ray eyes. He spotted Serena as well as the group of birds attacking her. His peripheral vision didn't catch the Pidgeot near him currently as he was too focused on Serena. "Serena! Dig your claws into the ground, and close your eyes!" Heji called out. He moved closer towards the birds, hoping to lure their attention away from her. Serena, unlike Heji, did see the Pidgeot behind him, and since she trusted him, She dropped to all fours, pushing her hand and hind claws into the soil, her head turned and her mouth wide open, green sparking between her fangs and growing quickly. She didn't however close both eyes, ONE, but not both. She needed to be able to aim properly, or she would hit HIM instead of her mark. -Do it- she thought, she was waiting, just for the right moment. The other birds still were focusing on the dragon that wanted to take their food away, and as such wouldn't notice Heji until he was almost upon them. She imagined Several things would happen at once, Heji's blast to go off, and the Dragon pulse leaving her mouth as her mouth snapped shut in pain. Whether or not the Pulse ball would hit the Pidgeot or not would depend on the rear power of the Discharge, but either way that annoying bird--which was all that it was to her, was going to be knocked out, if not killed. "You're a strong dragon, you can take it!" Heji's built up electricity made the glow even more intense, and after fifteen more seconds, he rushed towards the group, stopped, and then released it, causing the room to be filled with electric light, whose arcs were so many that some of the birds were hit more than once with the attack. Her body tensed as the electricity passed through it, and as predicted the ball left her lips, passed through the wave of electricity--picking up that energy as well, then came into contact with the Pidgeot behind him. The combined energy impacted it with the effect of a sonic boom, harmless except to those who were flying, and to the Pokémon's ears. For those who were flying, they would have been knocked back into the wall, away from the charge of energy but not before being thoroughly shocked. Serena panted, half in pain, half in exertion, as she fought and stood up on her hind legs, the shadow energy covering her claws, both on her hind feet and on her foreclaws. No, she would have never been able to do this alone, but now that the birds were fried, she had no remorse about taking advantage of it, using double-edge to get away from the forks of electricity, and slitting two of the three's throats. Three down...The last one was caught in the webbing, and Serena snorted. Rightfully, it was Heji's kill, but she still stood guard over it with bloodied claws, as if it might get up. "Bloody birds." She spat out, verifying that the cuts weren't too deep, though the electricity still made her twitch every once in a while. "This situation could have ended up a lot worse. I realise that you can handle yourself sometimes but, I don't think you expected to be this many here," Heji said, understandingly, "and two Pidgeot, of all things. It was practically a swarm." Serena took her eyes off the bird for a moment. "Save your blather for someone who needs to hear it." She snorted as he said 'swarm' "What was that? Oh sweet Dialga..." she muttered. "Hurry up and come take your kill, we need to get Striker out of the open." this was a snap, an order, and if he didn't move, she would have finished it off. It hurt to move--and was glad that they had Inferno, he could cauterize the wounds and while she would be in pain, at least they would have stopped bleeding. "Oh, right. Yeah." Heji quickly and effortless snapped the bird's neck in his jaws, and then dragged it out of the way. "Well, Striker's kinda exhausted right now. Kyn's going to have to give him an item to recover." Heji guessed that Serena would be able to understand the concept of recovery items. His guess would have been right, but she had this dangerous look in her eye that would have told him that it wasn't the time to answer unasked questions. She strode to the corner, ignoring the pain and the trickle of blood from her wounds, and launched herself back and forth until she could catch the rim of the upper level, where she found Striker of course. Her eyes narrowed at him as she walked. "Swarm ability. You never had it before, did you?" It was a demand, if he had done this to them on purpose there was going to be hell to pay. "That might explain a few things." He was now sitting down, what little he could with his abdomen in the way, and bracing himself up with his scythes. Her tone to him implied that it was a was basically an interrogation. "No, I've never had it before. An effect of this place no doubt." She nodded. "Unhindered...some blessings are more of a curse." she noted, holding her stomach closed with one hand as she closed her eyes and tried to ease the blood rage that came with her species. 'Salamence are known for rampaging' the book had said, and she would have stayed beside him, but the loss of blood was starting to make her dizzy, and she knew that most wouldn't be able to reach them there. "There's four dead birds down there, Two Pidgeot and two Swellow." she muttered before jumping down, but this time landing on one knee. It wasn't the fall that brought her down, but rather the loss she felt like she was suffering. /Dead./ She said. /They're dead...I don't know if you can eat them from there, but you might want to try, Marlow./ "Taking down two Pidgeot by herself seems like it would have been a nearly impossible feat. The Swellow might not be as difficult, but that's four birds that can attack from multiple angles." Striker said to Heji. "She's not injured that badly, though they did manage to draw some of her blood, something that I'm sure annoyed her." Heji explained. [I'll just get a little bit closer then. Serena, are you sure you're alright? If I take anymore energy from you, you might just collapse... Won't you just ask someone for help?] Marlow was concerned not only due to the bleeding, but due to the fact that she was still close enough to be connected to him. /Just shut up and take it./ was the response he got, and stood up; walking towards the cavern entrance. She was tired of them telling her that what she did was reckless, she already -knew- that. Her eyes narrowed. 'get some help...' well, she planned on it, at least for the cut on her back, but she WANTED the scars to be there, they were a record of what you had made it through in that stage of your life--and the fact that they disappeared when they evolved was like wiping the slate clean. She walked passed Kyn, virtually ignoring him as she reached for the torch on the wall, and gritted her teeth, determined not to make a sound as she seared the wound on her stomach closed, but even so, it nearly made her pass out. Now she just had to deal with the other one, but it wasn't viable to do herself, nor to ask Kyn. Recovery items...she could guess that this was how they had lived to be fully grown Pokémon, but wanted nothing of it. Kyn had noticed that Serena obviously had shown signs of battle on her hide, but his experience told him not to directly get involved unless she asked, and he didn't think that she'd ask him either. [Alright alright.] He moved closer to the area where the wall that would separated the berries. The energy was still there, but just barely, and the closest one he was able to absorb was from the most recently deceased Pidgeot. He then decided to phase into the wall to get closer to the other sources. Serena sighed, with that wound closed she walked deeper into the cave to get her salve, of course, she hoped that that was where Inferno was still resting as well. "Inferno." she spoke softly, the torch was still in her hand, and with Pendragon not accounted for either, she hoped that one was without the other. The salve was next to her nest, and it burned when she put it around the scorched cut, but it was that good type of burn that said things were working properly. She didn't want to make a big deal out of this, usually Marlow was the one to sear the wounds closed, but she kept distancing herself from him, a little at a time. Being a light sleeper most of the time, Inferno was able to be disturbed by Serena calling him. "Asdaacm,faf" he mumbled instinctively, not really saying anything, but still beginning the process of waking. /Once you've eaten, see if you can assist Kyn./ She wanted to keep him away from her as this was done, and promptly blocked the connection out afterwards. She was out of danger, he knew that already. "I need to borrow your fire." She spoke, tossing the torch into the fire, ignoring the pungent smell of the salve. How had he slept through all the racket she had made earlier, she wondered, if it was this easy to wake him. "Serena...?" Inferno groggily muttered. He sat up, and then blinked his eyes a few times, before seeing the blurred shape of the Bagon in his line of sight. Marlow finished what he was able to, and then went back outside to meet Kyn, not exactly sure what Serena meant by helping him. "Marlow, Striker and Heji haven't come back down yet, can you go check on them to see what the situation is?" Serena rolled her eyes, the blood loss was starting to make her snarky. "No, it's some other random female Bagon that you know lives in this bloody cave." she snorted. "I could use your help stopping the blood from oozing down my back, do you mind?" "Well, depending on how fast you want it sealed, I need to examine the wound first of all." Inferno said, in a doctor like manner. He'd figured that Serena did want it closed right away, even though it would be painful. "Well, they definitely didn't take as much damage as Serena did, and of course I worry about her, but she has her own way of going about things like that." Marlow said, before moving up the cliff to meet the two in question. "Well, I suppose you're here to check up on us, aren't you?" Striker asked, testing his wings to see if they recovered from the fatigue yet. They barely made enough movement to create a sound. "This cliff isn't really that high up but... I don't think I'll try jumping down it." Heji said, judging the drop off distance. Serena snorted again, turning around and sitting down so that it would be easy enough for him to see and sear close. "Just sear it, yes, i know it's got dirt in it, don't really care, can't be any worse than me eating the siding from my own cave as i expand." She muttered to him. Marlow always insisted upon washing the wounds first, she hoped he wouldn't be like Marlow...when wounds were wet it always took more heat to sear them closed. "Since you were asleep,I suppose I should inform you...Two Pidgeot and two Swellow were found in my berry garden today, ate all of my crops...Thankfully it's the middle of summer and they can be persuaded into bearing another harvest before winter comes around." to be fair, even if Heji had done a lot of the work, it was still bragging rights, at least to her. "Your entire crop was lost? How many were in there?" Inferno took one of his plates off, and then breathed a slow but intense flame onto it, to the point in which it looked like it would melt, and stopped there. He then applied it directly to the wound. Obviously she wouldn't be able to answer him now, so he waited. After about ten seconds, he removed it. "So, do you want me to fetch something for you then?" Marlow suggested. If it was smaller than his arms then he'd easily be able to carry it back up to them. "Well, tell Kyn that Striker could use a Full Restore, and then he'll give you the item to bring back up to us to use. He'll know what you mean." Heji said. Her words were cut off by the searing pain, her body tensed and she was insanely glad that she hadn't needed to find a tree at that moment, as surely she would have lost control of her bladder. "Three Oran, two Sitrus, two Pecha, a Micle and a Rawst." She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the burnt scales, passing him back the salve which was OBVIOUSLY made from the last berry type she had just mentioned. "If you don't mind?" She muttered. "The trees themselves are fine, and on the bright side, we have enough breakfast for everyone." "Serena, Kyn never told you why he so willingly gave you that PokéBlock case did he?" Inferno said, taking it and then quickly applying the salve to the visibly charred scales. As Marlow drifted back down, he felt like he had become and errand-mon of sorts, but in this case he didn't mind since he was helping guests. "Heji says to ask you for a Full Restore." "Oh, well then, take this, and if you would, give him only four drops. That should be enough." He said, taking out a small bottle filled with a golden clear liquid. It had at mechanism in which the liquid would be able to escape if turned a certain way, and it would either come out in drops, or in a stream. "No, he didn't." She felt like a captive audience, and her scales shivered as the salve was applied. "I did find it rather odd to be -given- something...nothing around here is free." It didn't take a genius to guess that she was referring to the blood on her claws, and the birds that she had just killed. "He'd probably never tell you this but I will. He doesn't really how lucky he is to be able to just... have almost every Berry he wants. Sure he has to pay for it but, it's like, that crop that you mentioned... he'd know people that have ten times that amount, and yet he doesn't see the value in that. He mostly uses them to make his PokéBlock, and something that you haven't tried yet, called a Poffin." Inferno said solemnly. Marlow took the bottle in his 'hands' and then brought them back to Striker. After doing what Kyn showed him to, he brought it over to Striker's head. "Ah, thank you Marlow. It's still a bit of a wonder for me, this stuff." He then held his mouth open, and waited. Heji simply laid down after, waiting for Striker to recover. Serena blinked at him, actually turning her head to look at him and accept the small jar of salve back from him. "So you're saying that he gave because...he has an excess and doesn't care about it?" She licked her claws clean and stood up. "I'll probably need some help Hoisting the corpses up out of the berry garden, and for that I'll need vines..." she rubbed her claws over her head as she thought. "it's a bit ironic that I used my last ones when we captured the Pidgeotto." "No, well, it's not exactly like that. He gave them to you because he saw that you really enjoyed them. You could consider it a sign of friendship, in the sense that, he's willing to give up the hours of time it took to make those. He's probably already got plans to make more, now that he's met you. Oh, and there's one thing that I suppose we all inherited from Kyn, it's big speeches!" He chuckled and then finished addressing the rest of what she said. "You could also probably use rope. So... about those birds... who is getting what?" Marlow tilted the bottle at an angle until a very large drop appeared out of the opening, and onto Striker's tongue. He repeated the process three more times, and then closed it. "Is this little amount really going to help you recover faster?" He asked, not really believe it that much. "Yes, actually, you'll see in..." As soon he said that, Striker's wings began to flutter at full speed, to the point that they were a blur, and he was lifted up and hovering. "Three seconds. Let's go Heji. Going down is much easier than taking you up." "Anyway, thank you for your assistance in this." Heji said, resuming the position again. He was certain that Striker would have been able to easily take him up the cliff without getting exhausted had he been a lot younger, but at least he was able to get him up there, and that was something. Serena looked at Inferno again, setting the jar of salve on the table. "I've probably only got one, maybe two more Shadow claw left in me, so I'll probably do the tying of the vines/rope around the bodies...I'm putting this together as I go, but obviously i wont MAKE anyone help me with it...For you herbivores we have berries and wheat, or we should still have wheat, Marlow's been feeding the Pidgeotto lately..." she trailed off, absently starting to walk back out to the spot where Kyn and the others were likely beginning to gather, she opened up the link to Marlow again. /Been having fun?/ Sarcasm, even the thought was coated with it. Marlow didn't answer her at first, and instead focused on Kyn. He brought the bottle back, and then went inside to talk to Inferno. Striker brought Heji back down the cliff, as he said, not having to work as hard so he didn't get completely exhausted. "Seems like a pretty intense battle went on. There's apparently four dead birds that need to be dealt with." Striker said. Heji didn't comment back, but instead went inside to see Serena. "Getting up that cliff seems like it should be something I look into." Kyn commented. "I'll help with the birds then, since I can get up that cliff." Inferno said, walking with her to meet the rest of them. Marlow was the first to reach them. "Did you eat?" She eyed him warily, she really didn't want to have to face ghost versions of those birds, of course the newly forming scars would be that which attracted the most attention later. For the second time of the day, Heji appeared in the corner of her eye, and she braced herself for another 'stern talking to', so to speak. It was likely unavoidable, but she nodded to Inferno. "Claw marks will let you know where to climb up." She was trying to think, and it wasn't working very well at the moment, probably the loss of blood, but it wasn't like it wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with before. "There was not a chance to take care of all of them." Marlow said casually before looking at Inferno. "Serena, I was wondering, have you taken down prey their size or bigger before?" Inferno asked, curious as to the scale of her hunting prowess. About halfway through his trek Heji encountered Serena, and Inferno. "Serena... I have some questions for you." He said. She flinched at the news. "Alone? The Swellow perhaps, but not the Pidgeot, however...as I've said I've managed to subdue a Pidgeotto; and those with only a couple scratches." She flicked her tail in annoyance, still at the news that Marlow had given. /It's too bad we didn't know the timeframe in which creatures can turn to ghosts.../ "By all means." she directed at Heji. "Ask away." "First question, do you regret my assistance in the matter of dealing with the birds?" Heji asked in a firm but at the same time curious tone. [Well, there's always the library again... or asking an ancient ghost.] "I'm a bit curious of that as well Serena. Together, you two managed to take out two Pidgeot, and two Swellow." "It seems like this has turned into a bit of a questions and answer session slightly." Inferno commented. /...I'd rather not visit the library again anytime soon...may i request that you return to your skull form? I know that you'll be stuck that way for most of the day considering recent events, but I'd rather not be separate from you at the moment./ "No." the reply was easy. "A hunter knows when they're outmatched, it would have been dumb luck had i killed them without damaging myself beyond any repair that the Doctors in town could have managed...but i had to...Didn't know WHY i had to try at the time...but I know now, they weren't attracted by the berries, but by Striker." [I've already mentioned earlier Serena that if I took anymore energy from you, you'd probably collapse. I have no trouble returning to that form.] "By Striker?" Inferno said. "Is there something about Striker that draws wild Pokémon to him? That's never happened before." "Well, Serena and I have discovered that it is... one of his abilities." Heji said, saving Serena the trouble of having to say it again. Serena held out her claws just under Marlow's skull jaw, and gripped it so that when the cloak dissipated she had a hold of him. It would have looked strange to anyone else, she was sure, but when the energy left, she transferred him to her arms. "Since he's stronger than the average Pokémon, he attracts stronger than average Pokémon as well...speaking of bugs, has anyone seen the Scolipede? I would hate for him to have swarm too and be out on his own." She didn't remember his name, she would have to amend that later, but right now her mind was elsewhere, and her mouth twitched. "They DO have it here." "He's not as strong as Striker though, but I suppose Heji and I should go look for him, since we'll like be able to combat the type's he's weak against together." Inferno said. "Pendragon can be a bit of a loner sometimes. We'll probably find him in the forest... messing around with the locals." Heji suggested. "If the same thing happens to him as to you, then it'll be best if we leave now. Wait, this could be a problem. If you combine Striker's Swarm with his.... then we might just have an even harder time, and require the rest to remedy the situation." [I think I'll just take a nap then.] Marlow conveyed Serena nodded to the both of them. "We'll work on getting the birds out of the berry patch while you're gone then...and discuss what will need to be adjusted a little later on. Right now if i don't get meat in me my body will shut down and our trip will be postponed another day...I'm not exactly the patient type." she muttered. /Alright./ She walked back towards the back where Marlow's bandana was and wrapped it around his eyes, then tucked him into the front of her scarf so that she could move around freely. "Don't worry, I'll see if i can't convince Tensa and Kyn to assist me while you're gone." Heji and Inferno now exited the cave, forming a part of two. On their way out, Inferno asked Kyn for his red bandana with the Poké Ball design, and just for the heck of it, Heji's yellow one. After tying his around his neck, and then Heji's around his, they set off into the forest to find Pendragon! Serena followed them out of the cave, standing in the shadows, she really didn't want to have to speak to Kyn again after last night, but there was no choice. Once the two were off, she stepped out of the shadows and approached him quietly. "Kynexn." she said business like. "We...have a situation on our hands." "Does it involve the four currently extra crispy birds that I was informed of?" Kyn guessed. He noticed that she used his full name, and not his shorted nickname. "Hm, Serena, it seems that our group is currently dwindling." Striker added, noting Heji and Inferno leaving for the forest. "Yes...and yes...It is, for a good reason...Pendragon has the swarm ability as well...which is the same thing that lured the birds, except the time before it was Striker that attracted them...I don't think that I can take another four birds attacking me today, so they've gone out to find PD before he gets everyone into trouble...AS for the birds, we need to get them out of my berry garden if we're going to have breakfast. I was hoping that i could recruit both You two and Tensa in assisting me with that, and perhaps Medicham since he's not needed to work on the illusion at the moment, levitating things surely would be easier than trying to pull them out with Rope...I'd like to have this done by the time that the boys get back, I'm sure that they shall be hungry when they get back." she paused, licking her lips, and realized she hadn't had her morning water, poured herself a bowl of it and took a drink before saying. "Any questions?" "I would be glad to help. A single Pidgeot would probably be able to feed at least three or four humans. ... that is, if they ate them. Anyway, I do have some questions. The first one, is probably just a repeat of an older question. Why do you seem so adverse to Poké Balls?" Kyn asked. "If I can help, I will." Tensa said in response to Kyn's agreement. "I'll be able to help you get up the cliff, I think. You're familiar with the technique I'm referring to, I'm sure." Striker added, pointing a blade at Kyn. "..." Serena stared at Kyn as if the question had an obvious answer. "Look...all of the Poké Balls that i have seen here, are all smashed and broken from when the Pokémon were released here." She sighed. "They're just not natural, from being forced to be who ever uses them on you, to the fact that they can brain wash you into doing things you wouldn't normally do--no, it doesn't matter that you don't use them, but the very fact that they exist grates against my being. I would not be able to tolerate the use of one, even to a person i trusted." She addressed Tensa next. "There are vines out on the trees, I'm sure you saw them last night, I'm sure i can entrust it to you to find sturdy vines to use to pull the birds up...Unless you'd like to find Medicham." "Hm... You're the first Pokémon to really bring up several of the reasons why I hate using them now. I've always wondered if Poké Balls do brainwash Pokémon, though as you know, they are my friends, and not tools. You remind me of... a special human that I once knew. Maybe someday I'll find him again. I think he'd really like this world, though there is that issue of him being a human, but other than that..." "I believe I shall return with the vines. After all, the forest is my still MY element. There are two kings. The kings of the jungle and kings of the forest." Tensa said with a grin. "Serena, I too have often wondered why humans use Poké Balls when if they were like Kyn they wouldn't need to. A few of my clanmates were ready to tear Kyn apart for being 'one of those humans that captures and enslaves us'. He does seem to have an interesting way of going about his interactions with Pokémon." Striker said reminiscing on the scene. She crossed her arms over her chest, barely flinching, but it was still there, the pain from the wound. "I've said it once, I'll say it again. Humans that want to impress upon a Pokémon their desire to be friends, do not need technology to do so. It might take longer, sure, in fact, it might take intuition, and actual BRAINS, but the bonds forged in trust don't break." She touched the lump in her scarf. "I would know." Her tail flicked slightly, as if circling back to it agitated her, and instead began walking to where her claws had left indentations in the rock face. "Yes, he has an interesting way about going about it...like stepping in front of a portal that's the only source of getting back to your home, for instance, he's just lucky i didn't have any hatchlings or when he stuck his hand through he would have pulled back a nub." "And I'm AGREEING with you. Also, I wouldn't have reached my hand in had you not pushed the rock back. Anyway, we'll need to have Palkia on this side of the portal eventually." Kyn reached into his pack, and pulled out a rope that was coiled up about twenty feet long, and handed it to Striker. "Fine, the next question I have for you is, are you still hesitant around me, or have you come to the point to where it's easier to accept me? Oh, and there's another thing. When next I speak to you, I'm going to sit down. I feel as if it's a little bit bothersome for you to have to look up at me all the time. I hope you don't mind that." Striker then, took the rope, an flew up the cliff with it. He then put his foot on the end and tossed it back down over the cliff. Serena blinked at him. "I can't say that I trust you for being you." She had started climbing in the mean time, so that she didn't have to look at him. "However...with these Pokémon who trust you, through them you have gained some measure of trust from me. I can not say that I totally trust them either, however Heji has earned my respect." she reached the top and brushed her claws off. "As a hunter, perhaps he always had that advantage." Almost as soon as she was up on the top she had dropped down into the area with the birds, and her stomach growled accordingly. "Then, let us deal with these birds, so that we may begin our trek to that place, Gambitville." Kyn called out to Serena, having reached the top now. He followed Serena over to where the entrance to the Berry Farm was, and dropped down into area the area with her. "Hm, it looks like they really did a number here. How long do you think it'll take you to replace these?" Kyn asked. Tensa ventured back into the forest, gathering vines, also figuring that Inferno and Heji had probably found Pendragon by now. "Using the bones and pelts of the birds that caused the damage and the fruit themselves as Fertilizer? Perhaps two weeks, not any less if we don't, however." She sighed. "Ironic, since we just transplanted some in here after the snow started melting off, but there's no use crying over lost berries, they'll grow back." She did take the time to examine the trees as she couldn't have before, but focused more intently on the birds. Those that she had slit's throat had bled out over the soil, and ignoring the pain from using the arm, she hefted the Pidgeot over her head, moving it towards the center and away from the wall. "Gambitville is a place of rolling plains and desert." She said, more to make conversation than anything else. "Striker, be on the lookout for any more uninvited guests, if you don't mind?" "More questions. Er, about how much food do you consume on average?" Kyn wondered due the fact that even at his most hungry, he'd never be able to consume an entire Pidgeot in one sitting, or even half of one in one sitting. "I do so apologize for that incident Serena. I have no idea how to control it though, so it may be a blessing or a hindrance when we get to Gambitville." Striker commented, also thinking about what they were going to do with the two very large birds that based on what Kyn told him would be able to feed at least a human family of three for a few days. "I know, normally it would have been something you learned to control at a very young age...it might help if you're not thinking about hunting..." She paused at the question. "Over the course of my waking hours, depending on what I'm doing, about the amount of meat that a Pidgeotto has, half of it in one sitting. Of course those are rare, these even rarer...it will be a shame to have to either tote these out into the woods to let the scavengers have them, or bury them...Fowl doesn't exactly store well under ground, so i don't recommend the latter...but it is a very good thing that we have more than just me eating, and more than one bird, as I'm sure that IF Heji partakes in it raw, that he and I will be quarreling about the heart, at least, if not the liver." She walked over to the one that had been hit with the dragon discharge and shook her head. "Three birds, this one isn't fit for food, charred to the bone, would be like eating charcoal." "Then I shall inform you... that Poké Balls, can also be used to store items, and well, as odd as it is for me to say this, it doesn't differentiate between a live 'mon and a dead 'mon, so you could store it that way." Kyn said with an awkward tone in his voice. "Well, the insides will have a, what's that phrase... rare doneness, to them, I think. At least from what I can understand. I can't tell unless it is cut apart; from the outside." Striker commented. "You sound as if you know this from experience." She said calmly. Death and life were a normal part of her day, and as if to prove her point to Striker, she gave a tug on the bird's wing joint at the base, and it just cracked exactly like charcoal. She tossed that up to him with her good arm, and could hear it crumble as it hit the earth. "-Still- think so? Make a note, Dragon Pulse + Discharge = Devastating." She made a point of crushing what was left of the bird's skull with her foot. "At least it'll be good mulch." "...I do. It was only an experiment, and I wasn't the cause of it. As for the items thing, it's only logical if one understands that technology that it can be used to store items." Striker made his way over to the drop, and glided his way down into the area, to meet the two of them. Serena turned, again having to wipe off her claws, this time from charcoal instead of the rock as it had been. "You already know what my logic indicates. Couldn't this Pokémon League champion disallow the use of Poké Balls for capture, and let the Pokémon choose whether or not to stay with the trainers?" She nodded to Striker, starting to work on bringing the other birds into the center, the one that Heji had killed was the most obvious, as it didn't have the red slash across it's neck, but across it's chest instead. "Though I suppose the humans would find it cruel that someone would make them do that. "Once again, I wish you could have met this person. He tried to do just that, only on a bit more extreme scale. He believed that humans and Pokémon should be separate no matter what. As for the matter of disallowing Poké Balls... if he had succeeded, he probably would have forced the League to disband, and thus that would partially become a truth." Kyn said. Striker moved over to a Pidgeot that wasn't completely charred, and then quickly cut it in half with one of his scythes, revealing the meat inside. "This is what I was referring to." "In that case, I'd call him a fool before I called him friend. Inhabitants of a world should be together in one way or another...and without the regulations set by this league of yours I'm sure his plan would have backfired badly, he would have been overthrown as a dictator." She looked at Striker skeptically. "You should have been specific, for one, and for another, you've just made our work a bit more messy. It'll be harder for us to find a grip on the wall with bodily fluids all over us as well...Hopefully Tensa will be back with the vines soon." "I haven't seen him in a long time though... I wonder where he is. If I could find him again, I would have so much to ask him, and so much to tell him." Kyn said, not exactly dreamily, but with a strange fascination. "I'd still say that I probably would have been able to identify how cooked the meat was." Striker said, partially ignoring Serena's comment about the fluids. Serena merely rolled her eyes at Striker, walking over to the corner where the marks were still in the wall, making it so that she didn't need to use Shadow Claw again to climb, conserving her last two uses, when she was at the top she stood up and flexed her claws. "Life is a journey that takes you to many places Kyn, it's possible that you have been following just behind him...though i would think...that when the time is right you'll find him again." She turned around to look for Tensa, who should have been coming back soon...and she hoped that the other two would as well. "Anyway, about Gambitville... hypothetically speaking, if I could take down a Tauros by myself, what would you say about that?" Kyn asked, not necessarily let on that there were people who regularly hunted Tauros singlehandedly, without much technological assistance back home. "You really are interested in Gambitville it seems." Striker commented. "I would say that any Tauros you've faced back home will likely be very different than the ones here, and that you shouldn't underestimate them like that...but SHOULD you be able to, I would allow myself to be...ugh, captured, as that's the only way that i would take back what i said about them being torture devices." "I see, well, then I shall do my best. And, as for the last thing you said... What makes you think I'd even use one of those on you? Also, the word is 'caught'. Captured and caught have very different meanings there." Kyn was curious as to how she would respond at the idea of him NOT wanting to use a Poké Ball on her. Striker chuckled at the way Kyn phrased his statement, and his response to Serena's last. She didn't take the statement in any way he would have expected, nor did she say anything pertaining to it, instead her mouth turned into a frown. "We're not over there, but perhaps you should explain the difference, since I apparently don't have the distinction you would." She paused, then carefully phrased another sentence. "Going by your previous statements about Poké Balls, it seems as though you defend their use, at least in your own way. I thought that perhaps you would have sought to change my disposition towards them...if I was mistaken, I withdraw my statement." "In order for a Pokémon to be caught, they have to be registered to a Poké Ball, which is why once a Pokémon has been caught in a Poké Ball another Trainer cannot re-catch that Pokémon in most cases. There have been... tampered with balls that do. The second word, captured refers to Pokémon Rangers that I actually have mentioned a bit earlier. The don't use Poké Balls at all. The sort of have a device that allows them to sync their hearts with Pokémon and their desire to be friends. That's pretty much all I know about that aspect. Now, as for the second part of what you said... It's actually a bit of a dilemma. I feel as if I have the need to defend my race's use of them, in legitimate ways, and yet, because we were under the understanding that I would never force you into one, there is no real need to change your opinion, and then it comes down to the matter of defending my race's use of them. And there is one other thing. I want to show you a special type of Poké Ball that I have. If I show you this, it's relevant." Serena listened. "If I had offered it wouldn't be a case of forcing, now would it?" She shook her head, still not looking at him as she ran over what was said afterward. "I see....I think i prefer Rangers over trainers, no offense intended but...You should be able to see why." In her mind, the first part of it would have made sense, but then he told her about tampered balls, and it threw out that thought before it left her mouth. If there were balls that could cap-catch an already caught Pokémon then it wasn't for their own protection. She snorted at the mention of special Poké Balls, with the idea of tampered Poké Balls fresh in her mind, she thought that this was what he meant by special. "What!?" Her green eyes turned on him, almost as menacingly as they might have been when she was fully grown. "Ah, hold on Serena. It seems that you are misunderstanding me about what I meant about my Poké Ball. It has nothing to do with those other types that I mentioned." He saw the look in her eyes and immediately tried to remedy the situation as fast as he could. She snorted at them. "You've been around me for a day, you should have adapted by now, how many times must I say SPEC-IF-Y what you mean if you're switching from one thing to another. Ugh, you should be sooo glad that you're not going to the Prismatic Jungle. The dragon types there wouldn't even give you a moment to correct your statements, you upset them and you're toast." "I see... well, here. Take a look at this, I'm going to throw it up to you," he said, giving her an indication, "it belongs to Heji." He maximized Heji's Luxury Ball and then tossed it up to Serena. "Because it belongs to Heji's there no risk of you getting accidentally caught by it." Catching, one of the things her claws definitely were made for, of course with the action her claws scraped the metal(?) of the ball, and caused the slight screeching that usually came accompanied by it. It was too big for her to hold it only in one hand, and so to turn it and get a better look at it. It was certainly different than the one she had seen Inferno get pulled into...she snorted, and the front of the ball fogged before reflecting her eyes back at her in its surface. "What about it?" Kyn jumped up the walls, and exited the drop before answering Serena, "Well, for some reason, people have said that Pokémon that ARE in that type of ball, which is called a Luxury Ball, are more comfortable. I've also confirmed this by asking Heji." She blinked at it, then poked the button in the middle of the ball with a knuckle rather than a claw, expecting the light from before, but instead it of course popped open to expose its insides to her. After getting her fill of looking inside, her nose twitched and she closed it back, almost gingerly offering it back to him. It WAS shiny, after all. Kyn grinned quickly, hoping that Serena wouldn't see, and then he took it back. Living up to her Dragon-type attributes and being attracted to the shinier than average ball. "I just happen to like the Luxury Ball because since I don't need to catch them in them, I might as well just give them something luxurious to call their own when it suits them. I don't give ALL my Pokémon Luxury Balls though. Oh, that's erm another thing. Adding to the fuel of what I dislike about Poké Ball is... well, they actually make ones that are STRONGER, and more difficult for the Pokémon to escape from, for those that are just going about the process in the manner of, viewing you all as objects." Serena visibly twitched at the mention of stronger balls. "Well, the good thing seems to be that they seem to be easy enough to break...though I'm sure that the trainer would be even more furious if they did, and try harder." she flexed her claws as if to make a point, her eyes turned back to the forest in silence; it was a little while after that she broke it again. "Heji mentioned that he wanted to get stronger, and that's why he joined you...you have a way of measuring strength "I find it quite humorous when they do break yeah. If they paid a lot for them, serves them right. Though this Luxury Ball is damn expensive but is nothing more than a glorified Poké Ball. Measuring your strength can technically be done, yeah. But I've gotten pretty good at judging a Pokémon's strength without using technology. Plus, technology can't tell you if they have potential or not. Are you interested in a technological evaluation as well as my own?" Her eyes closed as she thought, exhaling through her nose, finally she lived up to her trait and said. "May as well." she was confident that if the other Pokémon could go through it, it wouldn't be too unpleasant, at least, since she had only seen that thing that he had pointed at her other than the Poké Balls, and hadn't seen anything on the Poké Ball to measure strength. "Though, I'll probably have to rely more on my own intuition, since After all this world has a different set of rules. Anyway, just a sec. This pack is organized in such a way that it's easy to find things... most of the time." He searched around for his Pokédex from Unova, and then brought it out. "You might remember this from when me met for the first time." She opened her eyes when he spoke the second time, and made a grunt of confirmation that she did, her eyes focusing on the trees, what WAS taking them so long? Her eyes flicked to the horizon where 'father' was begining to peek, covering the sky in shades of soft yellows and oranges. "If Tensa and the others don't get back soon, I'm going looking for them." "Alrighty then! Let's get started." He pointed the Pokédex level at her, and then it read out her moves. "Well now, that's interesting. Serena... how does evolution work in this world? The answer you give me, may greatly boost your opinion of yourself, as well as mine." "I'm aware that I'm at a stage where I 'can' evolve to the next stage, I'm probably one of the few that are still in touch with their bodies to be able to do it naturally...but I'm not allowed to. Members of the guilds--all Pokémon here i guess--have to get a piece of paper from doing a mission called an evolution scroll, which allows you to get...erf, training sessions with Master Foo or Master Shao, and they're supposed to teach you how to 'tap into' that energy...and I've already decided that Marlow will get the first one we acquire." "Well, I don't know if you realise how far along comparatively you are. Your abilities... are well into the Salamence stage back home. Though that thing about you being able to do it naturally, I also find that intersting. Now, what this Pokédex tells me is that, you'd catch a whole bunch of humans as well as other Pokémon off guard back home." Inferno and Heji had found Pendragon in a tree, relaxing. How he'd managed to get up there was beyond their guess at the time but they didn't worry about and instead just explained to him the situation. "Your Swarm ability combined with Striker's could pose a problem." Pendragon hopped down, and then traveled back with them. Tensa had gathered a significant amount of vines from the forest, enough to cover both arms. It looked like a a vest made of vines. He figured that if he headed back now the others would have returned with Pendragon as well. "I think your tech's glitching on you." She said. "If what you said is true those birds wouldn't have been able to scratch my hide, let alone put gashes in it." She was, admittedly, advanced for her age, but she didn't think that she was -that- far along. "I'm guessing that you've at least met a couple people who tried taming dragons on the otherside?" She adjusted Marlow's skull beneath her scarf, even with the bandana against her scales, she could feel the crack in his skull, and it made her uneasy. "Heh, tried. I got this cape from Claire's hometown. She's a Dragon Tamer. So, Serena, I can appreciate how you would think that, but... well, those bird weren't normal strength. Correct me if I'm wrong but, the Swarm ability here might attract Pokémon that are of a similar level, correct?" Tensa arrived back at the cave, and set the vines in a pile. He saw the other three coming in the distance as well. "Level? Um...you mean like of experience? Usually a bit above since they believe that it will be a swarm of the creature that they got the reading from and want to be able to overpower them easily." she shrugged as if this was not new news, but then, she supposed that it was to him. There was Tensa, now...ah, there were the others, good, her shoulders relaxed. "Claire..." she tested the word on her tongue. "Some of the Pokémon that i mentioned earlier mentioned her name...partially because after losing to her is -why- they were released." "Then... that might explain why you had such a difficult time with them. Striker... he's exceptionally strong. In fact, he told me that he's stronger than he was when he was younger. I don't know if that's due to my training methods, or because of all the Pokémon battles he's been in. That League we mentioned... in order to qualify for it, we have to basically... battle a certain set of people. By the end of it all, a Pokémon in it's first stage, would be fully evolved essentially." He waited before continuing to see if Serena was interested in learning more, as well as wanting to judge her reaction. "Hey guys, and... gal, I'm back! Got those vines we need! The rest will be arriving shortly too as well!" Tensa called out. Serena snickered at the addition. "Don't let my gender make more work for you Tensa." She wrinkled her nose at Kyn's explanation. "Seems a bit biased if you ask me. There ARE those that refuse to evolve--like this team of a Chikorita and a Jigglypuff, they never want to evolve." She motioned for him to stay where he was as she slid down the slight incline. "Stay there, 'kay? we'll need someone to toss the vines up to, just need to braid them real quick, then we can continue talking if you wish." She walked over to Tensa and took some of the vines from him, knotting the tops together in sets of three before hooking them over a fork in a branch, and deftly braided them together to help make them stronger. All the while she thought of what he had said. If he was right, then she would only have to wait a day between evolutions...at least if they managed to get three evo scrolls within enough time. Kyn waited for Serena to return, and was glad that she at least seemed to have an interest in what he had to say. "Right, of course." Tensa greeted Serena as she descended. "Well Serena, I'm interested in where Pendragon was, and I'm sure that they'll be able to tell us when they get back. Oh, as for the matter of the Berry Garden... since Striker is coming with us, but Pendragon is staying, how would you normally deal with the issue of intruders?" Inferno, Pendragon, and Heji made their way back to the group, and then Inferno spoke. "Of all places! Pendragon was in a tree, resting." Pendragon cleared his throat. "This forest reminds me of my home back in Pinwheel Forest. I guess I felt so at home that I relaxed after reminiscing and fell asleep." "The creeping forest reminds you of a pinwheel forest." the imagery in her head was hilarious, but she kept it to a slight smile. "So the Scolipede is staying here? Alright then...as for intruders...well since the berry garden is already destroyed they wouldn't go that way, there's no other area for them to get in aside from the main entrance, which means you'll either have them funneling towards you, or be backed into a corner...'mon don't exactly come out to visit, but...check to see if they're sentient...other wise either kill or subdue them. The latter would actually be better considering the amount of Pokémon that are left in the forest at the moment, it might be a good idea to breed them and set some of them out later on." she coiled the newly made braid as she knotted the other end, working to make the other two just as quick as the first. Pendragon snorted. "Pinwheel Forest is the name the humans gave it. It has nothing to do with a pinwheel at all, really." "I see. Well, I'll be heading back up then." Tensa said. "Hm, this might turn into a decent exercise for me. Pendragon's ability that is." Inferno commented. "I would never have considered the possibility that we'd encounter a place where there is the potential for such strong Pokémon. It's a bit exciting really, if you understand what we went through back home Serena, it's not often our combat abilities are tested." Heji said. "Gotten a bit boring for you? Well if there's only two of you, i don't think that that classifies as a 'swarm' but all of us in the cave definitely did." she didn't share the sinaments of it being 'exciting'. When the other two were done she threw one of the coils up to Kyn. She was fine with Pokémon believing her to be weak, that was fine really, but she doubted that it would stay that way for long with the conversation that they were having previously. She handed one to Tensa as he passed on the way up, then clicked her tongue. " One more to toss up there, but we'll work on getting the other two back over to this side first." she commented to no one in particular. "Two 'mon to each vine, if you don't mind, and let us know when they're tied around a bird for us to pull." the former was directed at the Pokémon that were standing on the ground, and the latter at the two up on the top of the incline. Inferno took hold of a vine, and had Heji as his partner. "Alright, yeah, I've got some more to say after we're finished here." Kyn said, before bringing a vine down in the area and tying it to the Pidgeot. "Got the Pidgeot tied!" he called back up. "Okay you two, Pull." She said as she started climbing up the incline, then hung off the edge just beside where the bird was going to come up. "Hold tight, gotta get it over the ledge." She had no doubt that they would be able to hold the combined weight of her and the pidgeot as she lept at it, making the vine swing backwards then up in the typical circle pattern, before jumping off as the bird would hit the top and begin to roll down hill. "Tensa, about ready with the second?" She left the first bird to the first two, surely they would be able to handle untying it and getting it ready to be cooked/eaten on their own. Inferno was able to grip with both hands, but Heji had to use his powerful jaws to grip the vines, and at the same time, not put enough force into into it to weaken it, even though it was braided. "Serena, I don't think you'll need vines to bring the rest of them up. Do you think you'd be able to support Tensa so that he can help me with this?" He did intend to throw them up, and it was actually quite a feat. It would also look quite humorous in some ways. The equivalent would be a human lobbing a twenty pound turkey into the air, but of course these birds were much heavier. Inferno and the rest down below, wondered why nothing else was happening up top, and asked about it. "Hey, what's taking so long? It shouldn't be THAT difficult to simply tie a bird or two." Pendragon called out. Serena looked a bit skeptical at the statement. Well, if he wanted to show her off, let him. "That..shouldn't be a problem." she slid back down the incline and joining the others on the ground at the base of the vine. She knew better than anyone her limits, but removed Marlow from her scarf, setting him down on the loamy soil before walking over to the boys. "They're going to try something different, you shall not be required to assist with this half...Perhaps you can busy yourselves with ensuring that the birds are ready to eat soon? I'd like to be off after breakfast, and before Father reaches his highest peak in the sky." Her voice was a little mechanical, perhaps because she knew the wound was going to complain at being stretched, not that it mattered to her really, she was used to pains, but still she forced all of the muscles in her shoulders and back to relax. "Alright. Basically, what I plan on doing Serena, is tossing the birds up there, and having Tensa catch them before they fall back down." "Yeah yeah, be there in a second." She looked at the others with a bit of impatience. "The Pidgeot was Heji's kill after all, it's his choice on how it's prepared, I do know that ONE of them will be left raw, regardless of which one, it doesn't matter to me." She climbed back up the slope and chose his tail, since it was a better counterbalance area, her claws digging into the surface of the tail as if they might draw blood if held any firmer. She listened to Kyn, catching herself wondering what the leaves on Tensa's tail would taste like; before nodding, only to realize that with her positioned partially behind Tensa that he wouldn't be able to see her. "Shouldn't be too hard." "One... two... three!" Kyn put his hands underneath the thigh and breast of the Swellow, bent his knees, and then threw it up into the air, not knowing exactly how hard he had throw it, but even if he did throw it too far, Tensa would be able to probably catch it on the return trip. Tensa saw Kyn getting ready, and then readied himself. He was now leaning completely over the drop at a one hundred eighty degree angle, with his arms outstretched. "Bloody good thing I have good hand-to-eye coordination or else this wouldn't work." Tensa mumbled to Serena. As the bird soared upwards he timed it just right so that it would land in a sort of cradle made from his arms. Serena had been expecting less of an angle, but adjusted with little more than a hiss from her uncooperative arm. Her claws dug into the rock face, and pulled once the bird was in his arms. /Ah, damn it all to the distortion void, that hurt./ she rolled her shoulder as if to ease the burn in the muscle, but other than that didn't say anything, at least not until the bird was sent rolling down to join the other one. "Ready when you are." She said, ready to grab his tail again. "...also, a question for you, Tensa, since your nose is the one that matters...about how many days does the scent linger on Kyn after..." She didn't finish the sentence, she didn't think she needed to. As the bird traveled upwards he saw that he had I need thrown it too hard and that it would pass by Tensa if it veered to another direction somehow. Tensa watched it carefully, not knowing how hard Kyn had thrown it either. When it appeared to be approaching him at a higher than expected rate of speed. He adjusted himself accordingly, and then answered Serena. "Depending on what we do, either hours, or days." Serena did her job well enough, twitching as she noticed it was the one that had been cut open by Striker, and of course, the smell of blood whetting her appetite. She pulled him back up onto his feet with a shrug. "Days would be better for the trip." She muttered, half under her breath. "I'll...take that one down." she motioned to the Swellow. "It'll probably be the one we end up leaving raw...since it's been cut open, it'll dry out otherwise." she paused, how could she phrase this so that it wasn't disturbing, even in her own mind. "Don't let your scent fade from him." was the answer she came up with. It was an order, but it wasn't an order, and it gave them time to interpret as they saw fit. It wasn't exactly like she could say 'you two, have sex, now.' and maintain her way of thinking. She waited until the bird was put in her arms, a feat for sure, since she was only a little bit taller than it, then proceeded to slide down, not caring that the bird's blood was covering the front of her scales. After catching the bird, he grinned at Serena, even though she couldn't see it. "Well now Serena... as you know, there are several ways for my scent to find itself upon him." He then let the bird drop into Serena's arms so that it would be able to be carried by her, if she felt like it. He wouldn't directly just ask her if he would be the one to carry it the rest of the way, and would let her tell him if she wanted him to just take it. "Actually, i don't, and I'd like to keep it that way thanks." She was mature, but she didn't even want to think about two males getting it on, it was as bad as Malt claiming to be a boy when her scent read female. The whole thing made her head hurt, and she was glad to be away from the subject--it was necessary but one of the more uncomfortable things she had to deal with. Covered in blood she started to lick her arm as she went back over to the others, who were hopefully at least preparing the Pidgeot. "How's it coming guys?" Tensa chuckled at Serena's reaction, getting in at least a few words before he figured she'd either tend to the birds. "Oh Serena..." "Well, all we did was pluck it. The rest I figured we'd wait for further instruction." Inferno said, not sure if they were even supposed to do anything beyond plucking it. "He didn't tell you if he wanted you to cook it?" She looked at Heji curiously. "Well, i guess they can cook it as they cut it, so long as you don't mind being used as a quick cooker Inferno." she paused, aware that she had just held up a fully grown Pokémon, and that they knew it. It made her uneasy, and yet it was her normal to be able to do things like that. "Tensa and Kyn should be down soon...unless they get sidetracked." There was that odd topic again, how did things keep circling back to it?! "Serena... that Swellow..." Inferno wasn't sure how to respond, and realise that he had stopped mid sentence. "Well, who knows what'll happen up there, and no, I definitely don't mind. I often volunteered my flame to be of assistance to Kyn." "Yes, i know, the Swellow was cut in half by Striker earlier today and apparently still had some blood to drain out onto my scales, I look like a Swellow myself now...well aside from the golden headplates and the beak." she cleaned the other arm of blood before touching her scarf and drawing back, surprise, more blood that had seeped into the fabric. "I'll worry about a bath after we finish eating, I'm going to need one afterwards anyway...and I really prefer not to think about it if you don't mind, I don't judge others for their choices but chosing a mate without the purpose of creating an egg seems pointless to me." It didn't help that she was a bit of a hypocrite herself; but she rather ignored anything of the sort as if they didn't exist. "I do hope that you wont mind that i don't eat with you, I'm rather...possessive of my food." "Go ahead and be as possessive as you want Serena. It's probably hard enough to fight your instincts as it is." Heji said to her, thinking about what one might call HIS Pidgeot "Hm, yes, as he said." Inferno agreed. She gave them an unnerving smile, then walked back over to the Swellow, not exactly 'sitting' by it, as she was on all fours much like her final evolution would have been, her muzzle buried inside the carcass. She admitted to herself that it wasn't very ladylike, and that Shroomsworth would have been thoroughly appalled at the manner in which she ate, and even pulled out the heart first, curling up to eat it. She had set it around where she had set down Marlow's skull, and was now glad that she had, as he would have been covered in blood had she not. The others for some reason felt like giving Serena privacy while eating. It wasn't as if they were disgusted by it or anything, just that it would have been just plain rude to stare. even Heji joined them in letting Serena eat her meal undisturbed and unogled at. "Well Kyn, as it turns out, Serena says that you need to have my scent for a few days again." Tensa said in a suggestive tone. "Tensa, surely you can't be thinking of wanting to mate HERE, can you?" Kyn figured that Serena might say something like this, but he had no idea that it would come up so soon. Serena, in her defense, hadn't said right now, but since she couldn't on her good conscious let her instincts take over to allow her to eat, essentially trapping her intellect in a dark corner of her mind. it wasn't too long until she was pulling the liver from the torso, her claws had made quick work of the ribcage until it was clean of all meat. After having not eaten the normal amount for a few days this bird was likely going to be picked clean. "Well, I mean... I do kinda want to mate Kyn..." Tensa almost sounded like he was begging, but at the same time not. "Tensa, there is another way for you to get your scent on me, besides that." Kyn said, and then noticed that Tensa apparently was still thinking about it. "Jeez, relax, just because I'm going to get naked, doesn't mean anything, alright?" It seemed like only a few minutes when Serena finally came back to her senses, sitting up and wiping her mouth as she looked at what was left of the bird, then at her arm. Feathers, it figured that she would have feathers on her mouth. Ptooie...and in her mouth apparently. Gah, this was annoying. She scratched off the feathers until her face felt clean, then rubbed her palms across her tongue to get all the feathers out of her mouth as well. Navy blue...about as dark as her treated wounds...when she wasn't covered in blood anyway. Her jaw felt a little sore, as it always did when she was done eating, it made her wonder exactly what went on when she went into a trance, but dared not ask. Heji was the first go over and approach Serena. "Done?" He said simply, before looking down at what remained of the bird. "Alright, now I want you to wear my clothes. Both normally, and inside out. That will be one way of getting you scent there." Kyn said simply, undressing. Tensa sighed, and agree that it would get his scent on his clothes that way. "Alright..." he said, and then he wore Kyn's clothes. Had she been anymore humanized she might have blushed at being caught this way, but being as it was, she simply nodded. "You...?" She paused, and chose her words carefully. "...Did they ever come down to eat?" her triangle ears flicked and her eyes moved to the incline that lead to the berry patch, then back to him, making no mistake as to who she was talking about. She remained sitting on the ground, leaning back rather than looking up at him. She figured she SHOULD have felt some sort of fear from being loomed over like this, but a quick check of her instincts said that she wasn't even remotely afraid. Did she trust him? Did she Like him? both were questions that she asked, and of course received the answers to, but regardless of what the answers were, she forced herself to lower her head, closing off access to her neck and the very, very submissive pose she had put herself in without thinking about it. "They're not back down yet." He answered simply. Heji was no fool, he was paying attention carefully to her scent, although it was somewhat masked by the blood, it was still detectable as being different than normal. Serena was perhaps, very fortunate. Since her body was still a child it was difficult, near impossible for many hormones to even begin coursing through her bloodstream. It was impossible for an egg to come to be at this age, and it was only her mind that told her body to try to form a relationship, someone she could have a bond with, even if it was only hunting, and she sighed inwardly, actively pulling off the blood soaked scarf. She'd said she was going to take a bath after eating, and she probably should. Even standing she was shorter than him, and still she felt the awkward silence. "When they do, we'll make the rest of the preparations while they eat." She wiped the blood from her neck with her free hand. "Apparently, I'm in dire need of a bath." her nose wrinkled, the way her mind was focusing REALLY would not do, it wasn't focusing on the logic or anything she had just said prior to eating--had she not taken over completely from the hunters trance? It was the only explanation that she could come up with, but it didn't seem likely. Her tail flicked down, and again she cursed herself for being submissive, but he did deserve that respect, he had proven that HE was the alpha hunter here, at least as of yet. "Hm, let' see..." Heji without warning, went over to Serena and licked some of the blood from where she currently just wiped herself. He didn't exactly think she would think anything off it, based on what she had said earlier. "I don't think I've tasted that specific creature before." She flinched, not because of the contact so much as where the contact was, well, at least it confirmed that she trusted him, but not completely. "You've never had Swellow?" Her eye ridge raised suspiciously, did he think that she had meant cat bath? She wasn't sure, having known him less than a day, and while her mind went wild, she silenced it, the question had been asked, there was very little, if nothing she could do, but wait for an answer. "Swellow are native to... uh... what's that place, Hoenn, Kyn's home region, and I am from the Sinnoh Region. The bird are definitely separated by region, with the exception of when a Trainer obviously migrates them to the area." Heji explained. "There's no area distinction here, there are...well, all of us here, I suppose that your food chains are better defined..." now she felt bad, if she had taken the more exotic food from him...her mind shorted out for a moment. No, she had given him the better bird, the more experienced, his rightful kill...ugh, so confusing. "Sorry..." she didn't want to apologise, but the word was out of her mouth before she had time to censor it, and then she had no choice but to finish the sentence. "If...you liked the taste then I can only offer you a bit more...it would save me a trip to the pond a little ways from here anyway." Since the carcass was picked dry, there wasn't very many options, even less because she was still protective of the stupid bones. "It is alright. Besides, if my theory is correct, hunting here, and with you of course, will be more of a delight than simply trying one little bird." Heji said, without really considering what it would sound like. At this point he was speaking to Serena, from hunter to hunter. A rather unintelligible sound got caught in her throat at the words. "If you're sure...I'm, gonna go take that bath now." She might not have been wanting something the way that came out, but damn her mind. She hated it some times, maybe it was just the reminder of the fact that Kyn had found a mate that was wigging out her senses. She just walked away, it wasn't a run, nor a jog, and she didn't do anything that would have prevented him from following her; but the very fact that she had left Marlow's skull there would have been enough of an indication that she wasn't thinking straight. Heji said down where Marlow's skull was an guarded it. He had no idea why Serena had left him there, when normally they were inseparable. He didn't HAVE to guard him, he just felt like, it would be better than leaving him out in the open, due to the fact that there were some predators that just scavenged for bones to add to various collections. At the pond, Serena dunked her head under the water and just sat there, completely immersed, and determined not to come back up until her mind was working straight. She respected Heji, Heji was a good hunter. Check and check. Dragons were solitary creatures, Lions were pack hunters. Check and check. A snort blew air bubbles from her nose. Now for the difficult ones...Luxray and the Salamence tree weren't compatible for an egg...check. She was still a child and wouldn't appeal to him anyway...she left that one blank as she surfaced for air, then went back down. She found it annoying, but finally went to see her impulses, how were they faring? Eat what you kill, don't kill for sport, those who make the final blow get the...food...could that be the problem? No, she had landed the final blow on two of them, he on one of them...but he HAD shown himself as the better hunter, though complimented her. She thought...had she ever been complimented before? No, she hadn't. She surfaced again--this time clear of all blood, and took to washing her scarf. She was a hypocrite, she knew that now, and her tail thumped, that wouldn't do. Of course, she didn't know the word Hypocrite, didn't even know what she was defining...but somehow things didn't add up as they should, she would remedy it one way or another. Wet scarf around her neck, wet, but clean, she started back with a sigh, heavy shoulders, but perhaps a lighter heart? Is that what this was? she didn't know for sure, yet another thing she had never experienced. Heji knew that Serena would return, so he still laid there, lion-like and waiting. When next she returned she would have been fully clean and clear of blood. Though, something about Serena seemed just a bit off, but he couldn't quite place it. She was still dripping when she returned, make no wonder, but she hadn't thought about shaking until she was just outside of the radius in which it would reach him, which WAS where she dropped to all fours and shook from her head to the tip of her tail, before continuing on, a bit solemnly. She grabbed Marlow's skull first, before sitting down before him again. The water had made her wounds itch, but her mind wasn't even focused on that. She wished, perhaps for the first time in her life, that she had known her mother or father before she was left to the rules of the wild. "Did you know your parents?" It was the first question that came to mind. Her tail curled off to her left, she knew he had heard the conversation from the night before, not that it made any major impact on what she was doing now. "Nope. I was abandoned as an egg for some reason in the city. I knew those streets like well... you know the back of your own claws," Heji said, figuring that he had used a good analogy. "Me either." she sighed. "I'm still...figuring things out. I said one thing earlier today and almost immediately my primal mind goes against what my civil mind says." Was this a good way of putting it? she didn't know for sure. "It wont rest until it's been either shown me that it's right, or proven that it's wrong...and it's causing the brain to short out." she felt like she was going on a rant. "Ironically enough, it only seems to happen around you." It was strange, and Marlow didn't usually sleep this well, or this long, she took it as a good sign, and kept her voice at a whisper. Her tongue flicked out, characteristically reptile like. "I keep trying to put a reason behind why it's only around you, and..." she trailed off, now she KNEW she was ranting. So they had somewhat similar backgrounds when it came to their early lives. Though Heji was sure that Serena had it definitely harder than he did. "I believe your feelings are in a blender, is the human term I think." She had no idea what a blender even was, and it showed on her face. "Is there a Pokémon equivalent?" As if she did this all the time, she picked up Marlow's Skull and looked under the bandana to make sure he was really still asleep and not faking it. "Or a way to get them out of the blender? It's definitely making my head hurt." "Well, I'm not quite sure. I could just tell you what a blender is. That might help. You could say that it is a sort of... as strange as it may sound, food pre-chewer. It has 'teeth' that spin so fast that they can't even be seen. It can turn almost any solid food into liquid. Not always exactly appetizing of course. As for getting them out of it... it doesn't always work but, the way some people and 'mon do it is just trying to attack the issue head-on." Heji made an unintentional pun about her head without realising it. She blinked at his description of a blender, you could see the gears working if you watched...pre-chewer...but they had teeth, why would they need something that chewed the food for them? Then she tried to focus on the second part of what he said, and she went still and quiet. "...are you sure that YOU would be willing to assist in that? Since it only happens when I'm around you it would be a case of...well..." subconsciously she looked at her tail, it was a constant reminder that she was a defect, sometimes she just wanted to let some Pokémon cut it off. "It mostly DEPENDS on YOU, Serena. I don't completely know what the 'problem' is." Heji was being honest, and he didn't notice her looking at her tail. Even though she didn't finish he might as well have guessed what she was thinking, but didn't make any direct mention of it. Carefully she approached the subject...he was right, he didn't know the full story, and it wasn't fair. "The original thought was about how mating was pointless if not to seek an egg, that a relationship with someone you were...incompatible with, wasn't worthwhile." she twitched almost as if she had been hit. "My logical brain says that that is right, however my primal brain says that it's wrong...that there's more to it than that...and..." she growled, "Even talking to you gets harder, at least..." she put her claws to her head, leaning forward. "This is probably why i should have never joined the guilds. I don't think i would have this problem if i was fully evolved." "Well, I can say this, Kyn taught us all aspects and views on mating, your initial thought included. Now, as a sign of trust, and honesty, I am going to tell you something, but I hope it won't cause your your logic center to overload. In Kyn's group, I have in fact, engaged in the physical aspect of mating, with one or two of them." She snorted, it wasn't a bad sort of snort, but it did resort to a slight chuckle. "Ah, sorry, sorry, it's not what you said it's just..." she trailed off, then picked it back up. "I suppose that if I'm...experimenting...with the same thing that i can't judge anything on face value anymore, time to pop open the Shellder to see if it smells good enough to eat...and then you've got to worry about getting your tongue caught when it tries to close." "There ya go, that'sa gal!" Heji said in an accent, probably completely throwing Serena off guard. 101 PM] : "..." thrown, yes, that was one word for it. Instead of talking she just leaned forward and licked his nose. "My head doesn't hurt as bad anymore." was it really that simple? all that headache for something that...wasn't really solved. "Now, let's go back to the group and get ready to go. Unless you'd like to stay with me for a while, and talk some more about... things..." Heji said, not exactly knowing which word to put there. "...Moving sounds good, moving is something that my body -knows- how to do." She stood and put Marlow back under her scarf, then directed her eyes at the last place she'd seen Kyn and Tensa. "I think...I'm going to go grab the stuff from my tunnel and leave one of the 'mon who are used to being so...open...get Kyn and Tensa...and Striker, come to think of it. Inferno might be the best choice?" it was a question, but she didn't exactly stick around to hear the answer. Father sun had risen higher into the sky by now, and marked perhaps two hours before he reached his highest peak, they had wasted almost half a day with formalities and complications. She dropped to all fours and scampered, as there was no other word for it, into the cave to grab the Rawst salve that she would no doubt need, and some of her supplies for the trip. Berries and nuts slipped into the bigger bag that once held all of the gold that she had allotted to be spent, and the smaller bag went within it with the actual money. She had no sorting system, but she wrapped the salve in a fine net, tying the knot tight before putting that in the bag as well. The last thing that she had to get she had to dig for in her nesting, the map that they would be using to get there. "Alright, now that that's done... I believe you know what to do next. I am going to lay down on my front... and you are going to rub yourself all over me. Try not to get TOO aroused doing it. I doubt that having the scent of an aroused Sceptile on me will be very beneficial. After this first part is done, then I'll lay in my back." Tensa did indeed have a hard time not getting aroused by the thought of it all. But, he did it anyway, and then afterwards, Kyn got dressed again. Instead of having a member of the group go to pick them up, they went back to the group. That stupid air vent! Her eyes had widened at the sound of the voices, it was that hole that had alerted her to the birds, but now, NOW she absolutely utterly despised it. She shoved the first bit of parchment that wasn't the map, that she could find, into the hole with a grunt. Now she was blushing, and she couldn't go outside like this! She hissed as she tried to remember what she had said previously to Heji. 'If you're going to experiment you can't hold it against them for having a working relationship.' This somewhat worked, at least enough for her to put the bag on her back, but she dumped the remainder of the water in the bowl over her head as if to wash the thoughts away; then she set it down and headed back over to the group as well. It took some doing, not looking either Kyn, nor Tensa in the eye as she did. "So...who all was coming again? I know PD is staying here." She had resolved that Pendragon's name was too long, and shortened it, it was the only way that she was going to remember it. "Inferno was staying with him in case his swarm ability activated, was that correct?" "Me, Tensa, Striker, and Heji, and Medicham. It would be better if I had another Electric-type but I only have Heji." Kyn said. "By the way Serena..." he thought of the best way of saying it, that wouldn't sound awkward. "Would you say that we are adequately prepared?" He used the word we instead of I, due to the fact that Tensa was still seemingly annoyed by Kyn's lack of... activity. Prepared? Prepared, he wanted to know if they were prepared. She bit her tongue to stop a retort that would have put them all in bad spirits. She took her time phrasing it so that it wouldn't include herself. "It seems as though you are all prepared, except for the fact that you and Tensa didn't get to eat breakfast, I suppose that means that we will likely be stopping to hunt for a light lunch, unless you wish to...pack yourself a breakfast for along the way." She gestured to the untouched Swellow, and without really thinking about it picked up some of the loose feathers from the Swellow she had eaten, testing their quality. "I would suggest that we keep Striker and Kyn in the middle, with one of us on the cardinal points so that...IF his ability activates." really she had no doubt that it wold happen again. "We're all in a position to be able to alert the others and take them out before anything can happen." "Well, as it turns out, I'm not really hungry. Dunno about Tensa though." Kyn said honestly. "I do believe a light lunch will be in order for me. Noon is a perfect time to eat lunch, if one does not have a particular hurry." Tensa used the human term, yet again showing how much time he had spent with Kyn. "Almost makes it look an escort mission," Heji commented with a chuckle. "Good hunting then," Inferno said, "I won't say luck since... well, I consider it a bad omen to do so." "Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I plan on resuming my nap. I highly doubt that my ability will really activate if I am asleep." Pendragon said shaking his head. She let her tail twitch. "Fine, eat." She took out the map and spread it over the rock, snipping the tip of the quill off at an angle with her teeth, and traced the path that they were more likely to take than others with the quill-tip. She didn't have any ink to use, but it didn't seem to matter to her. She was a little snippy, she admitted even to herself. This day was just one awkward event after another, and it was starting to wear on her. This wouldn't be the first time that her highly curious nature had put her in an awkward situation. "Hm... Inferno... if you don't mind...." Tensa said, implying that he wanted Inferno to cook the Swellow. Inferno made his way over, and then heated the meat up for about two minutes, before stopping. Tensa then used his Leaf Blades, to cut pieces of it apart. Serena was glad she wasn't watching, to her it was a travesty to cook such a bird, but it wasn't her meal, and so she kept quiet, at least until she had counted to ten twice and traced the path about five times, then she folded it back up and slipped it into the bag with the other things. She tried not to move her right arm, as it had been aggravated that day, but finally, since she didn't want to seem like she was avoiding Kyn.(Really she was, but she had to, or it would have been against her Principles.) she looked up at him with a look that she HOPED was interest. "Soo....do you happen to remember where we were before they came back from their respective tasks?" "Yes. I was telling you why you had such a difficult time with those birds. They were as strong or stronger than Striker. Striker happens to have told me, that after he returned to his swarm, he found that he was stronger than he ever was in his prime, now. Even if your abilities are at the Salamence stage like I've told you, those birds were... super strong compared to you. Does that make sense?" Heji then brought up another situation, "Though, Flying types don't affect you as much. If they had been other dragons," but Heji didn't finish that thought. "We don't have Glalie here is what Heji was probably going to say." Tensa added. [Serena... how long has it been? I'm certain that that's the best rest I've gotten in months.] "Had they been other dragons we would have been in the trash heap again." Serena nodded. "thankfully we were lucky." She paused, pulling Marlow out of her scarf and uncovering his eye, instead looping the scarf around his horn and under her headplates to keep him seated. "It's about mid-day..." /As you can see, we got held up by one thing after another./ She opened her mind to let him look, but restricted the whole bit of conversation with Heji in snippets. "I think we were a bit beyond that Kyn...you had just mentioned the Pokémon League...something about having to be fully evolved to qualify, i think?" Opening herself up to Marlow made recent memories flood back across her conscious "Oh right. Yeah, I was about to clarify. What I meant was, that practically ever Trainer there that wants to win, will have full evolved Pokémon. Stripes... is one of those who will be the exception since he is choosing to remain in the Krokorok stage via Tensa's Everstone. There have been people who have even entered with... first stage Pokémon for various reasons, one of which is highly deceptive." "By the time we face all eight of the Gym Leaders... we can't help but be fully evolved if we choose, is another way of looking at it Serena." Heji clarified even further. "At one point, I was one of the strongest Infernape in the world!" Inferno said proudly, messing with his bandana. "At least yours is a matter of choice when you feel like your body is ready." She took Inferno's statement with a grain of salt. "As I've already told Kyn...it's not like that here. Most Pokémon don't even remember how to evolve naturally. They can feel the energy when their bodies say it's time, but can't tap into it and have to go to Master Foo in Tao Village for assistance...and they can only evolve after they get his okay...To even be able to get in to see him? You need an Evolution scroll." She paused after explaining, before redirecting at Kyn. "How would someone who has proof that the Pokémon traveling with them was strong enough to beat these gyms be deceptive?" "Because of the fact that it often takes a lot to defeat them, and well, with the exception of you, that wouldn't really be common. AS for the manner of proof that they were strong enough...." *He reached into his backpack and pulled out his Unova badge case, then opened it up!* "So they're not awarded to the individual Pokémon, but to the trainer. You would think the league, who sets the rules, would have been smarter than that and would have at least used their technology for a recording system or something." She watched Tensa eat for a moment, she still couldn't pinpoint why she was so snippy with them, because she had heard something she really hadn't intended to, nor wanted to hear? That didn't seem right at all. "Serena, considering that some Trainers only use one to three Pokémon it is basically just doing that. In fact even more so the Gym Leaders, as they're called, for the most part only use a single type of Pokémon, so Trainers often counter with their weaknesses. Claire is known for her use of Dragons. It is very rare for them to have as many as I have, as well, actually..." He didn't want to sound completely pleased with that, as it made him feel as if he was a sort of collector, in a bad way, even though he was one in a different way. Tensa, quickly finished eating, wanting to get underway as soon as possible. If they left around noonish, then their journey could easily be timed by the sun. She didn't say the words that she longed to when Tensa finally, FINALLY was finished eating...but she sure as hell thought it. "Don't worry about it, I understand, I've gotten used to you not specifying, and when you do, not in the way you intended. The problem with me getting used to this? If you ever DO say what you mean, you're going to actually add the words 'no, really.' at the end of them." She actually reached up and Slipped Marlow's skull off of her head. /Go ahead, Reform, I've had a Swellow, energy has been fully replenished./ Her internal clock seemed to be off, perhaps that was because she was normally awake at night and didn't see Father Sol in the sky, but as for right now, it was fine...just for five days, and she could sleep part of the time. [Nope. You're gonna carry me s'more.] Marlow said firmly. "Then I guess I'm going to be blunt this time. Tensa is the strongest of this group, Heji is the second, and Inferno is the third. With the exception of Tensa, they all reached that stage in less than a year." Kyn said, quickly. "Serena, I think you caused Kyn to show a rare jolt of emotion," Heji commented quickly. "Maybe you should have shocked him more as a Shinx, i hear electric stimulation is good for that sort of stuff...not that I've ever tried it." She shrugged at him. /Lazy./ it was a single word, but if she was going to carry him, he wasn't going to be watching anything, and she hooked him on her scarf facing inwards so he had a good look at...darkness, and nothing else. "Keeping in mind the time distortion, that's probably before i had even begun forming in the egg...Do you mind if we start walking? " "It definitely was. In fact, Tensa has been with me for a total of, oh an here I get to use seasons as measurement again, forty-four seasons going on forty-eight. I'm not even going to think about how long that is here right now. Anyway, yes let us go." Kyn said. "Mmmph." the big number was a bit too much for her at this stage, but she walked along the path that she had taken the night before, assuming the point position since she had the map, and was leading. She was thankful for the food, as it restored her energy for her shadow claw too, her tail flicked behind her. "He'd still be considered a kid to a dragon, maybe adolescent, it's a good thing that he's a reptile, means he has a longer lifetime than most would...well, not if he continued to live here, days pass in your hours, so after this trip if you wait a while to come back you'll probably find that everything has changed while you were away." "We're practically the same age. Even though I happen to be... eighty-eight seasons aged. Oh Arceus, I don't think even want to think about how old that makes me here." Kyn didn't care to do the mental calculations for how old his age would be on this side either. "Your age doesn't change over..." She said simply. "You're still the same age here as you are there. Don't make this more complicated than it is." With Medicham, cutting through town seemed the best way to go, though they broke formation (were forced to really with how crowded the streets were.) and it was about 10 minutes later that they emerged on the other side of town. "This place is getting too big..." she muttered back to them over her shoulder. "Well, I'm aware that I'm still twenty-two years old yes, but, this is talking in terms of... how many years passed here." Kyn commented at Serena. The rest of the trip he pretty much traveled in silence, along with the rest of the group, unless Serena addressed them. The less he spoke, the less he imagined he'd get himself into. Serena was glad for the silence, however when she felt they needed a break--usually when they came across a stream, she let them rehydrate before they moved on again. Then came nightfall, and when Sol touched the Horizon, she stopped them, knowing that they wouldn't be able to see for too much longer, and with a quick scan of the area found a low hanging willow which could easily serve as a secluded glade. She was pleasently surprised that they hadn't had anymore...incidents, after the birds, and would have been more than happy to curl up, but her stomach, just getting back on its feet after two days of little to no food, demanded she hunt. "Ah~ Mother's eye is open tonight." "It's a damn good thing I've spoken to Pokémon before or else I wouldn't know what the hell you were talking about. Speaking of her... I don't know if you'd be interested... in the fact that humans have been there." Kyn said. The rest of the group who hadn't heard him tell this story perked up, mainly Striker and Heji. Serena had just finished fishing Marlow off of her scarf when he spoke. "Humans walking on mother's eye? I would think that it would make her angry and turn it red." still, she set down the skull that was Marlow, on the soft bed of grass beneath the tree, before slinking over to sit by Heji and ordering her body to wait for food, promising it that it would get the food that it wanted in a moment. "It's a bit more complicated than that. Also, does that mean that you've... never seen a time when," he was used to 'mons referring to the Moon as such but, he decided to change back again, "the Moon is red? Or have you?" Kyn was curious now as he could possibly attempt to explain to Serena, why he loved looking up at the sky at night. Serena raised her eyebrow ridge, head tilted. "Mother Luna is never red here, not in my time at least...perhaps it's an event that only happens in your world...but then I am only two cycles of seasons living in this world." She had sat so that she was looking at Kyn, but her side was against Heji's fur. "Hm, it probably will happen in your lifetime. This is the same planet After all, in the same solar system. I think. I'd have to look through a telescope to see if I can find Ma---" He then realised that he was ranting off technology again. "Serena, this is going to sound strange phrased this way, but it's the only way I can think of. Would you like to see your mother up close?" She thought about it for a long while, then shook her head. "No...thank you, but no. Getting too close to those that watch over all of us can be a rather bad thing, either by learning what we are not supposed to, or by losing them over time." her nose twitched in the green grass. "Perhaps when i can fly, i will get closer and show her just what has become of me, but not now." "I can understand. But, that's not going to stop me from looking at the Moon. Anyway, there is an event in which the Moon turns red. I believe I can describe it to you in a way that won't sound like absolute gibberish. Picture this; This planet in a situation where it is hiding your Mother from your Father, and she is angered by that, and thus turns red. It does not happen that often, but you will live very long, and most likely will see it happen." Kyn reached into his (backpack of holding) backpack, and set up a tripod for a telescope. "As for humans on the Moon... it took us an incredible amount of power to get there." Serena blinked at him, then snorted, almost mimicking the lion on the grass beside her, the pose anyway, one foreclaw crossed over the other, Of course her father was always chasing after Mother Luna, they were always separated, this didn't make sense, but she simply let it go as if she understood, if that was how his 'technology' saw it, she wasn't there to argue. "Actually, y'know what. This example was usually accompanied by... visuals. I want you to be able to see it the same way I do. I'm going to need three different sized berries or object. An Oran Berry sized object, a Grepa sized object, a Watmel sized object. That is, if you're still interested. Judging by your reaction to the Moon though, I dunno." Her green eyes closed for a moment. "Look at it this way Kyn...Some Pokémon do call them the sun and the moon, they no longer call them by their proper names, they might believe what you're telling them Kyn, but as they're the only parents I've ever known, would you want someone to attempt to sunder a memory of your parents--even if it 'was' an illusion? No, I'm not going to say you're wrong, but I'd thank you not to compare them to fruit." "I suppose when you put it that way it makes sense. Guess I'm still just too human to think like that. Ah, well. My main concern now is whether or not I can find any of the other planets. That will tell me if I am still on the same planet." Serena, now having heard the word enough to associate it with the ground beneath her body, rolled her eyes. "I don't believe that it is a different...planet, as you say...it would be a long shot to find another planet with Pokémon on it in another world." Still, it had ruined what mood she had for snuggling up on the cool summer night, for now at least. "While you look, I'll hunt." She got to her feet. "All this sitting still is trying to drive me mad, not even a decently sized tree to jump off of around here." Kyn first looked around the area of the moon, to see if he could find Jupiter, and if he could find jupiter, than there would really be no need to look for the others. "Well, depending on the time, and season, the location could be so far below the horizon that I wouldn't even be able to see it until sunrise," he said to Tensa, and pretty much anyone else that would listen. She stood and stretched out her limbs, sure that Heji had become entranced with the story, or at least was being polite. She dropped her pack on the ground and walked out of the tree, snapping off a few boughs to use to restrain the Pokémon. Of course she wouldn't be...hunting the big things, but several little things would do. She made a mental note to look for the Tailow and Swellow nests she knew must have been around there somewhere. She was aiming to subdue, not kill, since she hadn't grabbed Marlow, she thought it to be more...generous to leave him there to listen to the stories. "Oh my goodness! There it is! We're on Earth still!" He was overjoyed, though some would have seen this as a bit ridiculous to get excited over something as simple as being on the same planet, but a different world altogether. "Congratulations....?" Tensa offered slowly. Serena didn't take too long, she rounded up, quite literally, some mid sized Pokémon, Mareep and Spoink had littered this land, and while she made note of them, she took only as much as she thought they would need. She showed signs of shocking, but otherwise was unharmed, the spoink had been knocked unconscious to prevent it from using psychic abilities, and as she pushed her way back through the willow branches one of the Mareep resisted. "Dinner's served...so to speak anyway." "Serena, I found out that I'm still on Earth, just like you said. Though, there are Pokémon that come from space, but we don't know where exactly from." He took note of her obvious signs that she had been hunting, but said nothing of it. "Of course there are some Pokémon that come from space, there are the Elegym which are aliens." She looked at him incredulously. "You can TALK to us Kyn, you don't know where all of us come from yet?" She had settled down with a Mareep in the corner and was shaving off it's electric hair with a claw. She could focus on buffing out the scorch marks on her scales later, that's all they seemed to be, if that, and when she was done she broke it's neck and waited for its legs to stop moving before eating it. Marlow of course could absorb life energy from where he was, so she didn't think anything of it, but she carefully kept herself out of her eating trance this time, not wanting her jaw muscles sore this time. "Serena... my ability to understand you all is both natural and supernatural. Your ability to understand ME however, is not shared by all of you. Even amongst the intelligent sentient 'mon, I mean. As for all of your origin... with the exception of Arceus, I'd say, that you all came from a single Pokémon that somehow spread it's DNA across 'regular' animals, and created the Pokémon. We believe it's name was Mew. In my mind, it does sound the most plausible. Though how that Mew got here is the other mystery." Marlow decided to form his energy cloak now, and then he phased through Serena, before floating back in front of her. "Hm, Serena, could we borrow that fur for a bit? Actually, more like have it forever?" Tensa asked. She shivered as Marlow passed through her, swatting at him with her free claw as he passed, then blinked at Tensa's request. Her claws were already bloody, and her mouth was soon to follow, she dragged the one Mareep of the many backwards into the roots of the trees as an answer, leaving the wool exposed. "If you want it I suppose. There's always more where that comes from too...just be glad you caught me when i DIDN'T just eat it outright...you'll have to fetch it though." "Mareep fur can come in handy during winter for humans, Serena. Our weak, furless bodies get so cold, so easily." Kyn said, half sarcastically, half truthfully. Tensa went over to fetch the fur, and then together they managed to secure it into a Poké Ball. "I'm still not hungry yet," Heji admitted. "You will be soon enough, Heji." Striker commented. "There is not much I prefer to eat," Medicham said, before resuming floating and meditating. Serena really didn't want to compare Kyn's furless body to the Mareep in front of her, especially when she was eating. Still she focused on her meal and ignored most else around her, at least until she licked her lips. "Well, they're not dead yet, so they can wait on the hoof until you are hungry...and if you are to be so picky about what you eat, perhaps next time you should go hunting and catch something yourself." She hadn't intended to snap, but she HAD warned them that she was not good company while she ate, but she was trying at least. Medicham simply said, "I supoose. Hunting via Psychic attacks is very unnerving to some." "Serena, I cannot tell you enough how much I am looking foward to Gambitville. Oh, I should probably just work off some energy by running around and tree hopping." Kyn said. "Don't stay up too late." Tensa said with a wave. Serena took her time cleaning after her meal, looking up at Marlow as Kyn walked out. "Go on, go with him, telepathic message is faster than a yell of help." She wrinkled her nose, licking her lips slightly as she sat up off her belly, and pulled the Rawst salve from her bag. She hadn't reapplied it after the bath, and was now starting to feel the repercussions, she would be glad when they were healed tomorrow evening. "Fine fine. I shall go with him. But you know he won't call for help right?" Marlow had done a little listening in on various conversations to deduce some small bits of Kyn's personality. "I'm not counting on him calling for help, I'm counting on you ratting him out." she said over her shoulder to him, then looked back at those who were left as if she had not said something that would mess with how much Kyn trusted her. When she was sure that her mouth and claws were clear she found a rather cushiony spot in the grass and laid down in a ball, much like a lizard who was trying to stay warm would, she wasn't tired, but she figured it was as good of a way to relax and apply the salve down her back with the blunt side of one clawtip. Why was she looking out for Kyn? Well, there was this matter of a promise at the village, that he wouldn't do anything that would put himself in danger. "For the record, Medicham." She broke the silence for a moment. "So long as you're not trying to control what's in MY head, I don't care how you hunt." (music)"Swords swords, I love my swords!"(music) Kyn sang to himself. He didn't go too far from the group, but at the same time managed to distance himself from them. It wasn't like singing would attract wild Pokémon here. Not like Sweet Scent, he'd hoped. Serena shifted a bit, capping the jar and putting it back in its netting, then sliding that back inside the bag itself before she dared venture from her cozy little spot, rather directing her attention at Tensa than Heji, at least for the time being, though she wondered how long the cat would be up, but she didn't exactly...say anything. There had been quite a few Treecko in the village, but she'd never really...gotten close enough to -look- at them. Once again, her mind shifted back to the curious question that had come earlier. "Hey...erm, Tensa...have you...ever wondered what your tail leaves taste like?" it was the oddest conversation opener ever, and she knew it. "I have not. I've just always assumed that... they would taste like regular leaves off a certain type of tree." He turned around and looked at his own tail in response. What Serena had said was a very strange thing to say, consider that he knew her to be a carnivore, he wouldn't have expected her to be interested in leaves at all. Suddenly, Kyn saw something shifting in the trees nearby, and he instantly stopped his singing. His body froze, and he continue to scan the area for any signs of movement again. If he was right, the cause of the motion would do the exact same, causing it to mostly be a standoff unless someone or something was used as a diversion. She knew it was a strange thing, and in fact might have said so, if it were not in this position. "Well I...kinda figured that since they would feed off of your blood that it would taste a bit different...Sort of like a Carnivine maybe?" She shrugged again, and hoped that having her back to Heji was taken as a sign of trust instead of indifference. Catching Tensa off guard, she thought perhaps that that would be something to note later on. "It also probably has to do with my diet. The more meat I eat... the less it'll taste like an herbivore." Tensa still felt a little strange discussing the subject. "Serena, have you eaten Carnivine before?" There was no comparision After all since he had not eaten anything remotely similar to another Grass-type. A Patrat clung to the branch of the tree, perhaps it hadn't been noticed, but so long as the strange thing, for Kyn was a strange thing, didn't move toward it's home anymore, it wouldn't move either, but stared at him through the branches. The red and yellow eyes would attract attention, it knew from experience, amdist all the dark green.----Serena paused at the idea, thinking back through her short time in life. "...Once." she said slowly. "When i was just learning to trap, and I'd gone looking for vines at night. It had been relaxing in a tree before i disturbed it." Kyn continued to wait to see if there would be movement, again, and when he didn't see anything on the ground, he looked up to the trees around him. He did relocate to another branch, and then froze again. "There was a discovery I've made. It seems that most humans believe that if I were to eat a Carnivine, that it would be cannibalism. Except Kyn. I suppose it's because they just don't expect most Pokémon to eat other Pokémon, and only expect the obvious ones, like Pidgey and Caterpie type pairings." The Patrat, seeing the human catch yet another branch in his direction, chittered it's buck teeth, and threw the most available thing at the intruder, a green Apricorn. -----"It seems to me as if most humans do not have brains, or else refuse to use them, It would be like me not eating another Dragon. It's meat, and well, population control too, if we just ate other creatures all of our lives, then dragons would be the most populous thing around...and while i guess we could do that there would still be many casualties as we ran out of places to nest, and breeding grounds would be...well, a blood bath." No sign of movement... yet... until he saw an Apricot whiz past him at a decent speed. "That wouldn't exactly have been painful, but it wouldn't have been pleasant," he thought to himself, not wanting to speak the words out loud due to the nature of what he was doing. By quickly triangulating the source of the Apricorns trajectory, he was able to deduce where it had come from, and so he launched himself from one of the other branches towards the source, this time not caring if he made any noise. He was definitely going to confront whatever it was. "Well heh... it doesn't exactly take much to become a Pokémon Trainer. If you were running things, you'd probably demand that they have more qualifications than, one, Age 10, two, go to orientation, and three, pass a simple exam. Those are the types of people that won't really be able to understand Pokémon much if they just stay at that level." Tensa remembered the first time he met Kyn, and how his usual behaviour towards him interested him. Squuuueeeeak! the noise came with the tree branches, but stayed still, biding it's time. It was small, could be squished, but that also meant that it was more agile than what was coming at it, and of course, the advantage that the limb it was on wouldn't likely HOLD the other creature's weight as well as it's own.-----Serena was appalled at the idea of how easy it was to become a trainer. "You're right, they'd at least need to learn body language or something so that they don't get killed when dealing with us." "Alright, there was absolutely no way that I imagined THAT," he said it out loud this time. He didn't know very many Pokémon that squeaked, and thus he of course, wanted to find out what it was, and secondly, if it was large, and thirdly if it was edible. He dropped down below, and looked to see if he could make his way back up another way. "It's kinda annoying. Though I was glad by the way Kyn reacted when he met me." The white tailtip, was probably all he would see as it darted downwards, hopping from limb to limb, starting in pursuit of Kyn, since he wasn't leaving, and he was starting to get close to it's home; but of course, as it ran along a branch sparse of leaves, it's eyes locked on him, he would have had to have been a fool not to notice the signs of something moving, and by the light of the moon could even make out it's shape. ----"Mmmph." was all Serena said, she had dropped to all fours and was curled up for the story that was sure to come, missing her fire at her cave already. Why did they have to pass so close to the lake? The air was enough to make her hide quiver down her back. "He didn't behave like an idiot then? When did that change occur?" She was smiling, so hopefully he would take it as a joke. definitely more comfortable around Pokémon in SMALL groups, rather than the huge ones that would be waiting for them...when-- about half a day later?--when they got back from their little adventure with her. At the moment it didn't matter that Tensa was Kyn's mate, she was just 'one of the boys.' Now that he had been reminded by Serena, he began to use one of his older tactics. Get their attention, run away, have them give chase, then surprise them by reversing direction, if they hadn't already anticipated it. Now it was time for him to keep quiet again. Even on top of his own movements, he was able to recognize and pay attention to the signs of another. Especially since he was seemingly alone with exception of the other two and the current pursuer. A clear, moon filled night, with no wind, meant that any disturbances were artificially made. "That's right... keep following me..." he whispered quietly at it. Every so often, he would glancy quickly behind him, looking for a good chance to stop and surprise it. He managed to get glances of a dark blurb with eyes that stood out in the night, and some blur of a a light shade of white, but that wasn't much for him to go by either. After he saw an opening, he quickly stopped, then turned around. That was one thing about controlling a pursuit, if they are following you close enough, surprising them is easy if they aren't expecting you to reverse direction. "Oh Serena... you could say it happened because of me. Well, us. Being together with us might have caused him to get a little clumsy but, being here will definitely cause him to act differently when he returns. Have you ever thought about what you're going to do when you're a Salamence?" Tensa didn't spend much time talking about his past, and now focused a bit on the future. The Patrat had been watching him, chasing him, and waiting for the moment for him to STOP, figuring that he would either get too far from the tree for it to care, or it would stop and face off against it; and when he turned to face off, it kept running at the thing until it was in mid air, and then toppled as it's tail glowed and sharpened into the move Iron Tail, aimed at his chest to knock him to the ground. ---"Not really. I suppose when that happens I'll retire from the Guilds and find a job like a normal 'mon, maybe fly around a bit and see what there is to see of this area...I can't go overseas of course, they wouldn't understand me there..." she grimaced a little. "I'll probably end up working for Merlot when I'm an adult, knowing the fact that she only hires Dragons...though I'll never wear one of those ridiculous maid outfits." "Interesting," he said, drawing the hilt of his left sword's hilt. "Steel versus steel then eh? It seems that we both thought the exact same thing, and predicted each other. Now, what exactly are you I wonder?" with Striker's reflexes, and Tensa's speed, he was able to judge where the move would most likely be able to land and moved the hilt there. He didn't really need to unsheathe the blade for this, as long as he held on extremely tight. The added height from the jump would make the move that much more powerful. He predicted that even thought whatever it was was small, the force would still push him back. "Merlot... that Lugia that some of the villagers talked about? She sounds.... ... interesting," Tensa said using a lighter word. "I'm thinking that our Lugia are a bit more like you Serena, the type that would be more than likely to sit down on the ground when not swimming in the ocean, as opposed to walking upright." With the tail meeting the hilt of the sword, the patrat used the momentum to bounce towards Kyn's face, it's jaws spread wide. It was easy to imagine that with how close it was to him now, the next part would be almost unavoidable, and even if he did manage to duck or something, his hair would be the next viable place for the rodent to latch onto.-------"She is...interesting, yes...I made a deal with her a while ago to be allowed to...well, assist Marlow in finding about his new species...So I'm tied in with a 'job' there for the first few years of my Salamance shape, seems that she's getting suitors left and right that are bugging the heck out of her...She's still an adolescent, from what i can tell, of her species." She stole a glance at Heji, his fur looked warm and comfy right about now. As the creature got incredibly close, he was able to recognize it. Obviously after having a Patrat of his own, and having seen him in the dark plenty of times, with the clues of the tail and eyes, he didn't need to see the rest anymore. "Oh, you're a Patrat." He said simply. He actually pictured a humourous situation in which after launching itself from where it landed, that he would out of nowhere be able to pull a frying pan that was about a foot, and it would land at that instead, but as it currently was, he wouldn't be able to do anything like that. His next option was to try and redirect it, which he attempted to do by putting his arm in the way of his face and leaning to the right. "You and Marlow have been working together for how long now? " Tensa said, now remember that they seemed to be as inseparable as he and Kyn, but for different reasons. With the head missed, but another target, his shoulder, in reach, it grabbed at it, and missed by mere inches. Had it been sentient it might have made a comment about not being an Emolga, but instead just grappled the branch behind where they were. it was flimsy, but--any port in a storm after all. The strange creature had something metal, and so it ran up the branch, out of arms reach, knowing that he couldn't directly follow.----"Working together? Less than a season, known each other for about three now." She shivered again, and curled a little tighter before figuring it wouldn't work, and slunk back beside Heji, not out of earshot, but definitely further back. "don't mind me, just a little cold." It was directed at Heji, but it served as an statement to Tensa too. "Oh. Well then..." Kyn pointed his sword at the Patrat and unsheathed the blade. He then quickly jumped up and cut the branch that it was residing on, as well as several of the other branches nearby. This wouldn't really prevent it from climbing up higher if it wanted to, but it would make it a bit more difficult to do so. Heji decided to put his paw over Serena, holding her against him. "You are not minded, however you are noticed." He said. "Have you gotten along with Marlow well? With the exception of times when he seems to be deliberately annoying..." The Patrat froze, that metal thing had just cut-- but it's mind didn't take the time to think about what had just happened, its instincts screamed DANGER at the proximity of the sword, and the branch it was on fell. It was only when the other branch bumped one below it that that it even moved at all, quickly leaping off of the earthbound branches, only to have yet another one collide with it soon after and send the rat flying back into the air with a chitter of annoyance, and a squeak of fear.----Serena had, for the most part, shielded herself from Marlow for much of the conversation, and with Heji's paw over her it took her a moment to realize that Tensa had even asked something else. "Erm, sorry, zoned out there for a sec...Yeah, we get along pretty well I suppose? Usually he's the analytical one...I just let my instincts be my guide...actually it's him i have to thank to even be able to talk to you right now." She motioned with her claw, her tailtip twitching at her side. Kyn waited to see what the Patrat would do while it while it was in transit. If it came back down on the ground, then he would go for its vital points, and or severely incapacitate it. "Marlow seems like he would make a rather interesting human. Just throwing that thought out there. Though of course, having to get used to not being able to pass through things might get in the way a bit." Tensa chuckled. The ground--it was the bad place to be, and yet, it seemed that that would be where the rat ended up, as it failed to catch the branch that it had previously been supported on. Instead it hit on it's back with a resounding CRACK, which then slipped down onto the next one, and the next, and the next, and then....Thud. It's body hit the ground, and it twitched, but didn't move.---------Serena blinked at Tensa. "I think...that he doesn't even like being a ghost, he's so enthralled with his old life." she swallowed, her tail stopped flicking. "There's...acceptance i guess...but he's restricted to his skull during the day unless I can spare the energy...Should have seen us when we were first learning to control which thoughts the other received...had us at each other's throats nearly every day." Kyn watched the Patrat fall. He didn't expect it to turn out exactly like that, but the fact that it wasn't able to move seemingly after hitting all those branches, was an added plus. Chances are that it was probably paralysed, what with that sickening crack he heard. He walked slowly over to the Patrat, knowing that it would probably at this point be terrified of him or just it's instincts would still be telling it to flee. "Sorry about this little guy. I don't have any context for why you what you were doing, but it seems now like I'm going to abide by the concept of 'putting you out of your misery'. That and or saving it from becoming easy prey for something that wouldn't show it the same type of emotion when it came to pain. Being eaten alive and such. He didn't even know if it would be able to understand even that, since it didn't reply to him in the first place, but it gave HIM a bit of closure. The next step was for him to quickly take the Patrat by the head and snapping it's neck. "So, you're saying that Marlow doesn't behave like most Ghosts or something, and maybe actually wishes that he weren't dead, and doesn't like his rebirthed 'new life' and because of that you fear that he is slowly drifting away from you?" Tensa blurted all of this out rather quickly, after pausing for about fifteen seconds to think. Serena blinked at him, almost defiantly. "I think...that perhaps Kyn and I should have a talk." Her voice hissed. "And that you shouldn't repeat everything that is said to you, it -WILL- get you into trouble." Just like that, the conversation died, she turned her head on her forepaws and closed her eyes. She wasn't asleep, no, not by a long shot, but that topic, it did more than ruffle her scales, yet she didn't try, didn't dare move away from Heji. The fog was helping keep her from doing something she KNEW she would regret. [Serena, I'm making my way back to you. Let me know if you're getting this.] Kyn headed back the way he came with the now deceased Patrat in his hand, and the still non-bloody sword in the other. He resheathed it and headed back. Tensa sighed. "Very well, Serena. Your conversation with Kyn will be an interesting one, I am sure." /I'm getting it./ The words were pronounced with a measure of hate, and of discontent, her claws dug in the ground. Still she didn't move, but her tail lashed back and forth in anger. It took all of her focus not to bite Heji's head off when the request came. "Heji, let me up please." She was still cold, but it was a different sort of cold. She had offered him ONE token of her trust, and he'd relayed it. Even if it was just to his mate, telling others, it was a betrayal. /Hang back for a bit, look at the lake or something./ Everyone in the canopy knew now, there was no use hiding it from them. Marlow couldn't help but notice that Serena's tone was different than normal. A tone that he hadn't heard in a LONG while, and in which case, he absolutely did not want to be anywhere close to Serena at the time. He didn't listen to her second command, and it was indeed a command, not a suggestion, even though it wasn't phrased in the way of a command. Heji lifted his paw, and at the point it was when he noticed that Serena's tail was... moving like he knew that certain animals including himself did when angry. He'd of course never directly observed his own tail doing it, which would be a tell, but he'd seen other members of his species doing it. He didn't say anything at all. Kyn made his way back to the camp, not necessarily cheerful, but instead of having his head clear, he had to deal with the Patrat. "I'm back everyone!" He called out. It was almost immediate, as soon as Heji had moved his paw from her she was on her feet, and instead of moving forward to confront Kyn, she moved backwards towards the tree, and proceeded to slash the hell out of it. She had said she wanted to TALK to him, and she meant it. She hated the temper that her species came with, and had LONG since learned that she needed to burn some of it off to be able to keep her head. By the time Kyn had announced that he was back, the hate had burned low enough that it was managable, but the tree had suffered. Gashes covered the side of it, and it was sappy all the way down, which of course meant that was the substance of which her claws were now covered in. She waited, her green eyes reflecting back in the darkness. If they were going to say anything, now would have been the time to do it--and when they remained silence, only then did she speak. "Why?" It was a simple question, one she knew he wouldn't know the context of. "Tell me. Why? What did I ever do to you, that would have warrented you to betray me as you have?" Her voice was cold, hard even. Kyn was surprised when Serena just up and pulverized that tree, but then she came back and then started interrogating him about something that he absolutely knew nothing about. "S-Serena...? What are you talking about? I... betrayal...?" Tensa wasn't sure about what Serena was going on about either, but he had some idea of what she might have meant due to her comment about keeping HIS mouth shut. So he just sat there and waited, not wanting to get involved at this time. The others not really having as much experience were still curious, but they were smart enough to not just burst into a conversation when clearly Serena was upset in this sort of manner. Serena growled, it wasn't much more than a growl, and she was thankful--he should be as well--that she couldn't breath fire. "Don't. Play. Dumb. I told you something in confidence, and you told Tensa. I gave you ONE chance at trust, ONE chance. I don't give more than that when they don't deserve it. You don't." She didn't give him time to respond, instead walking out the canopy and heading for the lake. She couldn't trust herself around them, couldn't trust them at all. What was she thinking? Had she felt obligated to assist them with their want because they were letting her LIVE when she first met them? She didn't know. She scraped the sap from her fingers, that wouldn't be the first time that she had killed a tree, she didn't care that it was dead either; nor did she care, she mused, that Marlow would eventually leave, especially when he found out that she would be working for Merlot when she finally evolved. Her hatred had burned down to a dull pain, she was hurt, and safe to be around, but that sorrow contained a lot more than just Kyn, it included every one of her companions. If they trusted Kyn, they could not be trusted either. Not with anything that she might hold dear to her at least. Kyn was absolutely astonished. He'd never seen Serena act like that before, It just completely racked(sp?) his brain. "What could she possibly be talking about? She obviously thinks I did something that I didn't do. If she told me not tell anyone something, I would not have done it no matter what. I always keep my promises. Well, I obviously can't go talk to her now." Suddenly it clicked in Tensa's head. "I think I may know what she is referring to. I'm not going to say anything about it until I get back. If I succeed, hopefully Serena will be back with us. Heji, I'm requesting your help to find Serena, and in general to just be there with me." "Serena won't receive us very well, probably, but I will go with you anyway." Heji said. Together they traveled to her location, following the initial scent of the sap from the soon to be dessicated, and already decimated tree. Serena had found a place to sit, her front claws on her knees. She knew if she didn't go back they would come looking for her, she just didn't want to be found. The cold wind from the lake chilled her more than it had beneath the canopy, turning her scales a darker blue, and still she sat there, unwilling to move. Her eyes were on the reflection of the moon in the water, and seemed unfocused. It was the sound of footsteps that triggered the response. The only one who she would be Okay with seeing was Marlow, and even then she wouldn't tell him what had happened. "Go. Away." Punctuated and clear, the words weren't a request. She was used to giving commands like this when she was in the mood, but usually...usually they were for the other 'mon's own good. This time she was being selfish, she wanted time alone. Tensa was the first one to speak. He had every intention of staying here until he either came back with Serena, or she had battled him, defeated both him AND Heji, as well. "Serena, I'm not leaving you until you understand something." Heji decided to interject at this point. "Serena, I understand that you are upset, furious even, but I really believe that you should listen to what Tensa has to say." "You should both shut up and go away. You're the ones who need to understand, not me." she snorted. "So let me tell you just how much danger you're putting yourselves in: Bagon and Shelgon that evolve when they're angry, don't stop being angry. There have been stories of Salamence that rip through towns because they don't have a mind anymore, their rage...they let it take over. I spent a year trying to learn to conquer mine...twice before have i EVER been this angry, and this time? I almost damned myself to that fate. I'm unstable, and you two are idiots." She didn't move, she wasn't going to face them, nay, even look at them. She didn't care what he had to say, she didn't care that she had just called the one person she connected with the most an idiot for chasing after her, and still not that she was cold. "I would hate to condemn you to that fate, but I'm not going to let someone else, especially not my mate, take the blame for something that he didn't do. It doesn't matter if I have to fight you, it doesn't matter if I don't. I'm still going to stand up for him." At this point Tensa didn't care either if she would even take what he said into consideration. He didn't want to have to fight Serena, but he hadn't dealt with her when she was this angry before. Heji didn't move any closer to Serena then Tensa did, but just as Tensa was, he was prepared to fight Serena as well even if he didn't want to. She laughed, it might have been sarcasm, if it didn't hold an icy undertone. "I'm not that transparent, of course i keep my partner safe when he's dormant, and when he's not and it's daylight? He HAS to stay close to me or his energy cloak fades and he goes BACK into his dormant state. Keeping one another safe, that's the whole idea behind being partners." She still wasn't moving, at this point she wasn't even sure that she could. "So what's your excuse for him, that he talked in his sleep? That you know one another well enough that you can read him?" it was a slight sneer, deliberately being hateful...she would hate herself later; she already did for trusting them. "There is absolutely no excuse for him. When it comes to promises, I can guarantee you that he has never broken a single one. Kyn tells me a lot of things, but whatever you think he told me, he didn't. I am very shrewd, and observant. In addition to your body language... I deduced it myself." Serena closed her eyes and sighed. Why did she want to believe him? The slight breeze pulling scents on the water reminded her of that reason, and she discovered she could indeed still move as she put one claw to her head. "I don't know what signs you THINK you saw, if you're telling the truth..." she was reviewing the day, from the point that she had called Marlow useless, to the fact that he wouldn't come out of his skull for the whole trip and she had agreed to just let him have his way rather than fighting with him, how that could have looked without knowing that there had been a conversation to go through it. Her tying the skull to her head as he awoke, and then when he refused, putting him back under her scarf...the fact that she had left him when she ran away from Heji before that? No, he was hidden and couldn't have seen that. She had had no interaction with Marlow other than that through the rest of the trip, what WAS he talking about? Tensa began giving off examples that from his perspective seemed like examples that would be accepted by her, including events all the way back to the time when he first met her. Including things like, there being times where he'd overheard PARTS of a conversation, not necessarily getting the contexts. "Plus... there's also an element of guesswork as well." He didn't want to admit that last part but it was something that he'd learned from Kyn, about coming up with a solution from only a tiny bit of evidence, and having the subject, confirm the theory by not denying the truth but getting outraged at the fact that the truth had been found out. "So please, don't blame Kyn for something that is my fault." She snorted at his examples, almost in a laugh but not quite. Most of it was off base, but she moved, abiet stiffly, into a standing position, her eyes were still slitted. "Most of what you said...is off base." She caught herself as she leaned back too far. "When he evolves...he wont need me anymore. He'll be able to sustain himself, the contract's over, deal's kaput...that's the huge flaw in your reasoning...but you didn't hear that part." she mused, she had given him the last bit of information that he needed herself. The anger was still there, for sure, but now it was only burning a hole at herself for reacting as she had. She noted some of the things that were directly connected to Heji, though he wouldn't have seen them if he was looking at it from the point of view he did. "Any...other things your intuition tells you? May as well get them out of the way now, while my mood is spoiled." "Serena, I believe I will take what you said earlier and roll with it. It involves keeping some of my thoughts to myself. Also, as for Marlow, Marlow will not know anything about what you thought he would. Unless that thing you do where you share thoughts broadcast it." If she was honest with herself, she would have said that she wished for things to be a dream, but now she was wary of Tensa even more than she had been before, and what's more, since he had brought Heji, she was sure that he knew 'something' even though he wasn't saying it. She started to turn around, stumbled and landed on one of her hands, adjusting. "Haa...if i was cold before I'm freezing now...stupid wind off the water..." she steadied herself on all fours, spread perhaps a little further than she normally would have stood like this, to assist with her center of gravity. "If your are cold due to the wind, then I will choose to assist you, regardless of my intellectual status." Heji walked over in front of Serena, and blocked the apparent path of the wind. Serena wanted to say that his intellect level was fine, but she couldn't find the words, and instead just stood, leaning against his warm fur until she had the feeling back in her fingers, and even then she was reluctant to let go. She had, at some point, buried her nose in his fur, and ended up with a full whiff of his scent, it was unavoidable for sure, to be practically covered in his scent now. Her tail flicked as she tested her balance, and she nodded her thanks to him. "Serena... now that it has been established that Kyn did not reveal that information to me, would you be able to give him that "more than one chance" if they deserve it?" Tensa folded his arms, and his tone was nervous, cautious, and pleading at the same time. "Serena, I consider you all part of my pack. It is ever-growing, and if you wish to leave it, you can. Just know that like Tensa, I will also stick up for members of my pack." It wasn't a threat, but it was just a sealing of the deal in the manner of that Kyn honestly had no idea why he was being called out by Serena. He himself knew some of the reasons, but not all of them. Serena's reaction to him, meant that Tensa was spot on and accurate, but he was curious as to why she didn't deny it. "Since...he didn't do anything wrong, he hasn't lost the first one...but explaining that leaves me in a sticky situation...I can't exactly just say 'Sorry for the misunderstanding, we're still good, ignore me for the evening because I'm being irrational.' she snorted in distaste with herself, but it was her nature to be rash, that was why Marlow was the one keeping her counter balanced...only she couldn't rely on him for that this time. As for why she didn't deny it...that would be something that actually would have to be asked. Her mind focused on the part that they were all part of his pack, and she almost, ALMOST fell over at the idea of being in a pack that contained all the Pokémon on the outside. "I...don't do well in crowds." she muttered in a way that only the lion would hear. "Well, knowing Kyn, he's still probably still going to ask you. So I guess I'll just tell him that situation is sort of resolved for now. Are you ready to head back?" Tensa said, hoping they could get on their way again. Plus Kyn did have a Patrat that he sort of dropped in surprise at Serena's outburst. "Then let Kyn know. He is very flexible." Heji said to Serena. Tensa heard it, but didn't think of it since he was only hearing half a conversation. Serena just barely stopped herself from putting her claws over her ears, and instead passed it off as pulling the scarf back around her neck, but she shot Heji a look that read 'I reaaaaaally didn't need to know that.' of course...she was taking it differently, her nose full of his scent, her head was fogged again. "May as well go face the strange looks." she confirmed. She had only been here a couple times, but finding her way back to the tree was rather easy due to the flat landscape. She was thankful though, that Marlow didn't have a nose, or she would have even MORE questions to answer. Her tail flicked and bobbed behind her as she walked, each movement causing some kind of adjustment for her tail to need to make. Heji walked closer to Serena then he ever had before. Recently, it had become more and more difficult to ignore the fact that he was affecting Serena at times. Her telling him things that she didn't tell anybody else, not even Marlow. Always seeming to head towards him when things were beginning to go downhill. Heji may have been 'adopted' be he was not foolish about matters like this. His instincts were able to fill in most of what he didn't directly know. "Serena don't think too much about it." Tensa said, keeping a fair walking distance from the two. "Unfortunately for me, my brain does not stop thinking, it may circle and hone on something, decide at a moment's notice, or focus on many things at once like a colony of Combee. If it stops I tend to acquire a headache of one manner or another, and it's only relieved when something else comes to mind...which thankfully doesn't take long..." She didn't add that it could easily cause a headache for her to focus on one problem for TOO long, that very seldom, if NEVER happened. "It's a wonder i don't ramble on like Kyn does." Her eyes focused on the canopy, and she brushed the willow branches away with the back of her hand as not to cut them in two, the plant was already dying and there was nothing she could do. She had seen a Pokémon heal a tree before, but it wasn't her type of Pokémon, and she wouldn't even know if they would be able to know what had been done. "Serena! It's just a phrase. Anyway, you should listen to Kyn's ramblings more often. He doesn't do it very often, but when he does, it's usually about something important that he can't seem to say in just the right way." Tensa suggested. "In order to complain about something, at least, having any grounds to complain about something...You have to listen properly." She said, stepping back through the canopy, as if it was a sound barrier. "Just because I complain does not mean I do not listen." She tested to see if Marlow was a sufficient ways away before approaching Kyn, while she appreciated Heji--more than even she knew at the moment--this was something she had to do, and she tried toseparate all thoughts from the one that needed her focus. "I...owe you an apology...there was a grave misunderstanding; when Tensa approached me about...the situation with Marlow, I thought, well, you know what i thought, clearly, I said it earlier..." she swallowed a bit. "It turns out that Tensa is a bit too smart for his own good." She didn't feel this was adequate, but she would let him respond first. "Yes... I understand, and forgive you, but, you really did some damage Serena. If there's one thing I focus on in my relationship with my Pokémon it is trust. I know plenty of secrets, that no one else will ever know. Not even Tensa. Speaking of Tensa... bloody lizard... Serena, he thinks like a human, and is even able to speak like a human. If he's 'too smart for his own good' then it's my fault." Kyn sat down on the ground and held his hand out to Serena. "You...and I, are very much alike in that respect, Kyn...I know just how much damage was caused...because that was how much that i believed to have been done to me..." It was perhaps one of the stupidest things that she could have said, but she pulled the scarf off and put it in his hand. "When, and If...I ever earn your trust back, then give that back to me...you perhaps don't...understand the significance of that scarf yet, but it will serve as a reminder to me regardless." Her eyes flicked away from his eyes. "I am not capable of lying, for the record, it seems to be something that was created by the civilized Pokémon here...I'm just too deeply rooted." She looked at the tree with a frown. "The destruction is always heaviest...when it was done for no reason." She wanted to tell him that she wasn't his Pokémon, that she never would be, she wasn't some 'thing' to be collected, but what little honor she had left held her tongue. Until her debt was repaid, he rightfully could demand her to be a footstool, and she would obey. Kyn "Alright Serena. Now, there is one thing that I need to address before we leave again. I'm going to just... store this Patrat since it's..." he struggled with the words a little bit, "freshly killed." Marlow now chose this time to head back to the group, now feeling that Serena had significantly calmed down. "I am going to remain in this form for a longer period of time than before. He said. A general disquietude was present in the air, so barely anybody spoke. "Do as you wish. I never had any control over what you did or did not do to begin with." She sighed. "If it is not too much to ask, however...Sleep. We have been traveling for a day, and you have not slept since before you arrived here." She barely cast Marlow a second glance as he reappeared. "I'm going to go to sleep." she said to him. "Wake me in two hours, if you don't mind Marlow." She rubbed her neck, without her scarf it felt very bare and exposed, but she had adapted to the scarf, and she would adapt back out of it. She walked around the base of the tree and curled up away from the wind, away from the others, and beside what she had committed. The Atrocity that was her injured pride, her honor, would try to keep her up, but she slowly slipped off to try to dream. "That might explain why I've been rambling so much lately. Alright. We'll both head off to sleep." Kyn's body, finally accepting acknowledgment of his lack of sleep as his apparent overuse of his brain, and he let out a loud yawn. "Very well. Two hours it will be. I'm assuming that that will be the rest of your time necessary to have your scheduled five hours?" Marlow asked. He did notice that she was now without her scarf that he had basically almost NEVER seen her without. "No Marlow, it wont be." She answered simply, her eyes closed. "The rest of the time will be used to do what I can to repair the damage I've done." she muttered, more to herself than to him as she resumed trying to sleep. Her dreams were haunted with images, however, and she woke up several times amongst the first hour, only to turn her head and try to go back to sleep, eventually covering her head with her foreclaws as if to protect it from the assault that would never come. She snorted and eventually gave up, leaning back against the tree and looking up at the branches swaying with a sigh. This, as it always did when she made a mistake, would interrupt her night's sleep, it was always like this...and that was the reason that she had limited herself, she knew that she would be LUCKY to even get that amount with what transpired that night. She was, as the saying went, her own worst enemy. Marlow decided to just go with it, and maybe Serena would explain why she didn't have her scarf anymore. He stayed with the rest of the group, who each stayed up in the night, essentially watching over both Serena and Kyn. Kyn didn't bother setting an alarm, and choose to let either his body, or nature wake him up, and so he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts about how Serena reacted, and then subsequently reacted again. Being as Serena was up, she soon decided to get up, and traveled around the tree, grabbing the flexible branches from many different spots as not to disturb the canopy, and soon she was almost a mess of the viney things when she went back to sit down, the first thing she did was strip the strands into multiple slices, cutting them lengthwise until she had enough strands to weave, which she then began to do, weaving them into a flexible mat which was big enough to go around the wound she had made on the tree; like a band-aid made for it. All this time she didn't say anything to anyone else, it was only when the weaving was done that she examined the trunk thoroughly. The bark and leaves from the vines had long been stripped off, and Serena gathered them up. She wished she had a bowl for this, but would just have to make due with a flat rock and a round one. The round one she took in her claws, and mashed the bark and leaves up into a dry paste which crumpled in her grasp. It hadn't rained in a few days, so there was no source of water nearby except for the lake, and she was loathe to walk all the way back and forth to turn the dry paste into something that would resemble a salve. Still, she had no choice, or at least, very little; and stalked out into the darkness again. Hopefully the others had ignored her, but she seriously doubted it. They were a little bit surprised to still see Serena, due to the fact that she had claimed that she would be sleeping, but they had some suspicion that she wouldn't be able to go to sleep completely, or at least that she would be kept awake by her own thoughts, as it had often happened to them, and after what they witnessed, she had A LOT to think about. They let her do what she wanted to do, without really talking to her, though it was mainly because they didn't really have much to say either. Serena, as she walked towards the lake, pulled leaves off of trees and overlaid them so that she could form it into a bowl, and form it she did, just as she reached her own footprints, and waded out a little ways away from the sand. The water was cold, and she welcomed it, it helped to keep her awake, but soon she was back at the canopy, pouring water along the rock in small dribbles, mixing things together, and then painting it on the tree, stealing some of the sap at the same time to mix with it, and to hold the weaving on as it soon was to be. She wrapped the weaving around the tree, the adhesive sap in place along one side as she pulled the straps through the loops she had left at the top, and folded them back over before cinching the loops tight and knotting them. She wiped her claws of the mess she had made with the left over water, and hoped, as that was all she could do now. She leaned against the tree, and tried to go back to sleep for the last half hour that she would be allotted before Marlow tried to wake her up. She ignored the trails of the tears, she didn't even have her scarf to wipe them away if she wanted to. "I don't think I've even seen someone so affected by something like this," Striker commented. The next Pokémon to decided to go to sleep was Heji, he walked around in a circle, and then laid down on the ground and rested his head in his paws. She was asleep, though her body didn't react like it as the dreams tore at her mind because of what she had done. Images of her ancestors looking down upon her as shadowy figures disowning her, the moon and sun closing their eyes whenever she was beneath them, turning away as predators stepped from the shadows, sentients she knew, by the accessories that adorned them, hunting her as if she were a common animal because she didn't have one--this was something she had been told. Sentients without an accessory could be hunted and killed for food. Perhaps the worst thing was that even Marlow turned his back on her, left her to the animals that clawed at her. 'It's just a dream' she told herself, as if it would help the searing pain that burned in her chest, claws ripping through her hide and bloodying it past the point of life..the last thing she saw was red, but she woke up, perhaps 15 minutes before her allotted time was up, and for once was thankful that dragons couldn't sweat, or she would likely have been drenched. She scratched at her neck, her pupils slitted to almost pinpricks. Fear...that's what this was, there was no mistaking it. Now she wished SHE had a psychic Pokémon to eat her dreams, she didn't want to remember those, or the ones before it, but her claws gripped into the wood as if it was a saving grace. If the tree lived, part of her guilt would be gone, part of the honor restored, perhaps her ancestors would leave her dreams alone if she could at least do SOMETHING right, fix something from this hell. Marlow decided to give Serena extra time instead of the two hours he decided to give her three and a half hours, so he waited for the time to pass, by hanging around the tree that Serena had done her sort of ... how would he decribe it... patchwork, on. Striker kept a watchful eye on the group, even going as far as to patrol an area around their location at a predetermined radius. Serena just sat there, time might have passed slowly under normal time constraints, but she had her eyes open, staring at some undefined point in the curtain of willow vines. "You should be asleep." She said to Striker, her eyes lowering as he walked past her staring point. She was ashamed of how weak her voice sounded, but a dragon without it's honor was just a shell of itself. perhaps he would understand that, perhaps he wouldn't. There were lines under her eyes from the lack of, and tormented sleep she had gotten. She had taken to scratching her scales, it was better than what she had done the first time, she was sure there were still small lines of that on her back from that time, when it had been her OWN claws that inflicted them--but she was going hunting with them, it wasn't worth it to weaken herself--weaken the team, that was the only thing that kept her from doing it this very instant, and if it wasn't resolved before they got back...she'd never get her scarf back...she was sure that he would prefer never to come back to a place in which someone couldn't be trusted...and the thought made the itching worse. "You should not worry about whether or not I have slept or not little one, when you have much more important matters to focus on," Striker said, stopping to turn and face her. He waited for her response, and he was planning on moving closer to her. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "You say that as if I could escape from them. My brain doesn't work like that." she scratched so that the scales on her wrist raised and tore, giving herself the blessed relief she had been looking for. It was shallow, but a wound none the less. "If it did, i would be able to find solace even in a hunter's trance, and even that ability has left me... feh, I'll be reduced to little more than a hatchling at this rate." "This is going to seem like it is coming out of nowhere but, I believe you shall return to your former self sooner than you know." Striker did move closer towards Serena to the point to where he was almost standing directly over her. She twitched, not because of what he said, but looking up at him in the shadow reminded her of her dreams. "Two steps back if you don't mind..." she whispered in a meek voice, a twinge of the fear she had experienced in the dreams returning. She looked away, more out of instinct than wanting to get away from his shadowy stare. "...I don't see how, four to five days is hardly enough to be able to mend someone's trust, and even less to regain your honor, especially when you can be hunted without an identifying accessory in Gambitville. Can be hunted with them too, it's survival of the fittest, even if you are sentient." Striker didn't exactly understand why she wanted him to move back, but he did giver her that space anyway, since he figured that it had something to do with recent events. "Serena, you made a mistake. However, just because you made that type of mistake does not mean you should lose hope so quickly. As for being hunted, as long as you are willing to stay with us..." He trailed off before continuing again, "that is, if you feel you even deserve to stay with us. I would prefer it if you did not let yourself be hunted. After all, we just met you, and I'm certain that Kyn will feel the same way." "I know that I don't have to worry about being hunted in a group full of predators...but it doesn't stop the shadows in my dreams where no one's around." She muttered. "Yeah, I made a mistake, I never said I lost hope...I gave him my scarf...yeah, it puts me in a bad spot, but I may as well have put my neck in his hand and let him decide wither or not i was a lost cause." she paused, thinking aloud. "When he gives it back the nitemares will stop, and I'll be comfortable again...but until then sleeping alone...well, it's very much impossible, as I've found out tonight." "Serena, I currently do not understand how you feel. I exiled myself from my clan until I met Kyn, but that is not the same. Perhaps... you would be able to help me understand by, and it may be painful to do so, clarifying... what you think Kyn might think of you now?" Striker folded his wings downward, and sat on the ground again. She sighed, more to herself than to him, she went over the words in her head. "Liar, assumer, irrational...as for how I'm feeling? Picture yourself without your blades, instead you have the nubs and your blades are just out of your reach, but in a box. You can look at them, you can try to get them, but you have to earn the key and you're not sure how." "You probably won't like what I'm about to say, but it might make you feel worse. I do not believe that Kyn believes that you are any of those things. Right now, he is currently analyzing and assessing the situation. For all he know you were confused for some reason, or perhaps something unknown was afecting you. As we've said to you before, he is a strange human in most regards. In fact, quite the opposite, he'll probably spend most of his time thinking of what he could do to help YOU." 'The unknown was affecting her' She snorted, she had a LOT of things affecting her, none of which, she doubted, would he be able to help with. emotions running wild in her head, one might have thought that she had reached adolscence. She felt stupid for getting something so simple wrong and yet...she sighed. "The best thing i need right now, i think...is a hug. Udon gave me one when we got to the castle, had seen how uneasy I was, and gave me one--granted i nearly slashed her cheek open before she explained what it was, but it helped back then..well, and my scarf, that would stop the itching under my skin at least." "Alright Serena. I do know what a hug is. Kyn explained it to me, and of course as you know Scyther cannot give hugs. But, to Kyn, he will see how much you've changed from this, and you might get a random hug from him. This is just a sort of warning. He's like that when it comes to things like that. One should never underestimate the power of something as simple as a hug." Striker said, trying to picture himself with his blades dulled like she mentioned earlier. "It would probably be painful if a Scyther tried, yes..." She did look behind him at the horizon through the trees, her eyes able to spot the first signs of dawn. "We...probably should get everyone up and moving again, if we're going to get there within the time setup." /Marlow./ she let the voice echo in her head, it filled the dead space that made the wounds ache. /The sun will be up soon./ As she spoke the second set of words, she tried to stand, only to have to rebalance herself. "For what it's worth, Striker, at some point i think that I would like to meet you as a warrior..." she felt the need to clarify, in case traditions were different. "In a sparring match, I mean, I'm not sure if you do something else over on the other side...but here, typically there's a spar, as it gives respect where it's due." "Well Serena... I probably would be a better sparring partner if I were twenty years younger. Or, in our native measurement, eighty seasons. Although I am stronger than I ever was in my prime, I am still limited by my age. I have trained many hatchlings in my day, and I've recently seen my training come to fruition when I met them again recently. After you both back on good speaking terms, you should ask Kyn about the time he first encountered me." Striker said. [Serena, I wanted to give you additional time, but I guess you're right. Oh, as for the matter of the Sun... I did tell you that I'd be staying in form for quite a while, so I'm heading over to you now.] "I have heard of Pokémon that have gone blind in both eyes and still are able to fight like they were younglings simply by letting the other wear themselves out." She smirked a little. "I suppose then i should call you Old man." She stuck out her pointed tongue. "I'll...get a fire started for breakfast, and go gathering. I'm sure that Kyn will be hungry, since he didn't eat breakfast yesterday, or dinner...at least to my knowledge." These things shouldn't take too long, and it's nothing like a good meal to wash away a bad night." /Perfect, since i don't have a comfortable means of carrying you currently./ Striker chuckled. "There are few that have refereed to me as 'The Old Bug'. As for Kyn, and the matter of food... I think you should consider Kyn's cooking. Despite those of us that grew up hunting... pretty much all of us have fallen in love with his cooking, not just when it comes to," Striker paused and put emphasis on, "'Pokémon Food", since he couldn't do the motion that he seen Kyn do, deemed air quotes. "Explaining it however, is damn near impossible. When he explained to me the concept of spices, I was... to say the least, highly doubtful and skeptical." "Even i know how to crack and cook an egg, but I have no problem letting him cook." She gathered twigs from the clearing and setting them down in a pyramid shape on a clearing of sand. "Ah, right, you weren't with us in town, you didn't get to have any of the food there--they did do a wondrous job for not using Pokémon in their recipes." she paused, turning to look at the bug. "If you wouldn't mind waking them up, I'll be off...I should be able to still manage gathering eggs and berries..." "Alright, it shall be done. Oh and yes Serena, I do plan on sleeping, just not now. I shall deal with that later." He said, before flying off to meet the rest of the group that was still sleeping. She nodded at him, then flicked her tail as she headed out through the canopy to the trees, and quietly followed the sounds of birds. Hunting was definitely harder without her trance, without her abilities, but the lack of them didn't stop her from robbing four family of Pidgey of their eggs, nor gathering soft Pecha berries from the bushes surrounding the lake. When she came back her arms were full of food, and her wounds--all of them--had completely healed just to scars. Striker finally arrived back at the group, nudging each sleeping member with the dull part of his blades and announcing that they should get up. Kyn of course was the last to get up, but it was to be expected. After they stirred, they waited for Serena to return to the group. They wouldn't have to wait long, as Serena set down the food at the edge of the sand, carefully, before inhaling deeply and exhaling a small stream of fire onto the twigs, lighting them with a cough. Black smoke curled from her nose and she shook her head as if to clear them, before she retreated back before Kyn. "I thought...perhaps you might like a proper meal." She was very uneasy, and the words stuttered at some spots, where as they poured as fluid in others. "Striker said you enjoyed cooking so...erm..." she gestured to the supplies she had gathered near the campfire. Her posture was submissive, timid even. "I do enjoy cooking for others Serena. Now, I do see some eggs over there. There is one thing that I'm going to ask you though. Did you hold the eggs up to the sun to see what stage of development the eggs are at?" Kyn asked, pondering what an unhatched... embryonic state whatever, would look like. "I only took from the nests that smelled fresh laid." She said quietly. "There should be no interruption in your cooking to verify if the Pokémon have started forming." She didn't look at him directly, either over his shoulder or at his chest, depending on where she needed to be focused at the moment. "Hm. Well, then I'll ask you another question. How many different way do you know to cook an egg?" He wasn't saying this to show off his knowledge, but he was hoping that he'd be able to show her several different flavor types, as well as different cooking methods for eggs that affected the flavor. "Know 'of' or know 'how'?" She inquired, finally sorting to sit for a while instead of looking at him from the odd position. Still she was very open, unguarded. "Know of, i know of scrambled, boiled, and fried, though with me not liking to eat cooked food I've only tried the latter of the three, and mostly because the yoke is still runny...and that i cooked myself, once." "Well, you've answered both of them I think. The reason why I ask you is that, there are about 100 different ways to prepare an egg for consumption, according to the chefs I've read about, and learned from. I only know about ten to fifteen. Ah, actually that reminds me. I've been wanting you to try some cooked foods though. There's also this one simple dish that is a crowd favorite, and able to please almost every Pokémon I've offered it to. The ideas swam in her head as she listened to him speak about eggs and them being cooked, finally he reached the end of the tirade about them, and she phrased it carefully. "If...it pleases you, do it." Kyn detected a slight bit of something that he couldn't yet identify, but he still wanted to steer away from it. "It shouldn't matter if it pleases me or not Serena. You do stil have the concept of free will," he then mubmled, " even though I don't necessarily believe in it completely...," before resuming normal volume again, "but, I'm not here to force you to do anything, remember?" She breathed out through her nose, frustrating, the boy was frustrating, to make her explain something like this, even the commoners knew about debts. "I -owe- you, . That is not something that dragons take lightly. To be in debt to someone for any reason, let alone to have our honor, our pride damaged by a mistake...we do what we are told. If you want me to experience it? I will honor your wishes. I've already put my life in your hands, trying some new food will not kill me." "Very well. This is not something that I think I can handle Serena. It makes me feel too much like having a servant. But, if it is as simple as asking you in this current state of things, then I will let you know, that I have thought it over, and have decided that I forgive you. If a human makes a mistake like that, there are an incredible variety of responses. I try to treat everyone equally, so in some cases that means treating you like a human, and in other cases treating you like SOME humans treat Pokémon. You are a Pokémon, a Dragon even. Although I am gifted with the ability to understand many things, this level of honor baffles me somewhat. Now, to show you just exactly what I mean... I would like it if you came over here close to me. You do not have to look me in the eyes if you do not want to. You do not have to face me for what you have done. But, I wish for you to come over here close to me." Kyn said, in a solemn tone. "You really should ask Heji about how subordinates treat their alphas, and how looking someone in the eye is a sign of confrontation." She sighed, choosing not to get up onto her hinds, but on all fours, which was easier for her to manage, at least, until she was about at his legs, where she stopped. No, she didn't have to face HIM for what she had done, her dreams were doing that to her already. "When your life is based on hunting, killing...there has to be some moral ground, some -honor- in it Kyn...and my life is hunting, I was a wild--non sentient even..." she tried to explain. "It was...is my air." Kyn took this opportunity to kneel down near Serena so that they were even more level than before, though seeing Serena in that pose didn't exactly help him feel any better. He did what he was initially going to anyway, and picked Serena up from that current position, and pulled her into his chest for a hug, followed by whispering into her ear, "I forgive you," and waiting for what she would do. Serena, despite half way expecting it from the warning Striker still yelped a little as she was picked up off of the ground, her arms somewhat pinned against him as she forced her body to relax away from the wide eyed look, and closed her eyes. Warm...he was warm too. Her claws clung to his shirt and she buried her head against his shoulder, dampening the cloth there with tears, silent, but evidence still seen in her shakey breath. She was still a child, no matter her mindset. When her body stopped with the shuddering breaths, she squeaked out "Can...I have my scarf back now...?" "I would be delighted to present it to you, provided that you are willing to accept it." Kyn himself had some idea of what this particular action could do to Pokémon that understood it, and so he let her stay there, until she felt ready to leave. She chuckled softly at his statement, slowly coming back to normal. "I'll...probably be spending a lot of time with Heji and Striker...since they have some idea of..." some idea of what exactly? Hunting? What her mannerisms were? "What it's like...before your lizard jumps to anymore conclusions and puts us in another spot like this." She said; then gently, ever so gently, pulled away. She would absolutely accept her lifeline back, she felt so very vulernable without it...but that was the idea. She stood there a little awkwardly, her claws behind her back, but it showed on her face, a hug really did make a world of difference. "I am perfectly alright with that. You might consider Striker to be the sort of supportive grandfatherly type during this situation. Now, I shall go fetch your scarf." He reached into the a compartment, and pulled out the nice and neatly folded scarf. To treat such an object with anything less than this type of respect would have been absolutely horrible to him. He tried not to imagine some human haphazardly just bundling it up into a ball and quickly shoving it into a pack. He shuddered at the thought. "Welcome back, for the most part, Serena." She gingerly took the folded scarf from him, as not to catch his hands with her claws, and looped it up over her head, under her headplates, and looped it over her shoulder. Almost instantaneously her shoulders relaxed further, and she was closer to being back to her old self. "So I learned. The old man and I had a talk while you were sleeping...since i wasn't able to get more than fifteen minutes at a time..." She cleared her throat. "Enough talk of the past though, it's behind us...so...breakfast?" "Yes! Foods! I've got this spread of styles that I will be showing you today. What I will be demonstrating is making an omelet, which is similar in concept to scrambled eggs, but with a major difference. The amount of milk. The next will be a soft boiled egg, which will come later, since I'll wait until later to get some more eggs. Speaking of which, Serena, what is it about their scent that allows you to know if the eggs are freshly laid?" She was not, as of yet, capable of blushing, at least, she didn't think she was. "They...smell...like...well..." she tried to get the words out. "I don't know how to describe it? Kind of wet...a little like the scent of mating but only half of it?" she shrugged, and decided to head off the question before it was asked. "Yes, I have watched non-sentients mate, no, it wasn't on purpose, but it was overriding all of the other scents in the area, i wasn't going to catch anything anyway." "I've watched non-sentients mate on purpose." Kyn said casually, not really thinking anything of it. He then tried to imagine what would leave that type of scent, and if he would even be able to pick it up with his limited sense of smell. He probably would be able to, since if there was one thing that was strong about his nose, it was the ability to be able to pick up bodily fluids when it came to things like that. "I haven't eaten an omelet in a while. If I had about two dozen eggs, I'd be able to make enough for everyone. But of course we've got three hunters and a Sceptile. So it'd just be convenience and luxury, not necessity." Serena shrugged it off, at least until the bit about not having enough for everyone. "Oh. I could go grab some more? I only scoured maybe five trees for these." It was obvious she didn't have a sense of scale. "Don't want anyone to be left out after all, everyone treated fairly and all that." "Actually, this is my request. Enough for each one of us to have at least five pieces is what I am aiming for. That'd be about oh... six more eggs." He was visualizing, and then came to another conclusion, "Erm... actually, a lot of birds are going to be annoyed. But, we need about six more eggs. Oh dear." "That...shouldn't be too hard." She stretched. "be back in about five minutes...now that i can /run/ again." As if the clicking of her claws against the soil and rocks weren't enough of a clue, the fact that she was back to moving digitgrade would be another as she took off at a jog, which steadily increased up to a run, and she used the momentum to hop up into the trees, then back and forth against the trunks to the limbs. Ah she felt like she was flying~. As she came to the next tree of which she had yet to scour, she slowed, easily spotting the yellow of the dried grass of their nests among all the green. Up; she commanded her body, and up she went, raiding three nests to be on the safe side, rather than two, and while carrying these things, she couldn't exactly do a dive bomb, so she hopped down from branch to branch, the same way she had transversed the rest of the trees. It wasn't until she hit the canopy of the willow that she might have had a problem, but even that with some quick thinking, was avoided as she grabbed a hand full of vines and swung back to earth. "....and back." "Ah yes, that should be enough. I'm glad there are at least some that can gather eggs from the above, since I personally would just be tempted to take the entire nest itself. Alright well, thank you for your assistance Serena, and now, everyone that wants any egg, please raise a pointing appendage." Kyn announced. Upon doing so, not many went up at first, but then it became apparent that the group hadn't really eaten that much since they had come here either. After a while Striker raised a blade, and Heji raised a paw. Of course, Serena added her claw to the air, then shrugged. "Have to leave one or the birds think they've lost everything and swarm after you." she stretched and laid on her stomach close to the fire. "I do plan on giving Tensa the opportunity to try a Carnivine, if i can find one, probably around dinner time." she muttered, more to herself than Kyn. "Apparently some trainers find type consumption cannibalistic? Better to try it where he wont be judged." "It's just that whole... sentimental value stuff. Like... it makes the whole, 'pet' aspect that I don't like. Alright so... now I'll basically just start." He then took his camping set out of his backpack (of holding of course! Or having it in a Poké Ball!) and set up a cooking stand. "Been a while since I've done this. Forgive me if.... I mess up some of the eggs initially. That's another reason why I asked for extra." He placed the pan over the fire and waited for it to heat up, occasionally testing it with a small amount of egg at a time. When it was hot enough that it sizzled as soon as he put it in, he poured the egg into the pan and spread it evenly by lifting the pan at various angles. After it was about halfway done, he rolled the egg into a rectangle, took it out of the pan an put it on a plate. "There's one...." She watched with some level of fascination, but her eyes closed soon after to let him finish the task that had been set before him in peace. She wasn't asleep, but going over her hunting tactics in her head. If nothing else, she could keep refreshing Kyn's memory of hunting. "Tell me a story--I've told you as much as I can about my world, I think." "Alright, I'll tell you... how I met Striker." Kyn cracked another egg and put it in the pan as well, repeating the process. "While I was in the Kanto region, on my badge collecting journey, I was looking for a place to rest on the way to my next destination. I couldn't just sleep in a random field, so I wanted to set up somewhere else more sheltered. So I stumbled onto a cave entrance, that had once been used by humans. The electric lighting no longer worked, and there was a "Keep Out" sign placed there." The second egg took a bit less time to cook than the first one, but it was still done properly. "Well, guess I haven't completely lost my ability to cook an egg it seems." He said with a chuckle. "So it would seem..." She still had her arms crossed over one another, and her head resting upon it, but at least she was looking at his work now. "You're going to have to put size in perspective one of these days, you know, regions...well probably aren't on the same scale as they are here." "A map then. You've shown me a map, so I'll have be able to show you one too. It'll more than likely be a paper map too since the other kind doesn't really have a sense of scale." He kept on cooking the eggs, until the first plate was filled. "So, after I entered the cave, I looked around to see how far it went, and it apparently went pretty deep. But, of course, the main attraction was to explore this interesting cave, but I was stopped before I even managed to get more than fifty feet from the entrance." "Without checking to see if there was any one currently making the territory their home." she added after his line of 'so I entered the cave'. She chuckled and let him continue cooking, well, it was holding her interest, though her tail flicked only momentarily. She figured that all this cooking would eventually make them late, but she had strategically positioned herself ahead of schedule for just this reason, in case they ran over the allotted time. "Well, as you can probably imagine, dear Striker had decided to claim the cave as his own. Of course he had no particular qualms about telling me about it. One of the first actions was to draw my swords. We engaged in a bit of swordplay, and eventually, he decided to stop, due to the fact that I kept dodging and blocking." Kyn then started up another batch of eggs after he finished that last part of his story. "Swordplay?" her eyebrow ridge raised, of course, she had yet to see the swords, unlike the Patrat, speaking of... /Marlow, he came back with a Patrat, care to share what happened last night?/ "I told you that I have tools, Serena, since I don't have claws or razor sharp teeth. As for Striker... Unfortunately, his age must have gotten to him, and so he decided to give up. We talked for a bit, and eventually I recruited him, after several compelling arguments." [Well, from what I observed, he wasn't LOOKING for the Patrat, he just happen to have gone through part of what must have been its territory. He was using the trees, and he lured it a specfic place, after it began chasing him, or so it thought. He then used those swords to make it so that the Patrat would fall. It was at such a distance that relative to it, it had a long way down. Then of course, he snapped its neck and brought it back.] She was quiet for a while as she listened to Marlow's statement, absentmindedly speaking aloud. "You used the surrounding to your advantage." She muttered to herself; she had sent Marlow after him, it was no secret, well, to anyone except Kyn himself, but she brought herself up to a sitting position. "For future reference..." She had brought herself back to current times. "Stories are usually better if you elaborate on the fighting or discussions a bit." /Are you sure you're going to be okay out in the sun?/ "Mmyes, but I also have to watch these eggs carefully now. Perhaps Striker and I shall tell of the battle in detail later. Oh, and I also found out his name during that discussion too. Striker's name used to be Quickwing. After I found out his name, I asked him if he knew Swiftwind, another Scyther that I encountered. They happened to be member of the same clan, which I found out from him and Striker after he and I went back to the Pokémon Technical Institute." [I am fine, as long as you are fine.] Marlow folded his arms together, and then floated closer to Serena, beginning to watch Kyn cook as well. "Yes, I imagine you do." she listened for a little while longer, then poked at the full egg plates. "So, these are done?" She wanted to confirm before taking them over to the others, if he was going to do something else with them, she'd leave them there, but otherwise, she saw no reason for them to get cold while they spoke. /I should be fine./ Her eyes traveled up to meet his blue one. "Well, for the most part yes. I don't have to worry as much about presentation with Pokémon really, unless I'm working at a place like the Spinda Café, which I am not. So yes, they are ready for all intents and purposes." "Well, I'd like to see one of your professional presentations sometime, at the very least. What about you Serena?" Marlow said. [When we were in the Café I could tell by looking at Kyn how much he was as much eating the food with his eyes, as with his mouth. Heh.] Serena snorted /That statement is very odd, Marlow./ "It would be...interesting, yes." with the dismissal of the food, she picked up both plates, one in each claw, and delivered them to Striker and Heji in turn; she did not mind terribly about doing it, considering the fact that she did have something to say to each of them. To Striker it was a simple 'fixed', with a smile as she set it down before him--to the other it was more along the lines of 'Perhaps when we stop tomorrow we can hunt together?' However, she couldn't dally long, however, seeing as how she had left a conversation with Kyn to give them their food. "Alright, so after we met Swiftwind, we went through the rest of the League together, which is one of the things that caused Striker to become additionally strong." Kyn said, once Serena returned, turning the eggs. This time, he rolled the eggs with chopsticks instead of folding them with a spatula. "Thought I'd give a round one to somebody. If it were cut, it'd look pretty interesting on a plate too." "There's only me and you left to feed." she noted, but shrugged. She didn't exactly enjoy special treatment, considering the whole spiel about treating everyone equal, but then, rolling up the eggs instead of folding them wasn't really special, it just looked different. "The way you go on about this league of yours...they can't be very special if 10 year olds who pass a test can put them through their paces." "Well, literally, no one I've met, was able to complete the League on their first time around. I was 11 when I did, but the way I did it.... was not the way most 11 year olds would. A lot of times, it's people who are a lot older. 15-16 that win the League. Though, meeting Tensa changed the way I battled too." He finished his own egg, and then waited for Serena to start eating hers. "If you are honest with yourself, meeting Tensa changed a lot more than your battling style." she did take her plate on her lap, and cut bites with her claws, rather than just stuffing it in her mouth, she poked it with the point of a claw and popped that piece in her mouth. "Well, yes, that is true." Kyn took the time to 'cut' the egg with his chopstick, before picking a piece up the normal way with both. Heji, didn't really both to do anything extra, but instead just took small (for a Luxray) bites. Striker happen to be able to poke the end of his egg with the point of a blade, and work it into his mouth. He was able to make even cuts, though it barely made a difference other than looking neater, and Striker was very neat. Serena tilted her head off to the side with a slight grin. "I wonder how Pokémon's lives change when they interact with humans, how they veer from their natural course...well, I know that I would be called crazy if i even mentioned this set up right here." "Then you would probably benefit from meeting Professor Oak. He concentrates on Pokémon and human relationships as a living, and he'll probably enjoy answer questions from a Bagon such as yourself. Oh but there's also another thing. He was the creator of the very first Pokédex." "That thing you keep pointing at me?" She snorted. "Not sure if I would enjoy meeting someone that goes by the name of a tree...Trees, while important, stand around and do nothing but grow. Has he ever actually DONE anything, that you know of, or does he simply...talk?" She licked the plate clean of the eggs, then set it back down on the ground. "Yes. He has actually gone out into the field and interacted. He's also guest starred in several Pokémon contests. He does happen to talk a lot though but that's just part of being a popular Professor. When he's by himself and with his assistance he's a bit different. I also found out that when he was younger he was a bit of an artist, and in the present day he writes Pokémon Poetry. Ah, Serena, you get a clean plate award!" He said, air miming, holding a trophy and then presenting it to her. She snorted at his actions. "Sorry? If you don't clean your plates around here you attract Durant...they're not the most fun Pokémon in the world to deal with." She explained, walking to grab her bag and toss it over both shoulders, letting the things shift just a bit inside. "Ready when you are." "Regular ants are annoying as well... and alright!" Kyn cleaned out the pan, and then packed their plates, the stand, into the backpack waiting for the rest to finish. It didn't take long as Heji essentially finished it in two bites. Striker finished his in five. "Durant's enemy, that fire-anteater thing... what a helluva relationship. It's completely unbalanced." "Heatmor? Yeah, a bit, but then you would think that Zangoose and Seviper would be unbalanced as well, yet they are evenly matched...depending on the pair. Evolution and adaptation, Kyn...I wouldn't know the move shadow claw had I not adapted." "Pokémon Contests. That's another thing I'll have to talk to you about. Though you might not necessarily like the premise of them." He stood up, and then put his backpack around his back. Serena blinked at him, then shook her head. "We can talk on the road, I suppose, since we have an extra point guard with us." she directed the comment at Marlow. "One of us can take a break and relax their instincts for a bit." She realized that she was the only one to have eaten at every meal offered, but shrugged it off as they took back up their positions. If they didn't need that many breaks, it would suit her schedule just fine. "We'll try something different today, if you need a break, holler for one, otherwise we'll go straight through until nightfall." "Most of the time I've become accustomed to long days, and short nights. Striker does even more than I do. Probably has something to do with living in that cave for so bloody long." Kyn sighed, thinking about what else he'd be able to tell Serena, since now at least, he thought, that she was on her way back to being her old self. "I suppose then, in comparison, I've been living a life of leisure, being able to do what i want, sleep for as long as I want, and waking only when my body told me to do something." She scratched at her chin absently, at least the itch to cut into her scales was gone. "So...contests?" She had dropped to all fours to walk in the early morning light, warmth had yet to rise, and so the stagnant earthen temp was her source of heat, as was the food in her belly. She would still be visible even in the tall grass due to her coat color, but slithering like a lizard through the grass sounded good right about now, probably because she did not have her straw to keep her scales pollished the way she would have preferred, perhaps the sand and prairie grass of Gambitville would provide a decent substitute. "Well, I don't exactly know if you'd agree with the premise of them. They don't really serve any practical purpose other than to show off one's Pokémon. Sometimes they even train specific moves just for contests. Actually, that's one of the ways I created a move. It was a combination of two moves that later served to have actual practical use in combat. Tensa's Leaf Storm combined with Energy Ball." Kyn started to explain. "To Show off..." she snorted. "well, I am nothing if not proud...showing off is...allowed." She thought about it, allowed wasn't the proper word. "Perhaps allowed isn't the right word...and combining things so that they work in other places as well...is considered clever. Perhaps I would enjoy contests, though I doubt that I would ever do it, perhaps watch, but not compete." "Alright then. Perhaps eventually you will witness one. They happen all the time, and the main place of attraciton for them is the place where I found Heji, Hearthome City." Kyn said. He was slightly surprised that Serena had actually decided that she might have an interest in them. "Mmm, travel with you, in your world...I...don't think so. Too much time passes between here and there for me to think about traveling with you, I have obligations here...if there were a mission while i was away..." she sighed. "I probably will never be able to see one with that being the case." "Then perhaps I will wait. If it takes a whole month or three months, I'll still be thinking about it." Kyn figured that she wouldn't be doing missions forever, and that there must be some point in time in which she would be free to go away from her world for extended periods of time. Though the time dilation could still be controlled so, that'd be another issue to bring up later. Serena didn't doubt him. "I'm sure you will. I wont, you'll have to remind me." She flicked her tail behind her, didn't even stop while talking, she just kept slithering through the grass. "Between keeping track of things to do and hunting, and taking care of the Pidgeotto...Marlow you did make sure that it was fed for the duration of our trip, didn't you?" Marlow tried to remember how much he had exactly prepared. "I believe that I was in a hurry, so I was not thinking properly, and only gave them enough for two days." "Oh, I can relate to that Serena. Minus the hunting part completely though." Kyn said, nodding. It was also a littlle bit interesting watching Serena move like that. She went quiet, and still, even. "Two...days? TWO DAYS? Marlow! We'll be gone for at least DOUBLE that. Two and a HALF days is one direction...NOT counting hunting time." She took a deep breath. "Okay, it's okay...it'll go hungry for a couple days, it wont kill it...hopefully..." she grumbled under her breath. "One little thing, I asked just one thing of you...make sure the bird got fed." Her motions, as she started to move again, were more violent, rougher even, but eventually she calmed back down, and they became more fluid, graceful even. "Life is full of trials, it would seem." "Oh Marlow... Well, anyway, we're in a forest, about how far do we still have to go to get there from here?" Kyn asked, changing the subject again. "We've got the Windswept woods to get through--and to get to the Humming Oasis, that's where we'll make camp and hunt from, and we can go into town from there, if you would like. It's all sand and prarie grass there, a couple outcroppings of trees here and there, it's EASY to get lost without landmarks." it, of course, was only after she said all this that she realized that he meant time. "We should be there by sundown, since we wont need to stop as often as I had allotted time for." "Serena. I've decided randomly, to show you one of my swords." Kyn said, waiting to hear her response. He was sure that eventually they'd be seen so, he figured why not do it now and have it out of the way so that comments and questions wouldn't all be stacked together. She might have paused at the random announcement, but if she did it was only for a split second before she said "Marlow, take point position, I'm going to fall back into the center for a bit." She didn't wait to see if it was done, but actually did just sidestep, so that when the rest of them kept walking, she would fall in beside Kyn almost without hesitation. when she did, she began walking again, pulling herself up to her hind feet to keep her at the same pace of everyone else. "I didn't exactly mean now, but I suppose it would be better than flashing steel around in an area like that. So, regarding natural weapons and such... There are ways that we have adapted, and it involves toolmaking. If one considers intellect to be a natural weapon then of course the perspective changes. As it turns out, these swords have not drawn blood in a long time." Serena let him talk, he seemed to do that a lot. "There are Pokémon who are better suited to fighting with their minds than they are their bodies, so yes, it does count." She ticked her head off to the side. "There is a Pokémon known as Samurott, that have developed swords that detach from their legs when they stand on their hind feet..." She looked at her claws. "Well, of course you wouldn't need to hunt, not with Heji being as capable as he is..." "Of course I still need to hunt. Meat doesn't just fall from the sky, for when I want to cook something that has meat in it. Also, these swords aren't normal, I had them specially made." He finally took out the hilt of one of the swords, and held it in his hand. "It does if you throw something at it, like a dragon pulse, or a lightning bolt." She chuckled, eying the hilt with interest, there was no point on it, so how could THAT be considered a sword? Well, she figured that he would answer without her asking. "As for what I meant by specially made, what you see now is very deceptive." He then pushed the button on the side, and the three foot blade extended and locked into place. She examined the blade, being a warrior she could spot weakpoints fairly easily. "It doesn't look stable, but against a non-sentient it would work well enough, i would think. Let's hope that we don't have another Sentient coming after us around Gambitville...and yes, it does happen." she rubbed a scar across her right arm, as if she knew from experience. "You know, that does remind me. Perhaps I should bring my other swords here. They'd be much better for combat. When we get back... I think I'll go fetch them from my house." Kyn said, then he retracted the swords. "So you're coming back then?" Wasn't it a little early to be deciding that? Still, her tail might have done something similar to wagging, and as soon as she realized it was happening, she stopped it, dropping back down to all fours with the presentation over. She excused herself and took back up the point position, going through Marlow's energy cloak to do so, so it looked like she had on a strange cape. "I am." He chuckled. Next tool t hat he'd probably show her would have to be his hunting knife would would be his claw analog. The knife would probably look better in regards to sturdiness as well as practicality. The day wore on, and Serena looked up to the sky at about 14:00 to see a storm front, the ground had given way to the soft sand, and the grass was short where it existed. Thunder could be heard in the distance, and she sighed, there would be a downpour soon, it would kill most chances for hunting tonight, but they could at least try. "If you have coverings suited for wet weather in there, you might want to put it on shortly, Kyn." "I do not currently have my raincoat, or anything else equipped for that, or an umbr---... No one in my traveling party knows Sunny Day either to give us a dry area either, not even Inferno. I guess I'll have to rely on the cover of the trees for now." Kyn said, skipping over mentioning the umbrella. He'd seen some Pokémon using leaves as umbrellas but he doubted that they had that word for it here. "Then we're all going to get very wet...hopefully we wont have to worry about lightning...but if we do...Marlow has charge beam, and of course Heji...I'm sure that you know how to charge your energy to the opposite so that it cancels the bolt out...right?" She had turned her eyes to Heji, which turned her head away from the road ahead, but she didn't mind, verifying that he could do that would assist should the need come to it, was more important to her. "A fire will likely be impossible tonight too, unless we somehow find a cave to rest in--it's not likely, given the terrain, but there's always hope of stumbling upon ruins beneath the sand." "Ugh. This sucks Serena. Getting caught in the rain. Also! You're able to smell rain before it comes as well, right? Maybe there's a possibility of finding a large, old, rotting tree in this forest that is hollow enough for us to be in. Either that or maybe we'll be lucky/unlucky enough to stumble upon a treehouse similar to the Rescuers." Kyn was running through multiple scenarios out loud again, trying to think of the most plausible way that they would be able to stay dry. "Would you prefer to stop for the night -now- while we're still in sight of the trees? Since you seem to have an Aversion to water that is. I mean, i don't like the cold, but really, i don't say that the blessing of rain to a desert, sucks." she paused, running her hands over her plates, the way he spoke made him seem like more and more of a hatchling to her, and with such Improbable stories. She snorted, since they were stopped and waiting on the answer she verified where they were on the map. Rainstorms in a desert, like what was ahead of them, were rare, and a chance to cool down from the hot summer sounded like a good idea to her, but she was JUST the guide, she would stop if he wanted her to do so. "I'd much rather we not take as much time stopping. I didn't let a raging sandstorm stop me from progressing back in Hoenn, nor Unova. I'll just have to deal with it. Serena, there is a bit of a connection between Normal-types, Fighting-types, and humans, do you know what that is?" "Stubbornness." She answered, turning back around and starting to walk again, the sand was strangely comforting beneath her foreclaws and feet, though it did, of course, require more energy to move upon, and tried to make her sink. "Hah! Most of them yeah, but it also has to do with the fact that... we named the moves after things that we can already do. They're just more empowered versions of it in most cases. Karate Chop, Low Kick, Megaton Kick, Brick Break, things lie that. When it came to Liru, I'm one of the few types of Trainers that actually trained them firsthand. I think I remember seeing a dojo back in the village." "You do, but if you recall, that's not what it's there for. The Pokémon that are inside, are training to learn how to evolve, they're not learning moves, they're not learning the weaknesses of other types...they're trying to become their adult selves as quickly as possible so that they don't have to worry about being eaten." She sighed. "You brought this up why?" "Oops. Guess I lost track and went off on a tangent. The main thing I wanted to mention was that humans and Pokémon that art connected in that way, seem to have an easier time with battling. It definitely helped with Liru." He looked behind him quickly to spot the clouds in the distance. "Oh dear. Cumulonimbus. This storm will indeed be properly heavy." "Here we have no reason to try to connect with things that don't exist. As far as most of the others here are concerned? You're a figment of a socially stunted imagination." She drew her eyes up to the storm, then to the sun which had begun to head downwards to the horizon behind them. "I think...well, i don't know, how long can you run at a given time, Kyn?" she lengthened the strides so each one was a bit of a leap, it splashed sand, but it wasn't like she wasn't getting covered in it already with the winds that were swirling around them. "Depends at what speed. The most I've rune was for fifteen minutes straight, but that was a relatively slow pace. I've been able to run in fast strides for short bursts like a cheetah...Liepard? though. I'm no marathon runner." He said with a melancholy sigh. She snorted as sand got in her nose, shaking her head. "We can't get to the oasis before the storm catches us, maybe half way, and then we'd have to find shelter." She muttered "I've had just about enough of this wind bringing me to a standstill though." She looked up, to where Marlow was likely still against her headplates. "Might be time to test our luck on those ruins, Marlow." The trees they had once been surrounded by were now dots against the horizon, not an optimal place to get stuck in the wind, especially if her instincts were right. "Then lead the way. I will follow as best that I can. Keep in mind that I haven't ran that distance and time with my backpack so having this will slow me down significantly. Serena, go on ahead. There is more than a 98.99 percent chance that I will get wet, but that is how it goes sometimes." Kyn said, speaking from experience. She shifted uncomfortably up onto her hind legs. "alright, well, I'll try to make it as easy on you as possible...are you familiar with the dynamics of dragon rush, and the energy trail it leaves behind it?" Even as she spoke, the blue glow was starting to surround her. "It should be enough to break the wind and give you a bit more possible distance...Marlow...I'm probably going to have to ask you to go dormant." "Personally Serena, I am not. No Dragons that we have encountered have used that move on us." He didn't exactly clarify why, but he figured that now was not the time to start spouting off explanations due to the rain, and that she may ask later. "Then I suggest just staying behind me in close quarters, single file is better, but normally the energy is solid behind them, I however...make it hollow. The energy trail WILL try to close behind me, of course, so if you need me to stop, tell me before it gets too bad, or we'll ALL be in a bad way." As she spoke, she slipped Marlow's skull beneath her scarf, shielding the bones from the wind and eroding sand. When they were all in place, she started off, running and the energy spiraled behind her like a protective shell which arched upwards to cover the others behind her as well, and also dug into the ground, compressing the sand for better footing. The pace was a decent clip, certainly not the fastest that she could possibly run, but no where near the slowest either. "One more question, if you were to go back to my world and evolve, and came back here... what exactly would happen with you since you didn't 'use' an evolution scroll?" "Is now really the time to be asking hypothetical questions about my life in this world?" She answered, if a bit tartly, she was trying to keep them out of a storm for goodness sake. She flicked her tail behind her as she moved, even as the sky grew darker overhead, and the first drops sizzled against the barrier of energy. She kept it up for about half an hour, just as the rain ate away at the rest of the energy surrounding them, and hissed to herself as she--within moments, was soaked through the scales, and the rain fell off of her form in streams. "Storms, they're a pain in my tail...thankfully, we're at the entrance to the ruins..." she shifted her foot around in the muck that used to be sand to reveal the sandstone 'door', just waiting to be propped open, which she did (after two rather embarressing attempts, which she blamed on slick claws. "Inside, quickly." she sputtered, rain trying to drip into her mouth, and down her chin. "How about now then?" Kyn said, after going inside and wiping some of the moisture from himself. It was comedic at times when Tensa would shake himself off like an animalistic Pokémon would, still showing of course that he WAS a Pokémon, but he mostly used a towel and such nowadays. She closed the door once everyone was inside, and she pulled off her scarf, wringing it out before sliding it back on--not that it helped much, given that she was still dripping wet, but with the sand on the floor, she saw no reason to expend the energy. She did however, clear the water from her face and head. "There are Pokémon who have evolved without the use of a scroll, normally in the case of prisoners and things like that...I don't know what happens to them...but I'm fairly certain that i CAN'T evolve in your world even if i wanted to try." "Alright Serena, now you've gotten me even more enthralled. WHY is is that you think you wouldn't be able to evolve in my world? Does it have anything to do with the additional limitations placed on you?" "Remember I told you about that ball of energy that normal Pokémon can feel, but most Pokémon here can't? It felt like it was missing...of course that might have been because i was surrounded by strange Pokémon...I don't exactly do well in groups." "Well. Then perhaps if I find a more feral Bagon in my world, and the gender turns out to be female, it will remind me of you, until I see you again. Though for all I know you'd be a Shelgon by that time. You already have enough experience anyway. Most Pokémon evolve after battles once they reach a certain point, or in some VERY rare cases, they can surpass that and force the energy to emerge to fit a need, like say, rescuing their Trainer from something." "Sounds like something that the rescuers would do to be flashy and elegant." She wrinkled her nose, walking down the hall and turning left, which opened up into a room. There were drips in the ceiling--that was to be expected, but it was at least wider and more comfortable than the rest of the halls. "Reminded of me? Why in the world...er worlds, would you want to be reminded of me? I'm nothing special, even if i stand out due to my coloration, I'm still just a normal Bagon, I'll be a normal Shelgon as well, when I evolve." The walls were coated with footprint runes and Unown script both, not that many would be able to see them with the darkness that surrounded them. "Well, I suppose it might not necessarily you specifically, but the time spent with you. That is if something goes wrong with the portal next time... and like, maybe I dunno, a hundred or more years goes by here. If all I have is a fleeting memory of you, then that is not something that I want to just let go to waste..." (SENTIMENTALITY!) "Just a hundred years? I might be a Salamence by then, but I wouldn't be dead, well, not of old age or something like that, there's always the chance I might die on the missions but that's a given...and so long as something like what happened with Sorbet doesn't happen again, there's not likely going to be any chance of that happening." She put her claws to her mouth, and an orb of light emerged into her hand, the same blue green that the shell had been. She set this, gingerly, on the ground to let it coat the walls in the blue green lights. "Right, well, I guess I never really asked them about how long they lived. Though, still, 131 years is a bit of a long trip, Serena. I do so hope you make it to the Salamence stage. I would love to see what your unique aspects would look like. I mean, there are very few images and paintings that I've seen the truly capture the magnificence of Salamence." She looked away from him, a slight color in her cheeks, proving that she could indeed blush. "You should get out of those wet coverings before you catch cold." She had sat herself near her own Dragon pulse, and began to lick along one arm. "I would offer to dry them with them on you, but my flame isn't that accurate, I wouldn't be able to gauge it before it touched your skin." "I suppose that's one way of going about it, though the fact that you mentioned flame makes me a bit nervous. Are you quite certain that that is going to be the best way to dry these?" What he didn't tell her though, is that he'd gotten his cloak via the Draconic city of Blackthorn. "Would you prefer to air dry them?" She spoke between the licks to her arm, getting all of the water off of it, then switching to the other. "It would mean that you were nude longer, and that they'd develop wrinkles, but it IS up to you; I only offered because you seem...hesitant to go without them." "Ugh. Wrinkles. We DO have a method for keeping wrinkles out of clothing, but I'm not back home. Also, I'm not really hesitant to go without them, just that they do offer me a SLIGHT amount of protection from claws and other things. They'll tear before my skin does, but I guess you could also say that you're right about me being hesitant to go without them... I got these from a Draconic city. Since there are no other humans here, it wouldn't matter if I went nude either though. " "Right now you've got quite a few Pokémon to guard you from claws while your coverings dry...however if they're that important to you, I would think, mind you I'm biased because I'm a dragon, and dragons tend to hoard and protect things that are dearest to them--I would think that you would keep them in a safe place, where they wouldn't get damaged." the other arm clean, she turned a bit like a cat and worked at her shoulders, then down her back. She did have oils to help protect her scales, but that would have to wait until after the water was gone from them. "You are correct, though, there are some times when clothing has to be worn. There will come a time, when I will part ways with this uniform, and it will as you say, be kept in a safe place." Kyn sighed, and started removing his clothing. Finally she reached her tail, and even she would admit to it being a comedic sight to see herself licking at the base of her tail, nearly doubled over backwards to reach out to the tip, but she was suffeciently clear of all water, and turned over on her back to reach at the base of her tail, where her oil glands were located in this stage of her evolution. "Ahem. Please be careful with it." He said, finally fully naked. He took a sleeping bag out of his pack and laid it on the ground so he wouldn't have to touch the ground with his bare skin." "You act as if I'm threatening to tear them to peices." She had rotated around onto her stomach, smearing the oil on her scales with her claws before wiping them off on her still moist scarf, and picking up his cape first. In went the deep breath, and she closed her mouth on the flame so that only white steam escaped from her mouth, beneath the clothing until she was sure that there was no flame to it, then she brushed over it quickly with the steam, before her breath ran out. She snorted at the black smoke curling from her snout, that always rather annoyed her, but with the cape dry, she could address the other clothing. She dropped the cape, as it cooled, onto his lap, giving him something to cover himself with, at least from the eyes of his sceptile who hadn't gotten what he wanted previously. "They might smell a little like me, I'm not entirely sure i got all of the oil off of my claws...since i was in the process of protecting my own hide." "Congratulations Serena, you just created the first Grass-Dragon type?" Kyn said jokingly, hoping that she would understand his humor. He wrapped the warm cape around his lower area, giving himself not necessarily modest, but 'protection' from Tensa, and his temptation. "More likely that they'll just assume that we'd been sleeping near one another." She phrased it very carefully, sceptile and Bagon were comparable after all. "Since we're traveling, and reptiles aren't exactly known for having regulated body temperature, it's not really Farfetch'd at all...of course there are those around that can't keep their minds out of the dump, and would take the scent reading a bit too far." She inhaled and produced the steam again, this time over his shirt, one side at a time, and adjusted to hold the sleeves so that they didn't wrinkle either as the steam passed over them. "Of course, and I'm probably one of them. That'd be an interesting Type combination, though unfortunately Serena, it'd be another quadruple weakness to Ice. Poor Garchomp.... she never stood a chance after that..." Kyn said, trailing off to thoughts of Cynthia and the Sinnoh League again. "Well, now you know why we're weak to ice...we're cold blooded, the cold can make us lazy and sluggish because of that, even to the point of paralysis in some cases..." She was remembering at the lake, when she wasn't sure that she would even be able to get up. When his shirt was done, she handed that back to him and picked up his undergarments, wrinkling her nose at the scent. "If i didn't know where these came from, I would be able to guess just by the scent." "It could be a lot worse Serena. I would hate to imagine what you would be experiencing if I did not wash them, or myself." He shuddered at the thought, unfortunately doing just that. "I would torch them on the spot if you hadn't, and I'd probably put you back up in the rainstorm until i deemed you clean as well, still tempted to put these up there as it is." she muttered, then breathed the steam out over them. "I'm also...going to ask you a question, that you'll probably take personally." she coughed a cloud of smoke out of her mouth, away from the underwear and shaking her head. "Ack, well, I need a break from getting all steamed up anyway...like i said, very little control over it." she rubbed at her throat, trying to soothe the scratchy feeling there. "I didn't exactly ASK you to do it, but I do have more than one pair. First, I have no idea why you even are, but I'll get to that later. As to the question that I may take personally, go ahead an ask it." "Why is it that...with all the humans in your world, that you chose a Pokémon to be your mate, let alone a male?" She handed him his underwear. "I've...been having a war with myself, perhaps your answer will help." Her blue scales were tinged with the pink of a blush again, as if admitting that she was mortal was a sign of weakness. "Previously I agreed with Heji that I would be more open minded about this sort of thing..." "Well, I can tell you this, I didn't necessarily choose him, he chose me, so you'll have to ask him about that particular part, but it really comes down to... I was only eleven at the time, and I just generally found Pokémon back then to be more intelligent than humans at times, which I still find evidence of today, and that I was open minded. I didn't expect him to fall in love with me, but, one cannot really expect to know somebody's heart until they are with them for a while. Oh, and the gender, at that age, gender is the farthest thing from a human's mind when pursuing or selecting one. It is social perceptions that dictate it. Serena... even humans back home find the idea of a human mated with a Pokémon to be... well, like you currently do." She was quiet for a while, quite a while as she spread her oil over her arms and upper torso. "No...I don't think they do...I have more issues with getting over the same gender situation than I do the whole human/Pokémon relationship...since it's apparently not unusual for Pokémon to adore their trainers...it could easily escalate further." She curled back up on herself and coated her face in the oil, essentially rubbing herself against her tail. "Probably does, if Pokémon still have their minds inside the Poké Balls...and are able to get out of their own accord." She stopped the thought right there, where in the world was that train of thought leading her? She wasn't interested in that sort of thing. "I mean...er....sorry, lost where I was going with that..." "Even if it did, they wouldn't tell anyone about it really. Now, Serena, we do have a word for species that are able to be attracted to their own gender. Do YOU all have specific word for that?" "Wouldn't know." the answer was simple. "If they are attracted to their own gender, they're not open about it, or they claim to gender identify with the other gender and claim that that makes it alright, and that's all sorts of confusing. I get a headache just thinking about it. You would think that if they identify as the opposite gender that their scent would reflect that." She muttered the last sentence. "Hn. Well, it applies to both. Male to Male and Female to Female. There is also a word for those that do not have a preference and are able to be attracted to both. Oh dear, that would get all sorts of confusing, gender identification... especially with humans that CAN change their scent to reflect it." "It would be easier if they could change their scent's to reflect it...less awkward. 'Missus Malt, here's that abacus you wanted.' 'I'm a Mister, not a missus.' pah." She stuck out her tongue. "Ickh, oilh on maih tonguh." "It's not as easy here as it is there do do that. So! Any other questions? I was perfectly fine answering that one. It is for the sake of curiosity. Also you are young, you will if you look enough, be able to see--not in the sense of blankly staring at of course--more examples of it in the natural environment around you." Serena sighed, more to herself than to him, as she finally got the taste off her tongue. "You asked me a question first: Why was I drying your clothes. That answer is probably simpler than the one you gave...When you forgave my mistake, you told me that we were equal. To someone I am equal to, I take care of them as if they were my brother. I don't always get along with everyone that I am related to...but then it doesn't matter, because those family members will always forgive and still care for you no matter what happens." She unfolded herself, and stepped over to his pants, and blew the steam over one side, and then the other before handing them to him as well. The socks and shoes she couldn't do anything with, but it was just as well that he got to take them off for a while. "At least, that's what I've observed, and put into practice because it -feels- right, even if it's not logical." "We'd technically be related in another if you decided to express an interest in one of my Pokémon. At least by human traditions. It seems that I had forgotten that I initiated it. So, from this here ruin, and this unexpected stop... about how much might be added to the trip, and are you planning on scolding Marlow additionally because of it?" "It's not his fault there was a rainstorm...we've lost the time that we had made up by not stopping throughout the day..." She lost her voice around the time he mentioned having an interest in one of his Pokémon, and the ball of light that had been flickering in time with her heartbeat, went out, leaving them in darkness. It was perhaps two moments later that she created another one, and set it back down in the center of the room, leaving the conversation at that. She couldn't lie, the best thing she could do was not talk about it, even she didn't know if there WAS an answer to it...hopefully...hopefully he would take it as an overheat from trying to work out how taking an interest in one of his Pokémon would make her related to him, but she doubted it, highly doubted it. "Then I guess we'll just have to spend more time tomorrow, and not resting as much. Eating quickly, and moving quickly. I do still have that Patrat, which I'll be able to use as a snack." "I totally cannot fly with my wings all wet like this. Could you start a fire somewhere Serena so I can dry them out?" Striker fluttered them, to illustrated all the liquid that had accumulated on them. He let it go? She shivered a little beside herself, half with relief, and half with anticipation...then Striker saved her from her thoughts. "We don't exactly have any wood to make a fire with, or I would...If you can assist me in finding some around here, I don't mind, but if we can't...well, we could either lick you dry or wait for them to dry out on their own." She realized how very wrong it could be taken in different situations, but she doubted that he would take it that way. "Licking me dry eh? Let us depart and search for some wood then." Striker chuckled. Serena ignored his comment, it was for the sake of her own sanity that she did. "Can you see in the dark or would you prefer another light?" She had already started walking. She had been trapped down here before, and thought she remembered a couple pieces of wood and tarps about two rooms down, but then, this place was always changing. It was why she had kept Marlow with her this time. "I can see in the dark to some extent. But, a light would be preferable." Striker followed her by sound alone, until his eyes would adjust to the dark naturally. She put one claw to her mouth, making the motion of blowing a kiss almost, and an orb of light sat in her hand, smaller than the other one, but brighter, if that was possible. The clicking of her claws did assist in him following her, but she looked in a couple rooms as they came upon them, then actually entered the third. It wasn't that she minded the thought of the old bug in that sort of situation at all, but she was trying to keep that annoying color from her cheeks, it hadn't happened at ALL before they got there, and not at all before this evening when Kyn had praised her, and now she was fighting down a feeling she couldn't identify with, embarrassment. "So, Serena, I don't exactly know what you're currently thinking right now, but I might be able to answer some more of your questions, on some... specific matters." Striker said, maintaining sound. If it was just too quiet, and all he heard were their footsteps, it would make him restless. "Are you sure you want to know what I'm thinking, Old man?" the words in themselves were quiet, but the echos carried. "I told Heji, my brain doesn't exactly shut down, even when I'm asleep..." cobwebs littered the room, and under different circumstances she might have been interested in getting new webs, for now she gathered the old webbings on her free claw, she would much prefer wood, but this would work if they found nothing else. Of course, since Striker hadn't stepped into the room with her, there was a moment of disorientation before she stepped back out of the hall...two rooms from where she had started. (Well, it IS a PMD world.)) Striker immediately noticed the change in where Serena had been due to his eyes being forced to adjust to the darkness again. He planned on asking her why this had happened when he returned to her. He retraced his steps back the way he came, where he was sure he would meet Serena, since he didn't see any of her light in front of him further. She stepped out from the room and shook her head as she spotted Striker, actually chuckling. "Sorry, should have warned you. This world is prone to space distortions, we like to call them Mystery dungeons. Just don't go up any stairs and you'll remain on this floor, which has the entrance on it...which we can still exit through. Do try to stay beside me though." She made a mental note of the two connected rooms, scratched an emblem into the wall of three claw like marks connected to a circle, then started looking into rooms on the left. There, there were sticks in that room. "Do Poké Balls work to where you can recall yourself?" She asked, not stepping into the room just yet. "Interesting... I wonder what Palkia would think of these places? For those of us that have hands it is easier to, yes, but we have the ability to enter and exit at our own leisure." He would now stay as close to Serena as we comfortably possible. "You should probably go back...I'll get Marlow to pull me back...wall walking you know...He's not had practice with anyone bigger than I am, so it's not...safe for him to attempt it with you." As she spoke, she stepped into the room, and wrapping the cobwebs around the end of one of the sticks before turning back around and walking out of the room, back into the straight hallway, the disorientation didn't affect her as bad as it would other Pokémon, since she'd grown up in this world. "You still haven't answered me though as to whether or not you have any more questions. Though, you seem to imply that you do not." Striker said, and with that, he walked back the way they came, and reunited with the group. She sighed. Questions, right now they were the bane of her existence, she didn't want to resort to asking them about the fog, she thought she already knew the answer of what the fog was, as embarrassment had brought with it the realization of infatuation, but how in the world did you FIGHT infatuation? She found that she didn't need to bother Marlow to bring her back to the group, as she crossed through the threshold of the room, she found herself only one room away, and just walked to the room in which Striker had arrived in moments before. "Don't go wandering off without either Marlow or myself." She spoke, swallowing down the smaller ball of energy as she set the sticks on the ground. "This place changes where the rooms come out on the hallway, and stairs are bad, except for the ones we entered." She started organizing the sticks into the typical pyramid, and blew a small tongue of flame onto it, which started to crackle and soon had built itself to a steady roar. She was sure that she would get questions about WHY not to wander off, and welcomed them to do so, so long as it was off the topic of her /feelings./ ugh. Striker sat with his back turned to the fire keeping enough distance that he felt the warmth, but it was not overpowering. "Well, thank you for your assistance, Serena," was all Striker said, short and simply. "I do have a question for you, Serena." Kyn said. "Would you mind too terribly, if I asked you to keep your tail the way it is?" Heji was a bit surprised by Kyn's rather strange, in his opinion, request. She blinked at Kyn, raising an eye ridge as she did, she hadn't really thought about the way she had been holding her tail, which to balance out her squat had been straight out, but as she stood, she let it fall, as it wasn't needed just at that moment to balance her out. "Kyn...Specify..." again she had to remind him. "If you're asking me to hold my tail a certain way for the rest of the trip, you can forget it." "I meant... I'd rather hate for you to lose any part of your tail. You say it marks you as different, well, so what? I'm not exactly the way I was either. I guess I'm still ignorant to most of the ways of this world. If you're already a sort of loner, and you don't plan on doing what you currently do forever, then what is the problem?" She wrinkled her nose. "You...I... No, I wont give up my tail, if i can help it, I'll live with the cards I've been dealt, I've got big enough shoulders to carry that weight, I'm not a coward to run away from it. It's bad enough that I eat rocks that others find distasteful, that I apparently need something in them, and it gives me a headplate color of gold, some 'mon find the color unique and attractive, until they find out what they'd have to do to get it." She snorted. "Sorry If i gave you the idea that I'd change myself to the society standard if given the chance." "That makes me feel a bit better. Though of course some people and Pokémon would even wonder why I asked, getting involved anyway. As for the headplate color thing... please... would you tell me what you eat that they are that color? I feel like I can't go all this time without knowing!" She blinked at the request, and without a word went over to the bag she had been carrying, pulled out a piece, and lobbed it to him. "Don't know what it's called, the cave that I live in is full of it, and it's apparently worthless to other Pokémon." She sat down and warmed her scales by the fire, letting him examine the fool's gold all he wanted. Heji...he was probably still sopping wet, even if he had shaken, he hadn't done anything to groom himself since then, had he? She hadn't exactly checked...she'd actually been trying to avoid the lion, and the fog that came with being around him. "This is Pyrite... some would call it Fool's Gold. That... Serena... that makes me wonder. Do you think... do you think that there's a golden Onix out there somewhere, due to eating this sulfide material?" The image came to his head, and he'd hoped that if there was one, it would be left well enough alone, since it would probably face the color issue. "It's possible? I never really thought about it...and if you say so, there's probably some real gold behind where I've got carved out, but I don't...really want to disturb it; I mean, I'd probably be considered rich if there was, but eh, Poke is made from the stuff, and that would drive all the other Pokémon crazy in one way or another." she had actually curled up part of the way, laying down. "Oh, um...this room isn't affected by the rest of the craziness...just so you know...but I'm going to be hungry in the morning...and I'm tired now." "It might do for me to examine the Pyrite in your cave. There usually are trace amounts, and if there turn out to be more, well, it'd be a monster house, like you said." Upon noticing her shift what looked like the beginnings of a sleeping position, he said, "Hopefully you can have a good sleep." She had just laid down on her stomach when a slight crick of bone against stone reminded her of Marlow, and she pulled the skull out of her scarf, looking it over to be sure that there wasn't actually any harm done, then set it down beside her. "I hope so...if not, you may find me curled up beside one of you in the middle of the night..." She rested her head on her forelimbs and tried to sleep. "I'll probably wake up on my own before dawn, if i don't, wake me up AT dawn." "Striker, as hard as it is for me to do this... I'm ordering you to get some sleep." Kyn said, with a firm, but concerned tone. He himself planned on sleeping soon, and wanting Striker to now get some sleep. Serena slept, if a bit quietly, she dreamt that someone had been trying to cut off her tail for the past two days, and instead of them being allowed to torment her again, she turned around and slashed their faces off. She didn't wake up before dawn, however, she was enjoying her sleep too much after only getting thirty minutes of sleep the night before. At dawn, Kyn's alarm went off. He had since used the noonday Sun to calibrate it so that he would be able to get an accurate sense of time again. SO HUMAN of him to do so. Serena, of course, started with a jolt, she hadn't heard anything like that before, and was almost immediately on all fours and looking for the attacker. When she realized that it was just Kyn's contraption she groaned and forced herself to sit up, shaking the sleep from her head. The fire had long since gone out, but that was fine by her, she was still warm from the dream, and more chipper, or at least, so it would seem after she lapped the water from the puddle on the floor to cure her thirstiness. "Morning." came the groggy greeting. "Oh Serena. I guess... I guess you're not used to alarms like this. You probably got instantly woken up too by it. I hope I didn't interrupt any special dreams. Although I don't know if you're the type to cling to a pleasant dream." Kyn said, mostly apologetically. "Mmmmph...No, I'm not...and I guess this wouldn't be considered a pleasant dream...more of a vengeful dream." she had laid back down until the rest of them were roused, looking at Kyn, her tail draped over her almost protectively. "Ah well, it'll fade eventually, they usually do." "Serena, have you thought about what'd you want in an ideal mate yet? This is totally out of the blue by the way." Kyn said, trying to judge her reaction. She tested the words in her mind to see if they were true before she said them, mentally wincing a few times before she found a way that she could, in fact, say them. "I haven't...thought about it, no, considering that the chances of me getting a mate within my own world is slim to none. As for if there's something i would look for...I don't know? Instinct says someone strong enough to protect a clutch...but I don't know." She repeated. "IF I was looking for someone to have an egg with...it would probably happen at mating season." She laid her head down again. "Alright. Just that, like I said, it may not work the same way for Pokémon, but usually I'd expect the answer to become clearer once you are older." Kyn said casually. "Are we ready to go now, or do you want to eat some breakfast?" "We can go." She stood up, grabbed her bag, and slid it on her back, then grabbed Marlow from his place on the floor beside her. She felt a jolt of guilt, and one of glee, but it was his own fault, he hadn't caught the if, he could have continued the uncomfortable conversation, could have made her speak the words even, had he asked the right question, but he had said that he would never make her do anything...wasn't that the point? This thought of course, would come to her when she was prying the stone up, and it came back down on her head, thank goodness for her headplates. She pried it back open and flicked her tail, stepping through the opening and held it open while the others came out, then closed it behind her. She hesitated for a minute, then spoke as she curled her tail around her leg, looking up at Kyn with her big green eyes. "H...Heji..." She muttered, she could feel that blasted color rise to her cheeks, even as the sputter came out. "I...would look for Heji...regardless of if there was a possiblity of an...egg or not." Then she dropped to all fours, and started along their trek for the day, not really paying attention to if they were following or not. Kyn was a bit surprised at the response that she gave, but he didn't question it. If that was who Serena had an interest in, he wouldn't interfere with it. "So, when did this develop?" Heji knew a bit more than the rest of the group due to Serena telling him these thing due to the very same reasons that she mentioned. When exactly had the feelings developed? She snorted slightly as she thought about it. It wasn't exactly at first sight, no...but the first time they were alone together perhaps? It had certainly gotten stronger--if she was going by the fog that had tried to fill her head. "Probably somewhere around the first night, when almost everyone else was asleep, if you're trying to put a marker on it..." she virtually let herself slide down the sand bank as she crested over it. "Of course...my mind is ahead of my body in maturity, and I had a hell of a time figuring out why my logical brain was fighting with the more instinctual side..." "Alright. Well, I had a good rest this time." Kyn said, changing the subject to give Serena a break. He figured that they'd be able they'd be able to have plenty of time for questions and answers later. Striker let out a big yawn and fluttered his wing for early a small morning excersise. "That was a good sleep on my part as well. Serena didn't answer, thankful for the rest and letting them talk amongst themselves as they walked, though she did, at one point, break formation to catch herself a trapinch that had been burrowing in the sand, even then did she not stop walking. She felt relieved, a little bit...and yet, like she might have insulted the others. They were all fine hunters, wasn't it unfair of her to single one out from the pack? It was about noon when they finally transversed over soil again, instead of sand, and the trees that dotted the oasis were in running distance. "Ah, finally, i was starting to think that my internal compass was clogged with sand." She WAS a little dusty, but that could be fixed with a quick dip, better to let them set up camp. Of course, true to Pokémon nature, around the front edges of the oasis there were buildings shaped like the heads of Pokémon, but in smaller scale, as if they were homes instead of shops--which was exactly what they were. "Serena, are you or are you not used to traveling long distances like this?" Kyn asked, thinking about all the times he'd been extremely far distances in a single day. Of course he'd either had to sleep for a longer period of time, or he'd have to eat a lot more than normal as well. "It's... unusual for me to travel this long, as i mentioned before, I've only made this trip once before, and even then I stayed a week to make it worth my effort of traveling this far, it was a hunting trip that brought back quite a bit of food...unfortunately for me the people in Tao village didn't appreciate it...The people in the bay were more than willing to exchange with me though, after i clarified that i hadn't gotten it around there, of course." She pressed through the streets on her hind legs, having long since eaten the Trapinch and discarded it, and it was only once they'd reached the deserted part of the oasis at the very center, in which the spring was the clearest, did she stop moving. "we'll set up camp here...it's unusual for Pokémon to come here at all, they believe the area to be cursed...I on the other hand, feel more of the exact opposite." "I'd hate to mess up your natural rhythm by having you travel as much as I do. I suppose it's a positive thing that you're not traveling with me in the other world. For one thing, the variance is incredible. There are some humans that don't leave a single area for all of their life, and there are those that on a farther scale, travel the world everyday. Though not always on foot or by sea of course, sometimes by air." Kyn said, looking at the Trapinch. "Well, I did tell you that when i hit my final evolution I wouldn't mind traveling, but I'd need to explore MY world before i went to explore yours." She followed his eyes down to the Trapinch on the ground a little ways away. "I suppose that I would have just done something that's Taboo in your world..." she paused, not exactly sure how to continue the thought, shook her head, and returned to the previous topic. "At the point that I am a Salamence, then I would probably be able to do something similar to what they do, then." "Alright. Now, you did say that there is a possibility of Tauros, right? Last time I checked... a single Tauros would be able to feed the carnivores of this group for a short while." "Yes, Tauros or Miltank would do quite well in either case to feed us...although if it's not sentient, it could easily be brought back to Tao alive and used as a resource...I do hate having to go into town any time I need something...and we DO need to replace what we used of your supplies as well, don't think I've forgotten about that." "So, I figure... now is the time to tell you about what I hope to do. I hope to at least manage to kill or incapacitate one Tauros. Then after that, I'll see about what other non-sentients appear around here. Serena, the next time I go back to the portal, please remind me to get my other swords." Kyn said, trying to picture the variation in the size of Tauros here. He'd have a bit more of a time with a heavier and more muscular Tauros. "Oh my, my mouth is already watering imagining it..." "Yes, as I recall you wanted to give it an attempt by yourself." she flicked out her tongue, over her foreclaws. "I'll see if i can remember to tell you to get your other swords." She nodded, almost biting her tongue in the process, but she seemed to not have noticed. "I hope that's a figure of speech, I wouldn't appreciate being drooled on." She turned her head north, where there was a dot of civilization. "THAT is Gambitville, anywhere between this spot and that town, are our hunting grounds...of course, even when you're flying solo, you won't be alone." She remembered her part of the deal, if he could capture one, or kill one, on his own, she would choose to allow herself to be put in a Poké Ball. "I see, so then, this might be where we temporarily part ways. I'm still sure that you all might be close by since we are within proximity to each other, but for the most part, Striker, Tensa, Heji, and you will be more together than with me. Now, actually before we get there, I want to check something via technology, just to get a general idea of about how many Pokémon might be in this area at this time." Kyn said, and waited for Serena's response. This time, he wouldn't be completely relying on the technology, and would go back to the way he initially learned. "As you wish..." There was a slight hint of distain from the word technology, but she made no comment on it. "We'll work on smaller prey for when I get home...and I AM going to have Marlow go with you though, just in case you need some cover while we get there..." /And so that he can give me a play by play./ she added silently to herself, pulling Marlow from her scarf and rather forcefully (At least, if he didn't want to land on his head) threw him up into the air, which would mean he would HAVE to take form. Kyn took out the Pokémon Radar and activated it, a bit surprised by the amount of Pokémon that he saw. "There's quite a few Pokémon here. I'd say about ten or more. Now, how many of those are sentient and non-sentient I have no way of knowing until I encounter them." He said, then put the radar away. Marlow felt the sudden rush of air, and was filled with shock and surprise for only a few seconds then he was filled with almost contempt. "Again, you are sending me out to do what exactly? Observe? I do suppose that I will be able to absorb a decent amount of energy to be able to maintain my form if he does manage to take down the Tauros that he wanted though." "Yes, exactly, I'm sending you out so that you can eat a healthy, decent sized soul for once instead of STARVING while we capture Pokémon for the cages, I would think that you would have preferred that." she spat, every time she woke him up during the day, he was like this, but you would think that after being asleep for almost two days, that he wouldn't MIND being woken up at all. "and assist him if he needs it." there was a command resonating in the words. She figured that he wouldn't want much to do with her, since she had given Kyn an answer before she had given him one. Kyn made his way into the settlement, with Marlow in tow, now making sure to check everywhere that he went, under, left, right, and just to be extra safe, above. He wouldn't be able to use any trees to ambush things, so he'd have to merely rely on surprising them from behind if their hearing wasn't acute enough. Serena gave them time, cooling her own jets as well, calm, she needed calm. She pinched her claws to her snout...there was no harm in going to Heji now, after all, everyone knew, yet why did she feel so guilty? She decided to not think about it as she approached Heji, and wrapped her arms around his neck with a sigh, burying her head in his soft mane. "Just...give me a sec." She hoped that the phrase would stop any words on their lips. She was being more bold, and half wondered if it would come back to bite her in the tail. It was only a moment before she moved away from him. "Yes Tensa, you can say it now, you've probably been dying to anyway." Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth. Heji simply let her do as she wished. She obviously needed this, and he didn't mind it anyway. Tensa shook his head and crossed his arms. "There aren't any Dragon-Electric types besides Zekrom. Now, there is a way... but I don't think you I'd want to do it," was all he said. Kyn finally spotted the target he was looking for after much searching. It was an average sized Tauros, one that would have been similar to the dimensions that the Pokédex described. His first objective was to incapacitate it, and if that didn't work, he would attempt to fully cripple it, to the point where he'd be able to kill it, then store it the same way the Patrat was stored. Serena snorted at him, taken aback by the outright...then she realized it was a ploy to make her blush, and that it had worked. "That's not what i was talking about you bush gecko. Never mind." She waited until the color had drained from her cheeks before she spoke again. "Anyway, Kyn's left us in one another's care...since we're going after smaller prey, and since even I can incapacitate something around here without killing it, a hunting party isn't going to be needed--we DO, however, need to have something to show for it, so I'm going to ask what each of you would prefer to do at the moment so that we don't get our wires crossed."

"I will be attempting to secure something about your size. I'm guessing that Heji will as well. We should all meet up somewhere close to the settlement, so that we will be able to pool our collection together, I think." Tensa said. Heji nodded in agreement with Tensa, and waited for Serena's response.

Kyn slowly crept upon the Tauros, and after not seeing an item anywhere, the legs, neck or horns, guessed that it was feral. It was currently grazing on an oddly specific cluster of grass, and didn't appear to notice him at the time. After evaluation, he determined that the best place to strike would be the rear legs, and so readied his swords, not unhilting the blades, but keeping them in his hands, delivered a sweeping leg kick, to the ankle joints, after getting almost directly behind the Tauros' rear. With a sickening crack the joints dislocated. The initial shock caused it to cry out in a way that Kyn was waiting to see if would notice him. Since he had attacked from the right, he quickly moved to the left, which as he guessed, after it had regained some sense of itself, not used to this level of pain but obviously having adapted to a similar measure in order to be able to survive the violent clashes that it usually engaged in. The next angle of attack was the left ankle joint. This time he kicked the joint in the opposite direction that it was facing, at full force, causing another sickening crack. This of course caused another cry of pain. Since the Tauros hadn't called out for help, and was only mooing in response, it was safe to say that this particular Tauros was feral. With that knowledge in mind, he planned to continue his task. The Tauros after about half a minute of mooing in vain, collapsed on its hind legs, which again caused additional pain, and thus, more crying out. "Dammit... I have to end this quickly," Kyn said, knowing full well that if the Tauros continued to cry out like that, it would attact more predators. He moved over to the Tauros' front, and without looking it in the eye, raised his leg high into the air, and brought it down on the Tauros' head, between the horns. (swirly eyes time!) Almost instantly the Tauros ceased its howling, and it's eyes closed. At this current point, Kyn wasn't sure if he'd actually knocked the Tauros out or had actually killed it since he hadn't heard the distinctive cracking of a skull. "Even if it had charged me though, these would have come in handy a bit." He said to himself, and possibly Marlow. He then used a Poké Ball on the Tauros, held it in its hand, watched it shake, and then the indication of being caught was his confirmation that he had indeed either killed it or knocked it out. Marlow watched this entire event with much wonder. He hadn't expected Kyn to be able to be this aggressive. After seeing that the Tauros was caught he floated over to Kyn and said, "It's not dead. You were obviously thinking that, and I'm letting you know that it's not dead." "Then I guess I'll have to paralyze it completely when I let it out again. Plus, that way it won't feel any pain anymore hopefully." "Alright, well, we don't need four hunters out there, so I suppose that I'll wait here then. Striker?" Her head tilted to where the old bug was. "What about you?" her tail flicked, if she wasn't absolutely needed to stay with Striker, chances are she would be watching the two hunt, it was in her nature after all, and she was more inclined to watch--She cut off the thought before it could go into the gutter, and there was nothing wrong with changing your mind after you said something else previously, so it wouldn't be a lie either. "With my luck, I might attract something that wants to attempt to eat me, and no matter how strong it initially is, I'm inclined to say that it won't matter much with its innards spilled onto the ground. There is a technique I know, that focuses Dark-type energy into my Blades, in a manner similar to your Shadow Claw, and that will allow me to have a little more impact that just my blade by themselves." Striker explained, using the similarity between Shadow Claw and Night Shade as an understandable comparison base. "Not all of my Clan know this technique as not all of them were able to master it. The ones that have... may have genetically passed the knowledge down by now." Serena watched the boys head out as Striker spoke, and nodded. "We get a lot of Pokémon that learn the moves through their genetic lines, or by observing other creatures in the forest...I taught myself Shadow claw, the others were instinctual, I suppose you could say that those were passed down to me." She sat by the river for about ten minutes, wiping Heji's scent from her nose. It was comforting, yes, but distracting. "You...asked me earlier if I had more questions... I did, but i had to figure them out for myself--I'd already asked the limit my pride would allow of me." "Well Serena, perhaps now you would be willing to continue the conversation, but I am going to take a quick look up in the air." Striker said, and then took off. After spotting what was he believed to be something suitible to go after, he lined himself up with it, and then quickly descended with a Night Slash, using both blades, aiming first down its spine, and then across its legs. He then waited for Serena to approach. Serena blinked at him, she watched him take off, watched the moves he made, and then watched the creature presumably fall to the earth, or at least head that way. She was under it before it hit the ground, and once again, covered in blood. Had it been anything other than a hunting day, among friends, almost family, she would have cursed her luck, as it was, she chuckled. "Good, but did you remember to look for an accessory? To verify it was a non-sentient?" She questioned, looking over it herself. "Yes. It was something that I saw when I was hovering up above, and confirmed at the last split second before the first strike." He wiped his blades together, attempting to at get them some sense of clean. "I don't usually have blood on my blades for long, as you know, blood will attract things." Serena nodded, setting the bird down, it was small enough to be carried in her arms, but she couldn't place the...then she saw the head and it clicked "It's a Chatot...Huh, never had one before." she nodded at him, and motioned to the spring before them as she set the bird down on some bush leaves. "Remind me to weave a leaf cloak for Kyn before we leave, just in case there's another rainstorm." Striker chuckled. "That is probably the first time you've seen Kyn naked. I however... have seen it more than once." "nudity doesn't bother me, when it comes down to it we're all naked, we might have scales or chitin armor to protect us, but if he had the same, he wouldn't need the coverings either." She apparently hadn't taken it the way she could have, though it was probably taken as her being more open about things. She waded into the water and started to rinse both sand and blood from her scales, her tail flicking amid the calm water and stirring it so that the blood was dispersed in the water, rather than clouding it with the pink, it was almost a faded grey. "Now, I have successfully secured my kill. Let us quickly journey to the designated area," Striker said, finishing washing his blades. "We will find out what the others will bring soon, I think. Tensa and the others made their way to the designated area, with Heji carrying his kill in his mouth, a rather heathly looking Spoink sans pearl, as Tensa was carrying it. Kyn made his way back to the area where they started, wondering exactly how long it would be before the Tauros woke up, after he released it. He didn't see Heji, Tensa, Serena, or Striker right away, so he figured they must have moved on, and then headed for the designated area. Serena nodded, letting the water drip from her as she picked up the bird by the neck, away from the bleeding spine, with her claws digging into the feathers. "You act as if we walked THAT far away from the campsite." She chuckled and leaned against a tree as they got back to where everyone had set their things down. "You haven't eaten anything since going into the MD with me..." She said, with a hint of concern in her voice, she had totally forgotten about going to watch the two hunt, seemingly getting caught up in her own hunting adventure with Striker. "Hm, I think I'll ask Kyn for a quick snack, when he gets back. Serena, I don't have to eat as much as you all do, but I do thank you for your concern." Striker was not aware of the strange effects that a Mystery Dungeon had on one's stomach, but he mostly wouldn't have noticed it anyway since he had spent so little time in it. Kyn arrived, along with the other two, and stated the obvious. "Well Serena, we're back. Now, what exactly did you hunt?" Serena looked at Kyn, if a bit skeptically. "Four trained Pokémon, hunting non-sentients in these lands? Talk about overkill. Heji and Tensa volunteered to hunt, I let them and stayed here with buggy boy. Had a nice chat, and he made this fall in my grasp." She held the Chatot out to one side. "You?" She avoided Marlow's glowing eye for the moment, they would have to have a talk sooner or later, but now? She wasn't in the mood. "I found what I was looking for. If any of you happen to be hungry, that still prefer to eat Raw meat... then I'll be able to provide it." Kyn said, not sure if Serena would even believe him. at this time. He was right, she scoffed, if a bit mockingly. "Alright big man, we'll see what you caught soon enough, as soon as the other boys get back...and then, if you did, I'll uphold my part of the deal." she flicked out her tongue, and retracted it as she mentally counted off what might have been inches and feet. "Thankfully for even those of us who do NOT eat raw meat, there are plenty of fruit bearing trees, and, of course, wood for a fire, around the oasis." "Serena! I've got a pearl for you. Do Pokémon here accept Spoink Pearls as commodity?" Tensa said, holding his particular catch in one hand, and the sizable pearl in the other hand. Heji himself merely dropped the Spoink near where the Chatot was and said, "If that pearl were edible, what do you think it would taste like?" Heji said oddly. "They are." She said to Tensa and Heji alike. "Usually a pearl is passed down from generation to generation, so they're rather rare to find, but people in the bay make jewelry out of them...and Heji...from experience i can tell you...that's one rock you don't want to bite into, it's bitter and tastes like sand...If you've ever accidentally bitten into the stomach of your kill and gotten a taste of the acid that lives there? it's a bit like that." "Alright, well now that everyone's back, I guess it's time that I reveal to you what it was that I spent so much time on," Kyn said. He reached for the ball that he had placed, and then open it up, causing the Tauros to emerge, still knocked out. He waited for Serena's reaction, though if she didn't respond right away he would let her know that he had only knocked it out, and not killed it yet. "Are Onix able to eat the pearls then? It says that Onix eat rocks." Heji said, referring to the Pokédex but forgetting its name temporarily. He didn't know how Serena would react to seeing the Tauros, but if he needed to he would ask her again later. She flicked out her tongue, and did bite it this time as the tauros emerged from the ball, but the time her tongue had spent outside had told her what she needed to know. "It's not dead." Her nose told her this too. "It doesn't SMELL dead." She raised an eyebrow at him, not quite hearing all of what Heji had said, but she did hear the last statement. "Could, probably wouldn't want to, but could, same as you or I, we could, probably wouldn't want to, but could." She hadn't even noticed that she had said the same thing twice. "Well then Kyn, a deal IS a deal, gimme a ball." She held out her claws for it. She was dreading it, sure, but she had made a deal, and she -was- going to keep it. "It isn't dead, Marlow confirmed that for me, but even if it wakes back up, it more than likely will not be going anywhere. My goal has been accomplished Serena. Now, I do have several different types of Poké Balls. Do you have a specific preference for any of the ones that I showed you?" Kyn said. "It would probably be better just to stick with the basic ball, seeing how if we're right, it's going to be crushed...but if YOU would prefer a different one, then just put a different one in my claws." It was a long winded version of 'I don't really care' but it gave more substance to it, and she wanted to be sure that he knew that it was probably going to be destroyed before he did it. "I see... that's a bit unfortunate," Kyn said in a mock disappointed tone. "And here I was thinking that you'd have wanted a Luxury Ball to match your headplates. Ah, well, too bad Serena, you aren't getting you own Poké Ball," Kyn said with a grin. She snorted at him as his words sunk in, and she clenched her claws that had still been outstretched. "We had a deal, Kyn, what is the meaning of not letting me -honor- my half of it?" by now, he should know at least a LITTLE about her by now, and how big of a thing honor was to her. "Screw your honor on this, I refuse to let something so simple come between us like that. I found it hard to believe that you would agree to something like that in the first place. Just, simply a refusal. Your honor will have to wait. Unless you want to knock me out, and take one." "Fine." it was a snarled reply, she knew that she would have to go through the Pokémon here to get to him, and so she didn't even try. "Keep your balls then." She turned her back on him. "For the record though, it was uncomfortable, yes, deals often are, but so are over coming your fears, and if you let your fears rule you, then no matter how big you might get, it will just take a little stone, a little sample of that fear to reduce you to a baby." She flicked her tail. "I'm not exactly hungry at the moment. Enjoy your meal...and let me alone for a while, I'm going to go soak in the spring." It was a small enough climb for her, as it had been worn away by Pokémon who had done it before her. She feared technology, she wasn't going to lie, even to herself, it was against her being, since she had been in the wild, and she felt that the situation at Steel city, which had drifted all the way to Tao, had only made it worse. She didn't even bother to take off her scarf as she slipped into the water, resting her head against a rock. The deal had been the only way she would convince herself to do it, to face that fear, and she had to admit that she had felt the frustration and relief clash as he pulled the opportunity away from her. Bloody emotions... This time everybody DID leave Serena alone, even Heji. Kyn hadn't gotten EXACTLY the reaction that he'd hoped, but it was good enough for him. If she decided to come back later, he would possibly consider giving her the opportunity to experience it just once, and then release her immediately. Striker meanwhile helped with the skinning of the Tauros, and then Kyn marked the specific Poké Ball with blood, and then put the exposed Tauros back inside it. An odd but effective way to keep the meat preserved, that wasn't immediately cut away by the two of them. It was some time before Serena did come back down, and she was still dripping, though thankfully she wasn't cold, her body temperature had lowered to the water temp, but she wasn't entirely cooled off. Her mind had rattled on towards thoughts that she wouldn't admit, nor deny having, emotions were the pain in her side it seemed for the past three days...the dying sun highlighted her arrival, but she didn't exactly speak. How could she explain any more than she already did, that she was trying to overcome her fears? She expected to be held to her word, just as she would hold him to his...and he just let her off. Of course, all this time, her mind was dead open, she hadn't bothered blocking her mind off all in all of this sea of emotion. She eventually did reach out consciously to Marlow. /It's probably about time we had that talk...you've been irritable lately, what's going on with you?/ [I feel as if you've been using me for more common household things, just because it is more convienient than doing it yourself... basically a form of servitude. Take a look at how much work you've done in the past few days compared to how much I've done. How many times you've asked me to do relatively useless and non-producive things, such as surveillance, and fetching things that you might as well just have been able to get yourself.] /Well obviously i can't see it, not from my point of view, give me yours so that I might understand what you're saying and where I've messed up./ She tried to clear her mind as she waited, and then accepted, her eyes were closed to anyone else, her ears were closed as well, she would be strictly ignorant to anyone that came around her, for the moment as the memories flashed from him to her. /.....oh......bloody hell, my mind's been so clouded...why didn't you say something earlier?/ [I guess I didn't think you'd really pay that much attention to it, since you have many other things on your mind, to worry about what was bothering me at the time.] /You...are a part of me, whatever effect my actions have on you, affect me as well...Don't ever think that I don't have time for you, I will MAKE time for you, Marlow./ The mental snort that followed might have been funny, under different circumstances. /I haven't exactly 'breathed life' into you lately either, though have I...? I suppose it would be chaotic to do it right now..but i do have something else to say, that's been lingering here...I don't know what I'd do if you ever left, Marlow, You drive me insane sometimes, and yet, you keep me sane at the same time...I know you're going to want to go, once you evolve, I've come to terms with that...I don't look forward to it, but I accept it...the day when you don't need me to sustain your form as you do now./ [It will be a long time before I am able to evolve Serena, and I am letting you use the evolution scroll first. Besides, things can change.] /You most certainly will not, I have my whole life to evolve, it wont kill me to wait a bit for a shell to cover my form...You have access to my memories now, you can take your breaths when you want them...If I'm not around you I will likely be with Heji...you are okay with that, yes?/ she had no doubt that he had heard while he was 'sleeping' /I know you're probably upset that I told the human first.../ [You assume too much with me. You remember how much trouble Tensa caused. Well, Kyn is the human he learned it from, so he would have been able to figure it out anyway. They're both too smart for their own good sometimes.] /I have learned to follow lines...I wasn't exactly hiding it throughly, i wouldn't have known HOW to hide it.../ She paused. /Humans are smart, yes...it just shows me how far i have yet to go, with the idea that most dragons can surpass humans in intellect. Or at least that's what the book said...How was your meal? I assume you stayed around to capture the soul when it left the Tauros./ [Interestingly... I am going to try something, that I think I can accomplish BECAUSE of that very Tauros. It involves going out in the sun, far away from the rope of our link, to see how far I can get.] /...just...let me know when, and what direction, so that I have some chance of finding you...I should probably get back to the world around me now...I've closed myself off to talk to you...and I do want a hug before you try it./ Getting a hug from the Duskull had been something a bit interesting, cold and chilling, but somehow satisfying, she gave him time to respond, waiting before letting her other senses come back to her. [Consider yourself lucky. There are not that many ghosts that are going to be able to hug you Serena.] Marlow drifted over to Serena, and extended his arms, like he had seen the others do, and waited. She opened her eyes, and the pupils expanded almost immediately. She did wrap her arms around him, one limb at the back of his head, but she could feel his energy pushing back against her? He was more solid? "Be safe Marlow." No tears...she wouldn't cry, it wasn't a good bye after all, it wasn't even a see you later, it was just a test after all, still she felt the desire to cry, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Marlow drifted off, making his way deeper into the forest, to the point to where he no longer felt the link between himself and Serena. Serena inhaled deeply as she felt...nothing from the link, it was a twinge of pain, much like those of which when she tried to find a way to say something that wouldn't be lying. The pain came out more as a punch to the ground, the sand giving way beneath her knuckles, then she forced herself to all fours, if nothing else, she would be with them, she couldn't stand being alone...She tracked by scent, only using her eyes to keep from bumping into trees, she didn't know exactly where they'd gone, but her eyes adjusted to the night quite quickly. (Because my mind is strange and always coming up with forks in the future. http://tinypic.com/r/m7stb8/6 )) Marlow continued going, and still found that he was able to maintain his form, and still not feel the link, but, he figured that he should go back now as not being able to feel their link, might have a bit of negative effect on her. "Heji. Serena hasn't come back yet, so could you please drop a few bolts of Thunder to sort of give her an indication as to where we might be?" Kyn said. Heji, then went into a battle position, and then began charging electricity. His fur glowed and then as the electricity built, a single cloud formed above them. The electricity reaching it peaks arced from Heji to the cloud, then back down to the ground. It continued like this several times. Serena had had her nose down, still, the light in the sky caught even her attention, and in response she let a pulse up into the sky and shatter, easily mimicking a firework explosion, before trotting in the direction of the lightning, pulling off big leaves from the bushes, only barely checking their quality as she moved. She did eventually burst into the clearing, but paused in the bushes as she felt the link reconnect. It hadn't even been an hour yet, why would he have been reconnected already? "Well, I'd say she's still alive at least. That's good. We'll just wait here, until she gets back." Kyn said. The other agreed with him, and all took seats in an outward facing circle. Marlow went back towards the direction of which he felt the link the strongest, in an effort to meet with Serena, who was heading back to the rest of the crowd. Serena did step through the barrier of bushes that lined the clearing, the stems of the large leaves in one hand while the leaves themselves hung over her shoulder. "Evening." The tone was relaxed, not the almost panic filled voice she would have used if Marlow hadn't come back, she was about willing to do -anything- to get rid of that pain, she doubted that she would be able to do the full test...whenever that was. "Welcome back. Serena, there is another thing from my world that I want to know if you have here. Do you have fireworks here?" Kyn asked, intending to add that to his list of things to show her when they returned. "We do actually, yes...It was before i joined the rogues but apparently the town's supply had once been stolen by an Arbok." She checked the leaf quality in the firelight where she could check for discoloration and thinness, and those that weren't deemed suitable for use she tossed into the bush line. "Um... Marlow might be leaving the group for a while, he wants to test something...If I freak out, don't worry too much." She said offhandedly. "Well that's good I suppose, but I'm not sure of the scale of what they are. My next question is have you ever seen a fireworks show. Oh, the reason why I guess that they might have fireworks there is because of that one Gabite, Gunpowder. Speaking of Marlow, do you want Medicham to blank your emotions for a while if that starts to happen?" "No." She said simply. "I might be worthless for a while, but him going away is one of my fears, and I have to face them eventually, if I don't then I'll never be able to move forward...It's just a matter of keeping myself distracted...How long did you want to stay here? Oh,I suppose I should have thought to tell you that Tauros are worth a good bit of money, in the bones, horns, hooves and pelt..." She shook her head at the first question as well, which ironically, she answered last. "No, I've not seen them, wouldn't be able to tell you anything about them actually, just know that we have them and that someone tried to take them from the village once...and maybe, but there are Pokémon from other regions here, the bay has all sorts of imports." "Then... as a leftover of the time you basically served me, I am requesting that you come back to my world again to see one. As for the Tauros, I believe that if I sold it, this would be the first bit of money I would have ever made here in this world! Are you sure you do not wish to have any meat from this Tauros yet?" "...Oh, right, you don't know...Have you ever encountered food possession among your Pokémon, Kyn? If not...I -can't- have any of the Tauros unless its specifically cut off and given to me, or else it classifies in my brain as being mine...which for the record, is bad...I've a very...alpha mindset, if you hadn't noticed." She didn't add -except around Heji- but she didn't think she needed to, Heji had seen the way she had gone submissive around him, even surrendering her neck, something the alpha part of her brain detested quite a bit. "If I have... for some reason they choose not to exhibit it. Perhaps leading more than twenty six Pokémon has altered my own mindset. I will give you about a decent sized portion, about a pound then. Then your mind can decide what it wants to do with it." Kyn said, releasing the exposed Tauros again. "That would be because if all of your encounters are like the one with Striker, you defeat them in battle--one way or another, before you feed them, however unlike them, you've yet to accomplish either with me. I've played your game...In fact as of yet the only one to outsmart me was technically Tensa...though you are the first to ever make that infernal heat rise to my cheeks, and my mind doesn't know what to do with that bit of information yet." "Oh Serena... there were plenty of times where I could have. I figure one of us doing it is enough. I didn't feel like.... move pun, double teaming you. Oh. Actually that reminds me. We need to play Chess. Brainy peoples play that. It is a strategy game that involves thinking several stages ahead of your opponent, as well as predicting their moves. The rules themselves are what are simple, the game itself is what can become complex in some cases." "...I get enough 'chess' figuring out how to get Me and Marlow from point A to point B and back to point A again in a mission, without getting caught, without actually dying, in fact putting it like that, this whole Journey has been one big chess game, and this place? It's one of the riskier moves that I'm hoping isn't going to bite me in the ass, especially with that light show of yours, Heji. Lightning around here will attract attention like no other...I'm probably going to have to break one of my own rules if that situation does come to pass..." She sighed. "Can I have the meat now? I'm starting to get pessimistic...and YES Marlow, i know you're there, and I know you like the shadows, and I'm sorry for talking about you like you're not here." She said, rather loudly. "....and he knows, now, yes, we had a talk about things." She said, referring back to Kyn again. "Second question, would you like a tender cut, or are you going to go into one of those trances so it wouldn't matter?" Kyn said quickly, almost cutting into some of the flesh. "I've come back with the results of my experiment, Serena." Marlow said, ignoring her comment since it didn't really bother him that much anyway. "It's been night time, Marlow, you have always been able to sustain yourself at night, so I'm not sure what your experiment was about?" She flicked out her tongue at the question. "I try not to eat out of a hunter's trance, so it doesn't matter so long as it's not the stomach...speaking of which I do hope that you've already cut that out and buried it, before it got bloated." "I went several miles away from you. My theory was confirmed. Tomorrow when it is daytime, you will see what I mean." Marlow said cryptically. "It has not been that long since I cleaned a Tauros, and yes, I did. What I neglected to tell you after you decided to attempt to leave me out of hunting was, that there is a bit of a double standard when it comes to eating Pokémon. Humans hunt Tauros everyday, using a whole different variety of methods. Basically... Tauros... parts, are incredibly cheap right now. There is an overpopulation. If I were to come here, I'd be able to the first interdimensional merchant. Oh that purple Kecleon ain't got nothing on this." "I was able to go for several miles away. I will show you if what I believe is correct tomorrow." Marlow said cryptically. "Yes. In fact, I didn't want to mention this earlier when you decided to attempt to exclude me from this little trip, but, there is a bit of a double standard when it comes to eating Pokémon. There is an overpopulation of Tauros right now, so all things related to them are cheap; Meat, pelt, bones. So, basically, I have experience in cleaning Tauros, in all meanings of the word, and I might be able to go back home, buy a lot, and bring it back here, and become one of the first interdimensional merchants. That purple Kecleon ain't got nothing on that!" Serena sighed at Marlow. "As you wish....and possibly, Kyn, but the only places that would accept it would be the bay and Gambitville, and it would be quite a trip to make just to get some coin that you couldn't use in your world...well I suppose you could, actually, if you just sold it for face value as oddly shaped gold, I'm sure that Inferno wouldn't mind softening it into a nugget or two." She muttered, more to herself than to him, and took the meat when offered to her. "Oh, we should see if we can find either a Buizel or a Ducklett for some waterproof oil...I'm sure it will come in handy, if not for your cape then for your..." she seemed to have lost the word shoes, but no Pokémon ever wore shoes, so they didn't have a word for it. "Foot coverings." she finally said. "Well, I would probably be able to use it in this world. As for the oils, what about Floatzel? Shoes, by the way, is one word for what I am wearing that cover my feet. Though these are something different than shoes, and are called boots." Kyn said casually. "Waterproofing." She said again. "as in, will keep the water off of your skin so you don't need to have me dry everything off again." She went quiet as she ate, then responded again as she picked her teeth with a claw. "Thank you, we don't use shoes...some tenderfoots put cloth over them, but for the most part we can tolerate our feet against the bare ground." She pulled off her scarf and blew the hot fire over it in a way that would have reduced any other type of cloth to ash, but while it steamed, she put it back on, enjoying the warmth against her scales. "It was still retaining water from the dip in the springs." she answered the unasked question. "Serena, I've decided to reconsider allowing you to have a Poké Ball, but... I'm just letting you know, that it wasn't my intention at all. Are you still willing to... uh..." Kyn didn't exactly know how to phrase it. She shook her head. "Don't... misunderstand. I was never 'willing'...the deal would be the only way that i would ever submit myself to it, but i didn't want to let my fears rule me...actually, i don't think I've ever told you...You know about Porygon, right? Well there's this place called Steel city, the place is full of them, they run and move everything, on schedule...and there was an incident...Pokémon lost their lives because of a stupid error in the system...there was an incident in the bay too, where a Porygon went berserk and made all of the machines in the casino pay out...technology might seem like a perfect escape, but it feels like a trap...any time there's a glitch it can do horrible things." She paused, thinking about her options, she could use the Poké Ball to hide from the other fear, to protect them from her freak outs... "Would you be able to find your way back to my den...if I spent the time when my emotions were out of control, in it...?" She didn't feel brave, she was rational, quick thinking, but rational, and curious...it would help with the theory, wouldn't it? "What's... a Porygon...?" Kyn said, tilting his head, before answer the rest. "I think so, yes. I've been keeping track of the direction we've been traveling in, so I have a general idea. If you combine that with when we get to the forest, where you made those markings and I made marking with my sword, it'll be easy. I do not have a GPS to rely on right now. Oh dear how some humans cannot go anywhere without them..." He made that last statement seem like it wasn't really that important but worth mentioning anyway as a casual jab at some humans. "You've...never seen a Porygon? Well, they're born in computers, just data, they and Rotom have the ability to go into computers and make them work, all computers here have a version of a Porygon in them, whether they be normal Porygon, Porygon 2 or Porygon Z...Steel city had a Porygon 2 in charge of several other Porygon and they ALL went haywire." she shuddered. "The Pokémon who were overseeing the operation tried to fix it; tried to pull the plug, tried everything in their power to prevent the crash..." She shuddered again and wrapped her tail around herself. If just a little. "...Okay. If only for when Marlow's gone and I start to freak out." "All these Porygon... a Rotom... I... I have no idea what you're talking about? Are these Pokémon?" Kyn didn't notice Serena's shudder, but he did hear her mention the sort of acceptance of the Ball. "Alright so... does that mean you'd just want to get it done now, or specifically if/when that happens? Oh dear. Well, by if/when I mean that... you sound like you're sure it's going to happen." "...Marlow left for not an hour tonight and I was almost willing to do anything for company...I don't want to hinder him from exploring his freedom but I know my emotions well enough to know what will happen when he does...I'll just consider it...practice." she took a breath. "Now, if you don't mind...I probably will not have the nerve for it a third time...and yes, they're Pokémon...does your scanner thing have a record of all Pokémon or do i have to ask Medicham for a memory transfer, so to speak?" "It has a record of all the known Pokémon. Arceus isn't exactly well known though. If it isn't in my Pokédex it's probably because Porygon is a top secret project, and if I start asking, I might get in all sorts of trouble that my Pokémon would have to break me out of. I only found out about Arceus... via Palkia and Dialga. Now, as for the ball, alright. Serena, here." Kyn took an empty Luxury Ball, despite Serena's advice about using a regular Poké Ball and handed it her. "I'm sorry, who?" She shook her head. "I was a wild, remember? There are myths...but..." she took the ball and stared at it for a bit, then finally closed her eyes and pushed the button against her head to the button, and was enveloped in what might have been an interesting blue light, before the ball clicked closed around her, and she tried to keep calm and not move. Because she didn't move, there was no typical ticking of the ball, but the light did turn red. It was only after she had stabilized that she opened her eyes to look around, and worked to keep herself calm. Kyn quickly pushed the button on the front, releasing Serena, and waited for her response before beginning to respond to her response that he didn't get to respond to due to her pushing the button. Serena flicked out her tongue as she reappeared, rather on her feet. She looked up at him. "Thank you...yes, i think that will help...I'll have to learn how to get out on my own, but it will help..." She waited for the question overflow that she could see would likely be coming. "Alrighty then. So, Arceus claims to have had a, figurative of course, hand in the creation of the universe, from as small as the atom, to as large as the earth, the sun, the solar system, the galaxy, all from the void. At first there was nothing, no time no space, but Arceus, inside the void. Then Arceus created time. After time was created, it then created Dialga to have free control over time. The Sinnoh Myths about Dialga creating space are false. I know from firsthand experience that it only influences time and has free control over it. Next Arceus created Space, and the rest you copy and paste from the first part of the story. The Sinnoh myths are in a way true if you look at them from a certain way. I am not sure if the same creation story happened here." "I don't follow the creation stories here..." She tilted her head. "You'd have to ask the Ho-oh at cathedral drop about stuff like that, or rather the...follower that he put in Tao, talking to them might help you get a sense of things." She sat back down and licked her claw. "However, the myth I remember was that one Pokémon asked for a feather from each of the trio and used the feathers to create the three instruments, the Dracoello, the Glaciate Triangle and the Thistle Whistle...this Pokémon MIGHT have been the one you speak of, but it was never specified...and contrary to popular belief, while i spend a lot of time reading books, I don't really like to read." she paused. "So, did you want to see the two Pokémon I mentioned before you delved into history that likely will never have any connection to what happens here?" "I can show you pictures of carvings of Arceus. But, oh. That's right thank you for reminding me Serena... Perhaps I should pursue in the questioning sense of the word, my version of Ho-Oh. I've been told that the Kimono girls know a way to in essence, summon Ho-Oh, so I'll try to meet with them when they aren't busy. Or maybe they want me to fight them to be busy. Where was I? Oh yes, I would like to see the Porygon. Would they want to get their hands on some of my technology at all? If they even have hands... actually." "With the way they're going they'd probably infect all of the technology you own and make it error out." She brought up the memories of the Porygon that she had seen, and the Rotom as well. "If I could ask for your assistance Medicham? I've the memories at the forefront so you should only need to graze my mind, instead of getting lost in the maze that is my mind." "Serena, I would be very very very angry if all my work on this Pokédex was erased. Not only would it set me back eleven years, but... alright, look at it this way. Those houses, and if all of a sudden someone came along and decided to knock them all down. After all the reconstruction in Tao." "Mm, this would be the second time I've entered your mind. Guess I'm gonna be a sort of projector." Medicham said, floating down to the ground, and then placing a hand on Serena's headplates. He then closed his eyes, and a visible glow enveloped him, and he remained silent. There were several different pictures of rotom, while only two of each of the three Porygon, and one of those was in black and white, clearly a sketch from a book, but the memories were fragments, like a slideshow of things that had happened from the past. There were multiple colors that the Rotoms took, and their many forms, but at the end she forced the forefront away from her thoughts and made it go black, like a movie that had faded away, and she pulled away from the Medicham's hand. The look in her eyes was clear. 'My actual mind is dangerous, you don't want to be there.' "Yes, I know what you mean...there, there's something you can add to it...well, not really, but added to the Pokémon you've seen." "Well. Yes, I've seen over 360 Pokémon now, registered about 95 percent of them in the Pokédex, but since Porygon aren't in there... it won't really do anything if I scanned it accept read as 'No Data Available'." "Everyone's mind is dangerous. There is a reason why not everyone is a mind reader." Medicham said, in response to Serena, telepathically. She snorted at Medicham. /Everyone who has the capability to be one here, IS. Now you know why my mind is considered dangerous. Psychics know not to go around me because there are TRAPS in my mind that even i can't disable./ "You need a better Pokedex, or make your own entries...I probably could fill in most of the others with all those stupid books that i read trying to become more civil. Ugh, I probably gave away about 10 years of my life for information that turned up perhaps one percent of what I got in return." her mouth twitched into a smile. "It's a good thing that dragons have a lot of time in the world." "Who says I'm not making my own entries? I do have a journal. Also, Reshiram is going to be included in the new Trainer's Pokédex, as well as Zekrom, but not Kyurem, since that time I did not know about Kyurem. Serena, I would like you to sit down with me sometime, and compare entries. You said you have a lot of time... well, then... let's go through about 600 of them and see. There was a time when the Pokédex only had 150 Pokémon, so..." Kyn said trailing off, leaving that as a sort of finished thought. [Well then, perhaps since my abilities are freshest and I cannot suppress them right now, I'd be willing to risk it. Like I said earlier, when I first came here, your thoughts were broadcast to me as clearly as if you were speaking out loud to me.] Medicham retorted back. "Ugh...I don't think we have that much time left at this point in time, or you don't anyway, since you wanted to get back to your world after our trip, and since there was a miscommunication in the feeding arrangement of our bird, i would prefer spending the time at my home...after I get you a Miltank." /Even if i couldn't get you out? Fine, take a look around, explore, soothe your curiosity, just don't blame me if you come back damaged, or linked to me like Marlow is./ She looked at the leaves. /Oh...and I suppose that I should tell you that speaking about what you find would probably put you on my KoS list, but you would have figured that out, I'm sure./ "I am aware of that. When would you allow me to next visit you? A few months, a year? Your time I mean." Kyn quickly clarified. [...you could try. But I will not worry about that.] Medicham then switched back to using his voice again. "I believe I will be on of the constant members of the group then. Even on non 'Team' related things." He added. "That's not really up to me, now is it? I suppose that whenever i come back to my cave and discover a human laying in my bed with a Medicham, a Sceptile and..." she trailed off "I'll know that your space bender has decided to link our worlds again...I'll probably have loads of time when I'm a Shelgon, and Marlow seems dead set...if you'll excuse the wording...on me having the first scroll that we get." She let The Medicham explore the recesses of her mind, It wasn't as if she had much to hide. Her way of thinking, the things she had done hunting, the things she had learned...the location of the rogue's guild was one of them, but she didn't mind too much on that, the law firm finally had a door to be walked in now, so pretty much everyone knew, but didn't know what laid under it. There were of course, her thoughts on the group that surrounded her, that were locked up with the strongest defenses that her mind could conjure...which in this case was an angry Salamence that wouldn't hesitate in literally ripping someone's head off. "No Serena, it is completely up to you, now decide." Kyn said firmly. [Oh my. Quite intriguing.] Medicham didn't really know much about what he was processing though it was still interesting nonetheless. "You want me to decide on when you can come back?" /Hang on to your ass then.../ Of course what happened next was the thoughts veered from being semi normal, and a rather battlefield of emotion and instinct versus logic and sense of being took place, they may as well have ripped one another apart as they saught to be the victor, until one side came out the winner and the others regenerated. /Welcome to the thought process./ the voice in her head might as well have been chuckling, but she had enough sense to put an 'avatar' of herself along beside him. "I don't mind having you here, it's...stimulating, but it causes a lot of changes and I'm not sure if I can handle too much of that at a time. I pride myself on being able to adapt quickly when needed...A month your time is about a year mine, with all the crap that goes on here, probably once every half year would be best; unless you can't find that time, at which point i would understand." She looked at the mental Medicham. /No, it doesn't really matter who wins these small battles, as I still listen to both sides of my brain, THAT fact has gotten me out of sticky situations./ "I have a few more questions about Tauros, and selling them. Do you think that I should just go to the bay to ask more information or do you know enough?" [...humans.... they are the most violent species on this planet.] Medicham said simply to Serena, not really explaining why. "You want respect from the people you sell to, you sell them in Gambitville, you want to be known as someone to stay away from, sell to the bay and speak to a golden Kecleon named Anana, she'll give you access to the back doors of the place...the things the normal 'mon don't know exist, or pretend they don't anyway. They don't discriminate who eats the food down there, but they do with who sells it...Personally, I think it's worth the walk and the respect that a decent hunter deserves to sell up here. As for WHERE to sell...there's always some ragtag city boy trying to prove his worth that has more coin than he does balls." She was sitting with her arms crossed, and leaning back so that her tail was keeping her upright. "Well, they all want the respect, but don't want to have to do the work...it's a bit...sad, but if you can make money off of it..." She looked up at Kyn again. "Didn't you say you were going to start sitting down when you were talking to me?" /Humans do not exist here./ She said simply. /The fact that Kyn got here was my own judgment, perhaps a mistake on my part, perhaps not. THAT battle isn't over yet./ [You DO know a human though, which does have significance.] "Oh right... it slipped my mind a bit." Kyn said, sitting down in the sand. "I'm only a mediocre hunter at best though. Now, what am I going to do with the bones and horns? Do those get bleached by someone, or do they stay as is?" He didn't exactly want to be known as someone to be stayed away from, but he didn't exactly know if he wanted respect either. [Serena. I wanted to let you know... that watching Kyn and that Tauros was... rather interesting. Based on the way he acts, I wouldn't have expected him to be able to do what he did.] Marlow said, after hearing most of the conversation about hunting. /It makes me considered crazy around here./ She answered back to Medicham, and then Marlow's voice would have echoed around them. "I'll be the one to judge that, when Marlow decides to show me his memories, if he decides to. Bones bleach in the sun...since we don't have time to bleach them out, leave them as is and wrap them up in the pelt to make them easier to carry." /Say hello to Medicham who's braving the dangers of my mind, Marlow./ She chuckled in her mindscape. "If you say so. But, I'm telling you though, I'm by no means an excellent hunter." Kyn said, wrapping the skull, horns and various other bones that were not still currently covered with meat. [Hm, well this is a bit unexpected, but anyway. Make your judgment then, as I am interested in hearing it.] Marlow said, followed by immediately transferring the memories of what he had seen Kyn do. [Guess that means that as a side effect, I'll be seeing it too then.] Almost as Marlow gave her the memories she closed her eyes, leaving Kyn to wrap up the bones in peace, but SHE had control over the memories as they entered her mind, and her instincts pointed out positions that would have given him away, her hunters eye judging the look of the Tauros, and the system that he used to take it down. "It was blind." She said after a while. "Your approach was mediocre at best, but when approaching a bull with a defect like that it was good enough...And you didn't use your sword, kudos." her eyes opened and she looked at him. "Well, you'll get to see me work against Miltank a bit later, perhaps it can help teach you some new tricks." "I really don't like being out in the open like that though. Next time, I'll see if I can't find a Tauros that is more able to actually charge me." "'Jes like a rodeo," Kyn said, imitating Clay. "Actually, that reminds me. I probably could hunt using that as well, though... it's a bit risky. I have seen plenty of people gored by Tauros, though it was their fault for not being intelligent about it." "Rodeo?" She questioned. /Thank you Marlow, for being his safety line if he needed it, and for the memories that you shared with me./ She chuckled about being out in the open. "considering the fact that I've done my best to conceal us every time we stopped, do you think I do either? Around here, though, using the grass, you're never really...out in the open." She looked up at the moon, that which she called her mother, on her waning cycle. "I've had a tauros charge me before...they seem to forget about a Bagon's headplates when they do that...the smarter ones will try to use Tri-Attack on you." "That Tauros' head was less hard than I thought." He paused. "Eh... about rodeos... well, see, it's kinda like a place where certain types of animals and Pokémon are used for human entertainment. Cattle wrangling, and other ranching type events. Serena... help me make a list of all the humans terms I've used so far that you'd like me to go more into detail about. Though of course you'd probably keep the knowledge to yourself as it is from my world but... just temporary anyway, for when I actually visit you, or you viist me. Alright, I need to find another Tauros... so I can practice with my rope again." "I have a feeling that we could make a book or two between the two of us." she inclined her head to him a little. "There will be likely one or two Tauros among the Miltank, since they're both Bovine types...and since Tauros are all male...and Miltank are all female...they tend to guard the females." she chuckled, remembering a previous comment. "With my luck, you'll probably get to see non-sentients mating again..." She trailed off, how often had her nose led her to where Pokémon were getting frisky? A couple of times at the least, but she couldn't help it, they smelled so good when she was hungry. "I hope I don't have to use my swords. By the way, I never told you, that Striker and I train with the swords I have back home. Just a little bit of trivia for you." "You probably wont...since this time you wont be doing everything yourself." She stretched, a very catlike motion. "Just another pearl to toss on the pile I suppose." She added at the trivia, and then her mind clicked. Pearl--treasure. Medicham could see the dots click together as they were connected, and she snorted a little. She hoarded treasure, and she should treasure these moments, she wasn't going to tell anyone about him anyway, it was a secret to be kept all to herself...so he was something to be...treasured? Her tongue flicked out at the mental response. Rarity of his personality and the way he perceived things would have put him as a gem...yes, that was a connection that she could make...something that she should protect...wasn't she doing that already though? "Hm, though there is one issue that may arise. I have never faced a group of more than two Tauros. In that case I would definitely have to use my swords. Alright, let's head out now then, everything is packed." He said, standing up again. She waited for him to stand, before slipping her leaves in her bag, and slipping that back onto her hide. "Night time, they'll be groggy...yes, it would probably be to our advantage." She didn't bother standing all the way up, rather choosing to remain on all fours as she had for quite a bit of the journey. "Marlow, if you would be so kind to join me on this excursion? We'll need to paralyze the Tauros that are with them...and they're going to be wise to both of the tactics that were used by myself, and Kyn previously." She was a hunter, yes, she knew how to hunt without using her abilities, and that was what was going to be shown today. She didn't want them permanently damaged, and they didn't really need yet another Tauros to eat...but hopefully he would be happy to prove useful, instead of just being a 'lifeline'. "Serena! I wish you to give me instruction on this new demonstration that you plan." Kyn said simply. "I pretty much always join you, Serena. Now, what do you need ME to do precisely?" "Situations always change, I can't control their minds any more than I can yours Kyn, or yours Marlow. The bit that i DO know is that at the end you're going to have to build up the start of a charge beam and use it to paralyze the bull, that shouldn't be too hard considering the fact that you're rather...semi-solid, you should be able to access the spinal column easily..." She flicked out her tongue, and while the blue of her hide might have been muted in the dark, it was still brighter than some of the things around there, and easy to spot. "If there's another one, then that will be left to Heji, Striker and Tensa, if they deem it necessary to participate...There will be Rollouts to lookout for, as more of them become awake, and so it will be rather important to accomplish the goal quickly...and without killing them." Kyn chuckled at the mention of the move Rollout, and he figured that Serena wouldn't know why, and he wanted her to inquire as to why he was chuckling, though if she didn't he'd tell her anyway. "It has been ages since I have used that move. This should be interesting." Then it occurred to him that she had mentioned his current state of being, "What does being semi-solid have to do with this?" "Marlow, with the number of times you've phased through me, you probably know the shape of my organs better than I do. I'm suggesting a DIRECT pulse to the spinal column, NOT a diffused one through the skin." She did hear Kyn chuckling, but chose to let him have his moment, she was scenting the air and determining how to avoid the OTHER Pokémon that inhabited the area while she 'looked' for a mix of Tauros and Miltank. When she found the herd she was looking for, she shifted course. "As it turns out Serena, A Normal-type Gym Leader named Whitney, made a lot of trainers frustrated via her use of a Miltank with the move Rollout." Kyn said, before going silent again. "Y'know, if I were to partially phase through them with a charge beam charged, then releasing the charge beam while inside them, that would be a bit devastating to their functionality." Marlow said, thinking the process through. "I did specify, or at least, i thought I did, that it wouldn't be a full release of the beam, but yes, damaging enough." She listened to Kyn speak. "Ah...here it's...well...probably just as bad, but if you can use the momentum against them it's a lot more devastating for them rather than the Pokémon they had planned on attacking." when they were a safe distance from the herd, but they could still be seen, she stopped. "So...Lets see, two Tauros...and from the scent...a Miltank in heat...we'll need to avoid that one, as even paralysed the Tauros are rather protective of those that are capable of breeding with them at the time." She squirmed a little, trying to get comfortable in the tall grass. "We're down wind, so we have that to our advantage as well." her voice dropped as she spoke, to where only those immediately around her could hear her. "Medicham is still in my head, so you SHOULD be able to see things from my perspective if you asked him to relay for you Kyn." Kyn couldn't exactly muffle his movements in the sense that Heji could, so he dropped to his knees and then moved forward on his hands. He'd probably have to work extra hard to get the stains out of his pants, though his overcoat was more important to him than a pair of pants that were easily replaceable, but would still be washed nonetheless. He wasn't used to crawling much though so his pace was slightly slowed down. Marlow took this opportunity to go invisible, and then he followed the group, waiting for either a distraction or an opportunity in which he would be able to attempt paralyzing both of the Tauros. Serena took down one Tauros, waited for the others to take down the other and Marlow to shock the one she had captured, then took down the alpha Miltank and told Kyn it was okay to come get his milk while she looked around to see how the others had done. Striker made his way to the general area that would be their escape route if they chose to go to the left. He kept his body low and in the attack position with both of his blades held forward. Heji made hie was carefully behind the first grouping of cows, and cut off their escape route there, crouched low and in a pouncing ready position. After the Miltank near Striker was successfully focused on him, Heji used a qucik Crunch attack, after which Marlow immediately went to, and paralysed, following the pattern that they were going in, he went over to Serena's Miltank next, followed by the one that Kyn had managed to engage. Kyn, after having been on his knees until he could successfully get close enough, went after the Tauros that was closest to Striker. Serena observed the system they had used, it was rather clear cut, she did however, hope that the one in heat had gotten away. She sniffed, to be sure, and nodded to herself. "No one got trampled, right?" She was sitting on the Miltank she had taken down, and looked towards the Medicham. /Enjoy the show?/ She didn't tell him that she could turn the tables on him at any moment, she had gotten plenty of practice with Marlow on how to control where she went, and even reverse the link, but then, where would the fun in that be? "I am perfectly fine, and it seems that everyone else is as well." Kyn said, looking around to see the effects of their combined work. He'd forgotten about acquiring milk, since he was rather used to farmed Miltank and their processed Moo Moo milk. Though he'd still be able to make pizza if he had the unprocessed milk as well, it just wouldn't taste as good. He made a mental note to ask Serena to try some more cooked food of his. [There was nothing to enjoy. We were all performing a task.] Marlow left his tone flat and neutral, waiting for the next stage of assignments, if there were any. /Medicham wasn't, well, aside from keeping Kyn's disguise on him...I keep forgetting that I'm going to have to be specific with both of you in my head now.../ she did mentally chuckle. /You did your job well, Marlow./ There was a hint of pride and affection in her words, but she tried to keep the other thoughts to herself. "Well done." She said, with all of them situated. "Kyn, don't let the adrenaline go to your head, get your milk before we have to take down the Tauros again. They learn faster than most people give them credit for." she felt like an informative blip on the notice board. "What, exactly are you talking about milk for?" Kyn was confused again, not exactly remembering much of what he had said in the past few minutes that would have given a hint as to what she was talking about." [Well, thank you I guess. Now, I think I might be able to possess you when you sleep.] Marlow said, letting that thought muddle around in Serena's head for a while. /Buh?/ She turned her head to the point where the link was strongest, her way of knowing where Marlow was. "Whole point of this was to get you milk, and to incapacitate a couple to take home with us." She said, rather matter-of-factly. "Since Heji bit his, it might be wise to get the milk from that one first...Oh yes, MooMoo milk sells well here too, suppose i should have mentioned that as well." She was thinking out loud, rather than letting her thoughts linger on what he had said, if she thought on it too much, she would get upset, and she was TIRED of getting upset. "You've got to be kidding! But.... I don't have anything to store the milk in, Serena. No bucket, or anything. I hate to suggest this but, maybe just maybe, you'd be willing to sort of... look the other way, if I were to use some of my Poké Balls on them....?" Kyn suggested lightly. One could tell that his tone was very hesitant, considering what her views on Poké Balls were, though he didn't know if she had changed them yet. Marlow chuckled maniacally, upon hearing Serena's reaction, living up to his nature. "Striker, if you don't mind, hit Marlow upside the head? He's about level with your shoulder and near the tip of your wing." she sighed and slid herself down off of the Miltank. "I don't care what you do Kyn, these are just animals, there's no reason to try to treat them like people." The thought nagged at her though, hadn't she once been Non-sentient? No...She was just uncivilized...but at that point she didn't even know how to talk...She was thinking too much, it was starting to make her head hurt again. "Besides, you've already done that with the Tauros you caught earlier." "Yes, and I still wonder if I should have. I mean leaving it there would just be asking for predators and scavengers to have a party. But this is different." "Marlow is a Ghost, Serena. If you announce that type of thing, he will definitely have moved." Striker said back. He moved closer to the Tauros, ready to knock it out if it decided to find a way to get up. "This is the same, you think that they'll think twice about coming in, following the scent of that Miltank in heat, and tearing the ones we leave behind to bits?" She spoke to him, but even as she did, she was producing from her pack clay bottles with cork stoppers. "I promised to take you TO Gambitville, so that's where we'll be going, need to sell of the skin and the bones anyway, so i figure selling some MooMoo milk will only boost the profits." as she spoke she put the claw into the stoppers and popped them out, milking 'bertha' much to her displeasure. It wasn't as if she could move, but it was in her eyes. "So, by all means." She put the stopper back in and slipped those into the pack where they would be kept at a moderate temperature for the rest of the trip. "And with the spoils, if you would like, you can spend some time in the bay." She flicked out her tongue. "Hm, alright then. Are you going to want that Miltank to become cattle for you as well? Or are we just leaving her?" Kyn then took out two Great Balls and threw one at the first Tauros, and one at the second Tauros. Once more her tongue flicked out, her nose twitching as she thought, much like a rabbit's would do, but likely not considered anywhere near as cute. "Ovaltine said she could use some help at the ranch since Malt keeps claiming that she's a male...It would probably be a good idea, even if I don't have enough space to keep them for myself at the cave..." She nibbled on her claw. "In short, yes, probably would be a good idea..." She chuckled. "Now if only humans could be put in Poké Balls, then Marlow would be able to transport all of us through walls." Everything in her voice conveyed that it was a joke, she wouldn't use Marlow as a pack mule...at least not knowingly. "Alright, so, since that Miltank is essentially fully aware of you right now, could you please make it so that she is unconscious?" The two Great Balls had then indicated the the Tauros had been caught, and then the rest of the group moved from their positions and back over to Serena. "What?!" She turned her head, and sure enough the Miltank had come to, she hissed at it and whacked it upside the head with her tail. "Probably the shock Marlow put on it that brought it back to consciousness." She muttered, more to herself than to Kyn again, and the use of her tail, well, she didn't really want to have to pull another punch and verify that it was still breathing again. She was keeping an eye on Marlow now, clearly the thought was getting to her, but not for the reasons that he might be able to Possess her, but the things that he might DO with that ability while she was asleep...she knew while conscious she wouldn't have any problems locking him out. "Great Ball, Go!" Kyn said, in a dramatic imitation of a series that he once say about a boy named Red. He then went into a pose, and threw the ball at the Miltank. Serena nearly jumped away from the ball, she knew that it wouldn't hurt her, but still, she didn't exactly want to be in the way either. She flicked her tail as she took her place (though she would never admit that she even had that thought, let alone that wording) next to Heji to watch the ball tick and turn red. "So...what was the final body count? Two Tauros and...three Miltank?" She glanced around to be sure of what she was saying. "Yes. So, Serena, I find it just a little unnerving that a fully maximized Pokéball is about half your height, spread all around a five inch diameter. Serena, would you do me a favor and see how well you're able to hold a Poké Ball?" Kyn said, taking out another regular Poké Ball, minimized and handing it to her. Serena all but snorted at the ball as it was handed to her. "You would think that between holding Heji's ball, the one you tossed to me, and now this one, you would have seen me holding enough balls for you to gauge it without this time..." She muttered, but it was already between her claws. Thankfully it was rather quite night time, and that alone would hide the red that seeped into her cheeks as an alternate meaning hit her, she ignored it. "I guess I forgot. So the next thing I'm going to ask you is... would you go ahead and use that ball on one of the other cows? I was remembering one of those things that you said, about... how the alphas would treat their subordinates and, well, I know you don't like technology that much, but I think it would have been fitting if YOU had used the ball on this first Miltank." Serena wrinkled her nose at the statement, but sighed and walked, rather by use of her nose, over to where the closest Miltank was laying, this of course by chance, would have been the one Heji took down...While she pressed the ball to the Miltank's side, she kept her eyes on it until it disappeared into the light. "You know, there is one thing about that, Kyn...A pack has two Alphas...even if you tried to put me in my place, I'm a female, and since there are no other females here with us...It still puts me at the top." When this ball too clicked off, she walked back over to him and handed him the ball. "Then, for all intents and purposes, Tensa would have to be pretty much the Alpha as well. I do realise that you are the only female. Which is why I was glad when I at least managed to acquire a female Pidove, who is now an Unfezant by the way." Kyn took the Poké Ball with the Miltank Serena put in the ball, in one of his overcoat pockets. "...Perhaps...but he still answers to you, when the days over." she waved her claws in a 'I really don't want to know this sort of thing' gesture, and figured she would be given another Poké Ball to be used on the other Miltank that was still laying around, yet if not, that was fine with her as well. "So with what you've told me about the league, I'm guessing that Poké Balls are registered via your Identification card, right? I wonder if it's registered any of them that you've caught here." "Well, actually... it's a bit complicated. Y'know how you've met most of my team on the other side? Well, the League only allows a total party of six, as has been probably explained to you. You've seen me with way more than that... and the reason for that is that is because.... I have two Pokédexs." He took out his as of yet unseen Sinnoh Pokédex, and held it in such a way that it would be able to be examined. Her nose twitched again as she looked at the other scanner, which now had a name. "You're right, it is complicated...and yes, Liru did the honors of that...but that would allow for twelve, not 22...and yes, i did count." her tongue flicked out as she stepped forward, rather than taking a better look, she used what he had essentially -just- shown her to attempt to take another, unassigned Poké Ball from it's place on his person. If that was successful, she would step back and take a few steps from him. "For the last Miltank." She explained, since he was off track again. It may as well have been showing her hand, or at least her memory, as to how she was capable of being considered a rogue when she couldn't tell any lies. "Heh... so then.... I suppose that means that I either have two more unseen ones, or that I just... managed to circumvent the Pokédex's party limit. Take you pick," He said with a chuckle, then after seeing that there was yet another Poké Ball being used for storage purposes, he thought about whether or not he would invest more into buying Poké Balls. They were still going to be used for their original intended purpose, but altered in a way. Serena returned within just a moment, and handed it back. It wasn't as if she had pockets to keep it, or she would have held onto it herself. "Neither option is regulation." She guessed, figuring the only reason he was telling her this was because she couldn't tell anyone else without being called crazy anyway. She expected them to follow as she brushed past him, starting, yet again, towards Gambitville, but this time she didn't bother avoiding any herds of Pokémon, they either would get out of the way, or be blasted with a dragon pulse...most of them got out of the way, and soon they were looking on the slumbering town of Gambitville. They had long since been surrounded by sand, but as the sun first touched the horizon, the said sand glittered like glass. Town was the proper word, it had maybe five buildings, one of which being the General store, the other largest the Tavern and inn, the others...well, there was what passed as a library, and a hospital...anything other than that wasn't important, at least not to her. "I do stay within regulation.... when they are watching at least. Speaking of watching, I was wondering if you'd be willing to learn a little bit more about the league via watching me and other compete. Though, not exactly in a directly you being there type situation." Kyn said, taking the Poké Ball and moving it to one of his urgent pockets. The rest of the group followed close behind, renaming in that specific pattern that they had earlier, essentially forming a security group around Kyn. "...actually if it was possible to slow down the time distortion...well, i probably could go there personally." She let the thought go for a moment. "Okay boys, find yourself an accessory in that bag of Kyn's, I know i saw a few previously, but remember, those who don't have one are to be considered fair game here, hell, even if you do, and you step out of line you're still fair game, and you can break the form too, it wont matter so much here." Her tail twitched. She both loved and hated this town, it was the one place that she could be herself aside from at the cave, yet it was also a very dangerous place if you didn't know what you were doing. She herself untied her scarf and turned it into a rather convincing bow behind her head. Innocence, that was what it was supposed to portray, it was the color, however, that told the true story...and only the keen eyes of hunters would be able to see the variation of the color that marked the blood stains...that being said, with both tails of it at the back, and only the middle at the front, all of the blood stains were behind her. "Well... I'm not exactly sure how to explain video photography to you but erm, yeah the distortion can definitely be controlled. Now, an interesting thing how accessories hold that particular value here. I literally gave every single one of my Pokémon an accessory. Not for the purpose of doing that silly dress up that some other Trainers do. So, I'll be able to help with that." Kyn said, waiting for her response. "Did you bother to take into account the meaning behind the color or did you just throw something together?" Came the return, She knew, because she had seen Inferno with his earlier, that he had one for most of his Pokémon, so all of his Pokémon was not that much of a surprise. "And you'll have to find one for yourself as well." "Not sure what you mean by just thrown together, but, there are things that I took into account; various aspects of their personality, and there are some other things too." Kyn took out Tensa's Focus Band, and handed it to him. He promptly tied it around his head, and then look back down at Serena. "It has been years since I have worn this," Tensa said. Kyn then went over to Striker and tied on his Choice Band for him. The next Pokémon was Medicham, who he gave Tensa's old Focus Band. Serena looked at the colors, more than the types of accessories. "Mmmph, I keep forgetting that you guys don't do things like we do...Everything we have here is made by tailors, everything...It's custom made and fits perfectly with who you are." She felt like she was repeating what Chrys had said to her, but she ignored the feeling. "If it doesn't fit with who you are, then you have no business wearing it...and what i mean is like taking scraps of cloth and stitching them together haphazardly." Her tail flicked. "You really...learn what colors stand for when you look at it from Chrys' point of view...he's the tailor in Tao." "These items are also special in their own way, that you'll find out later. But I can understand what you have said, and what this Chrys... says. I don't know what'd he'd think of my human form but, I've told you before that these clothes that I am wearing, were custom tailored to me. Oh dear. Accessories... Pokémon Contests erm... heh... the things I see, I think I've only seen one or two that actually match what you've said. Would you be able to... give me a sort of tailored down... no pun intended, explanation?" "Of what, colors or things that fit personalities?" She spoke, but rather hoped that he would continue placing accessories, as he only had himself left to place. She knew the bow didn't fit her, but it was easier to pass off the color distortions as the dye running in some places rather than blood. Still, she could pass off the innocent look well enough. "Interesting feats of endurance have been observed by me, as well as increase in defense, speed, attack, or other traits, depending on the item. It's almost supernatural...," Kyn then mumbled lowly, "like certain aspects of me...," before, digging into his pack and tacking out his red Go-Goggles. and putting them over his head. "Heh, sure that's not just what they want you to think?" She looked over at him. "The whole 'this water is special.' thing and then the water isn't really special, but because you thought it was special, it had a desired effect." She turned her head back, and slid down the bank of sand, just as she had the hill four days ago, and headed for the Tavern and Inn, pushing open the wooden door and slipping inside. There were a couple Pokémon appearing to be passed out at the tables, but Serena knew better, she could feel their eyes on her as she walked in, they were just good at hiding that they were looking. The Cacturne behind the counter was the only one who honestly looked shocked to see her again. "Donahue." She regarded him with a bit of respect, and wasn't surprised when he stuttered. "A-ah, Miss Serena, it is you. You have brought quite an entourage this time...expecting trouble?" his eyes swept over the group that had just, likely, entered behind her. "No, just showing some FRIENDS the place, hoping to spend a couple hours in an actual bed before we head back home." She gave him an un-nerving smile. "Would you happen to have a few rooms to spare for the night? I'm sure that we wont be too much of a hassle." she dropped the smile, and went back to her 'innocent' face, that only seemed to un-nerve him more. "Oh, of course, I have rooms to spare...You're just staying the night? Isn't that a long trip just for one night?" The cacturne inquired, tipping his 'hat' back to look at her. "Mmhn... this place is indeed interesting," Kyn said, speaking for the first time. He wasn't going to try to explore on his own, so he let Serena lead him everywhere, and the rest followed suit. He'd have a response to her statement the next day. He didn't set his alarm though, due to the general guess that if he did it in that place, the other Pokémon would react similar to the way Serena did when SHE first heard his alarm. "A night, for as long as it lasts...and a few hours of the day, but we wont be needing you for that...we've some supplies to gather." She didn't like admitting it, but if someone was going to pick a fight, well...they would always pick a fight, for one reason or another. She pulled the coin pouch out of her bag without really looking back at the other tables, spilled out the coins, and motioned for the others to follow her upstairs to the rooms. When they were situated in the rooms, she stood between them with a sigh. Was she really going to keep up the innocent facade much longer? No, she decided as she pulled the bow out, and wrapped the scarf normally. The bag she set in her room, but she instead went to Kyn's to see about his response to what she had said, realizing that if he remembered what they were talking about, she would have a bit to listen to. "No bow then Serena? These goggles don't look like Flygon eyes, like the ones I've seen. What do you think these look like?" He said, starting a new topic, but still remembering the other one she had mentioned, if she decided to bring it up again. "Anyone who's up at this hour remembers what happened the last time I was here, I may as well stop pretending to be an innocent child." She blinked at the question. "Does it matter? I would say that they're similar to ones modeled after the eyes of Croagunk, personally." Her nose twitched. "For the record, the rooms are relatively...thick walled here...they tend to have to be, being used by travelers all the time...and I realize that we were cut off before, but the streets aren't exactly the safest place to talk in the town." "So, do you have a story for ME then Serena? What DID happen the last time you were here? I am glad for the thick walls, yes. Hm, well I don't exactly think I've ever seen goggles like this before. I guess I can pull the whole, customized card or something." "it's...not something that I'm proud of." she snorted, her claws clicking against the wood as she pulled out the wooden chair from the desk. "But...I can tell it...and yes...you can. Remember to thank Medicham for editing them to fit on a Sceptile's face properly." She climbed rather expertly up on the chair, and with him on the bed, she rubbed her claws over her headplates, waiting for...well, something before she began. "I... keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be a Sceptile I guess. But, we all have things we're not proud of Serena. I probably have even more things than you but, that shouldn't stop you unless you believe that for some odd reason, I'd think less of you because of it." Kyn urged. She sighed. "The first time I came here...I left Marlow behind. I had sufficiently learned to speak, to be civil...and the primitive of this place got to me, I will admit that. I had skins, feathers, hides of all sorts bound and packed, and I was still a novice with trading...There was a Seviper here at that point in time, he and his daughter...and I know now that I was on the wrong side of town." She paused. "He was ruthless to the point of stupidity, it got him in trouble, and for some reason his daughter kept bailing him out of it...but i defended him--he was the only one to have bothered with me, as young as I was, as -stupid- as I was...and yes, I killed for him." She looked at her claws, almost with disgust. "The time in question, where i chose between him and his daughter was when he went up against a lady by the name of Syrup...who I now know to be Mike the Charmander's mother....I didn't protect him, and he died...I would have later, had Syrup not seen some good in me and brought me back to health. Called me a kid that didn't know what she'd gotten into, and rather quite set things straight...It was hard to believe that I had only known the snake for four days...but you see how quickly things can change in four days..." "Serena, I don't think I've quite got anything that compares to that. But, you were young. This world does not seem to allow you to make very many mistakes so it is good that you are making them now, and then, so that later you will have the experience necessary to survive. It is the reason why I myself now, can be considered one of the best. Because of all the mistakes I made and learned from when I was younger." "No, this world doesn't allow you to make mistakes...A lot of my training actually comes from that point in my life...four days, and I trained the hardest I had ever trained in my life...Anyway...Syrup set the record straight...actually I ate my old...friend,I suppose you could say, she had made him into a stew, you see...but yes, people here hold grudges...I have absolutely no doubt that some of them will try to kill me while I'm here...and because I claimed you...ugh, but if i hadn't those two goons would have tried something right there." She pulled one leg up to her chest. "The funny thing I suppose, would be that I don't fear for my life while I'm here. Even if I haven't made a good impression on you...any of you, these past four days, I've enjoyed them." She chuckled, if a bit hollowly. "It seems, every time I come here, there will be changes made to my personality, to my very being...I will tell you this Kyn. What happened here before, was the reason I set the rule. If they are sentient, they are not to be killed." She stood up from the chair. "I didn't tell you this so you would try to stop what will likely happen, Kyn, and I would like to think that I've grown to know you well enough by now, that I know you're going to try...Don't. It's not about honor, its not about my pride...I made a debt to families of Pokémon when I was here last, it's something that every fiber of my being agrees on, it needs to be paid..." She frowned. "Maybe when this is over...I'll finally be able to get rid of the scarf I wear." "You sure have had a rather turbulent life. However, what is in your past is of no concern to me in regards to the way I see you presently other than the fact that it it has shaped who you are. You may think that you've known me enough to be able to have some level of predictability, but, it isn't. Tensa has known me for eleven to twelve years, and he still sometimes can't tell what I'm thinking in regards to some things. Humans are just generally unpredictable. But you should not be concerned about me in the manner. I've... spent most of my adult life trying to avoid a situation like what happened with you. In my world... like I've said, most of the Pokémon are sentient, but that's not the main issue. The main issue is whether or not they were attached to a human or not. I strive to not kill anything that belongs to a Trainer... and it's hard to tell without some identifying accessory, or their behavior sometimes." "Life...gives you trials to show you who you really are." She answered back, pushing the chair back up against the desk. "...but if I had to bet...I would bet on my claws that Guld was the one who killed Marlow." Her mouth twitched a little. "Goodnight Kyn." She said as she grabbed the door handle, and closed the door behind her as she walked out. She didn't fear being here, quite the opposite actually...but she did have one thing that she wanted to do, if she was going to hand herself over...she was going to give herself to someone else first...and in that case, she only had one 'mon in mind. It was cliche, of course...but she wasn't about to give them /that/ satisfaction; the mind's punishment is always worse than the actual, and she could only guess at these Pokémon's minds. It was possible, more than possible, that she would come back bloody, beaten and bruised; possible that they might try to kill her as well--hangings were typical here, but her neck muscles were too strong for that. She was in fact half way to Heji's door when a familiar shadow darkened the hall. "Morning, Syrup." She said. "Com'on down stairs, Little bit. Hav' a drink with me." Serena chuckled. "No, Syrup, not tonight, tomorrow maybe, if I survive it." The Skuntank had at somepoint moved, and she knew what was coming, just barely avoiding the crushing jaws as they tried to grab her. "They're not going to kill you, y'hear?" "Perhaps not, but I'm here to pay that debt back to them." The next words were a hiss. "You didn't make that debt, Guld did." "They won't see it that way, will they?" "Prolly not..." "Then stop trying to protect me, Syrup, I'm not a kid anymore." " 'Course ya are. Kheh, anyone who's younger than me is still a kid, and ya haven't evolved yet." "...Syrup...Go home." "Nope, a good friend is here 'n' I'm gonna show 'er what's changed." She lost it, the handle on her tears, if only one slipped down each cheek. "I'm not a good friend...and nothing's changed." " 'Course they have...you can cry now." "...If you're not going home, get yourself a room and stay the night." She wiped the tears with the end of her scarf, and stepped into the room that wasn't hers, clicking the lock behind her. For once, she too was thankful for the thick walls of the place, even if they weren't quite as smell proof as they were sound proofed. Of course, after hearing what Serena had to say, he simply said 'Goodnight' to her, but of course he had every intent to find out more, and do almost exactly what she thought he would do. He asked Medicham, to forgo the illusion for a while, and go find Marlow and ask him to in essence spy on Serena since he was concerned about her. "If she ever finds out I did this, it will be worse than that first time," he said. Both Marlow and Medicham understood, and so Marlow made sure to mask his presence from Serena, and at the same time made himself invisible. He went to find Serena, and then overheard an exchange that quite frankly, surprised him. Heji had just about fallen asleep, curled up into his usual ball, after having circled around his bed a few times, when the sound of claws on the floor, as well as the smell of tears filledhis nose. He didn't know who had entered the room at first since he'd has his eyes closed, but then after a few seconds he knew immediately who it was. He didn't respond to her though, and decided that if she was going to stay with him that he would just let her, considering that she was, or had been crying. Serena waited until the smell had dissipated for her to bother to move. The locking of the door could have told him that she was at least aiming to stay, but seeing that he was almost asleep, she was careful about her claws against the wood of the floor, and padded her way over to the bed where he was laying, easing herself up onto the bed to lay beside him, satisfied with that even if she had been aiming to offer herself to him. her forelimbs folded in front of her, she hadn't bothered to remove the scarf. Marlow went back to Kyn after seeing that Serena was finally settling in for the night and reported what he'd heard. Heji felt Serena near him, and like he mostly usually does, he put his power over her, and went to sleep. Serena might have smiled, it was a little hard to tell, but she let herself fall asleep. Come what may...well, it would be tomorrow at the very least. When her eyes finally opened for the next time, she checked her internal clock, about noon. Well...considering that she had laid down about five...7 hours of sleep? Hmmm. "Hm, that is a bit troubling... but, I can't act any differently or she'll begin to suspect something. It's a bit of a catch twenty-two. Well, unless you decide to become my scapegoat and take the blame for overhearing, and don't mention me. But I couldn't ask you to do something like that." "Relax... I will be able to. I can just say that her memories bled through to me due to her emotional state, and I'd be able to ask her 'accidentally'," he did air quotes with his arms like he had seen someone else do, "while you are nearby and able to hear. I am concerned about her to. But, she will handle this in the way she belivies is necessary. I don't really understand all that honor stuff that she appears to have, but maybe you'll be able to have a sort of understanding." "Well, we'll wait and see tomorrow. It's our day back, and when we sell all the stuff, I'll visit the bay, before we then head back from the bay to the portal. I'm just glad Serena's alive for now though. Goodnight Marlow..." Kyn said, with a wave, getting into the bed and pulling over the covers. "Goodnight Kyn, see you tomorrow." Marlow floated to the room where Striker was sleeping, and situated himself in a corner nearby where he wouldn't be in the way if Striker decided to sleepwalk during the night. 520 PM] : The next morning, KYn woke up via his internal syncronization being off, though it woke it up at a convienient time. Normally he didn't get this much sleep due to having to his alarm set for odd hours of the day. "Today... is my last set of days in this world then..." Kyn said to himself. 01:56 PM] : Marlow actually woke up by himself this time, and managed to wake up before Striker and the rest of the parry. His first move was to go back into the room where Kyn was staying to meet up with him. 058 PM] : Heji gave a big yawn, not exactly knowing whether or not his yawn would rouse Serena, and if it had, well, he'd had plenty of sleep, so she probably had plenty of sleep as well. "Serena, are you ready to go?" He asked, removing his paw from her. 057 PM] : Serena had been well enough awake before, but the yawn made her open her eyes, as always, she answered honestly. "No...not really, but we may as well..." She stretched as she sat up, wondering if the walk of shame felt any more embarressing than what she predicted would happen later on. She slid off the bed, and stood there for a moment, fixing her scarf back up into that stupid bow. Pretenses...did not telling them what she had gotten into last time she was here count as a lie? She didn't know, but telling them would almost be as bad. When the bow was tied, she flicked the lock back over and opened the door, only to find a wall of cream and purple fur. "Syrup...." the way she said it it might have been a explitive. 31 PM] : "I'm not going to lie Serena, you were crying. I am going to ask you once, if you want to talk about it, and if you do not, it will not be mentioned again. Do you wish to speak with me in this private setting, about whatever it is that has you upset to the point of tears?" Heji said, being very firm. 20:19 PM] : She rather quite slammed the door in Syrup's face, let her wait. She muttered curses under her breath before she turned around. "Just...ghosts coming back to haunt me...is all." She put her weight against the door, as if assuring that the Skuntank wouldn't be able to get in while they were talking, and with Syrup's mind, she was going to turn it into the most perverse...Serena let the thought drop, even now it was bringing color to her cheeks. She dodged the question a bit, approaching a different topic. "What would you say if I told you I came in here to offer myself to you last night?" 25:08 PM] : "I would say that that would be rather interesting. Do you plan on doing so before we head out?" Heji asked simply. It was arther hard not to notice how differently Serena acted aroudn him, and coming into his room in the night was one of the additional scenarios in which it made sense that she was possibly infatuated with him. 35:44 PM] : She ran her hand over her headplates, well, at least Marlow hadn't taken that experience from her. In a way, perhaps she always knew he wouldn't. "There's not exactly time now...considering I'd probably need a little...guidance." She blushed at the last word. "But before you leave...I would...gladly." She flicked her tongue out. "I just...didn't want to disturb your sleep." when the blush had gone down, and she felt like the admission wasn't going to kill her--unlike some other things that day, she spoke again. "It seems that we'll have an escort out of town, after we get done shopping as well....and that escort is waiting outside the door..." She could tell Syrup was still there, simply by her smell. 430 PM | Edited 438 PM] : "If you are feeling that when, then I might be willing to oblidge you. Now, w're going to the bay, are we not? Or are we selling our catch here in Gambitville?" Heji asked. The whole respect versus fear thing didn't really matter to him. 43:30 PM] : Kyn and the others made their way towards the room that they believe that Serena currently occupied. When they didn't find her inside, the moved on to the next location, which happened to be Heji's. There was a Skuntank outside, but they didn't make anything of it. 53:24 PM] : "The pelt and bones should be sold around here-" She had opened the door, and this time Syrup had pulled her into a hug, to which Serena herself sighed and let herself go limp. "Hi 'ma.' Sleep well?" She snorted. Syrup treated every dragon like her kid, so as a joke, Serena called her 'ma'. of course, it wouldn't be known by the others. " 'mornin' Serena." She set the little Bagon down on her feet and stepped out of the way. "Ooo a Luxray, kheh." "Syrup...." She abandoned the Ma, her voice going serious. "Don't assume what you don't know." She clicked her tongue and turned to face the others. "So, did anyone think to grab the bag in the room before they came to check this one?" Nothing had happened, and as such, there was no need for a blush. "We were going to go to the general store before leaving, I had something that I wanted to pick up...and well, drop off." She said to Syrup without looking at her. "Ahh, well then, Don't mind if'n I join your's party fer a bit, do yas?" 3:035 AM] : Kyn gave an exaggerated cough, and waited to see if Serena would be able to use him as an escape to hurry up. If not, then he planned to personally give her an excuse. 3:21:20 AM] : Serena sighed at Syrup's statement. "Yes, I mind. It's awkward enough traveling in such a big group, adding you to it would only make it worse, and it doesn't help that you think 'anyone who's with you is in good claws'. You intimidate everyone into everything around here, whether you know it or not." She snorted at the lack of answer about her bag, and rather quite jumped over the group towards the room she was 'supposed' to have slept in, grabbing the bag before returning, only to find Syrup -still- talking. "Kheh. I can see where I'm not needed, Serena, but you still owe me that drink." "Syrup...you're always drunker than...well, never mind. You're probably still getting over Donahue's latest brew." Serena forced herself not to look up at the Skuntank's eyes, knowing she would see tears that she was willing not to let fall. "I'll....be back in a couple weeks, if the rogues---ACK" She was swooped up into another hug, and tried to pry herself out of the woman's grasp. "YA JOINED THE ROGUES did ya?!~ I Knew you'd be a good rogue." "Put. Me. Down. Syrup." She was being squeezed and she could have sworn she heard something crack before she was put back on the ground. "Damnit Syrup, Go HOME." She stamped her claws on the floor. "I told you, I'll be back, I'm..." Her tail flicked down. "I'm not like Mike or Maple." "He actually visited a little while ago, ya only missed 'em by a day or two, he's got 'imself a girlie now by the name of Opal...You remember OPAL, don'tcha?" From the look on her face, Serena remembered Opal quite well. Any retort died on her lips. "I'll let'cha get back to business. See ya round Kiddo." and the Skuntank walked down the steps and out the front door. 3:309 AM] : "Serena, let us be quick. Time is not exactly on your side. A lot just happened that I have no idea, or context about, so I won't ask yet. Maybe some other time." Kyn said, adjusting his his hair, since it had gotten slightly messed up due to sleep. 3:404 AM] : The words seemed to shake her from her stupor. "Right, right." She muttered, slinging the bag over her shoulders. "To the general store then." She took the steps two at a time as she hopped down to the ground floor, and returned the keys to Donahue. /You told me you would tell me about the results from your experiment today./ She reminded Marlow as she rather quite...jogged to the store. She had told the old man to keep the snake safe, and now, now he had let her run off with the incompetent Charmander? She kept her temper in check, but her eyes checked the shadows, and once she could have sworn she had seen Syrup in them, but she didn't get the chance to check, as when she next looked they were empty. She snorted, and pushed the door open, and as expected there was the tinkling of the welcome bell. [I have not performed my experiment yet. You will be informed when I do.] Marlow said neutrally. "Serena, when would be a good time to continue our discussion from the previous night?" Kyn said, avoiding the subject of her apparent familiarity with Gambitville. "When we're on the road." She answered. "However, you are NOT going to carry those bones and pelt all the way back to the bay, let them do the lugging." She snorted again as she picked up some rope from the floor, but made pause at the Chargestones on strings. She pulled them off their pedestal and coiled them up in her hand with the rope, then set them down on the counter and rang the service bell. The tender came 'round eventually, rubbing a cloth over his glasses "yes yes, I'm here. How can I help you to--today." He stuttered. "Got some trading to do. First things first. Tauros pelt." She motioned to Kyn, sliding her items out of the way so that he might place it on the counter, her green eyes still trained on the shopkeeper. She KNEW she was making him nervous, she didn't care. Kyn took the pelt and laid it out across the counter. "Seems like a few of these could cover this pretty well." he commented, keeping his words few. The male looked the pelt over, but didn't meet Kyn's eyes, instead he looked at Serena, who was growing impatient, and it showed, if only in her eyes. The pupils had slitted, and he rather pulled money from his till, put it in a bag, and handed it to the disguised Kyn as he pulled the pelt and bones off of the table. The moment that was done, Serena slipped a few coins onto the counter from her own pack, sticking the rope in her pack, and holding the two Chargestones in her claws. Finally as she slipped out, the keeper unfroze. "A-ah, have a nice day!" he stuttered, Serena very much ignored him. The sooner she was out of this town...BAM. She was lucky she hadn't taken another step, as an energy ball collided with the wooden floor. Well, her luck couldn't hold out forever, she supposed. "Alright Serena, what the hell was that? There was no mistaking that shopkeeper's response to you. I am not demanding but I am strongly requesting another explanation." Kyn said, with a sigh at the end. He didn't really figure that Serena revealing more about herself could do any more harm than she already thought she did. As it was pointed out earlier, since he wasn't planning on staying in this world, it shouldn't really matter much. She rather quite growled at him, or at least, it was very close, if it wasn't. "I'm not LIKED around here Kyn, i thought I made it clear of that last night...In fact, if it wasn't for Syrup, I'd probably have my face on a wanted poster. Several have demanded that there be a bounty on my head for what happened before I knew better." She ignored the Energy ball on the ground. "I told you, i didn't get to this strength by sitting around on my ass." She had already charged the shadow claw and intersected another energy ball while it was out on the road. "Why don't you guys start heading back to the Oasis, and I'll catch up...hm?" She tried to be nonchalant about it, but come on, really? "Since I've associated myself with you, well...they'll quite let you go if they can have me without too much of a fight...and on the way, you can tell them, Kyn, just exactly WHO I was." "I've already told you how strong you are. Assuming that you don't get swarmed by fifty Pokémon, then nothing will happen to you. Unless of course you decide to give yourself up. I HOPE that's not another one of the reasons why you asked if I could find my way back to your cave without you. Also that last line sounds like something out of a cowboy play. You're living the real life version of... in essence, that sort of outlaw that isn't really exactly a 'bad guy' per se, just trying to survive." Kyn wasn't sure how Serena would take that last part, but he would clarifiy if necessary! She laughed. "I don't plan on walking off into any sunsets any time soon, Kyn...I might come home with some new scars, but no, I'm not going to die. I Promise." She did turn around to hand him the Chargestones she still had on hand. "I -Promise-." She said again. "Now get going." As she spoke, she stepped out into the sunlight, away from the cover of the roof, addressing her attackers. "I suppose it'd be too much to ask, for you to hold your fire until the travelers are out of the area...or at least for you to come out so that we can settle this...honorably." She muttered the last word, and her answer was what seemed to have been a bullet seed to the headplates, not very effective at all. "Didn't think so. Ah well." "Well, this is going rather poorly. She better come back." Kyn said, after he was already on the way back to the oasis., He held the Chargestones in his hands looking down at them like he would a gift from a very close friend that had passed way, though he knew that if Serena said she promised, she meant it. It was nearing 6pm when Serena slipped into the oasis center. She had, of course, been bleeding once upon a time, and instead of wearing her scarf around her neck, she wore it around her back at an angle as a bandage of sorts. She remembered the scene she had left, she had stayed her hand from killing them, from marking her as a murderer again, and instead left them in Syrup's hands, who had taken care of her wounds before she had headed out. She pulled the leaves apart as she entered the area that she traced the link with Marlow to. She looked around the clearing, but didn't say anything. [There you are Serena. The results of my experiment. Do you wish to hear them now?] Waiting for Serena to return was almost torturous. Kyn passed the time by browsing pictures on his Xtransciever that he took out of his pack. Having a little technology on this trip would be a bother for some of his other companions, but it wasn't really a problem with him, as he was more in touch with nature than most... but still had some level of technological dependency. "If you wish to give them to me, by all means Marlow, do so." She spoke. "But not through my mind, please. It's been a bit...taxing...today." She didn't bother sitting down, instead she wrinkled her nose at the non-movement of the others. "You look like a bunch of sad-sacks." She made the comment offhandedly. "I mean I made you a promise." She chuckled, and almost immediately regretted it, but made no motion to say that anything was wrong. "While I was with them, I maintained my form, for two hours." Marlow stated simply. "It's not really that simple Serena. I will be going back to Gambitville occasionally, but I probably won't look at it the same way anymore. Now, let's hurry up and continue to the Bay. That bird back at your cave doesn't have any food for now so the longer we wait, the closer it comes to starving. Though there's a chance that it might get desperate and cannibalize its own eggs." "Ah, you did did you?" She managed to make the words sound light hearted, even though they carried a lot of weight. She pressed past the others. "Night time will be upon us soon...we'll get to the bay at about sunrise, maybe a little later, if we don't stop to rest." She looked down at the ground with a slight sigh. "Kyn...You asked me why the Shop keeper was so nervous...Opal...well, she was the Daughter of Guld; Pretty little thing she was, when I last saw her. She insisted on staying in Gambitville after her father's death, rather than going home to her mother...and since she was so adamant about it, I got her a job at the general store. I charged the shopkeeper with her safe keeping...and Syrup told me that she'd run off with her son...I suppose he thought i was there to collect on my threat." She reached into her pack, and pulled out a flask of purple liquid, unscrewing the cap before taking a few gulps, and putting it back. "Problem with most, can't tell a threat from a promise." "I do not need to rest. It is up to the rest of the party if they need to rest. If even just one of them needs to rest, then we all might as well take a rest. So I ask now, do any of you feel like you need a rest?" The others, having gotten used to Kyn's strange sleeping habits, were used to staying awake for long periods of time. There was no reaction other than a shaking of heads. Serena nodded. "Well then, lets go." She lowered herself to all fours, and rather loped rather than walked, to the edge of the clearing, passing back through the town, and finally into the prarie grass and sand. "Marlow...does the name Guld ring a bell?" She said after a couple moments. "No... at least not right away. Maybe if some digging were done it might come up somewhere." He suggested. The group moved in formation again, forming up on Kyn in a diamond pattern. "This little entourage... isn't really utilized back home. We do it for a different purpose there. It is your choice as to whether or not you wish to utilize it here as well." Kyn said, then continued on. "Eh?" Serena said, looking back over her shoulder. "Back up a step Kyn, if you're going to say it's our choice, then you should at least mention what it's used for first." "I'm not usually one to show off Serena, unless it's really just a boring day, but generally there is a sense that they are willing to be bodyguards, in many of the non-human populated areas that we go to. There have been many times where we have been able to go through areas that were designated to dangerous for humans to go to, simply because of how strong they are, and the fact that their combined strength was enough. You have the choice of bodyguards. That may not appeal to you, but the choice is still there." Kyn said, following up his explanation with a checking of the time on his watch. "Bodyguards, as in guarding somebody with your own body, I'm guessing? Yes, that is essentially what we're doing here...Speaking of which, Striker's swarm ability hasn't gone off in a while, that could be considered a good thing, or a bad thing." She wrinkled her nose. "Passing information is not, at all, considered showing off." as time went by, soon the lights of the city could be seen on the horizon. "Still a couple hours away from where we are currently." She had stopped to pull the flask out again, taking another swig, she was surprised he didn't ask, but was also rather thankful that he didn't. "Speaking of showing off. I want to show you some of my older conquests. When we get there or the next time one of us wants to take a break." Kyn said, checking his watch again, looking to see how long they had been traveling. Serena flicked her tongue out as Kyn spoke again. "Probably would be a better idea to do it now, rather than IF we take a break..." Her head turned to the right with the shifting of the sand. "Oh...well I suppose i jinxed it." A Camerupt had emerged from the sand to her right, and from the sound of it, a Lairon to the left. "That Lairon might be annoying...Any suggestions?" She had instinctively turned to face the Camerupt on the right, putting the flask back in her bag as she slipped it off her shoulders. For now, they were just staring them down. "Irony is that it would be better to let these two fight one another..." "Lairon... Lairon... that's Aggron's previous form, correct? If so, then a Fighting-type move will devastating to it. Now...based on what you just said last... there's a crazy idea that I got that just might work. Depending on what type of Fire moves the Camerupt uses, Medicham can turn it on the Lairon, and finish it off with some Fighting type moves." Kyn said, running scenarios through in his head, sometimes hmming out loud to himself and muttering. As they drew closer, he knew he'd have to move out of the way, so he did, not drawing his swords considering the Camerupt could easily melt them. "Alright, Heji and Tensa on the Lairon, Marlow and I on the Camerupt...Medicham using one's moves against the other..." She counted off, and then brought herself up to her full height, removing the scarf from her back and exposing her wounds to the air. They were essentially scars now, as she wrapped it around her neck. "As you're ready folks, don't wait for me." She said, and then she was off in a beeline, straight for the Camerupt before it could get any closer to Kyn, the blue green aura surrounding her as she ran, and leaving the trail behind her, giving them more light to fight by aside from the setting sun and the rising moon. "Serena, couldn't we just slice this damn camel open after it helps us beat the Lairon as well as what we're doing now? We need to antagonize it enough for it to use fire." Kyn said running opposite of Serena's trail, and opposite of the Lairon's reflected steel plates. "Plan on it." She ducked what might have been a headbutt, and slammed herself into the camerupt's front leg, then darted away as the energy started to close after her, relaying in a cone, and finally to a pinpoint. Admittedly, it didn't do much but make the Pokémon angry. It was exactly what she wanted, as the lava boiled in the volcano's on it's back, and she danced out of the way of a flamethrower, leading it to where the others were before leaping upwards to land on the top of it's head, and wrap her scarf around it's eyes so that it was blind. "and sure, if you like lava raining down onto the sand as it erupts for it's last time." Of course, with it now blind, it was trying to get her, and the scarf off, so that it could angle things properly, and Serena looked like she was about to bite it when it bucked again, finally shaking her off onto the sand. "Heji, use Iron Tail! Tensa, Leaf Blade," Kyn quickly ordered, thinking of weaknesses in his head and coming up with the fact that Heji's dark and electric type moves would be resisted. Heji leaped up into the air and then his tail glowed a bright white, then it turned into a metallic silver. He did a somersault and landed it directly on the Lairon's head, after which Tensa used a Leaf Blade on the currently disoriented Lairon. Marlow didn't really think he could do much so what he did do was launch a large number of very weak attacks from various angles at the Camerupt to disorient it, while the others moved in to assist with the final blows. Serena rolled before a foot could land on her, that would have been bad, but it did put her in a rather unique position...While the Camerupt was distracted with Marlow, she fired off a Dragon Pulse right into it's neck, and scurried out of the way of it as it fell to earth. She pulled the scarf from the Pokémon's eyes, and wrapped it over her neck again as she heard the second thud, this time from the Lairon. "Well...that was interesting." She walked back to where the bag had been set down and dusted it off before slipping it onto her sandy back. "That was easy," Kyn said, dusting himself off. Before walking over to Serena. "So what's the next step here Serena? What would you do after an encounter like this?" She blinked at him. 'You make it sound as if I encounter this thing everyday...maybe once a week, and usually not together." She looked at the Lairon, and then the Camerupt. "Usually, if and when I find a Pokémon that I can ride, I do so...Camerupt don't make for good mounts...they tend to be slow...where as Lairon are more prone to rampaging...the question is if it's been knocked out, or if it's dead." "Well, I do, so I figured you might. Though I mean not exactly this specific type of thing, just plenty of wild Pokémon ambushes when I don't have my Pokémon out in the open, and even sometimes when I do," Kyn said, only partially understanding of her situations. "You know, this is almost becoming rather bothersome. I am become the foremost expert on whether or not a Pokémon is dead or just knocked out around here. Nothing here is dead." Marlow blurted after that last sentence Serena said. He paused. "Except me, of course. Well... bah. You know." "Of course Marlow, I figured you would be the one to answer the question." She pulled the coil of rope from her pack and made some reins and a halter, pulling it tight over the Pokémon's head before climbing up it's side. "Well this should work well enough, we'll have to abandon formation, but eh, four hours on the back of a Lairon is better than nine walking." "Damn it all Serena, I haven't told you how many times I've thought about Reshiram during all our journeys. This will work, but haven't you thought about it too?" Kyn said, hoping that she'd be able to understand his thinking while their thoughts were still focused on travel. "Flying, you mean? I think about flying almost every day..." She snorted, waiting for all of them to board before reaching down and biting the Lairon's headplate, letting her mouth get increasingly hot until it nearly bolted upright. She let go of it then, and pulled it's head in the direction they wanted to go, and had it not had the shit kicked out of it less than five minutes ago, it might have fought, but as it was it turned and reacted properly to the directions, starting off slow but gradually picking up speed. "Well sort of yeah, but alright. Why don't we find a way that Reshiram can carry both you and me at the same time?" Kyn suggested. Not necessarily trying to fulfill her idea of flying, but more so the idea of quick travel. "...Kyn, I'm afraid that I can't let you bring your white one into this world. No Pokémon of Myth should ever cross between the worlds except for a specific reason, and that shouldn't be to save our feet from being used. However, if you were in reference to convincing the Space bender to edit the rift so that time passed slowly and visiting whatever it is that you wanted to show me on YOUR side...Well, I've said before that I don't have control over what you do." She was berating herself for letting herself get thrown off the Camerupt, what HAD she been doing instead of fighting? She remembered watching the two take down the Lairon as she fell...and then she was on the ground and avoiding a foot from crushing her lungs. "Oh damn. Well, I guess then, my statement still stands for my world. And, as for the second thing you said, I planned on doing that. Now, when we get to the Bay, I do have a few things I want to show you from my world again." Kyn said, disappointed at not being able to bring Reshiram to this world. "Apparently today is a very boring day?" She spoke, almost without thinking, but at least when she sparked an ember near the Lairon's head it responded by moving faster. She really didn't care about it, it was essentially just an animal after all. "Sorry, i didn't mean that...just haven't eaten yet today and being attacked twice has me a little on edge..." "Alright you, I don't care how much you protest, or what I have to do, but I am going to get you to relax when get to the Bay!" Kyn said half forcefully, half playfully. "...It's not my element, Kyn, relaxed happens on my turf, not in someone elses territory...but fine, you want me to relax? The bay is only a couple hours from Tao village, shorter even to my cave...and they have a postal service. I'll see if i can't get one of the ghosts to take care of the bird and we can spend a few days there if you like...Do me a favor and grab the flask from inside the pack again, since you're behind me, Kyn. I would get it myself, but a moment of weakness can make the difference in controlling something that doesn't accept you as an alpha." "Yes. I will do that. So, about this here flask. I'm not going to ask what's in it, but I will say, that it reminds me of a human drinking alcohol. Have you ever been intoxicated Serena?" Kyn asked carefully. "Have been, yes, you did hear Syrup say that I owed her a drink...Dragons don't exactly have the ability to bounce back like the poison types do, but drinking does deaden the nerves for a while." She took the flask from him, twisting the cap and took another swig of it. "One of my ribs is cracked, don't think that's ever happened before...well, when it wasn't self inflicted anyway." "Hm, such an interesting set of circumstances. I'll try my best not to treat you like a human as much. I do sometimes need to be reminded. There have been times where I've had to remind Tensa too. I'm rather used to Pokémon taking after humans most of the time. Hmm, I wonder if they'd respond to terrorist attacks the same way...?" Kyn mumbled that last bit aloud, doing his chin-stroking thing while he thought. "Terrorist attacks?" She snorted, her head was foggy from the mixture that Syrup had put in the flask, she wasn't exactly sure what it was herself, only that it smelled like a mixture of her poison and some fermented berries, and something else that she claimed wouldn't leave her with a hang over the next day. "We have gangs and tribes, but it would take something larger scale than them to put the meaning of terror into our hearts." She said, taking a stab at what the word 'terrorist' meant. She looked at the horizon where the sun would be coming up behind the buildings in a few hours, and pulled the Lairon to a stop a little ways outside of the city limits. "I will never understand why some 'mon believe that all of us are created equal, but someone will flip their lids if they see us 'riding in on someone else' and in bondage to boot." She slid off the Lairon's back and pulled on the reins so that it was forced to look her in the eye as the others got off, at least, that way they would be safe in doing so. When they were all off, she pulled the rope off of it's neck and growled at it. Words were lost in the gutteral sound, but apparently the Lairon got the jist as it turned tail and ran back the way that they had come from. She coiled the rope back up and snorted. "Think Sorbet level destruction and death, but over a period of several years, and over a much larger scale, stretching as far as from Tao Village to the Bay. Every day, more hundreds of deaths being reported. Hatchlings, elders, middle age, it doesn't matter, you don't know where the next attack will come from, or when but you know it is coming." Kyn tried. "Sounds like paranoia, it wouldn't affect most of us. Scavengers would pick them up, dispose of them. Only those who actually formed bonds with those who died would have any reason to hate the ones doing it. Sorbet was a problem to all three guilds, those who responded didn't care about the problem, they just did as they were told." She sighed, putting the flask back in her bag as she walked into the city, the rope following suit. "Eventually those who cared about what happened would form together and make a pact for a period of time to take the problem down." "That, I suppose, is one of the things that rather separates humans from Pokémon. In some ways, I rather admire that." Kyn said, and after they entered the city, he ceased to mention anything human related until they were in a place where they could freely speak about it and no one would care. Serena took the time to wrack her brain, and then she looked around. "Oi...I'm going to regret doing this..." She steered them over to the K.R. Casino, rather quite ignoring the Clefairy at the door, she seemed to do that a lot lately. Still, they wouldn't look twice at a large group of Pokémon together here, and it was busy enough that they wouldn't have to worry about being overheard. Still, this was the place that the first error message had been recieved, and still, this place was full of technology. She walked up to, not surprisingly, another clefairy behind the desk, who at first mistook her for Terra, but once she got it straight they called up Anana and got them cleared to stay for a couple nights, the keycards were passed to her, and she hopefully lead the group to the elevator, grumbling under her breath. "You wanted to fill in for Dee anyway, right Marlow?" "There was a time when I did want to I guess, but I've rather lost my motivation now." He quickly responded. "Yay for casinos. Glad to see that I'm not going to feel completely out of place here." Kyn said sarcastically. "Think you can cover one show a night?" She shot Kyn a look. "It's just a room, it's not a prison...no, you'd be dead if you screwed up here...there's a Slowking that runs this place, and he has enough muscle to even put ME out of commission. We're not here to play on the machines...it's a free room and so long as you're with us, you can eat ANYWHERE in the bay for free as well. Anana's picking up the tab." She rubbed her headplates as the elevator stopped, walked down the hall a ways to the number she had been given, and opened the door. Inside was a 'living room' of sorts, and setting off to either side were doors which lead off to bedrooms. "There are two bathrooms here, one on either side, and both are attached to the rooms themselves." She said simply, flopping herself down on the couch. "Pick your rooms now--we've still got a couple hours before the post office opens...and as with the Saloon, the walls are sound proofed." "I hate to seem ungrateful after all you've helped me with and done so far but.... First of all... What the hell were you thinking?! Secondly, how the hell did you manage to do it?" Kyn said "Ugh. We're only going to BE here for one night I thought. All that other crap about asking Ghosts, I say to you the same thing Kyn did, what the hell were you thinking?!" "The guilds put up a request for someone to come take Dee's place in the bay, she's an assistant in the magic show here. We're a bit late, but h--she's still a bit sick." She had put her claws together, tapping the sharp tips against one another with pinpoint accuracy. "I tried to set it up for only one night at first, and that wouldn't fly. Being an assistant shouldn't be too hard anyway...a few tricks...and we'll be able to do what Kyn suggested. R-E-L-A-X. It's unfavorable, but one of our fellow Rogues will take care of the bird...it means that all of the candy might be gone when we get back, but if it is, then they've been paid for their help." "Bah, fine whatever. Now just sit there while I show you what I wanted to show you." Kyn said, taking off his Xtransciever and sitting down on the couch next to Serena. "Well then. I suppose one of those entertainment choices you'll all have is his performance. Guess you'll be seeing me sooner than later." Marlow commented. "I didn't exactly volunteer you specifically Marlow, did you honestly think i would be so rude? You don't have to If you don't want to, If not, I'll just take your place." She blinked at the Xtransciever, admittedly curious, but her mind wasn't in it, at least, not completely. Her stomach seemed to agree with her, and she dug around in her pack for one of those rocks that gave her headplates their color. She bit into it with a crunch, and chewed. "Ya were playing with that when I walked back inta camp." She said, trying not to spit gravel everywhere, she didn't have the table manners that Marlow seemed to insist that she needed. "Yes well, I take it you have good eyes, because this damn thing, has such a small screen, but it's portable which is the main convenience. Wait a moment." Kyn pushed a button on the side and then another screen popped out. He fiddled around with settings, and then brought up archives his records in the Pokémon League that anyone who was willing to dig back far enough would be able to find, but that he had just conveniently saved. His second run through the Hoenn League. "What I wanted to show you was a record of when I entered the League for the second time, and with Tensa. It is a bit long, so I hope you don't mind." The video was set up so that it was stretched across the two screens, but the divider in the middle was rather annoying somewhat. She folded one foot up under her, a rather relaxed pose. "Most Pokémon do have good eyes." She confirmed, her head tilted as she watched the screens, and it was only when it finished that she took time to process what was shown to her. Pokémon, fighting, and having fun doing it. Obviously they weren't dead...in the end she just snorted and licked her claws. She would offend them both if she actually said anything, of that she was sure, but she fought to live...this was...a mockery of it. "This... is essentially the whole premise of the Pokémon League. Which is why when I met you and discovered your way of life... that it made me reevaluate mine." That stopped the thought process in the tracks. She glanced at him with her forest green eyes, and flicked out her tongue. "I...am a minimalist, in the truest sense of the word. If i wanted to, I could have had a house BUILT for the team, I could have moved into town, could have had it furnished with couches as comfy as this one, with Ducklett down pillows and sheets made from Cottonee fibers...basing your way of life against mine is foolish." She didn't think she had even told Marlow that, but she was happy with her cave, it had always kept her safe from harm, and she didn't think she would ever part with it. "However...I will tell you that that..." She pointed at the screens. "Is a mockery of the way that I live." "Nothing I know can ever compare. I was hoping to get your opinion of it, good or bad. There is one other thing I will tell you. This world of yours... is going to be a closely guarded secret of mine. There will be only two people who will even have a remote hint of a place like this, and that would be Clair the Dragonmaster, and Professor Oak. Now, on a more positive note, Pokémon Contests. I also have some stored on here." Kyn really thought about what Serena had said, and figured that he wouldn't even come close to being able to understand how this situation would seem from her point of view. "Heh...well, if it wasn't, then they would all likely end up dead anyway. I can see it now, humans coming into Tao village and trying to capture Pokémon who, by most meaning of the words, would tear into their Pokémon like a predator on their prey, and then when the Pokémon were dead, they'd turn on the humans." She waited for the contests to be loaded onto the screen, rather patiently for her, leaving the silence there for a moment. "You already know i can't tell anyone else anything about you either...you need not think of my happiness." "People are still baffled by the way I treat my Pokémon. Anyway, it is time for you to get a glimpse of the OTHER side of human interaction with Pokémon." He started up a video that featured some of the opening rounds of his first time entering in the Grand Festival. Serena mentioned something about him being a jack of all trades. This--this she found interesting, Pokémon going about their abilities with grace, showing off even, yes, that quite appealed to her inner dragon, and the outer dragon too, if looks were to be believed. She had at some point leaned forward onto her knees, and only when the video ended did she force herself to sit back. "Serena, I don't know what exactly you were paying attention to during this, but you should be able to recognize me amongst all the other entrants. Now for the next few rounds." Kyn said, scrolling down through his list. "Kyn, you're teasing a dragon here..." She made the comment offhandedly "Probably best to leave some of them for later...I'm sure I smell like I've been hugging backside of a Skuntank and like a Camerupt had it's way with me. Can it wait until I've had a nice hot bath?" Syrup had put the thought in her mind before she left, and right now it sounded sooo good. "I wasn't intending on 'teasing a dragon' as you say but yes, go ahead." Kyn said, pushing the screen back into it's slot. "I know you weren't...for the record it's not a good idea...waving an event that I like in front of my nose and knowing that I'll never be able to see it would be the equivalent of me giving you a taste of something that you'd never be able to deny liking, just enough to get you hooked--and then refusing to give you more." She muttered under her breath about the stink on her, and how all of this ruined the coating of Heji's scent on her from the night prior. Of course, Kyn's ears wouldn't be able to hear it from so far away, but the others...that was a different story. She clicked one of the still unoccupied room's door behind her, and headed into the bathroom, her claws clicking against the tile as she started her bath. "Beh. Who says you won't be able to see it yourself?" Kyn muttered when she was out of earshot. He planned on showing her one of Hearthome City's daily Pokémon Contests that ran in the city that weren't part of the qualifiers for the Grand Festival. "It really doesn't matter that much how long we stay here. Considering that if we stay here for 12 days, 12 days wouldn't have passed back home." Striker commented. Hot water, steam and all sorts of scented soaps, luxuries that Serea had gladly forgone for the most part. She slipped gladly into the hot water and picked one of the milder scents, as well as a scrub brush. She did wince as the brush grazed the wounds that used to be much worse than they were now, but they did need to be clean. The soap of course stripped her of her natural oils on her scales, and only when she got to her neck did she realize that she had worn her scarf in, and set it on the rim, she would wash that in the sink when she was through, perhaps she could get most of the dried blood out of it. When she deemed herself clean, she let the (almost black) water drain out of the tub and dried herself against a fluffy towel. "Y'know, I guess it really couldn't hurt for me to shower either. Now perhaps that it's implied that we're going to be here a while. Perhaps Tensa will be able to do what he wanted to do, since as she mentioned, soundproofing. When she gets back I'll ask her about more of the cleaning areas." Tensa practically lit up at Kyn's suggestion, and it excited him greatly, but he didn't mention it at all. It wasn't long before she was back, she was sparkling with a soft scented oil that matched the soap she had used, and her scarf was warm and soft again after another quick drying, but still she couldn't help but feel a bit more like an elephant in the room, like she had just walked in on something that she wasn't supposed to hear. She ignored the feeling, her claws clicking against the wood once again. "There, that's better." well, at the very least, she did seem more relaxed. "Probably the only downside to Syrup's concoction, I don't know when it's wearing off and when my body is stitching itself back together." "Alright Serena... uh... besides that one, that you were just in... where are the other bathing areas? I believe that besides me, there are others that wish to bathe." He didn't specifically refer to who but he guessed that she would probably assume that most of them did. She blinked at him. "Well usually MOST Pokémon aren't shy about bathing together. Aside from the one I used, there's another over on the other side, and probably one to the south past the kitchenette, but I'd have to look at the floorplan to be sure." She did glance at Tensa, and took his signs of happiness as being offered a wash. She smelled like cherries--even the thought made her smile. Well, Anana had certainly outdone herself, she retreieved the roomplan from the door, which was set annoyingly high up on the door considering her height, but her claws could JUST reach it...and then she was back at the couch. "Yeah, the one back there is smaller, I'm guessing in case there are some that are shy about bathing, or incase the doors to the other two are locked." "I am for the most part, aware of that. That is another benefit about being in a Pokémon dominated world. I don't have to worry about modesty much, I think. Well, we'll be off now. See you in a bit, Serena." Kyn said, with a wave, heading for one of the nearest places. Striker and Tensa followed close behind him. Heji and Medicham went to the other area. Serena flopped down on the couch again at one end. She had been left with Marlow, and he probably still wasn't happy with her. "Have you chosen the room you want yet?" She asked, pulling the flask from the bag at her feet, the green eyes meeting blue. She didn't need to talk with him, necessarily, but the silence, after traveling with them for the days they had, and being surrounded by speech for so long, was growing deafening. Of course, she could have turned on the TV, been greeted with a Porygon, who would then funnel in a stream of electricity from down below, something recorded...but she didn't exactly feel like watching a movie, and besides, Kyn would likely be more apt to want to meet the Porygon for himself. "Yes. The room you have chosen, is the room *I* have chosen." Marlow said simply. He did something the he hadn't done in a while, and floated over to Serena and 'sat' on her head. "...You do realize that there's a likelyhood that you'll end up being alone in the room when you wake up from your sleep cycle, right?" She flicked out her tongue, carefully balancing his skull on her headplates as she reached forward for the flask of purple liquid, and found that her ribs didn't hurt. What exactly WAS in this stuff? 33:15 PM] : "Why is that? Are you planning on being up early or something?" Marlow hoped Serena wouldn't let him fall, because he knew she was partially under the influence of whatever was in that flask, but he didn't know by how much. "Naivete isn't in your nature, Marlow." She did take another drink from the flask, and let her tongue flicked out over her lips. "When the sun is up high enough, I'll be heading to the post...unless you'd prefer to go home." She offered. She had thought, at one point, that Marlow's memory might have improved while being in Gambitville, as that was the place that they had thought that he had originally lived in. "I'm going to shadow you. This is one of those time where you're not going to be able to get rid of me for a while." Kyn and Tense were currently engaged in cleaning activities, and Tensa was enjoying the water. "Try not to get TOO excited. Though we do need to clean EVERY part of us." "What's the point if we're just going to get 'dirty' again?" Tensa commented, sighed. "The point is... we've been traveling for a while now, and we haven't touch a single drop of water other than what we've had to drink." Kyn countered. "You think that that's going to change what I intend to do, or are you just being your curious self? If it's the latter, I can give you the memories afterwards." She commented, snorting. "But honestly, I had no idea, Marlow." The chuckle that accompanied it was something akin to those that happened last night, though she pulled the skull off of her head, transferring him to her chest as she reclined on the couch, her head on the arm of it. "What? Serena, now you're not making sense, going from subject to subject. What exactly are you chuckling at now?" He oomphed as she shifted him around and made note to tell her to be more careful later. "I'm not making sense? I'm not shifting from topic to topic at all. Where was I last time I wasn't in my room, Marlow?" She asked him, he knew the answer. She was with Heji, of course. "As for what I'm chucking about, is you turning into a voyeur after telling me you didn't like being sent simply to supervise things." "Knowing you, you were with Heji." He answered before commenting on what she said next. "This is different and you know it. I am doing this for a reason that you will figure out later." "Yes, I was with Heji." She confirmed, and chuckled again at him. "You could just tell me, you know. As much as we pretend to be, we are not mind readers when the other wants to keep a secret." She idly rubbed the crack in his skull with the thumb of her free hand, leaning to the side to put the flask back, she hadn't even taken another drink, but she got the sense that she didn't need to. With the rock in her belly, it was much considered to be 'full', and as with most, a full belly meant she would be getting sleepy soon. Tensa helped with cleaning in between Striker's carapace as well as the other parts of his exoskeleton, and then he began working on the areas underneath an in between. "Thank you all very much for your assistance again," Striker said. In addition to what was already there, Kyn also had travel sized shampoo for his own hair, which was something that he felt he needed, just keeping that additional part of home. "No, you will have to figure it out on your own. I will tell you in five days if you haven't worked it out." Marlow said, noticing that Serena had began fiddling with the crack in his skull. Serena sighed at the idea of having Marlow shadow her around. Despite what she said, it did put a damper on what she had in mind. "I wont try. You do know that, or at least you should by now. I don't keep you on a leash and watch everything you do." she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, forcing herself into a semi upright positioning so that she wouldn't fall asleep. "Alright if that's what it comes to, then I shall tell you. It is because I believe it is in my best interest to monitor you here. At least when I am not doing those silly shows." Kyn, Striker, and Tensa finished bathing, and went back into the room where Serena was, since they hadn't chosen where they would stay yet. Heji and Medicham had finished as well. Medicham dried Heji with a towel, but he still couldn't help himself and began giving himself a tongue bath in certain places that he deemed necessary, afterwards. They walked in a short while afterwards. "So, where are the sleeping quarters again?" Kyn asked. "I've already told you you didn't need to do those shows, if you didn't I would just take your place." She spoke softly. Her next statement was cut off as Kyn spoke, and she looked at him oddly. "Four bedrooms on each side, for goodness sakes Kyn you walked through one on your way back here." She knew he was putting off something. "There's nothing...wrong..Is there Kyn?" She phrased it very carefully. "Hm... no. Nothing is wrong at this current time. Also, you WILL get to see a Pokémon Contest. Understood?" His hair wasn't as normally spiky as it was, but it was still recognizable, as he hadn't put the hairgel in just yet. "Probably better that I not." Her tongue flicked out as she spoke, giving a slight hiss to her words. "So you'll be going to bed soon then? I realize it's getting back around to the point where you slept before.." Of course, she hadn't noticed the other two from the other direction, at least until their scents hit her nose. She was struck by the urge to pounce Heji's tail, but knew how odd that would look, and was still able to supress it; so apparently she wasn't TOO drunk, if at all. /Why do you think that you need to watch me constantly?/ "Dammit Serena, make no mistake, if I have to force you to come with me, I will! Why in the world could you possibly believe that it would be better if you didn't see one?" [Well, I suppose there's really no point in keeping this from you at this point since we're in that sort of relationship, as a Team but, I overheard your conversation with Syrup.] "Because SEEING it was the problem in the first place." She spat back at him, and what's more, she snarled. "AND you're lying to me, you're either doing it now, or you did it back when you told me that you wouldn't force me into anything." she didn't exactly turn away from him, but there was that typical smoke coming from her snout as she forced herself to look away from him. /Ah...you need not worry about anything in Gambitville following us, either physically or emotionally. My debt is...well, paid in full. You haven't looked at my back, I take it, or the scars that are there now, that were not there before./ "Ugh. Serena, you're taking my words too literal. This time I mean. I guesss what I'm saying is... I wouldn't have shown you that unless you would have been able to experience it for yourself. It may not be now, but eventually you'll be in a position to be able to see them firsthand." He didn't care that what he said had apparently caused her to become annoyed, maybe even angry with him, but he wanted to clarify. She wrinkled her nose at him, her green eyes focused in on him. "If you do not say what you mean, why do you talk? Life would be a lot simpler if we all did that, rather than phrasing it in a way that can be misconstrued." She rubbed at her temples, just below where the headplates started. She knew she was part of the 'we' and that she was being hypocritical, but she didn't exactly care at the moment. Alcohol made her tongue slip more than it should have, and more open about things she was normally rather closed minded on. "This is a fallacy of my humanity I am afraid. But, enough of this talk for now. I shall be headed off to bed, as you correctly stated." Kyn said, turning his back to Serena, not necessarily waiting for a response. Serena sighed a little, picking Marlow up by the horn as Kyn exited, and set him on the cushion in front of her as she sat up the rest of the way. She watched Kyn walk away, and sighed again rather than bidding him off a goodnight/morning/whatever. Her eyes closed for a moment, then reopened, and she was really...quite aware of them all around her. She checked the time on the clock on the wall, and thought about going to send the post off, and rethought...if she was able to put Kyn in odd sorts, it would probably start a fight with any 'mon on the street. /You've gone quiet./ Kyn went into a room with Tensa and closed the (I'm assuming there's doors here still) door behind them. Kyn could tell how eager Tensa was to do this with him, after being denied such a long time. "Alright, you get your wish tonight." Kyn said, removing his overcoat, cape, and shirt. There wasn't going to be striptease tonight. Tensa removed Kyn's belt, and pants, and folded them in a stack near the rest of what was already removed, then he quickly tackled Kyn to the bed. Although he wasn't that interested in a striptease, it still didn't stop him from doing any foreplay. [Nothing left to say to you. Go to sleep Serena.] Marlow said. She wrinkled her nose, her body rather tense, all of the relaxing the tub had done had been undone. "Fine." The word came out slowly, calmly, perhaps too much so. She left Marlow there on the couch as she dropped to the floor, clipping the link with him so that at least for the time being. He couldn't read her, couldn't even find her. The link was, of course, set up on a permission basis, and when he didn't have permission, he may as well have been shut out. The sobering thought was that she was behaving like a child, yet again, as she closed the door behind her. She didn't bother to lock it, and rather than sleeping on what she was sure was a soft, comfortable mattress, she slid under the bed to ignore the sun. Silence again, and the deep throbbing ache that came from when the link was inactive, but she wanted to be reminded that they wouldn't always be there, that she would, at some point, always be alone. After removing Kyn's only last remaining protect, Tensa prepared him in the way he normally did, playing with him with his tongue. Kyn decide to let Tensa top him this time, so he let him position him, and do whatever he wanted in this case. Tensa chose the missionary position this time, and he also used his long to to stimulate Kyn as well. After they were finished it would be apparent to anyone with a decent nose, which was pretty much everyone, what they had done. That bad both exchanged a decent amount of their scent, but Kyn went to bed with his clothes on again. Tensa curled up beside him and they both fell asleep together, with him finally satisfied after having been pent up so much. Serena slept, if just barely, but the darkness had helped her forget where she was. As consequence, of course, she tried to sit up, to be greeted with the clang of the bedframe against her headplates. Thankfully it hadn't been her tail, but still, shimmying out from under the bed was a bit humiliating. Three hours, she snorted to herself; she was going to throw that stupid flask away, she didn't remember why she had even accepted it from Syrup in the first place...She straightened her scarf and checked to make sure the metal of the bedframe didn't put a dent in her headplates...well, that was obvious, it wouldn't have. Slowly she let the link fade back into existence, since she would be leaving, she had a letter to send off after all. The bedrooms did have a little desk off to the side, and stationary...but it did take her a bit to find the graphite to write the said letter. It was a short, perhaps four sentences long, and of course she was having to deal with the smell that seeped under doors, and it made her squirm in the chair. She couldn't, wouldn't, begrudge his sex with his mate, especially when she was the one who told them that they needed to keep Tensa's scent on him. After waking up, and still feeling Tensa nearby him, knowing him to be awake he said to him, "Well. If we do stay in this world perhaps... it would be good to keep a personal record, other than my memory. Video I mean. Anyway, I guess it's time to get ready for the rest of whatever is going on. I don't know how many days she's been forced to book us for but I guess the others will have to wait some more." "She did say that our purpose was not to play here, Kyn. Perhaps that has changed, and we can, but until then, we should just stick to doing what she says. From what I can tell this place... has a certain air to it, figuratively speaking of course." Tensa said. Heji woke up and rolled onto his his side, taking in the light of the hour. (IT IS LIGHT ISN'T IT?!) He decided that as a new first, HE would actually visit Serena this time instead of her coming to him. He went over to the door, turned the handle and opened it up, heading to where she was. Marlow was woken by his desire to stay as close to Serena as possible, and do exactly as he promised, by watching her everywhere, even if, which was most likely the case, she didn't want him to. Striker awoke about fifteen minutes after the rest of the group, something that was not unusual He fluttered his wings again, in the typical early morning fashion, followed by doing a series of stretches as well. Whatever was on their plate for the day, it probably involved a lot of walking, and his feet were beginning to grow tired. He'd never walked for two days straight, and he hoped that he never had to. He left his door open, since he didn't really have anything to hide or that anyone would likely disturb him. It seemed like the place to go, where everyone was congregating was in the room that Serena was, and so he headed there. Medicham awoke via the natural light as well, and meditated for fifteen minutes, in the same timeframe before Striker was awake, as it turned out it lined up perfectly. He too had his own form of morning excersises. He saw Striker go by his door sometime later, and figured that now would be the opportune time to head to meet the others as well. Serena was alerted by the door opening the first time, and Heji walked through, though whatever had crossed her mind as he entered died as Marlow floated in behind him. Her tail coiled around her side almost protectively as she tried to get back to writing, but of course, the graphite had snapped in her rather...embarrassing squirming against the chair. "Morning." She said simply, catching the green and red joining the crowd around her door, well, she wasn't alone NOW, was she. "I would have thought you would have gone to enjoy yourselves and not bother to check up on me." She said honestly, of course, she couldn't say anything else, but now with the door wide open she had to breathe through her mouth. "Would...you PLEASE close the door?" She snorted as she looked for a different piece of graphite to write with, it was bad enough that her writing was shakey, without that scent so overbearingly in her nose, and she wasn't entirely sure why it was affecting her this way, it never had when she had watched non-sentients mate. Her claws dug, perhaps a bit too deep into the wood to be considered just balancing as she dug for that stupid graphite. Finally, she found another piece, and started to work again...feeblely at best. "Is there a problem Serena?" Heji closed the door by kicking it with his back paw, even though he knew that the next few coming in would probably leave the door open as well so he wasn't sure why she was asking him to close the door. He of course was used to the scent of Kyn and Tensa mating, so it didn't affect him at all. Striker came through the door next, of course, leaving it wide open since there was no reason for him not to since it was just Serena, and then he noticed Heji and Marlow in the room as well. "Morning, Serena." He said. The door had been left open exactly as Heji thought. She twitched a little, got up off of the chair, and closed it, even clicking the little lock on it, and stuffing a pillow at the bottom of the doorframe, muttering curses under her breath. "Yes and no, trying to write and having problems writing." her tail curled protectively, and yet rather awkwardly between her legs as she sat back down. "Would help if I could concentrate, but of course concentrating would mean that I would have to have a clear head, and my head is anything but clear right now." She was quite thankful that she didn't have a hang over, but still. She tried not to rock against her chair, against her tail even, but she had long given up the attempt at writing, for now, at least. "How exactly, is locking our comrades out of this room going to help you get a clear head?" Striker asked. He didn't mention the rather strange action of her putting the pillow under the door. "And how is putting a pillow under the door going to help, if these walls are already soundproofed?" Heji asked, just as a curious as Striker. Medicham was about to arrive in Serena's room when the door was essentially slammed in his face, and then he heard the lock click. "Hm, strange." He put his head to the door to listen in. "The room is Soundproofed, not smell proofed, are you SURE your noses work?" She put her head in her hands, scratching back along her headplates as if trying to smooth her hair. "And they're not locked out, there's still the door from the bathroom, which at least traveling that far will break it down a bit." she muttered, balling the paper in her claws and tossing it into the wastebin. "Are you referring to Kyn and Tensa's mating last night? If so, then no, our noses are working perfectly fine." Striker said, and Heji nodded, agreeing with him. "Though they'll more than likely forget, and try to come the same way we did." Heji said. They both did not know that Medicham was outside and that he would tell Tensa and Kyn the alternate way. Medicham chuckled at the entire situation. He left the door and waited for Kyn and Tensa to leave their rooms. She really quite tried to focus on something other than his words, still, she managed a nod as well, she was thankful for the blue of her claws hiding her face as she was sure that it was crimson by now, and it was stupid, about as stupid as trying not to grind against the wood beneath her. "Marlow wasn't on the couch, was he." it wasn't a question, she HIGHLY doubted that he would STILL be asleep after she brought back up the link. "No, I wasn't," Marlow stated matter of factly. "I was actually the first one of us to awaken. Even before you decided to bring me back into your life." "I can't help but notice that you've made some rather noticable clawmarks in that wood. A sign of something affecting you, I choose to take it as." Striker said, walking over to her. "..." she looked up at Striker, it wasn't her usual stare, or anything of the sort. "Yes, Striker, IT is." was there any point in trying to hide it when even over the smell of cherries she could smell her own need. "It doesn't smell...bad or anything...but yes, its having an effect on me...obviously." the last word was meeker than she had intended it to sound, and she looked away from him, addressing Marlow. "Well it's not like I'd leave you out of it...not for long anyway." "So why don't you just stop beating around the bush and deal with it?" Striker blurted out, almost sounding annoyed. He folded his arms together in a distinctly human manner, and it would have been completley human looking if he had started to tap one of his feet. "That's good to know, Serena. I'm always willing to give you time alone if you ask for it though, even over this more recent phase of surveillance. Alright?" Marlow floated closer to Striker, almost as if examining him. She stared at Striker as if he were a breed of Pokémon she had never seen before, one side of her snout curled to expose the root of her fang, if only for a split second. "Because you, and Marlow seemed to decide that NOW would be a good time to strut in after Heji." The voice was a hiss. "You want me to deal with it? Get. Out. of. My. Room." she pointed at the door that led to the bathroom. "Tell them to go down to the beach and relax or something, I don't care, it's his money if he spends it in the casino." Striker sighed as he was kicked out of her room, but before he left he commented, "You've put yourself in a rather awkward situation Serena; and at the same time you didn't have a choice in the matter," Marlow closed the door with his arm. They encountered Medicham, Tensa and Kyn, and explained only part of the situation to them. Medicham, unbeknownst to them, knew the FULL situation. Kyn was debating on whether or not he would actually visit the casino to gamble. He also didn't know about any of the 'horror' stories of the place either. "I guess I'll just go take a quick look around. It seems like a normal casino from the outside anyway. Though, I don't know what type of non-Pokémon security they have, if any," Kyn said. "Honestly Serena, why can't you just say these things? They wouldn't 'inferfere' if they knew." Heji tried. "Marlow not interfere if he knew? You don't know the ghost like I do, Heji." She flicked her tail, still the blush coated her cheeks. "and if i was still under the influence of that stupid flask, i would be able to say it, I'm sure, worse things have slipped from my lips." She scratched the back of her head, awkward situation was right. "To be fair...I'm not used to dealing with Pokémon who are this observant..." she clicked the other door in the locked position, figuring that if he was going to leave, he would have when Striker and Marlow did. "Being observant is part of our lives Serena. Some of us were raised that way, and the others grew into it. Now. The last time you entered my room, you implied that had the desire for me to have you. I entertained this notion, but the situation has changed since then. You are no longer bound by time limits." "Except that sometime today I'm going to have to send a letter off to the guild asking for someone to go feed my bird.." She muttered under her breath, walking back over to him and looking rather quite sheepish. "Yes...I did, and I still stand by that decision...I'd rather give myself to /you/ now, rather than a dragon I hardly know later." She did maintain eye contact, which was at least a decent plus for her, but any confidence she might have had about doing it the last time was gone. "So, then what are you waiting for? I haven't left the room yet." Heji said, allowing her to make the first move in this case. "I'm not exactly..." She sighed, more to herself than to him. "Right, you already know I'm new at this..." she did step closer, running her claws along his mane....It was some time later that she finally did let loose of the lion, she was sore--no where near as bad as she could have been considering, and she had finally gotten the letter writen and ready to be taken to the Pidove post. She sniffed, well, at least now there was yet another scent to override the other one that had nearly driven her up a wall, but still, she was able to remove the pillow from the door and unlock them both, and resume as if nothing had happened. She took a look around outside the door to see if anyone had returned, then walked to the bag that was still left by the couch. She stared at the flask on the table, then decided to leave it. "First, you need to need to decide whether or not you want manual preparation or.... if your body had already provided you with enough," Heji said, pointing with a paw down at her lower bits, "so that your partner can just get right to... penetration." Heji decided to let her decide for herself how she wanted to proceed. "Erf. This is damn heavy. What the hell do they make these out of, solid gold? I mean I can understand Pokémon not necessarily valuing gold like humans do but still..." Kyn said, holding the bag of Poké. He walked into the casino area, and saw a whole bunch of Pokémon that were engrossed in their respective activities. He was glad that Medicham was still able to cast the illusion over him. Serena had the letter in hand, she was practically purring as she slipped on the bag. "Heji, I'm going to run this down to the Post, are you up for coming with me or would you prefer to stay in there?" She made sure that the bag was tight against her back; thieves were common here, and while she KNEW for a fact that she could handle them, she didn't want to damage her bag in the process. "Go ahead and go. I would go with you but, I am lured by the fact that I have a proper bed..." He said dreamily. She chuckled at him. "Two, technicality, unless you're going to leave that one empty and sleep with me more often." She didn't forget to pick up the keycard, sticking that up between the folds of her scarf and inhaled. It still smelled like him. "Sweet dreams, pussycat." she said as she walked out the door and headed down to the lobby, snapping up a Politoadnut from a cart and dropping a few Poke in the merchant's hand as she passed, walking out of the Casino and heading for the Pidove post a little way's away. She hadn't bothered to check in with Marlow in a bit, but there would be plenty of time when she got back, right? Kyn looked around for what he guessed would be a bartender, and he saw someone mixing drinks so he head over to that area in which he guessed was a bar. There wasn't exactly an official tour given to him, nor did he expect one. He also tried to keep his sack of Poké relatively hidden, not knowing whether or not even, (what he thought to be a small amount) this amount of Poké would be targeted for unsavory acts. The letter was sent off, and Serena tried her best not to look anxious to get back to the casino, it would make her a target, and that was the last thing she wanted to be around here. She already stood out well enough, but she did manage to make it back without incident, and of course, decided to find where the others had gotten off to, and when she asked the Clefairy if they had seen a group of Pokémon including two Sceptile, a Scyther and a Medicham--sure that Marlow had gone off to practice for the show; it pointed her in the direction of the bar. She wandered off in the direction she was pointed, and walked up to stand beside him. "There you are." She was almost cheerful as she said it. "Here I am yes... I was trying to decide on what color liquid I wanted to drink." Kyn said casually. "I was thinking of something... blue." He leaned down and whispered into Serena's ear, low enogh that she still would be able to understand him, but those around couldn't necessarily, due to having to filter through the commotion. "Exactly how much do I have here? Is it a lot, is it not? Hey that rhymed." She chuckled at him. "You have enough that you could buy a decent sized house in Tao if you wanted Kyn...and yes, it's about double what he would have paid you normally 10k poke...these drinks? If you're playing, you can get them for free, if you're not, they're about 15 poke each..that's 3 to 4 of our coins here...Wait, you're not telling me you brought the whole thing down, are you?" She snorted. "Erm.... no....? He tried. He knew that it was blatantly obvious that he had, just that Medicham had disguised it for him, and so probably only Serena would be able to tell. "Oh for the love of..." she put her hand over her snout. "Look, you've got to get that back upstairs and..." Her green eyes focused on a Machoke that had seemingly spotted the two whispering. "Oh gore me with a Tauros horn." she grunted "Medicham better be good at his job..." ======"Sir, you do realize that this isn't really a good place for children to be about, right?" came the voice from the Machoke when he was in earshot. "What with the gambling and the booze, I'm sure she'd enjoy the magic show much more than being here." Kyn took notice of the source of the voice and figured that he might have been the bouncer type or security type Pokémon he was looking for. "Oh my, you must able to hear a mile away, because I was just telling her about it. I'm guessing she managed to meander her way through the crowd to find me." He figured Serena would be able to understand his little... performance. Getting the Poké back upstairs would be top priority after this little matter was settled. Then his funny colored drinks would come next. She snorted indignantly at Kyn, if only, shooting him an 'I'm really not happy about this' look, then turned on what LITTLE charm a Bagon had. "But Mister Machoke, Pappa disappeared from the table, Momma sent me with the keycard because he left his upstairs." The voice was NOT her own, it was the voice of a little girl's, squeaky and childish. The Machoke looked between the two, and he sighed. "Look Pops, I NEED you to get her out of here before I have to get rough with you, So do it now, and I'll forget I ever saw ya, M'kay?" He motioned for them to leave the area like pronto. "Let's hurry up and get to the show." Kyn was rather surprised at first, but he didn't show it on his face. So, it seemed that Serena was as good at acting as he was. He made the motions of feeling around on his person, and digging into his invisible pockets that only the others could see, and came back up with a surprised look. "Well... well I'll be. She's right. I don't have it here." He then started walking out, now having an excuse to put a lot of the Poké back. Serena took the time to wait for Tensa, who was likely close by, and climbed up his tail to 'ride' until she was out of sight of the security personnel, that voice always left a bad taste in her mouth. "You made me lie, Kyn..." the voice came out a growl, even if she hadn't intended it that way. "Security, I hate them, getting involved with them means that you get taken down to Royce, and he's just a mess of trouble." She muttered, thankfully the place was just busy enough that she didn't have to worry about being overheard by anyone. "That was not my fault at all. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and you got caught. Because you don't want it, I am not going to thank you for your part in covering for me. But I will say this, I've never heard that voice from you, and I hope I never have to ever again." This, she gave a laugh at. "You're lucky you're in my care, Kyn, or I WOULD have blown the story sky high...I'm old enough to be where I please." her nose twitched "Yeah, i don't care for the innocent little girl voice either, lets NOT put me in positions where I have to use it, hm?" She said when they were back in the elevator to go back up to their room. "As a general rule of thumb, Kyn? Take a fourth of what you have down, if you win, great, when you're done, come back up and leave half of THAT there, if you lose, if you go in the hole, you can pay your way out of a tight spot." Got caught her tail, she was NEVER caught when she was swindling from this place, they just happened to catch her when she was innocent of anything they could have thrown at her. "I need more Poké. I need more Poké..." Kyn started to mumble. He had been listening to Serena, but now his mind was focused on that specific amount of Poké that she had told him he held in his hand. Serena sighed at him, stepping out of the Elevator. "What have I done, I've created a monster." She snorted, and pulled the keycard out of her scarf. "Look, if you're wanting to deal in the bay, I can show you...but it would mean dealing with Anana...we've still got a day to worry about that...but yes, I can get you in..." "It's a curse Serena, I've been infected by the money bug in both worlds. I... guess I'll have to exchange with Anana. So, anyway, I think I'll just buy a few drinks from the Casino and then head back here." "I swear to you Kyn, If I get a call that you're in with Royce BEFORE I deal you in with Anana so that you have protection, you're going to owe me an arm and a leg...literally." she crossed her arms. "Royce is known to be a sexual deviant when he -knows- you're clever, and he'll leave you bloody in the dark side of town when he doesn't." She tapped her clawed foot on the wood as she waited for him to divvy up his loot. She wouldn't say it, but she had the urge to protect him from the dark side of town, and he seemed to want to dive in head first...She tapped the screen of the TV three times, and waited for the screen to turn blue. "Connect me with Anana please, Porygon." The text showed up on the screen a moment later. 'reason?' "Business." she snarled. 'And who is this?' "Oh for fuck's sake....Serena Bagon, Rogue. She's done business with me before." the screen went black and she might have paced, before the screen flickered back to life, and the sunny yellow Kecleon appeared on the screen. "Serena, Hiii~ what was so important?" bubblely as ever, this one. "Was wondering if me and My friends could drop by tomorrow, maybe go out on the town for a bit?" Her voice was suggestive, and from the giggle that followed, it was taken just the way that it was implied. "Oh sure honey~ but I thought you said it was business, not pleasure. <3" Serena did her best not to roll her eyes. "It is, one of my friends would like to open a deal with you, but we'll talk more later, your customers will get pissy." The Kecleon looked behind her, nodded, and the screen went black again. "Ugh..." "No, I take it back, I DON'T want that Porygon messing around with my PokéGear, just to be able to quickly connect wirelessly to places." Kyn muttered seemingly out of nowhere. "Right erm... I'd rather keep my limbs so, I think I'll wait till this thing is over and what you said about the protection happens." "Welcome to my world." She said, flopping, ironically, back in the same spot she had earlier, her forelimbs wrapping around behind her headplates. "What's worse are the Rotom that are in the powerplant." She muttered, almost under her breath. "You might feel the same as I do about tech once this is over." "Well we'll see. Our technology IS different than yours. Now, what other things might I be able to trade her besides fur and meat?" Kyn asked carefully. "The Pearl, for one, the milk, for another." she did one of those rumbles that she was becoming known for. "Oh, before we go, I'm going to be...well, a little late after the meeting with Anana." She managed to keep a straight face. "Of course, she's always more inclined to enjoy a male more than a female..." and she had called Royce the sexual deviant...well at least with Anana she didn't lord it over you for the rest of your days, only for favors. "I would say, 'what have I gotten myself into' but, I'm a human Serena. I've gotten myself into so many things before our meeting. Now, I... guess I'll be seeing you later then?" Kyn said, taking with him, about 10 coins and putting them in an actual visible bag this time. "Mhm~" she watched him put things into a bag. "You better guard that with your life, Kyn...there are rogues that work for Royce...I should know, I've seen a couple of them." She checked the time. "Oh, at about 8, ask a Clefairy for directions to Hugh's show, that's where Marlow will be performing." "I do have bodyguards, remember? Plus, I also have swords, that they wouldn't be expecting, unless they read my mind." Kyn said, though he still planned on having Medicham cast the illusion over THIS back. "There. Now you see it, now you don't. Actually that's the line from a magic trick back home, speaking of magic anyway." "Ugh, I would NOT be able to cover up the whole sword thing Kyn, and no, i don't think that that would be possible to cover up with leaf blade." She put her claws against her head. "And actually, I can still see it because I KNOW it's there, it's why i can still see you as you and not Sceptile you." she huffed. "Go have fun, we'll go to sushi for dinner after the show." "You're right. Swords leave different marks than a Leaf Blade does... and yes, I do know this from experience." Kyn said as he began to move out of earshot. Serena watched as she was, more than likely, left with only Heji again, and he was asleep, or at least, he had been asleep when she was walking out the door. "KEYCARD" She growled at him, flicking the spare at the back of his head. Kyn figured that based on the way she growled the word at him, that she would have literally chucked it at him, more specifically at his head, so without even looking he held his hand up to the back of his head, and let his reflexes do the rest. As soon as he felt the keycard land in his hand he quickly closed his fingers around it, before calling back to her, "Thanks daddio for layin' that on me. It's all Coolsville from here." Before disappearing into the elevator. She stared at the place he had been for a moment, then the corner of her mouth lifted into a confused smirk, the opposite eyeridge raising, all that came out was a 'buh?' but she didn't dwell on it, not too long. She went back up to curl up with her lion for the remaining time, trying not to worry about Kyn and whatever trouble he might get into with the shadows of the casino. Kyn made his way BACK to the bar at which he was previously about to get situated at, looking out for that one particular Machoke. He hated to be racist, but if there was another, he couldn't tell it apart. Even some Pokémon admitted that they couldn't tell their siblings apart other than by smell. "Now where was I? Ah right, I was about to engage in the frivolity of consuming various liquids." Serena's instinctual clock woke her up at about the right time, or it might have been Marlow that was pounding on the back of her mind, either way, she forced herself to sit up, and gently shook Heji awake. "Come on, Marlow'll kill us if we don't show up for the show that I semi volunteered him for...and we'll have sushi afterwards." she mused, half trying to untangle herself from him. Kyn continued to sit and observe, only having consumed two blue drinks, which he deemed was enough for him." He occasionally moved his hand into his lap in a specific position so he could read his watch without it blatently looking like he was staring at his blank wrist. It wasn't quite 30 yet. "I am not that type of cat Serena. Though if we are getting sushi, I prefer Nigiri sushi." Heji commented idly. Serena rolled her eyes. "I wasn't making a comment about you being a cat, if i wanted to dangle something in front of your nose as a reward for getting up...it would be going back to bed." As she spoke, she slipped out of the room, dropping the bag and collecting her keycard. "As for their specials...well, we'll just have to talk to Nibble to see if they have...whatever it is you said." At 45 he flagged down the bartender and asked for directions to Hugh's show. He knew it was rather odd to go to a casino to just buy drinks, so he figured he play a round or two of cards. He only placed down a few Poké each time, following the house ante, but his intention was to find a game in which he could card count. He'd fold and collect his winnings before they suspect anything, and then come back later after the show. "Rooooooooar. I'm a Luxray. When I mention Nigiri sushi I'm sure that the person will be able to understand what I mean. Let's hurry up and get to Marlow's show. Do you have reserved seats, or did you manage to reserve seats?" Heji plopped out of bed, by rolling and landing on his paws in typical cat-like manner. Serena chuckled at him, her tail flicked. "Mmm, we're with the act, we get the first row all to ourselves...mostly because Hugh always picks someone from the back most rows, this way people know that we're not in on the act." She passed through the second door, and waited for him to catch up before continuing. "Hope Kyn hasn't gotten himself into trouble..." She noted on the elevator, but soon they were among the card tables, and she tugged on Kyn's overcoat, which would be disguised as leaves on his tail. "Been having fun?" she mused, getting a look from the Clefairy, who unlike the Machoke before, recognized her. "it's time for the show...well, close enough." "Doubled my Poké... for now...." Kyn said, rather quickly. Sitting in the front row was not something that he was used to, but it was, he guessed, better than being all the way in the back. The show went off without a hitch, at least, so it would seem, of course, she watched with not much more than polite fascination as it went on, and ducked out when the show had ended to meet up with Marlow backstage and fill him in on where they were going to eat, and to congratulate him on a job well done. She didn't exactly tell the others where she was going, but she figured that slipping under the skirt on the stage would have been a good hint. Kyn didn't really find the show that interesting... but he still did the proper things like clapping, and mimicing the audience reaction very well. Afterwards he headed out to wait for the others out front. The arrived in a group again, and then headed to the sushi restaurant that he was told was the best. Serena collected, yes, collected was the right word, Marlow and his pay for the night, sweeping him out from under the grumpy Kadabra who was really, REALLY getting on her nerves by the time she found a path out. How had she gotten in there, why wasn't she in the show, why why why why. Eventually Serena had to remind herself that this guy was on Anana's good terms to keep her from slashing the hell out of him with her shadow claw, and retreated to join the others at the front. "Nibble's Sushi Bar, This place gets rented out often by that sassy cat Twigs--he's nice enough, Nibble, I mean, his speech isn't too good, but he gets his point across well enough, just don't make him nervous." "I think I've got some plans for the casino tomorrow, Serena. I'll tell you... a bit more later. For now, everything eaten, I will pay for." Kyn happily announced. His mood was cheery due to the fact that he would be eating sushi; even if it was Pokémon sushi and not regular fish sushi. "Except you can't read the menus...we're back in the situation where I'm going to have to list things off again, aren't we? Well, if you don't like the specials." She did look at Heji for a moment, a curious look on her face. Heji and Striker, neither of them were there before...could they read footprints? She didn't know. Well, Striker probably could. "Remind me to teach you basic Footprint runes when we get back to the casino." she sighed, resigning herself to at least being able to help him learn the basics, she wouldn't always be around to assist him in transactions, and he would need to learn sometime. "Oh I can read them perfectly Serena. There's... no need for you to take your time on that anymore. I'll also teach Heji how to read Footprint runes." Kyn said, hoping that he didn't come across as too rash. "Speaking of... I don't really think I've ever eaten fish before. Raw, cooked, or otherwise." Striker commented. Serena was, at best, skeptical. "Then I suppose you wont mind if I monitor all of the FEEDBACK that telepathy casts off when it's used." If it wasn't for the link with Marlow, she wouldn't even know about it, but it worked both ways, she wouldn't even touch the fact that since Medicham had been in her head, that she could get into his and intercept anything. It was only touching on the end of the fifth day, and she knew that she had felt feedback back then, and there hadn't been any mention of it since, so it wasn't likely. She looked at Striker. "Well...I suppose you'll see if you like it now, eh? They do have squirting here sometimes...much to the dismay of the parents I'm sure, but eh." "What? No, don't do that... I mean... why would you need to do that?" Kyn asked and corrected himself, rather hurriedly. "I believe I will go with trying... the octopus." Striker said. "Your bluff is called, Kyn, you may as well give it up now." she gave a soft chuckle. "Besides, it's -not- something i can turn off, just something i can push to the back of my mind and ignore." She clicked her tongue as she stepped through the doorway, thankfully she wasn't tall enough to have to worry about the flags at the top. "Octillery." She corrected Striker, almost subconsciously. "Table or counter?" She asked, one hand on her hip. "There isn't a bluff Serena, but uh... I still meant what I said." Thank goodness for that, he sighed to himself mentally. "Counter for me, table for everyone else." Striker answered, knowing their answers. "Your body went tense when you realized that anything that was being fed to you, I could overhear and decipher." She said, really quite without thinking. "Right then..." she blinked at Striker. "And Marlow can have an all you can eat buffet in the back...if he stays invisible." She walked over to the nearest open big table and sat down in a position where she could watch the room. Admittedly the place was pretty empty....but the flash of yellow that caught her eye was unmistakable, and she twitched. /What? No. No no, you're seeing things, she doesn't come in here this often, how...?/ she tried to catch view of the yellow kec sister again, but snorted when she was sure she was imagining it. "Well, I think I'm just lucky then that you don't know the real reason why all those tells happened. I'm keeping my mouth shut then," He said, before sitting down at the table. "Nah.... I'm good for now. I already gorged myself," Marlow said to Serena, figuring she'd ask him later, or mentally. "If you're full, then it would be wise for you to stay out of sight...ghost Pokémon aren't good for business~" a voice to the right of Serena said, and the mental groan was almost deafening. "Good evening, Anana... here to settle a dispute?" Another giggle, and the Kec nearly loomed over the sitting Bagon, playing with her scarf. "Something like that Serrie~ Figured I'd stop in and see just what it was that you called about so i could get the paperwork done for tomorrow <3" Serena sighed, tapping her claws on the underside of the table "Anna dear..." Serena said slowly, turning to face her. "Kyn here, the Sceptile on the right, and his partner, Tensa, the one on the left, are going to be doing business with you in the bay...they are quite...decent at hunting and finding saught after items." she tried to maintain her calm as the Kec continued to play at her neck. "They'd like to work in the bay on commission...so long as they're protected." She didn't trust the Kec enough to give her control, in fact, she didn't like the fact that she was right on her in public, but there wasn't much she could do about it. At least her tongue was being used in one way, rather than the other. "What do you want for dinner sweety~? Tomorrow of course." ugh, straight to business. "Ask me tomorrow." she muttered, and was glad when the hands were gone, glad when the yellow figure was gone in fact. Kyn absolutely suppressed a chuckled and a grin, since he knew that if Serena caught him, there would be hell to pay. He bowed his head at the yellow Kecleon, and Tensa did the same, but both of them remained rather silent. Oh how he would remember this. Definitely one of those things that would be a mental secret, to all those but prying minds. Her eyeridge twitched. "I really hate that woman." She whispered, aware of just how LOOSE her scarf was now, but she couldn't with good conscience bring it back to being tight, so she pulled it the rest of the way off and let it hang over her shoulders. She now...needed yet ANOTHER bath, and would probably need a strong mouthwash after tomorrow, she was sure. Nibble didn't slack, to his credit, once Anana was gone he passed around menus and offered them drinks. "If I were to hate her, which I don't, it wouldn't be for her looks, since I don't know her at all, that's all I have to go by, Serena." Kyn said, it was fairly obvious that he wasn't trying to hide the fact that he found her interesting. Her nose wrinkled. "I'll tell you when we get back." she answered, oh, she could change his opinion of the Kecleon, but it would also drag herself through the mud. She looked at the menu and flipped through it, she was not much on sushi, but she did fancy the Soba dishes. "In the meantime how about chosing what you'd like to eat?" "I want this here Elektross. I love eel. I figure, what the hell, electric eel might taste a bit of the same, but could be drastically different." Kyn said, licking his lips like he normally wouldn't. "What the hell, I'll go out on a limb here Serena. Octillery Nigiri, and Squirtle soup!" Tensa blurted. "They got any Remoraid on that menu Kyn?" Heji asked. He had an idea of what type of Nigiri he wanted. Kyn shook his head, and then Heji said that he wanted an order of Remoraid Nigiri. Serena kept her meal to herself, rather taking the opportunity to 'save' Nibble from an angry Anana, and he looked hopeful when he was brought over. "Well, go ahead and repeat your orders..." She was perhaps having the least controversial dish, but she ordered by number so she was STILL leaving them all in the dark. Her tail flicked with the annoyance of Anana, and she tried to ignore her. Kyn looked around carefully before repeating his order, and then the others followed suit. "Hm, Well... this will be certainly interesting for me..." Serena leaned back a little, pushing the golden Kecleon from her mind as the drinks arrived, and she sipped it with a sense of absentmindedness that might have let others think that she was zoning out. Of course she was instead, trying to work out what she was going to tell Kyn when they got home, perhaps it would help him understand why she was so skitterish around things of the adult nature, she almost didn't hear him speak. "Music, that's what I forgot about! Though... I don't know if I can listen to it here..." Kyn said idly. He hadn't even made a single move towards his drink at this point. "No, probably not, I doubt that this place has enough money to allot a porygon to work in a jukebox. Usually this place is busy enough that you could barely hear one another speak, let alone hear music." she set her drink back down and licked her lips. "Erm... that's not what I meant... I'll show you when we get back." FINALLY he took a big gulp of his iced tea. It wouldn't look odd for an apparent Grass-type to drink a lot of liquid, he thought. "Seems that we'll have a bit of an exchange then..." She muttered, more to herself to him, but then Nibble came out and delivered the food, and finally what she had ordered was out in the open, a pile of Yaki Soba with Krabby meat diced amid it along with other types of fish Pokémon, Luvdisc among them. Still, it was mostly starch, something rather unlike her. Kyn took a long look at the sushi, then picked one piece up with two fingers and a thumb, mimicing what he knew a Sceptile picking something up that way would look like. Without even giving it a second thought after that, not taking even a small bite, he bit the piece in half. Serena picked wooden chopsticks up from the cup in the middle of the table, breaking them apart and putting one in the crook of her thumb and first digit, bending it so that it would interact with it at a later point, her thumb then pinching the same spot. the second half of the pair resting against the length of the second finger, immobilzed. It took skill to be able to pick up the noodles, but still, she managed in the usual way, and slurped the noodles up, using the chopsticks so that it wouldn't look TOO odd, and then bit when she had enough in her mouth. "Well... it appears as if... I've stumbled upon something in which...." He paused dramitically, and then finished, "I cannot resist! It is better than I thought." Kyn reached for a pair of chopsticks, broken them apart, and then began eating as he normally would. Heji used a rather interesting method for getting the Remoraid into his mouth. He extended a single claw, piercing the flesh, then moving it into his paw, followed by into his mouth. Striker, pretty much used the tip of his blade as a stabbing tool, and got the pieces into his mouth that way. Tensa tilted the bowl carefully so that he could test to see how hot it was. After determining the temperature, he then went on to try the sushi portion of the meal. He passed Kyn a piece before doing so, encouraging him to try the Elektross too. The meal was good, Nibble for some reason kept looking over at them, but she didn't mind too much, where ever Anana was present, it left the owner looking at every person she -touched-. Serena just wished she could get the smell of Lilies off of her scarf. When her noodles were about half way gone, she set down the chopsticks and picked back up her drink. She HAD ordered something laced with Sake, but it was so little that it wouldn't bother her, it at least kept her mind off of the yellow lizard, and the desire to rip off the scarf and char it until it was black. "I think I like eating here. Definitely. Thank you for showing me this place Serena." Kyn said, relaxing for a bit. He had finished his order, but didn't really want to order more. He could always get something else later. "You're welcome." Her drink caught up with how much of her meal she had eaten, and finally she went back to eating, finishing off the last bit and picking, yes, with her claws, stray chips of the meat off the almost clean plate. "Are we all ready to go home, or would you like to let your food settle for a bit?" She really hoped that he was ready to go, but it was only polite to ask. "I'm ready to go home.... After I pay of course." The others had managed to enjoy their food as well. The nodded their agreement and stood up, waiting for the transaction to finish. Serena nodded, going over to Striker, who of course, not being with the group had recieved his own tab, and snatched it from Nibble before he could set it down; bringing that over to Kyn as well with a slight snort. Once the proper amount of money changed claws, she stepped outside, the catcall that followed only made her groan, she didn't have to look to know that it had come from Anana, and she was glad to be away from her. The string of curses that followed when they were out of earshot from the place wasn't very ladylike either, and while they were still walking on sand, she DID throw down her scarf and Torch her scarf in a heat that turned the surrounding sand into molten glass. Of course, the scarf was untouched, not even blackened around the edges as she picked it back up. There, the smell of the lilies were gone...of course dipping it in the lake would have been just as effective, but this got out her frustration as well. "I do await your explanation... as to why Anana is not on your most popular list. In the meantime, I will tell you what I meant by listening to music in the Sushi Bar. I was talking about my portable music device." Kyn said, wondering why exactly she decided to various things to her scarf AGAIN. He hadn't seen her dive into the lake, but there were still traces of wetness when she came back. (I think) "Merf..." was what she said on the beach, however once they were back in the casino hotel room, she opened a drawer and pulled out a sealed deck of cards, opening them and looking through them until she found the queen of hearts, which, of course had Anana on it. "Anana is the queen of the bay...she is sunny on one side, but there's a darker side to the bay that she controls, most just don't know she does...If you've ever wondered why the crime here, and there IS crime here, doesn't escalate, it's because of her. She's both a druggie, and a Drug lord, and she wears that vile Lily scented oil to cover up the stink that Enigma berries leave on your skin..." She paused. "And asking favors of her is dangerous. You pay for asking for favors, one way or another...in my case...? She usually has me make use of my tongue, especially when I remind her that I do not like girls. Before...i could claim that i was too young to have an interest in anybody...but now she's smelled Heji on me, there will be no more pretending that that is the case." This new side to Anana intrigued him, but it was ironically the drug part that caught his interest more. "What's... an Enigma berry? I mean, we have our share of drugs too, but hm, no, don't worry, I'm not going to get myself involved in the drug trade... but, now I want to personally have a meeting with Anana..." Kyn said, probably not what Serena wanted to hear regarding Anana. She had gauged that reaction correctly, though smoke still curled from her snout. "You have your meeting with her, yes, tomorrow we'll have the audience with her, count on a carriage to pull up to the front drawn by two Rapidash...we'll get a message when it's time to go." She pointed at the TV with one claw to identify the type of message they would receive. "You, Tensa, and Medicham will go...as well as I will...She will have Terra, her Bagon with her, and I will, no doubt, be the one she lavishes the attention on, trying to get me to ask her yet ANOTHER favor. As for what an Enigma berry is..." She looked through the cards until she found the Jack of spades, which was a Mightyena poisoning someone with one, and flicked that one out onto the table before him as well. "I don't know their effects in your world, they might not be as bad as they are here...but here...they put you in a position where you're up against your natural opposite, take a hit, and while it feels good...it gives you the opposite effect. I suppose it's the same with all drugs. "I see. Now, lemme show you what I meant by listening to music in the Sushi Bar." Kyn took out his music device, which was about the same size as his Pokédex, but WAAAY thinner, and he switched to some Jazz music. It had tiny speakers of it's own that worked surprisingly well, but, he had prepared to plug his earbuds in, just in case Serena didn't like Jazz music. Serena was prepared for noise, she had heard music from instruments before, but she wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. Her head tilted to the side, and then straightened. "Yeah we don't...have things like that here. We have recording devices and tape, and Microphones even, can capture visuals and memories on film, but they either run on Chargestones or have to be connected to a Rotom to work properly." "Well, it's the same principle Serena, just... well, I don't usually have to explain this but, I guess I can look at it this way in that, batteries are essentially engineered artificial chargestones. Speaking of... visual stuffs. I was wondering if it wouldn't offend you if, say, you did a group picture sometime? Maybe even before the group gets too large." Kyn hadn't taken a single picture here, out of respect for.... something. He didn't quite have a comparision at this time. "More momentos? No, I suppose it doesn't bother me if we were to take a picture before you leave." She blinked at his mention of the group becoming too large. "All of our portraits are still painted." She said after a few moments, stretching. "I suppose it goes without saying to be careful when dealing with the Golden Kec sister...actually, you should watch it when you deal with Kec's anyway...Try NOT to give them anything over you...and that goes for PK as well." "Alright... Everyone stand against the wall with the door, and do whatever pose you feel like." Kyn then took out his PokéGear and turned it sideways. "I'll be doing a countdown." Tensa walked over to the door, and then held one arm bent partially and a his hand positioned in a thumbs up. Heji laid down with his paws in front of him, in what Kyn called the 'Sphinx' position, for his particular pose. Striker stood with his arms folded, but being careful not to poke anyone with his blades. Medicham simply folded his legs into a Yoga position, and floated up to eye level with Tensa. "A picture eh...? Guess this'll be one way to immortalize myself." Marlow commented. He floated eye level next to Tensa, spreading his arms out behind him, making himself look a bit larger, due to the way the energy cloak was being spread out. Serena was the last to join the group, and looking at the format they were going with, to make it easier on Kyn, she gently climbed up onto Heji's back and sat side-saddle, her claws carefully away from his shorter fur. She did her least intimidating smile, as that was what Pal always asked for when he was painting. "3... 2.... 1..." He pushed the button, and there was an audible click, that had no flash. He wondered what Serena would have though IF the flash had been turned on. "Alright that's it... all done. Though... it doesn't look very artistic. I don't think your resident artist would approve. Perhaps a different configuration..." Kyn said, giving Serena time to adjust. Serena tilted her head at the admission that it wasn't artistic, she slipped down off of Heji's back to take a look from Kyn's point of view. She didn't exactly HAVE Pal's eyes, but she knew what he would do in this case. "Tensa and Striker in the middle of the back, Marlow and Medicham, lower yourselves down to about shoulder height rather than eye level. Medicham, you can drop the illusion around Kyn, if you wouldn't mind holding the camera, we may as well have Kyn in the picture as well." she tapped her chin. "Kyn you have the choice of either being on your knees in the front with Me and Heji, or squeezing between Tensa and Striker in the back." When did she become the leader? She wasn't exactly sure, but at least she could make it look better. "Hm. Very good Serena... it seems you've picked up a bit. I think I'll tell you a story after this picture. There are those who would take it as me being egotistical to be in front, but bleh. I think it'll be fine. I'll kneel with you two." Kyn said, setting the PokéGear down and then moving over towards the group. The rest of them rearranged themselves accordingly, and then Medicham focused on lifting the PokéGear into position. "Alright... once again.... 10... 9... ... 3.... 2... 1..." Kyn put on his best close lipped smile, and placed one of his hands on his knee, and the other on the floor to balance. Serena shifted with the rest of them, clambering between the two in the front row and positioned herself on Heji's back, Instead of letting her feet hang over this time, kicking them back up so that they would be hidden from the knee down, of course, she did take a page from Marlow's book, and just before he got to 1, she leaned down and essentially Slurped Kyn from the jaw to the temple, giving just enough time for him to react before the picture was snapped. Kyn moving his wrist over to where Heji was and the formation of the word "Ser-" were immortalized on film, with his head turning a slight angle. Serena couldn't help laughing, really, she couldn't, it was only her good balance. (all thanks to her tail) that she remained on Heji's back. She caught herself just before she rolled off, trying rather quite hard not to grab into Heji's fur with her claws. "Oh you little brat!" Was all Kyn managed to get out. "Very well. I guess I'll just have to explain to the people, WHY that picture looks like that." She was still giggling as he spoke. "You've got a little slobber still." she motioned to his cheek with a claw. "But come on, after finding out that it's THAT fast to take a picture, can you really blame me? I'm used to sitting around for hours while Pal paints and touches up to make it perfect." She laid across Heji's back like he was her own personal lounge chair. "It's not like we can't take another one after all, i didn't ruin a canvas with a slurp." "I suppose I cannot blame you for wanting to have fun. So.... this Pal 'mon, could he paint me a portrait, if I showed him a photograph? I mean sort of making it like a conversion thing." Kyn queried. "...That sentence was weird...Uh, yeah, probably, either Pal or Pallete would probably be able to copy it almost exactly, only with brushstrokes...why?" She scratched Idly behind Heji's ear, since it was easily within her reach. "It's one thing to have a photograph but... it's another to have... a work of art as a memoir." Kyn said. "I would hope that... if I asked for a copy made, that they wouldn't ask questions about the weird pink skinned thing... so, that's why I'm asking." "Probably better to go to Palette, she can see through illusions anyway as a Zoroark...and she's a former member of the rogue's guild so she knows how to keep a secret." Serena answered, flicking out her tongue. "And she'd probably say you were more like a peach, not a pink..." "Alright. I.... just kinda, want the next photograph to be painted. Sooooo. Please move back into position. And as we say back home, no funny business this time." Kyn finally wiped the evidence of Serena's actions off his face, and then move himself back into position. She chuckled a little, then straightened up. "Mmm, alright then, I'll behave...for now anyway." She didn't mention that she had even offered a 'reward' to Heji for getting up and going to the show, but she was going to work on smell proofing her room one way or another for the rest of the nights they spent in the hotel. She pushed herself back up into a sitting position on Heji's back, probably ruffling his fur in the process, and gave another smile for the camera. "3.... 2... 1..." Tensa counted down this time, and Kyn kept his closed smile. With the click of the camera Serena slipped down soon afterwards, her lion was warm and fuzzy, she thought she might fall asleep if she stayed up there. "So, any other pictures you wanted taken or...?" She stretched again, figuring that if he had anymore ideas for something like that, he might as well have said them now. "For now.... that is it. I'd probably have to go BACK to my world, print this out, then bring it back as a large paper image so that it'd be more detailed. Anyway, tomorrow, after my meeting with Anana, I'm gonna go test my 'luck' at the Casino. I've got a feeling that their card games will turn over a lot of Poké to me. Oh wait... something just occurred to me... I can't believe I didn't tihnk of it earlier..." he said, pausing dramtically, trying to get her to ask, if she would. Serena blinked at him, shrugged at the explaination, and flicked her tail at him. "There's a lot of things you didn't think of earlier that you could have." She said rather offhandedly, walking back over to the cards and shuffling them together, then fanning them out. "Like how I know who Royce is, for instance." 404 AM] : "Well... it involves this area.... but erm... yes... why DO you who Royce is? Serena, did you get into trouble...?" "You had something else on your mind before I put you on that line of thought, what was it?" She said, ignoring the other question for the moment, dealing out cards into four piles, then splitting that into eight, then rejoining them with different piles, back to two, then shuffled them again, busywork essentially. "Well, I don't need Reshiram to save me time walking to get to Gambitville or the Bay. I was too focused on the money, to realise... that all that is needed, is for Palkia to move the rift." "And risk Pokémon not as tolerant as I am seeing you step out of it and maul you. Great plan." The tone was clearly sarcastic. "you could always get yourself a carriage, that would cut the time here down to two hours, and the trip from here to Gambitville would only be half a day that way." she pointed out. "As for your question...No, i didn't get into trouble. You might say i was recruited...I'm SURE you've noticed at least some first stage Pokémon running around the casino, blatantly acting like kids...Some of them are still kids." "Hm, I didn't really pay that much attention but, regarding the portal... I was... thinking of remote areas. But, what's this about being recruited...?" "This casino, Kyn...well, MOST casinos have a money retrieval system...some choose to rig the machines and games so that you lose after a certain number of wins...build you up to put you down. The reason I taught you about leaving most of your money up here is because of their retrieval system. They don't have rigged machines, they have pickpockets. Kids that get their money back for them. In exchange, they get a cut of what they take back...and that Machoke, well, perhaps he didn't recognize me, but the Clefairy when you were playing, I'm vaguely sure that he did. Probably wondered if I was here to play ball, or just to play." She took out 5 cards at random and flipped them over, showing a royal flush of diamonds, the King being Royce, the queen being a Clefable, and the jack being a Clefairy with a bowtie. "But, you probably want to meet Royce too, I'm guessing?" "Yes I do. Also, that means... that I was right, to stop winning after a certain point.. That means that I'm at risk for the illusion being broken if that's the case. This is what I can imagine happening... someone attempting to liberate me from my coins, and finding... nothing there." "Yes, you are...better to leave things in the proper place on the illusions. I can shut ONE Pokémon up, all of them, as I said, I have no control over...As for speaking to Royce...we'll see about that after Anana, and after I've sterilized my mouth...I would suggest going to bed, considering that we've got a bit to do tomorrow." She left the cards out. "Actually, i can probably sign up to 'play ball.' and keep the rest of them away from you, but that would mean trusting me to pick your pocket and bring it up here rather than giving it back to the Casino." "Serena... in my world... there is away of implanting devices that make it so that even though the room is soundproofed, recording devices can still be placed in odd places. Do you have that type of thing here?" He didn't want to exactly tell her that he didn't trust her to do it, but rather that he wanted to thank her for the warning, but that he didn't really mind losing much. 1:230 AM] : "Any source of electricity can be used as a 'bug' of sorts...but they're more likely to use real bugs...like Joltik." She was eyeing the TV. "It's part of the reason I don't like technology...Thankfully Porygon only listen when you tap on the screen, and Royce hates going down to the basement to visit them anyway." "Ha, gives a rather literal meaning to the term 'bugged' the place. How would I know...? But, the reason why is because... it's about how I won the small amount of Poké that I got from the casino..." That there, stopped her in her tracks, so to speak. She snorted at him...she flicked out her tongue, and tried not to chuckle at him. "Are you TRYING to put yourself into a position where you're bent over for a Slowking to take advantage of you?" "I'm assuming that I don't have to finish that sentence then. But, I'd have to say... since a Slowking is rather human sized, I'd rather not, but, how would they be able to accuse me?" "They? Oh no, you've got it wrong. Royce doesn't need to accuse you of anything, he can pull you into his room if you LOOK at him the wrong way. Then if he finds a reason to accuse you while you're there, and most people are shaking after being roughly brought in and thrown at his feet, quite literally...Making it easy for him set you up to admit your guilt." "Look, there are several reasons why I want to meet Royce in the right way but... it'd be fifty million times more dangerous if I meet him in the wrong way. You know this, I know this, Medicham knows this... So many scenarios in which my human self gets exposed... that's always a risk here... ALWAYS. I'd say that's my equivalent of the, always looking behind them or over the shoulder type." "Oh right, I suppose i should mention this...Medicham isn't able to use his psychic moves in the casino...I'm sure he already noticed that with the fact that he's always levitating everywhere...but it's because of a Dusk stone that's buried in the foundation." she found herself yawning, and wasn't quite sure why, she had slept when she got back up here...at least she wasn't sore anymore. "I will tell you though...Royce can be impressed. You impress him, you can get out of there scott free." "Well, I don't have much other than the fact that I literally AM the only one of my species here, and I have various technologies."' "Getting used to not floating. It was not that bad. I guess walking isn't exactly that bad... it's not like I'm so frail that one step will break my bones anyway." He said with a chuckle and a grin. "Except that through all the trip, you haven't eaten anything, not even at the sushi restaurant did you have anything, it's amazing that you can even WALK without falling over." she flicked out her tongue again. "And Kyn, you're wrong. If a dragon type would give their life to see that you were safe, then you're considered impressive." She left it at that, letting him think about what she had just said, and wondered if his conclusion would be the obvious one, or the one that would take him awry. "Well, there's not exactly much I can do about that. My body isn't exactly built to eat large meals like you all do." "Well... I don't know what to say other than... Why? There are hundreds of millions of us..." Kyn said. Serena took her time answering both of them. "Think of how much energy you would have to spend if you did eat like I do Medicham." She flicked out her tongue. "You know, Shelgon don't eat hardly at all while they're in that stage, or at least, so it's said. Going against that trend would probably make both you, and ME, a lot stronger than the others of the species." She paused, then turned to Kyn. "No, there's not Hundreds of thousands of YOU, Kyn...I've gained that much knowledge by talking to those around you...Inferno, Striker, Heji, Tensa...I've spoken to all of them...and each one has said that you are not...ironically, like any other human." "Serena, what color are my eyes?" Kyn finally said. She didn't even have to look at him to answer the question. "Purple." "You were paying attention to that video in which I competed in the Pokémon League, weren't you? The one that you said made a mockery of your way of life." "I was, yes." She answered. "Yes, I noted the color change, however there are Pokémon who's eyes change color as they grow, as they evolve, I suppose that I accounted that you weren't the same as back then, and that's why, but you're going to tell me that's not the case, hm?" "Human's eye colors do the same in a way yes, but, no... this is not a natural change. There is one other thing, that you might recognize about my eye color now. It is associated with Palkia." "Not exactly as pink as the energy that the Spacebender emits...but I suppose that covering blue eyes, it would be that color, yes." She probably wasn't acting the way most did when hearing the story. She supposed that she was SUPPOSED to be impressed. "Dear Lord, having pink irises would be... rather odd for a human. There is a short bit more to the story though, and it's still wreaking havoc on my brain, to this very day." "And purple eyes isn't odd for humans?" She rolled to actually look at him. "May as well finish the story." Her tongue flicked out again. "Before I sidetrack you, or Tensa does." "Heh. Right I guess it is. But uh, basically... by all counts, I should be completely insane right now. I believe that the fact that I am not, is part of the reason why I am able to understand so many Pokémon. Story time Serena! In my world..." (Diamond and Pearl CYRUS insert here.) "...well basically, that kinda messed our Palkia up a bit..." "Who exactly says you're not insane now?" she listened to the story and when he was through she waited a bit, letting it sink in. "I think...I owe your version of the Space bender a hug. No...wait...fuck. Jasmine is able to go back and forth between your world and mine, i think...they might be...the same?" She was trying to piece things together. "Either that or your world can have multiples of each Mythical family...and that would be...well...awkward to say the least. I can just imagine people walking around with them in their pockets and when they pull them out to battle, they find out that they're facing another copy of themselves." "They literally might be the exact same, but just different points in their own timestream, stretched through various dimensions. But, as far as I can tell... there is only one Palkia to each dimension. So, you've heard Palkia's ordeal... I was dragged into it." ".............I repeat my question. Who says you're not insane?" "I don't know if I am or not. I might be, but it don't think so. Now, why are you asking that?" She chuckled at him. "Well lets see...You started training your own personal army at age 10, found out that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, got mixed up in a situation in which you had no control over, got spit back out at the mercy of a god, essentially, and you're still alive." Serena slipped off the couch, over to where he was sitting, and stood on it just to the side of him. "And still you don't hate us, still somehow, you forge bonds with creatures that could just as easily result in your death...and you trusted wild Pokémon not to kill you on the spot. Yes, that makes you crazy." She sat on the arm of the chair. "BUT." the word came before he could respond. "It wouldn't be life, if it wasn't a little crazy." She might have licked him again, but she thought, somehow, that with the current positioning, that that would have been taken wrong. "Heh. Personal army... But I did hate Palkia for the longest time. Until I met it and found out what happened. Getting trapped in that alternate dimension was hell, Serena. The only reason why I remember it now is because of that reminder of what I used to look like. I can explain the wild Pokémon thing later though, I think, unless you want me to give it a try now." Serena leaned forward and put her jaw on the top of his head. "A gemstone can be told from other rocks by the pressure it can withstand." She said, quite simply. "I'd say that's about Diamond level worth of pressure right there..." she trailed off for a moment, and she said perhaps the most unneeded thing that she possibly ever would. "Dragons hold tight to the treasures they've found, they protect them with their life...I can't imagine the shadows, or nightmares you've faced, Kyn, but I can see the result clear as day." "I don't even know how bad it would be Serena. It could be enough to cause even the most experienced Psychics to recoil. But, it could just a walk in the park compared to what some have experienced. Now, I think it's time for me to get some rest so I have enough energy to talk with Anana and... maybe even find a way to get to know the non...whatever that druggie side is." Kyn said, not really thinking back on t. "Dialga went through it too. I don't think I can press my luck any further and have Dialga on my side." "Non blacklisted." She said, removing her head from atop his. "She owns almost everything in this town." She paused, letting him get up. "Oh, Kyn?" She paused again, letting him respond if he was going to. "You can keep the Poké Ball...I figure it this way...If anyone's going to have a way to reel me in if and when I get out of control, It might as well be you..." another trail off. "and...at some point; I think that I'd like to try." She didn't say what she'd like to try, no, but between the conversation with Medicham, and that with Kyn, it at least had something to do with ONE of the conversations they'd had that night. Eventually she did get off the arm of the chair. "Goodnight." "Goodnight Serena. It seems I've got a lot that will be going on. Anana and Royce... damn... some of the humans back home WOULD NOT survive here, like you said." Kyn left with that thought, and essentially just collapsed against the door to his room, once he was there. Serena chuckled at his words, letting him go to bed, she found her way to where Heji was laying, probably still by the door where she'd left him, and flicked her tongue into his ear. If he was asleep, it would wake him up, if it wasn't; it would more than likely get his attention. With or without the lion in tow, she was going off to bed, and not under the bed either, regardless of if he came with her, the bed still smelled like him. "Serena... we're on a rather tight schedule here... do you have a late night request; that you need to wake me up?" Heji probably would have growled at anybody else, but this was Serena, and for her he usually made exceptions and gave her the benefit of being young, and the addition to, almost practically needing his company. "Says the lion who doesn't have to wake up early and can sleep the whole day away if he wanted." She practically purred at him. "I offered you a reward for getting up last time, and that was from a comfy bed, I thought the lure of a bed might be stronger than the pull of the floor." "Sleeping on a bed is not part of my normal routine, but if that is what you are offering, I suppose there is no harm in accepting your offer." She chuckled at him, just a little. "We're in a cushy Hotel, and you want to sleep on the floor." She spoke as she walked, giving the grumpy kitty time to catch up, letting him get comfortable on the bed before curling up against him. "Nothing about this trip is part of a normal routine." She sighed into his mane. "And when it's over, when I'm forced to wake up, I'll have to give everything back...So while i have the time...thank you." "Kyn will probably appreciate the bed more than I do. We, that is to to say, the rest of Kyn's party, are used to sleeping in odd places. He tries to make us feel more comfortable in various settings... but, we are more like you, when it comes to things like that. Those of us that were wild before we met him share this view with me." "I...slept under my bed the first night here." She flicked her tail a bit and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, and let him sleep as well, since she had woken him up. She couldn't explain it really, but she felt...safe and protected around him, where as she felt the need to protect everyone else. "Alright Serena, for the time being, I will be your additional companion. I'm certain that Marlow can get tiring after a while." As he usually did when Serena was with him, to sleep, Heji put a paw around her. "If I start to get annoying, bite me or something..." The words trailed as the warmth engulfed her and lulled her to sleep. It wasn't fair, they had two days left, but it wasn't fair. One of the days would be spent with everyone but him, and the other would be spent on the road, and then she imagined that they would go home...but didn't she have what she wanted now...at least, the most of what she knew better to expect, considering that she was, physically at least, still a child? She tried not to dwell on these things as dreams took her, worry about tomorrow tomorrow, and not a step before. Heji would have chuckled at this, but he himself was politely waiting for Serena to fall asleep so that he too could rest. After he felt the words leave her for the night, he was quickly back to sleep. Despite what he had said earlier, Marlow had not been covertly in Serena's room observing, but was instead in Kyn's room. Everyone had already pretty much planned their day around what they might be able to do in the area, for those that would actually be able to carry around the money. Kyn didn't set his alarm in this place either, due to the reaction it would probably get. His body clock woke him up early again, just as the morning was breaking, and he imagined that Marlow would probably be up early again. "Morning Tensa... Today is the start of ONE of my new business ventures." Serena rather did ignore her body's clock, if she was dreaming, she didn't want to wake up, and if she was awake, she didn't want to move. Heji was warm and fluffy, and knowing that they would soon be in to make her get up anyway, she wanted to savor her time pretending to be oblivious to the world around her. Kyn made his way over to Serena's room, tiptoeing carefully and then decided that knocking would probably not be the best idea. He put his ear to the door to see if he would be able to hear Heji sleeping, and if Heji was sleeping that probably meant that Serena was still sleeping too. Serena snuggled a little closer to Heji, ignoring any thoughts of getting up and repeating the words 'warm' and 'soft' and 'safe' over and over in her head to try to lure herself back to sleep. Since there was no movement detected inside, (that his ears could pick up DX) he figured that Serena and Heji were both asleep, and he didn't want to cut their sleep cycle short due to his realy waking. He went back into his room, and explain to Tensa how he'd wait for a few more hours before going into wake them up. This time he set his alarm, but put it on vibrate. The Mantra didn't work, as much as she hoped it would, she opened her eyes and averted them from the warm nest of mane, looking up at the sleeping Heji. She didn't move any other way than that though, and she tried to think about...well anything really, the fog seemed to have lifted somewhat now that she had gotten used to being around him, but her tongue still felt thick sometimes and she ended up biting it. After the two hours passed and Kyn's wrist vibrated, he decided that they'd had enough sleep, and that it would safe and within reason to wake them up. For the second time, he went to Serena's room, but this time he knocked on the door that he didn't previously. He didn't try the handle since, what would be the point of knocking---other than to let someone know that you were there---if you were just going to go in anyway? At the knock, Serena finally checked her instinctual clock, though the sunlight that was slipping in between the wooden shades let her know that she probably couldn't stall any longer, however when she tried to squirm her way out of the lion's paws, admittedly she didn't try very hard to do so, she found she was rather quite stuck. She didn't want to purposely wake Heji, remembering how grumpy he had been the night before, and traced Medicham's line (Who was likely still asleep) back to Kyn's head, and attempted to sound as groggy as possible. Ideally, it should have worked in a way where the Psychic Pokémon wouldn't even notice it, and once she had established a connection, if only a surface one to respect his privacy. Talking of course, wouldn't really work. /Morning to you too, Kyn...you can come in./ Then the connection was gone, per etiquette. Kyn faced a similar dilemma as to what to think. On the one hand, he was used to voices in his head legitimately, and on the other hand, he was certain that it was Serena. He didn't think to much on it though, as he opened the door. "It's time for you both to get up. You have business to attend to Serena..." Serena snorted as if this wasn't an idea that was new to her, she rapped her claws against the bed, almost entirely engulfed in Luxray fur, complete with a paw blanket that as well as protect, it could easily gut her. "Yeah, I know. Little help? Don't exactly want to wake the pussy cat...kinda promised he could sleep in, since he doesn't need to be with us for the Anana thing...most of them are going to have to be left here for that." "Why the hell'd you do that? I need him there. I need every single one of my Pokémon to be near me as much as possible." "Did you not listen to me last night? I told you that there would be room for you, Medicham and Tensa in the carriage on the one side, and that she would have Terra with her leaving only the opening on the other for me, and I have to be there because it was MY favor that I'm using." She was careful to keep her voice down, and to keep any sign of discontent with the situation out of it. "Gyah. Very well. Tensa is my strongest Pokémon anyway... Serena, when exactly is this whole thing going to happen?" Kyn folded his arms in annoyance. "Do I have to be a captive to answer your questions or do you mind helping me move Heji's paw and talking about this out in the common room?" she countered with a question of her own. "Around the time your watch would say 10, since she prefers to do business over a meal." "It's actually quite humorous, having you there, really. But, yes, I shall help free you from Heji." Kyn moved and did one of his more usual maneuvers and did the equivalent of creating a space under a door by pushing wood underneath, to be able to move Heji's paw carefully. Serena assisted as best she could, at least until she was free, then she could almost move the paw back by herself. "I know...believe me I know..." She muttered a little "Spending all that time wanting to be with him, and then getting stuck there when i need to be elsewhere, I see the irony." She slipped off the bed to stand on the floor, straightening her scarf as she walked out of her room. "Tonight will be the last show for Marlow, I'm sure he'll be happy to know that." She said without missing a beat. "I probably wont get to see it, but..." "Let's talk later Serena, I've got to plan out my strategy for the Casino, after I do this little exchange with Anana." Kyn said, putting his hands in his pockets. "As you wish." Serena said quickly, walking over to tap the Screen, and waiting for it to go blue before speaking at it. "Notify me when Anana's Carriage arrives, thank you, and that will be all." For someone who hated technology, she seemed to use it a lot when it was available to her. She didn't even want to touch the topic of how she had gotten in his head. "Serena... you are not normally among the voices that are in my head. I would like it if you would give me an explanation as to why you were there today." Kyn said serenly and almost what seemed like boderline creepily. Serena figured the question would come up, and rolled her eyes. "As to WHY i was in there? I thought that would be obvious, I didn't want to wake Heji." She knew what he had meant, but eventually he would have to learn to be specific at one point or another. "Well that's one half of what I wanted. So... next question. Why were you ABLE TO BE in there?" He specified. She smiled. "Medicham." She said simply. "Interactions with the mind, which he did with me of his own free will, leave a trace, and you trusted him enough to allow him to immerse you in his trace, you've been living in it since you stepped into my world." She had sat on the couch. " Does it really bother you that much? You're not exactly guarded against it, and really, it was just a brush with your mind, surface thoughts, not even enough concentration to form a mental picture of myself." "Hmmm. I guess I need to work on mental barriers in case a lie detector is used. (I do mean the Pokémon kind... though maybe they have those there too!) So, I know this is a definite risk but.... do you tihnk Anana would take interest in a manner similar to Royce, in me being the only one of my species here?" "...I do not know. She's interested in me because of my vivid color and headplates...so it is a possiblity, but she's less...dangerous in that regard. I...can tolerate her form of payment for a favor, and she wont touch you if she thinks you're only interested in the same sex as you are.." She trailed off. "Kyn...would you like some...sanctuary?" She was careful how she phrased the words. "I did mean what I said last night...that I'd like to try to brave your nightmares and see if i can't quiet them..." She mentally fingered the orb of energy that would be her passage into becoming a Shelgon. "If you'll let me." "I do not suppose it would do me any more harm than has already been done. You do have permission to do... whatever is you do and however you plan to do it. We have a bit of time before the appointment." Serena didn't move, physically at least, she KNEW leaving her body would leave it open to possession, but the only one who might be able to get past her defenses would be Marlow. She briefly touched the relay points again, not much more than a kiss to their subconscious (figuritively at least.) before she stood among the shallows of his mind, giving him one last chance to back out. /I will tell you./ the voice might have echoed as one of his own. /I long would have given my life to protect you, what I offer you now is of little concequence...When a Bagon becomes a Shelgon, barriers are put up around their body, the weight makes it hard to move, and they train their minds to protect themselves from the other sort of attacks...I do not have things to hide from as you do, and So I will give you what I have not earned at that stage of my life.../ Just words, but they were 'spoken' so that they rang above the others, drowned them out even. [Heh. It remind me that Medicham heard every thought I'd had when I arrived here. Oh, uh... I just keep learning more and more about Pokémon everyday. There are some basic rules that still apply in both worlds.] Kyn sighed, and sat down on the ground with his back to the wall. [I haven't felt Reshiram in a while... wonder how things will be once I get back.] /Awkward conversation piece I'm sure...and yes, there are...such as, had you not given me permission...I would not betray your trust by stepping in further...I'll see you soon./ She took the chance and dived into the thoughts, her 'voice' going quiet for a bit as she did. Fragmented thoughts rose, and one by one the voices would fall silent, each layer she passed through, they were locked out, until she reached a pedestal where she knew his...being should have been. /Your friends hold you together Kyn, quite literally...but you knew that, I'm sure./ [I think it would be a good thing if I had more human friends. Being able to befriend Pokémon is good but... well, I don't know how to describe it.] "Times like these I wonder sometimes... why did I meet so many of these life changing beings...?" He spoke aloud. A soft chuckle echoed, and she gently, ever so gently reached into the base of her neck, where if she was a Dragonair there would be a large pearl, and yet, that was exactly what she pulled free from herself, twisting it open, and enclosing the pieced together orb of his being within her own, which sealed and would hold him together...of course she was now set back a month...and that was if he was right about her strength, but it didn't matter. /You wish for your own kind, it is only natural...I know the feeling....but it's done...You should not be bothered by any of them anymore...though I can not say that my passage out will be as easy as getting in./ [Bloody hell. Y'know, normally listening to voices inside your head is regarded as a sign of insanity. Though, personally, I think that... it's proof as to how mind control works. A suggestion, even a command through all levels of consciousness. But, anyway, my point is... I don't think most people have as many voices in my head as I do. I don't even know where most of them come from sometimes. I can recoginze the main twenty-one of course... but...] He trailed off into another series of thoughts. [I'm just really glad I met you Serena. Not only are the photos a memory, but I'll always remember you, even as you change, and I change. A bond that stretches through time and space. Wow, I hope that didn't sound corny.] She smiled a little, both physically and mentally. /There is a side effect, one I do not think you will mind...any time you are in my world, this world, you can reach me. The further away I am, the harder it will be...but it can be done./ She thought a moment on what he had said. /...perhaps you should find out./ Finally came the answer, and then the avatar of herself dissipated as she withdrew back into her own mind. "No Kyn, it didn't sound corny at all." there was a little twitch of her tail, not a major one. "So. Serena.... my guess is.... humans aren't supposed to go into Dialga or Palkia's dimensions." He stated simply. "...not without permission." was the answer she could think of that felt right. "Get permission and you're protected...that should sound familiar." She smiled and slipped off the chair, down onto all fours, and then over to hug him. "Think it's time to wake up our resident Psychic?" She was undoubtably more comfortable around him, but baring your soul to one another can do that to you. "Uh... Serena... Palkia wasn't able to GIVE permission, remember? It wasn't my doing." Kyn said with his eyes closed and his mouth open. "I remember." She said, rather ignoring the ache in her stomach that felt just as empty as it had when she was in his world. "But he is now." "It was... so lonely... couldn't hear, feel, or see anyone... getting dragged through that pink place was bad enough." She squeezed, just a little, around his middle, keeping her claws well away from his skin. "You're not alone Kyn. You'll NEVER be alone. What you describe though, sounds like...well, a trap set in place to guard the truth from those who would speak lies...You were released because you were innocent." "That's a rather interesting take on the situation. So, let's go get Medicham. Perhaps you and I can play a game of Poker while we wait. With MY deck of cards." Kyn clarified. "Oh, that will be fun, have me, you, marlow and Medicham all in a poker match. I can see it now, A litteral battle of the minds..." She released him from the hug, stepping back onto her hindlegs. "But yes, if there is still time, we can play a couple hands before Anana gets here. You may want to check your watch though...time is...distorted when two minds connect." "I see what you mean. Reminds me of the time I got abducted by aliens and lost a whoole day. No, not really but... erm, It is pretty damn close. We'll have to wait till we get back to play the Poker." "...Oh Kyn? Um...Medicham doesn't know I bounced off him to get into your head...lets...keep that between us for a bit, hm?" She said. "With him just getting used to his mind reading ability i don't think he even knows it's possible yet..." "And Marlow still hasn't asked Medicham to bloody help him any further. Serena, you need to get it through that skull of his, uh, actually no pun intended, that he can't just continue to mope all his ... .... rebirth... life... whatever the hell." "He confuses me..." She admitted. "When he first came back to life, the nightmares were so bad that I stole them from him so that he could have a good night's sleep...and then he asked me to stop...and he woke up constantly...he doesn't want to find out about his past, but he doesn't want to move forward either." She knocked on Medicham's door with the back of her forelimbs. "Eventually I'm going to have to force his hand, i think...and he wont admit it, but i think he thinks he's being replaced with Heji." "To be honest Serena, I believe that he and I have a similar belief when it comes to that. We have noticed an increase in the time you've spending with Heji. If Marlow is willing to practically survey you all day and all night long then... perhaps you need to just let him for a bit, as odd as it would be. I... don't know if I'm going to strike a nerve here but, Serena, remember what you got so angry about Tensa finding out about, that we said we would never tell him? Well I was wondering... have you done anything to say facilitate that belief?" "We spoke about it...It seems that he's worried about what happened In Gambitville...or at least that's what he claims...I suppose that that would have made him concerned..." she frowned, running her claws over her plates, the next bit she couldn't say out loud, thankfully she didn't have to. /I feel safe with him...I'm not trying to replace anyone...his scent is comforting and he's warm.../ She realized they were still waiting in front of Medicham's door and rubbed her hand back over her snout. Without warning Kyn reached down, and picked Serena up, by gripping her around the area just above her tail, being careful with his balance. "Alright Serena, this is me, giving you an opportunity to see things from a higher perspective." Serena looked at him, caught offguard by the lift, squirming just a little as he did. "Fine...show me then. I'm not stupid, I know things aren't ideal, and that they're only going to get worse if I don't do something." She hissed. "I know the world's not all about me, and when I started out on this trip, all i wanted to do was to help my friend...because he was the only one I had." The words echoed in voice and mind. "I owe him so much, he taught me to read, to write, hell, to SPEAK even..." her eyes closed. "And I still, would rather risk my life, than any of my friends." "Serena, who is Jasmine again...? You mentioned them earlier when I was talking about Palkia. Also, knock for me, please." "She is a Celebi..." She answered softly, Then lifted her claws to the door and knocked once more, in three quick rap-a-taps, offering him a scrap of a memory through the link they now shared. "We've...got to decide which speech pattern you're using, literal or figurative..." "Literal this time. A Celebi? Well, they are in my Pokédex. Another thing is... unlike most... we are aware of the fact that most of the Celebi that we see, are probably from different timelines." "Would you put me down? Where you're holding is /still/ sore." She snorted the last bit of information. "If he doesn't answer soon he's going to get a very odd wake up call." "Hmm? So it seems that you've become more... familiar with Heji." Kyn didn't chuckle at all, though he still wanted to hear her reaction. After Kyn and Serena's conversation finished, Medicham opened the door, without leaving his spot. Serena sighed. "I could blame it on you and Tensa, but I wont. Just unforeseen circumstances...yes, i got to know him quite well while you were away...even if he did have to go over things a...few times." "I hate to state the obvious Serena but... compared to you now... Heji is.... rather large. Heh... I would... personally know that." Kyn did set Serena down, though he would be wanting to pick her up again later after she recovered. "Yes well..." she lost the words as she found her feet, and it took her a moment to find them again. "You told me to relax, I found a way to do that, even if it was a stretch." the pun was bad, this she knew, but when the door opened and she spotted Medicham, at least, apparently awake, she strode away from him. "I have a Marlow to find...Oh...and I suppose that they all can come, if they don't mind spending that time in their Poké Balls, seeing without being seen and all that." She added, almost absently. Of course looking for Marlow was like looking for a blind spot when he didn't want to be found, so she had to hope that he did want to be. /Marlow~/ she reached with her mind, gently. "So then, do you really think that that would work? Considering that pickpocket warning you gave... I'd hate for human technology to fall into the Pokémon's hands here..." Marlow had situated himself in another room, that he wasn't sure was occupied or not, but noone was currently in the room he selected. He briefly felt Serena call out to him, but decided to just show up anyway, since he didn't feel like announcing his presence today. Down through the floor he went, down to the floor in which the rest of the group currently resided, wandering through the halls until he found them. Serena looked at him. "We wont be in the Casino while they're in their balls...once again, we'll be in a carriage, and a restaurant, and you'll have Medicham on one side of you and Tensa on the other, and ME watching from the other side of the table, besides, no one would do it around Anana anyway...You can take most of them with you to Royce, though they'd have to stay outside the office." She answered, She'd looked in the rooms that were open, and couldn't find Marlow, she did however find Tensa. Kyn whined. "Serena.... what exactly do you know of how many of my Pokémon will be allowed to be in there when I meet Royce...?" Marlow had gone right past the open door that would have lead to Medicham, and headed into Serena's room to check to see if she was there, not bothering to really use the link to find her. "Did you really just whine at me? Really? You're what, 18 years older at me and you're still whining? You couldn't just ask or something? Probably only I will be allowed in the actual room with you, Maybe Tensa, Medicham's illusion should still be able to cover you through a door." She had spotted the flash of Marlow's red cloak and stalked him into her room, surprising him by slithering in behind him and grabbing the horn that wasn't broken. "Gotcha." Marlow was not expecting Serena to grab him like that so he phased in to ethereal mode, then turned around. "Oh, it's you. Is it time for us to go yet?" "Haven't looked at the TV...was just looking for you, since I've been focused on...other things and haven't been spending much time with you." She held out her claws to him. "There wont be room for you to...float around though...so you'd have to be in skull form, at least for the carriage." "I'm not going with you this time. I know I said I was going to 24/7 you, but I changed my mind. You'll be coming back here anyway, so just contact me then." Marlow then situated himself on the area where Serena had written the letter. "....Marlow..." She kicked the door closed behind her, and walked over to him, regarding Heji on the bed for a split second. "Tonight is the last night you'll have to perform, and I...wont be there to see it, more than likely..." She tried again. "I'll understand if you still feel that way, but I just wanted to spend some time with you, you're my partner...my best friend." "Serena... regarder le lion. Heji will probably be able to provide you with much more than I cam. You say that we are best friends, yet when we met I was your ONLY friend. I do not expect you to want to stay with me forever." She growled at him, not the growl that she had used since she became civil, but the primal, loud growl that could put fear into most predators and prey alike. "Are you STUPID? I still will hate the day that you will leave, I don't want you to, and now you're telling me that you think that I will abandon YOU?!" Smoke curled from her nose "Idiot...there's a difference between the way that I care for Heji and the way that I like you...besides...I doubt that he even takes it seriously, and he'll have to leave as well...he's not from this world, Marlow...and while I wont look for someone else, I can't exactly...take him from his world, and I'm not the most comfortable in theirs." "That's rather interesting. Well, I guess then I can sort of look at it this way. Before you met me you were a wild. We've created this link between us, and well, since I am from this world, I will be here more than he will. I guess what I'm saying is, you shouldn't worry about having only me as what you would call your best friend. You should... make a lot of best friends. Though, that would make losing them that much more painful." Marlow said solemnly. She was sure that she had woken Heji, but she didn't care. "Yes...it will...but the void of when they leave can be filled with memories." She added. "Do you still want to stay here?" "Memories... that are currently locked, thank you for reminding me. I will stay here. Like I said, you can contact me later." Heji was woken up by Serena's outburst. He rolled over onto his back and waited to see what was going on. He hadn't heard Serena growl, or shout like that in the history of his time here. "...Alright then." She turned her head just a little to look at Heji, who had shifted. "There's been a change of plans, if you would like to go with Kyn, you're more than welcome to do so, of course, you'll have to remain inside your ball." She sighed. "See you later then Marlow." She walked to the door and opened it back up, she was glad that the walls were soundproofed and that no one else had heard her revert to that instinctual growl. Then she looked up at the TV, it had gone blue, but there was no writing, meaning that the Porygon was listening. "Well?" She asked the TV, feeling a bit stupid. "Is the carriage here?" Her claw was put flat against it, letting it know that it HAD been caught. Kyn went to his Pokémon to explain the situation to them, as well as asking them if they wanted to tag along, inside of their Poké Balls. Medicham and Tensa came with him, and they all went to find Serena. Kyn checked his watch, and it was a little past the designated time, on his watch. He didn't know if Anana was perfectly punctual, but he figured that if it took longer, it could just be that Serena was giving him a general idea, and not that they had literally set an appointment for that time. Serena snapped at the Television when it went black, then came back to being blue, claiming that it had no idea what she was talking about, and that, yes, Anana's carriage had just arrived out front. She was about to slash the TV screen with her claws when she remembered that it wasn't hers, and said instead, spitting the words instead of actually saying them. "We'll be down shortly, relay this message and STOP GLITCHING." she walked away from the TV, as if her saying that would cause it to stop happening. Of course, 'glitching' for a program was like calling it a freak among many other things, it was definitely an insult. She rejoined the others. "Time to go." She removed her scarf from her neck, and set it down on the couch where she had been sitting the night before, and headed for the door, keycard in claw. "Serena.... before Anana, I'd never seen a yellow Kecleon. Probably another thing I'll have to look into when I get back home. Other than that little comment the rest of us are ready to go." "I'll be 'guarding' this place. Though my eyes might close occasionally." Heji said. This meant that Heji would be staying with Marlow since Marlow insisted upon staying. "Alright." She said, opening the door and walking out, she wouldn't let them fall behind it seemed, since she stopped just outside the door and scratched her neck. This time, however, leaving her scarf wasn't to punish herself, but it, and SHE smelled like Heji, and she wanted it to remain smelling like Heji, and not the lilies that Anana wore. Aside from that, she was sure that Anana would have...well, something else to put around her neck. Kyn checked to make sure that his Poké Balls were secured around his waist, and then he followed Serena. "Technology. I'm not used to horse drawn carriages Serena... this will also be a rather interesting travel experience for me." He also noticed that Serena had left her scarf, but didn't make a mention of it this time as.... he figured she had a reason for leaving something so important behind. Serena rubbed at her neck as they boarded the elevator. "It's bumpy." She said in response to his admission, and when they left the elevator, they were almost immediately greeted by the yellow Kec sister, and by greeted, of course, she meant GLOMPING Serena almost with to the point of knocking her over, and /tainting/ or at least in what Serena considered 'tainting', the scent that covered her body. "Serena, Hi~. So glad you could make it, I've been waiting~" She sniffed. "Oh...you still smell like that lion, we'll fix that later, are you guys hungry?" "Well, I am," Kyn lied. He wanted to see what types of food that Anana ate, and since he was used to eating in practically any amount, be it large or small, he would be able to handle just a bit more food. "I suppose I could benefit from having a bit more in my belly." Tensa said, following along with Kyn. Medicham surprisingly said........ "I think I'm in the same boat as them. Figuratively speaking of course." Serena grimaced at the smell of lilies, she wasn't really hungry, but pulled the girl away from her at arm's length. "Fine, sure, lets eat." She walked past the Kec, only to have a tail wrap around her neck, not tight of course, but it looked like a leash, and while Serena tried to keep her cool, Anana released it after a few moments, walking out, then into the carriage. "Hate her..." the words slipped from her mouth, not much more than a hushed whisper. Anana slipped into the carriage with Terra, and patted the girl on the head. "They're here, lets see, what shall we have for the morning meal? Flapjacks? Waffles? Something that will last for a -long- time in her belly, don't you think Terra? Hm~." Everyone noticed that Anana had done her little tailwrap thing and then watched Serena's reaction. Those that were able to read lips saw what she said, but couldn't do anything about it. The all hurried into the carriage shortly after her, with, as would be expected, Tensa near Kyn. "Here I go..." Kyn said lowly. Serena stepped in last, closing the door behind her opposite the other three. The seats were comfy enough, she supposed, but as was expected of her when she was with Anana, she put her arm over the girl's shoulder. As Serena put her arm around her, she smiled and carried on talking as the Carriage began moving without, or so it would seem, a word from Anana herself. "So you wanted to do business with me on commission? What brought this about?" She eyed Kyn and Tensa, paying little mind to the Psychic type in the carriage with them. "The fact that I am a... businessmon. I like having money and I figure trading here would be a nice way to get started." Kyn answered in a polite manner. He'd read books about dealing with businesspeople, and he figured interacting with Anana wouldn't be much different, only in a Pokémon way of doing things. "Oh really? Well if you're looking to deal in the bay, I'm the one to go to~" She said all too cheerily. "Trading is business around here, about what sort of...trading did you have in mind?" She glanced at Serena, looking to her for answers, though she gave her none. If he was really just starting out, the Kec would easily be able to adapt and assign the price lower than was deserved, but she thought that Serena would keep that from happening too often anyway. "Well... I was hoping to be able to deal in... meat and fur. When I first came here from far away... I had to adjust a bit, but then I discovered the Bay!" He held on to what he believed would anchor him down better as he saw an upcoming bump. The bump came, and went, Anana, nor Serena seemed phased by it, even as they bounced a bit. "Well you've come to the right place, I assume you wont be killing around the bay, right? It would be such a pleasant surprise if you weren't~" Her tail did wrap around Serena's waist while they were in the air, an action that made her wince, but it was seemingly unnoticed by the Golden lizard. "You've been quiet Serena, don't you have anything to say?" ==== "No, not really." came the answer, yes, she had winced, and was currently trying to ignore it's presence as much as possible, but it was hard with the tail tip wriggling behind her back. "My source will... not come from the Bay. This area is very easy for me to get familiar with." If he was asked more about his homeland, as he was making himself out to be a foreigner, which was true but not in the sense of being from another area of this region. "Well, that's a nice change~" Anana said, giving a squeeze with her tail as the tail tip slid lower, until finally Serena reached around behind her and grabbed it with her claw, and didn't let it go, even as she pulled it around to the front. Anana leaned forward and was about to ask something else when her tail was grabbed. Serena glanced at Anana, who was clearly expecting something else from her with her grabbing her tail, and she snorted before her tongue flicked out to lick at the tip, much to her hidden displeasure. "All. *Lick* Requests. *Lick* Will be. *Lick* Sent through me. *Lick* And I'll. *Lick* Make sure he gets them." "So uh.... whereabouts are we going today Miss Anana?" Kyn asked. He was getting used to the carriage, but he planned on telling Serena about I.C.E. cars and steam driven vehicles later. Anana made a Ooooing noise as Serena settled into a licking pattern, then answered Kyn as he spoke. "Breakfast, of course...There's a nice little Cafe that serves all sorts of things from scones to flapjacks, to waffles, and tea, of course." Idly she wrapped the tail around Serena's tongue when the next lick would have been coming, rather forcing her to suck on it. Instead of sucking, she pulled the tail from her mouth, hissing a little in her words. "Anana, stop mixing business with pleasure." She pulled the tail away, still wet with her spit, and it unwound from her torso. /Ugh, she's a sex addict as well, I probably forgot to mention that when telling you about her Kyn./ "Oh Serena come on. It's just a little bit of fun." Kyn said, not really saying his true thoughts on the matter. [Why the bloody hell, are so many of the Pokémon you're introducing me to in a position where they can even do it? It almost seems like they're using sex as a power trip.] Serena shot Kyn a look that would have been able to kill, /Don't encourage her, she's already going to try to put it under my tail later, the last thing I need is for her to get the idea to do it WITH YOU WATCHING./ She paused, noting that Terra was looking at her with distaste. /You wanted in with the people at the bay, you do deals with the highest people and work your way up, I DO hope that someday you'll be sitting at the top, and not her....and yes, they are...quite frankly...Great, now Terra's looking at me like she's jealous, I do hope she's not exposing Terra to this shit this early in her life span, she's still a hatchling./ Anana looked put out, but kept quiet, much too soon for her tastes, they were at the café she had mentioned, she made an 'after you' motion to Kyn, Tensa and the Medicham, her tail wrapping around Serena's leg loosely to ensure that they were the last ones to leave. Under the pretense of a whisper, she said, under her voice. "You're the one who asked for a favor from ME, Serena, I'm giving it, you know the situation you put yourself in when you ask for a favor from me, so stop acting like you have a CHOICE in the matter of what I'm going to do." Then of course, she got out of the carriage, leaving Serena to huff and follow them all in. [I do hope you're being figurative Serena... since well, I'm a human. I told you how easy it would be for me to acquire meat and pelt, but Anana doesn't need to know that. Supply and demand. First law of understanding business. If the supply is too high, demand is created by limiting the supply. Sometimes crooked businesspeople will even hire bandits or theives to raid their OWN shipments. The theives then get a cut of the profit a bit.] Kyn walked out of the carriage and headed for the café. He casually kept a careful eye on the exchange that was going on between Anana and Serena, evne though he wasn't able to hear it. /The FIRST rule of business is don't tell someone you're NEW in the business world. Ugh, this Kecleon...Yes, I did, somewhat anyway, if you were above her in the scale you would own this city, you could even get PK on your side, she would love to see Anana out of business./ Terra took the opportunity to try to headbutt Serena, which she dodged by rolling back onto her heels, and grabbed the girl by her headplates to keep her from falling flat on her face, then continued walking as if nothing had happened. Anana hadn't noticed anything going on behind her, it seemed she was happy being oblivious, even if she did keep rubbing her tail tip further down her tail to spread and dry the spittle on her tail, and she lead them over to a table, where there were already papers spread out. "This way please~ *Giggle* I hope you don't mind that I left all the papers here while going to pick you up." "It will be faster this way, won't it? I don't mind at all." [Rule something about the Art of War, can be applied to business. Deception is involved. It was a lie, Serena. She think she might be able to screw me over, but I will be the one doing the screwing. Oh god, that... taken literally, ugh. Anyway, just watch.] /Referencing a book?/ She only got that far because there was a reference mark on the thought that she recognized as a book. /Right, well, whatever, I'll watch...just don't let her use odd wording in the contracts, things that have double meanings are common./ She slipped up into the booth between Kyn and Anana, unsurprisingly the tail traveled up her leg and tried to access her slit, and was greeted with the rough guardscales, that If anything, closed tighter instead of parting even in the slightest. She was safe to do so due to a frilly white tablecloth that kept everything from prying eyes. /Thankfully tonight will be the last favor that I ever have to do for her./ She added. Anana nodded and smiled somewhat of an innocent smile, sipping some tea as her cup was refilled. "Don't mind any misspellings, I had to rush to get them done before the meeting this morning, after seeing you at Nibble's last night~" [Ha, misspellings. I just barely learned footprint runes yesterday, and I'm having to deal with possible misspellings. Great. Also, double great that not only can HUMANS doublespeak, but Pokémon as well. Ugh.] "It's understandable, that situation. I wasn't really expecting you there at that current time," he said, looking carefully over the entire contract. Not a lot of humans bothered to go over entire contracts but it was one thing he always made sure to do. /Yeah, misspellings my ass, she never misspells anything, you don't have to worry about that, anything that's misspelled in there, is Misspelled PURPOSELY./ Serena ignored the tail, ordering Oran juice instead of tea, and eventually did drag her claws lazily down to the Kec's leg to rub and massage the scales there. Anana cleared her throat to catch Kyn's attention from reading it. "Oh, no need to read that, all it says is that you agree to work under me and gather whatever I send your way in a timely manner, or you void your contract with me." Anana waved off any concerns he might have had, Of course, the smaller lines of print told what exactly voiding the contract entailed, including staying a month with her at her disposal to ensure that that was truly time to end the contract before the actual end of the contract itself. "I'm not accepting anything without reading it. Personal policy. This would be a great partnership Anana, I'd hate for us to end it so abruptly. I doubt you'll find someone as.... skilled as we are. Time will not be an issue." Kyn said firmly. Then he promptly shut up. If he said anything else, he would lose this business contest. He picked up the quill and waited. Serena waited for the Kec sister's response, taking a sip of her Oran juice once it had arrived. She, like the 'mon at the saloon in Gambitville, was quite good at stealing glances at the Golden girl on the left of her, and slid her claws up higher so that she was teasing the Kec with her claw, pricking at the guard scales, and she felt the tail slide away, even felt the hand move her own to the cushion beside her. /Well, that killed her buzz./ she mentally chuckled, glad to have her hand moved AWAY from Anana. "Of course, of course, if you want to read it, go ahead, verify that there's nothing funny going on with it if you must, take all the time in the world, consult with your partners if you wish." She motioned to Tensa and Medicham, but avoided pointing at Serena, as far as she knew, Serena was on HER side of all this, she was the one who was going to be 'rewarded' for this favor after all. "Everything appears to be satisfactory. Though perhaps you could explain this small detail to me?" He pointed to in the most literal sense, a small detail. About what happened if he happen to void the contract. She was at least telling most of the truth about the contract, and as per most exchanges, since it wasn't initially asked, it wouldn't be told. The sin of omission. But he asked her about it, so she SHOULD probably tell him. Of course he knew what voiding the contract meant, but another business practice was making sure your opponent knew that you were aware of it, which is what he did by asking HER to explain to HIM what HE already knew. "I also have another question. Even though it won't be an issue I think... what exactly do you consider a timely manner?" Anana looked at the contract, briefly to assure where he was pointing, and didn't even flinch when she saw it was the fine print. "Well, just simply that If the contract is voided out, you'll spend a month in my shop and we'll see if something can be worked out, or if I need to let you go~" She tilted her head to the side at the second question. "Within a month, or tighter constraints if the customer asks for it, you'll always have the option to not take a job at the beginning, though any letters that I send to Serena here will have a two week period before they have the opportunity to be filled by someone else as well." Serena might have snorted anywhere else, but for now, she was content with behaving like she didn't get much sleep the night before, seeming disinterested with everything. /You do know that that clause would essentially make you her slave without a will if your contract voids, I hope./ "Well, that seems like a rather interesting termination clause. Any particular reason why a month is specifically stipulated in the contract?" Kyn said, once again having that 'first-time' curiosity. Serena should realise that he was completely taking in her mental advice, in a way that gave no indication that she was talking to him. [Almost done here.] "A month's time is enough to get to know you personally and see if your...tardiness is common enough to warrant your dismissal, if it's not, then you can go back to work without my constant supervision~" the smile was the same as before. "It MIGHT be shortened, if I find your work to be of proper quality while I'm overseeing your performance." "Usually those under employ start to show their inconstancy within a week. Though, I thank you for clearing up that little issue." He knew that at this point he was allowed to crack a minor smile, but it quickly faded. [That is complete and utter bull-or in a Pokémon case, Tauros-shit. Are you paying close attention to what I am doing Serena?] "I am a giver of chances, Kyn, I don't judge, you can even ask Gunpowder, he was in my employment a while ago, All of the rogues work under me, I've not had a problem with them often, but having a problem with me usually means that they have a problem with their guild leaders as well." Anana said. "With me being as lenient as I am, it's unlikely that you'll even see the inside of my shop, at least under those pretenses." ====== /I see, yes...wait, Gunpowder? I suppose i should have known, the only way he'll do any work for Anana is if Devonshire looks at it first and makes sure there's nothing funny about it./ She did snap her head to look at the golden lizard at the mention of the news, it was to be expected of her, since she wasn't supposed to have any inkling of what went on with her guild leaders, but she didn't speak. "Intriguing." Kyn dipped the quill in the ink, and signed his name, but not in footprint runes. [Now that everything has been cleared up, there will probably be no more surprises.] /Haa, i can translate everything she said into what she meant, but i can tell you, surprises are still around the corner./ She didn't get the chance to reach for her drink again, as tha tail appeared again, of course, this time she used her hind claws to grab, rather roughly, and pull it away, letting her claws sink into the skin beneath the lizard scales. /...And she thinks that she's won...too bad later I'm going to ruin her good mood again./ She mused. ====="There we are, see, nothing to worry about~" Anana reached for the contract. "Now then, breakfast. Do you happen to see something that appeals to you?" She motioned to the menu, then glanced at Serena, and she grabbed her clawed hand that was working her over previously and put it back on her legs, the tail wrapping around one of the ankles of her hind limbs, and the tip tickled the guard scales again. Terra had, at some point as well, slipped under the long tablecloth, and was occupying Serena's other foot, more with her head than either of her hands, which were too short to do anything intrusive. "Before I do choose though... I was wondering if you would be able to provide me with another copy of this contract. I have decided what I would like to try though." He said, putting the menu down. Serena sighed, both mentally and physically, then turned her head to Anana. "Just...one.." She said softly, the tail stopped, which she was thankful for, and she slipped her fingers up against the lizard's slit and coaxed her slowly with her claws, of course the smell that accompanied it couldn't be hidden, but since it was coming from under the table, most of those in the cafe wouldn't be able to pinpoint the scent.======Anana handed him an unsigned copy of the contract, and took the signed copy, rolling it into a scroll. "Good, I'm glad you have~" She smiled sweetly, she was finally getting her way, Serena had submitted, at least a little, and only then did she notice that Terra had slid under the table. [Alright Serena. At first, this is how it's gonna go down. You might appreciate this but, literally, I'm going to be visiting you at least once every month. Bad news for me is, if the time distortion is kept like it is, then I'll have to literally go back and forth every single day. It will temporarily be adjusted.] "Hmm, this is completely off topic Anana but, where do the lilies you have come from?" /A month and I'll have the energy to evolve again. At least, if I'm as strong as you say I am./ She was virtually ignoring the fact that Anana was quivering, if only slightly. /She might not be able to answer you Kyn...Just letting you know...and no, I wouldn't mind you visiting every month./ "Ah...they come from the windswept woods, My family has a......." She trailed off as another shiver overtook her. "A friend that lives there with his brother, and he sends them to me...." "I think I may have passed the Windswept Woods on my journey here." [Dear me. That will also be a rather interesting sight to behold as well. I wonder if your plates will be completely golden, or if you'll start out grey and work your way back to gold? Serena... tell me what type of berries Anana likes, ... besides Enigma berries, or help me find out so I can try out some PokéBlock on her. If you think about it though, there might be some risk to doing it but... I think it will be an interesting investment.] /I would really prefer not to have to spend enough time with her to figure out what type of berries she likes, but with her liking Enigma berries i would say Spicy flavors...Why would my headplates grey out? I'm eating fine.../ Proof that she was GOOD at what she had been forced to learn, it was only a short while later that she pulled her hand from the other girl's snatch, and wiped it clean on a napkin. "We did, yes." Anana trembled as she hit her peak, her tail lashed under the table, and shuddered with the after shocks of such a high. It was probably the taboo of it, the fact that Serena wasn't gay, since she did actively do this with others, but Serena was the only one who seemed to be able to get her off so quickly. "So, we were talking about food." "Well... I think I'd like to try the same scone that Kyn is having, though without the tea." Tensa commented. "I haven't looked, but if there is oolong tea, I would like that." Medicham commented. "Ah... speaking of food, when I get back, there is a specific specialty food that I would like you to try." Kyn said, not really giving much more information than that. "Alrighty, I'm going to go...freshen up, Serena be a dear and flag down the waiter and let all of them order if you don't mind~ The meal's on me boys." She slid beneath the table and walked out the other side, heading for the restroom. "Right..." She spoke as Anana's tail faded from view, and did, indeed, flash her claws up to attract the Vespiquen that was acting as their waitress. " Two scones, Oolong Tea, A cranberry muffin and a wet wipe, Anana's usual and Terra's usual." She said off in order, and then the bee left, Serena could only sigh again. /And that, is why i don't talk about sex openly./ [Doesn't seem to be that much of a problem, Serena. If she doesn't mind answering, I do have a few questions for her.] "What... IS Anana's usual though? Now I'm curious." Kyn said, putting his hand on his chin. She looked at him, almost curiously. /If EVERYTHING YOU knew about sex came from someone like her, would YOU want to talk about it?/ "Nanab and black Apricorn muffin." She answered almost immediately. "Terra's is a warm slice of Pecha pie with a scoop of ice cream on top." The wet cloth came before the food, and Serena wiped off her hand and the seat, then handed it back to the Waitress, waiting until she was a sufficient distance away before letting the muscles in her leg coil, and pushed the young Bagon away from her foot. "Stop it Terra. I know you don't like me being around Anana, to tell the truth I'm not crazy about it either, but if you don't stop trying to blatantly attack me, you're going to get hurt." [I don't know. What exactly do you know about it Serena?] "That's a rather interesting choice. I think she'd like a banana poppy seed muffin from...," he almost slipped up, "my homeland." What came from Terra were almost growls like Serena had made earlier in that day, things her mind could translate, but she doubted any of the others could, and she snorted as a response, baring her fangs at the younger Bagon. "Sit down." she pointed at the chair that she had vacated. /Of all the things to tell her, no wonder she hates me...Oh, erm...I know enough to get a girl off in about five minutes, as you saw...if only I was attracted to them at all...Well, i guess i can't say all of it came from her now...since Heji did a bit more than teach me.../ "Possibly." She answered, her eyes still locked on the younger Bagon until she had dropped her gaze and moved to her place at the table. Anana walked out of the bathroom and took back her seat as well, finding it damp and cold, Serena's work no doubt. "You ordered for us?" At a nod from Serena she continued. "My usual?" Another nod. "Good~ So we're all situated." [Hm. She's back Now, I have to say, that WAS a rather strange sight to be witnessing. Why would she so blatantly do that here?] "Soooo Anana. Do you have favorite type of berry that you like... or maybe a taste preference?" Kyn asked, trying to do his berry thing. "Nanab, of course." She answered, half looking between Terra and Serena, it was clear from the way her pet was acting that she had just been put in her place, and that just wouldn't do, that would have to be fixed later tonight, indeed. /Hell if I know why she wanted it done, perhaps she hadn't gotten off in a while, I don't know, I don't really care, tonight's my last night in her service of ANY form. Ugh, it doesn't help that I can still smell her beneath my claws either, and I know I just cleaned them./ The food was delivered, and Serena admittedly only picked at it with her right claws, keeping those of her left as far away from her food as possible. "Hm. Well that does narrow things down a bit..." Kyn muttered to himself, though not really caring if she heard or not. He then took a bite of his scone, and was delighted. Serena picked at her muffin a bit more before she finally asked. "Anana, do you have my contract on hand? If so, I'd like to look it over again real quick." She was, of course, handed the piece of paper a moment later, and unlike Kyn's, it had had several things crossed out and reworked, and reworked again. She passed it to Kyn absently so that he could see as her claws trailed over it, until she reached a line that said 'This contract will be null when proof can be provided that the Pokémon that signs below truly is not interested in females, and has given it it's best shot. Anana took a bite of her muffin, and smiled at him. "Why do you ask?" She didn't seem bothered by the fact that Serena was looking over her contract again. [Ah, so that's rather interesting Serena. Now the fun begins. I think I'll play with Anana a bit. She's getting rather fun it seems.] "Oh, just that, well, it's easier to give you gifts if I sort of know in advance that you might like them! Now, I know we switched to talking about food, but something reminded me of our earlier discussion regarding terms and such." In actuality it was him looking over Serena's contract that did it, but he wanted to make it look like it didn't appear that way. /To be honest.......I would have given myself to Heji that night that we were talking in Gambitville...probably better that I didn't anyway./ Serena said as she rolled it back up and handed it back to Anana, who put it away.====== "It's too late to change your terms now, you've already signed the contract. Before it could have been reworked, but now it's signed in blood, so to speak." She answered. "Much like little Serena's here, she'll be in my service for a while yet...at least until she develops interest in more civil things than hunting." There was, perhaps an undertone of distaste there, even as she sipped her tea. 542 PM | Edited 53:48 PM] : "Ah, no, what I meant was, that this is a contract. There is always a penalty for breaking a contract early. I am not merely speaking of voiding it. Since it is not directly stipulated in the contract, perhaps you would be able explain it to me. Though the fact that you have NOT stipulated it in the contract means you can literally make up anything you wanted, and it would still be valid. Though I'm certain that you would try to avoid deception like that, wouldn't you?" He said with a grin that was equal to hers, though a voice without the same almost sickening sweetness. [Obviously, I haven't asked 'too many' questions. Either that or she's willing to play the game with me.] "I never have to worry about my workers breaking the contract early, if they do, usually as soon as Royce learns that they have, he picks them up before I could do anything anyway, I never exactly know what happens when they're with him, I don't ask, he doesn't tell...though a couple of them have ended up in Nibble's sushi Resturant, and not on the good side of the bar, if you understand me." Anana looked sincere enough. "I've not met someone who's escaped punishment with the Slowking...but you've be dragging Serena into it as well, considering she's the one who brought you to me with her /favor./" Serena had cleared off the muffin top while the two spoke, her eye ridge raised as her name was mentioned, and then her eye twitched. /Liar...flat out, straight to my face AND yours. Ugh./ "Then perhaps it is best that Royce does not know that I have broken my contract." Kyn said flat out. [I really so wish she would understand how intelligent humans and dragons are, but humans don't exist in your world. She should have realised by all the questions that I was asking what I was doing.] 1:26 PM] : "Royce always knows when someone has broken a contract, and no, i don't report it to him." =====Serena snorted a little. /She's a lizard, she considers -me- to be a lizard even, stupid woman, yes...and yet somehow this Ditz became the 'economical organizer' of the bay. I'm sure if I asked PK, she would say that she fucked to the top...and well...from what I've seen, it might be true...but she is telling the truth about Royce, a little bit anyway...he does always know when Anana's protection has run out over someone./ "So I take it you don't want to know how I've broken my contract with you then?" Kyn asking in a false sweet voice. [Serena, how long do you think I'd be hunted in the Bay, if I were to kill Royce? This is only hypothetical of course!] 1:23:03 PM | Edited 1:24:26 PM] : "Unless sitting there and eating a scone is against your contract I don't see how you would have, since you haven't moved since signing it with your mark. Words and thoughts do not void contracts." She pointed out. ======= /The last one to try managed to hide for four days before they caught him, most don't know what happened to him, I do...he was put in Royce's room on display, kept in a wanting state, and the guards easily took turns with him in whatever way they pleased, when they were done he looked like ground Tauros patties...before they're shaped, that is./ 1:229 PM | Edited 1:251 PM] : "Two months from now, a deal was set up by me in which I made more profit by selling to various sources in the Bay, leaving you with the least amount in the picture. Though since this technically hasn't happened yet, I am still perfectly contracted." The way he went about this was was rather roundabout and he was sure that not even Serena would know what he was doing. [You know that I can disappear for months, even years a time, Serena. I doubt they'd find me since you know that I can go to a place where they cannot reach me, even if they searched the entire globe several hundred times.] /Yes, and they would try to pin it on those closest to you, any one you made friends with would then have become suspect./ Serena finished off her muffin. "Everything comes back to me one way or another, whether you trade with me, or ANYONE in the bay, you're still trading with me. If you have clearance to trade here, I still get my cut." She leaned forward now, her food long gone. "That wont get you out of a contract with me, and I have no jurisdiction outside of the bay, nor does your contract cover anything outside the bay, so whatever you do outside has no effect on the contract either." "Speaking of Royce... I haven't met him yet. In the... good way, that is." Kyn said, changing the subject. He hadn't outright expected her to just say it like that, so he was caught slightly offguard. [That would be YOU, Serena. Are you capable of that type of murder? With the way Anana treats Terra and you, I can't imagine what would happen.] /It wouldn't be murder exactly, self preservation, but YES. I am, actually. He cut off his tail when he put the dusk stone in the foundation, he can't use any psychic attacks, but I on the other hand, am still free to use ALL of mine./ She slowly drained the rest of her Oran juice. "Few do meet him in the good light, but you're signed up, and I assume that Serena has already stuck her nose where it doesn't belong on that account and set up an appointment with him in her own special way~ What was it this time? A cute little kid that got lost and wandered downstairs to see Vendetta? A card shark that somehow managed to read all of the cards and /guess/ what the hands would be? Serena you get in so much trouble, Royce would have your head on a pike if you weren't one of MY rogues.~" [Ahahaha.... She just described exactly what I did in the fucking casino. My god, at this rate, I'll meet Royce twice in one session here if I'm not careful. What I do is called card counting. Since there are 52 cards in a deck, unless they have a hidden method for pulling cards, like humans do, then I doubt they'll be able to cheat me when it comes to that.] "Hm, I had a few dabblings into the casino a while ago. Perhaps I should go back and see if I get can get lucky." "I haven't set one up yet." She admitted. "My mind has been occupied with other things lately and...well, it's not really that hard, Vendetta likes me, its easy to get her to let me hit the jackpot three times in a row." Her claw rang over the rim of the glass. /Yes, i know...of course there are games that require partners as well, how easy would it be to play a game of spades between the two of us as partners?/ She didn't look interested at all. /I would very much like this meeting to be done so i can go back to the casino and scrub every bit of the memory off of my claws./ =======Anana looked surprised, if nothing else today, that thought had surprised her. "Tsk tsk~ all that praise and you have nothing set up to get yourself into trouble?" 022 PM | Edited 032 PM] : "Miss Anana... I've been thinking... there seems to be a pattern to the way the games are played out, when it comes to cards. I may just be imagining things though." Kyn said, trying to change the subject yet again! [Your mind has been occupied with ME, Heji, and Marlow. Oh, I also lied about it being from the Bay.] 13:17 PM] : ./Digging yourself a hole Kyn...Yes, my mind has been on, what can simplified into BOY PROBLEMS./ she paused a little, then smiled. /Haa, boy problems...Yet I gave up my evolutionary energy to protect you, I growled at Marlow for thinking that I would abandon him, and he tried to push me towards Heji--who almost completely stops my coherent thought process-- or he used to./ ====== Anana looked at him skeptically. "I think...that you've got somethin' special, and I want some...but it seems as if we're all finished with our meals, I think it's time to draw this meeting to a close before Serena's lion starts to think that I'm an undecent 'mon and am doing unspeakable things to her." 24:06 PM] : "Thank you for the meal Miss Anana. I do think you'll enjoy my gift though, once I give it to you." Kyn said, folding his napkin into a triangle. [Digging a hole you say? Am I not supposed to be saying things like that Serena?] 33:42 PM | Edited by , 34:32 PM] : Serena flushed a little at the idea of 'her' lion, and promptly slipped out of the booth by way of being under the table. /Not in public...it's as bad as her saying that I cheat at cards, not ALL of them are as dumb as her here...bother, I thought I was past this...I have no claim on Heji...I wouldn't keep him from having sex with anyone if the want or need struck him./ "I'm going to make a run of it back to the Casino...clear my head...Kyn you have your key still, yes?" ===== "You're quite welcome Kyn, and I do so enjoy gifts~, even if I don't care for what they are, the thought is what's important." She too slid out of the booth, but by way of actually sliding out of the booth instead of going under the table. "Perhaps next time we meet you'll be able to give me a different kind of gift as well, hm?~" A giggle passed her lips. 40:24 PM] : [Waaaait a minute Serena. DO you actually cheat at cards, I am wondering?] Kyn now slid out of the booth, and Tensa did the same. "Uh...." Kyn wasn't sure if it was exactly what he was thinking that she was suggesting, buit considering her behaviour with Serena, and Serena's description of her... it might as well have been. 45:58 PM] : ./.....I do when money is involved./ was her answer, of course, she was stretching out on all fours just outside the door. /Well, I cheat about as much as you cheat, I can't exactly hide anything up my sleeves now can I?...Just tell her you like guys, Kyn, it'll throw her through the loop that she wont expect, and it'll put you and Tensa in a position where it explains why your scents are still on one another./ ======= "Hesitant are we? Well, so was Serena, at first, she still is in some regards. Are you riding back with me, or running back with her?" Anana asked as she helped Terra into the carriage with her papers. 51:12 PM | Edited 51:54 PM] : "It's not that... it's just that well... I was rather attracted to you when we first met, and now you suddenly spring this on me. Though, I happen to prefer males moreso than females. I... think I might ride in back with you." Kyn stated clearly. [Dunno if she'll make anything of his scent being on me though. Perhaps she will.] /The plus side is that she will think that she's tripping out when she sees your true self,I suppose. I would say don't do anything stupid, but I've been in your head well enough to know that that's not necessary...How does it feel not to have all the voices come at you unbidden, by the way?/ She was stalling, she knew she was stalling, but there was a reason for that, even now she was walking over to the Rapidash that pulled it and whispering in their ears. Anyone who knew her right about now would be wondering what she was doing, if not absolutely freaking out and going to be hanging on for their lives. Anana sat down in the carriage in her usual spot, if he was going, then that probably meant the other two would be too, Serena...well, Serena had always needed time to clear her mind after getting her off, she was amazed that the girl hadn't run out on them moments after that event...that meant that Kyn was something special in himself. "Ah, hehe~ well, I suppose I was a little forward, after all that business talk.~ We'll have plenty of time to get to know one another, even if I have to drag Serena into it by sending her the letters~" [Hm, say. You think I could pass for a strange Infernape with no fire and a missing tail and... everything?] "Hm, well getting to know you would be a bit beneficial." Kyn said. He hopped into the carriage, next to Anana, then Tensa and Medicham climbed in behind him. /I'm not gonna touch that one. By the way, I could turn your stomach by giving you 2nd hand experiences...but I don't think that you would appreciate that./ Serena had taken up a runner's position, neck and neck with the Rapidash who were now facing the proper direction. "Hang onto your accessories, folks. Here we go, Three, two...One...BOLT" She was off like a lightning strike, and of course, the Rapidash were keeping up with her, she let them, with the carriage, get a bit ahead of her, and then stretched out her legs to regain the lead, and skidded to a halt in front of the casino, kicking up rocks that had been laid in what was once molten rock, leaving clawmarks in the stone. Inside, Anana had only enough time to give the warning. "You might want to hang onto something." before the Rapidash took off, and the bumpy ride started. She looked absolutely content, regardless of the ride, she had a new prey, and could hardly wait to...court him, but still, she needed to keep up the pretense of being a lady, if only for now. "Gotten used to it by now, and now THIS happens? I'm glad I wasn't carrying anything breakable!" He had been on several Roller Coaster rides before, so this type of G force, however he didn't expect to be able to experience it HERE in this place. He held on to the back of his seat with two hands, obviously realising that there would not a be roller coaster bar, but it was the closest that he could come. "Interesting...," he said once the stop was made. Serena actually had positioned herself to assist the carriage with stopping, and it was a good thing that she had, or the carriage would have bumped into the Rapidash themselves. They seemed a bit put out that she had beaten them, but they WERE pulling something rather heavy, at least, if the fact that took several steps to slow it down completely. She dusted her claws off and saluted the Rapidash, then walked into the Casino rather quite alone. /You realize now she's going to take everything you do as part of a would be relationship, right?/ It was faint, growing fainter with every step she took, but still able to be heard. /Even Tensa may feel threatened by her eventually...she doesn't exactly do things...half way./ Anana used her tail to open the carriage door, then retracted it. "Well, wasn't that fun~ So glad to have you all in our -family- Take care now, buh-bye.~" [That might be a problem if I go through with the gift, but other than that, I don't really think it will be that bad. I don't exactly know what Kecleon mating rituals are like, but I can sure as hell guess that Anana is something far different than the standard green Kec.] "Hm...? Uh... yeah. See ya later Anana." Kyn waved to her, and then headed back up into the casino. /None of her family are green./ she answered, as they walked towards the elevators it would get stronger, her blue coat standing out against the pale yellow walls. /Going up or staying down here?/ She asked, her green eyes looking up at them as they came nearer, then pushed the button to call the elevator regardless of his answer. [Going up, to get more... Poké, and to, against my better judgment send the gift to Anana. I talked about the gift before it initiated, so, if she calls me out on it, I'll refer to that. Why ain't you talking verbally as much?] Every time Kyn stood near the elevator, it made him feel relatively tall again. Though if he were wearing a 3 inch top hat, then he'd have the same vertical height as Royce, but a Sceptile in a top hat didn't exactly suit him at this time. She put her foot between the door so that he wouldn't have to wait to join in. "It's easier to speak through the mind when you're a long distance apart, it also ensures that one can not lie to my face like Anana did in the shop." She added verbally. /Yes, I still remember that you did as well, unintentionally or not./ "Besides, we can confuse them now...and I'm sure that Striker would like out." "Sometimes I need to lie, Serena. But only in very grave situations. Soooo yeah. I think I need to talk with him anyway." Kyn said, waiting for the moment when he could let them out. Once they had stepped in, she removed her foot and let the door close in front of her, her eyes closing. "By the way...Kec's mate for life...Anana is...well, a well developed slut, but betting that you're not the one that her maternal instinct slips in on? It's not the best thing in the world...and you shouldn't need to lie to your friends....Not when we're the ones holding you together." Of course, that SHOULD have been enough information right there to let Medicham know that she had been in Kyn's head, which would likely open up a can of worms. "Mating for life eh? Well, that's essentially what Tensa and I are currently working on. I guess I've found another Pokémon to add to the list of, 'mates for life'. SO Serena, what about Salamence then... You knew this question was coming." "I do not know....I well....I haven't exactly..." she sputtered. "Probably, mating seasons happen once every 10 to 25 years...and at that point then if they like a male they settle down and have a family? That's what the instinct center of my brain says...but that would be for the wilds...I don't know about sentients..." She squirmed a little "You missed the point there Kyn...If you and Tensa are going with the 'mated for life' status there, then if you're unlucky enough to be picked by Anana...well...she's...possessive, as you might have gathered." "Well Serena... you only know part of the story. This is a lot more complicated that you can imagine, and if what you're saying about Anana comes to pass, then, there might be some problems... not because of me, but because of where we're from." Tensa said, folding his arms. She turned in the elevator, she almost laughed at him. "Tensa...Having gone through what I did this morning while you were sitting in the room, and yes, I WILL elaborate on that unless Kyn tells me not to, I say try me." the ding of the elevator saved him from listening to all of what she had done that day. "Not to mention that act in the restaurant, nor what's going to happen tonight." the last bit came out as a snort. Well, first of all, I wasn't the only one of my species to choose Kyn. He also, for completely unrelated reasons, happened to be a male as well. As it turns out, we both wanted him to be ours. That Sceptile also happened to be the first Treecko that he raised. How's that so far?" Tensa explained. "Logical, if you leave out the genders, which my mind has rendered irrelevant." Boy, she really HAD grown, hadn't she? She flashed her keycard and opened the door, setting it down on the table. "You can either accompany me into the bathroom to clean this filth from my claws, or you can stay here and wait for me to get back to continue. I don't care which." "I think I'll wait out here for you. It is YOUR bathroom After all." Tensa said, thinking about what to say next. "It's a communal bathroom that connects four bedrooms." She said, but didn't argue, slipping through one of the doors and taking that cherry smelling soap to her hands, lathering them both out of habit, and scrubbing vigorously over the left one in particular, then rinsed them off, dried, and applied a thin layer of the oil over them. She then returned to the common room and, at least for the moment, put her scarf back on. "So! The next part is that Kyn chose me, but suggested a rather interesting concept to me at the time, though now that I see it more and more, it's not that odd to me. Do you know what an open relationship is yet?" Tensa said. Kyn looked on with interest in Serena's reaction. How she answered would make a whole world of difference to his approach. "I can piece together the meaning from what I have been told by you two, and Heji." She was taking the utmost care in straightening the scarf and making it perfect, and when she sat down you could almost see what tenseness had joined since Anana had hugged her, melt away. "Well, Kyn suggested that we have an open relationship, and I agreed under the condition that... when it came down to it, I would be of the highest priority. He agreed." Tensa said. "This why I'm allowed to mate with others, and he is allowed to as well. We both know that regardless, both of us will be together. Anana might not understand our relationship." Kyn added. "I wouldn't be able to do it. Not at this given point in time anyway." She looked away a bit. "I mean...I'm too protective...the only one I don't, to this date, feel the need to protect, is Heji...and that's causing a collision because my brain still associates protecting as caring, and not wanting to protect translates into not caring..." she found herself biting her tongue until the coppery smell of blood filled her nose, and she swallowed the (admittedly minor) amount of blood that had gathered in her mouth. "No, I don't think she will...from what I've observed with her, she likes to lure them in like a Lanturn, then throw them away when they're broken...and she tastes like a trashcan." "So, anyway, regarding Striker... that is one thing that I helped him with. See... I don't know if you can picture it but, while Striker exiled himself, he was of course, without a mate, and simply relieving himself... wasn't enough. So, you can fill in the rest of the blanks." Kyn said. "Kyn...I've been in your head, you don't exactly want to know WHAT I saw when I was silencing those...shadows." She answered back... "Some of them made me adapt, yes, I can fill in the blanks well enough to understand." She also realized that this was essentially what she had used Heji for, though the circumstances were a bit different. "Well, anyway, that's why I don't think that this will be a problem. Though, knowing Anana, if I try to explain to her that I'm not interested, she might try to alter the contract that I have in order to MAKE me or something. Serena, you do realise that Anana literally does have the right to change your contract, and mine at any time, even though it's already signed by us?" Kyn said, changing the subject to that of which his thoughts had deviated, as evidenced by his statement. "She doesn't have that ability with mine, and she if she puts anything about sex directly in a contract she loses all credibility, the whole reason the line in there on mine about it was even there is because of Non-judgmental situations. Yes, any time you ask for a favor from her, you can expect a sexual advance, where she'll push you a little further, and then a little further back into a corner, until you end up in a position where you can't say no." "Well, then it comes down to a few things Serena like... what do you think I would need a favor from Anana for? Secondly once again.. since things are so loose here... what exactly do you believe qualifies as a favors from Anana?" Kyn asked, trying to think of things himself. "You probably won't." She spoke, honestly. "Except for staying out of trouble with Royce, you probably will not need to use any favors...as for what qualifies as a favor...getting you out of a tight spot that you find yourself in...like exposing yourself to be...how did you put it? A bob-tailed shaven Infernape? Anana could get you out of that even if it was spread massively." "I do so hope that she doesn't find out what I am Serena. I'm sure you can imagine what Anana would do if she found out I was technically the only one of my species..." He sat down on the ground finally, giving Serena the opportunity to not have to look up to him as much. Serena lowered her neck, thankful for not having to look up at him as far. She licked her nose with a tilt of her head. "If she does...well, she won't be that hard to subdue or kill...if she can't adapt as I have...Of course I was put in a unique situation...I probably wouldn't trust her to do the same...So did you still want to play Poker?" "Yes. Though, I would prefer it if the whole killing thing was avoidable... Ergh. I never thought being human would be such a curse in this world." Kyn said with a huge sigh. He reached in his pack and pulled out a brand new deck of cards, showing the different version of the face cards. "I did." she observed, and eventually pressed her sharp fangs into her mouth, letting them fold back much like a snake's would when they weren't being used, and she ran her tongue over them, not that it could be seen. She wasn't used to speaking like this, and so she tried to do as little as possible. "Clean game then?" "Heh. I suppose it will be. No funny business now! Of course you wouldn't. Besides, card magic tricks are for Alakazam and Kadabra shows." Kyn said, cutting the deck in half, then doing a bridge shuffle, then repeating it two more times. "Only with money, is there any funny business, I did say thiss...." She let the s hiss for a moment, then let her fangs return to their usual positioning. She wasn't exactly sure why she bothered showing them that that could even happen, but she did it anyway. With Kyn on the ground, she avoided his arms and sniffed at the Poké Balls until she found one that smelled of Striker, and pushed the button to release him, since Kyn hadn't bothered to do it yet. She couldn't exactly explain it...but it felt...wrong somehow, not to have all of them out in the open...like a puzzle with one piece missing. After Striker emerged from his Premier Ball with the signature white sparkles that reminded most people of a Shiny Pokémon, he stood up, stretched his wings and then greeted Serena. "Ah, Serena, I got too distracted... dear me..." He set the shuffled cards down and went over to Striker and did the Warrior's greeting with his swords and sat back down. "That was a bit of an interesting exchange you witnessed, I guess." He commented. Serena did feel her cheeks flush as Kyn mentioned Striker seeing an exchange, right...he could see under the table...it made things a tiny bit awkward. "Yes...you did. Actually...i did as well...what with our conversation..." /Not to mention the fact that I'm sure Medicham is wracking his brain trying to figure out how I even got into your head.../ and then she directed her thoughts to Marlow, essentially a knock on the door to his mind, though she didn't enter. Two at once, she supposed it would be like when Medicham had been in her mind before, a sort of group call. [Serena, it is best not to ask questions. After all these years with Kyn, I've just sort of learned to go with the flow.] Medicham finally revealed that he was STILL capable of speech, albeit mental speech. "Serena, Kyn.... I wish to learn to play Poker." Striker said unexpectedly. Serena laughed at the interception of her thoughts. "haa...remind me to keep things on a low resonancy wave if I'm saying something important, there's getting to be too many that can feel the webs of thought...we may as well just finish connecting the group together completely." She was taken aback by Striker requesting to learn to play, her head tilting as she tried to think of a way that he could even hold the cards without chopping them to bits. "Yes Serena, obviously you are thinking about how one such as myself would be able to hold the cards, and no I am not reading you mind, as this is an obvious issue that comes up. Medicham is the answer to that." Striker said walking closer to the group and sitting down. She raised an eyeridge at him. "Actually I was thinking of different ways or you to be able to hold them on your own without having them get sliced through, the most obvious answer would be to have you hold the cards on the flat of your blade and use the blunt side of the tip from the other. I do not think in 'can this be done's' I think only in 'find a way to do its'." "Oh boy, then I'm not asking you to think differently Serena. That will work, but it will be highly ineffective. I also don't think Striker plans on gambling in the Casino so, using Medicham would be the easiest solution and the most immediate." Kyn said. It wasn't often that Striker managed to hold a height advantage over him, so looking UP to Striker for the first time in a while was another interesting experience. She chuckled mildly. "At first, doing many things in a way that they can be done on your own is highly ineffective...like using chopsticks when you only have three digits to work them with. Until you learn and teach yourself, then it is more of a hindrance to even try to use them, you would be better off using your fingers. It's only through WANTING to learn, that you can become proficient at something Kyn." "I can understand that Serena, though, doing that will serve me no practical purpose that I can think of yet. Though, maybe you can think of something that I can work towards." Striker said. It was almost as if Kyn and Striker were back and forthing. Serena cracked a smile. "Are you two having fun yet? Actually, there's a lot of things that it 'could' be useful for old bug, for one...you yourself said that Scyther can't give hugs...that's not exactly true. How many times have you avoided contact with someone because you thought that you were going to hurt them?" /Medicham...later i would like to borrow your connectivity to the others, granted, you wont even know I'm doing it, but it's only courteous to ask if you mind./ "Not very often, really. You do remember that I haven't BEEN in contact with very many. As for the manner of hugging... If I turn my blades around, it can sort of be like one. That's one of the way I can think of." Striker said. [You certainly have an interesting way of going about things like this Serena. I'm gonna crown you as an honorary Dragon Psychic type.] Medicham grinned. /It is, in some ways, the coward's way out, I can send a thought easier than I can talk, and I only know this much about it because of my link with Marlow, it was how he broke through to me...I suppose that you could say that thought is my native language.../ "Turn your blades out at an angle, you'd have no worries about cutting them then, yes..." she stood on the cushion so that she was about at the height that she could extend her claws out. "but if you don't mind, I'd like to test something while we wait for Kyn to stop being distracted and deal." "Oh, how nice, you were waiting for me? Well then... Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh." Kyn said, and then he actually did deal out five cards to everyone. "It'll be a simple Draw Poker. No fancy things yet. We'll get to that rather later." "Hm, go ahead and run your test then." Striker commented. "It's not like I'm going anywhere." Serena took her opportunity, she knew for sure that her lizard scales wouldn't protect her from his blade, but her claws were made to tear, just like his scythes, she didn't exactly speak what she was going to do, but figured that he would block such a blatent swipe at his person. of course, it was no where near the most forceful swipe she could do, but it was for a test, after all, and reflexes, if he did attempt to block it, would situate it that her claws ended up against the sharp blade. Give a little, then hold. If he didn't attempt to block, she had enough sense to stop it mid swing so that it wouldn't actually hurt him. Striker was sitting down, so he wasn't expecting it at all, so he reacted the way he normally would have. He didn't turn raise his blade to block in the way he would another Scyther, but instead turned his blade sideways in front of his body, and when the swipe connected, he sort of fell backwards due to not really being able to balance as well. "Just because I'm strong doesn't mean I'm as agile as I used to be... though that doesn't stop me from being twenty-something years ahead of you, Serena." He said, hoping that his wings were alright. He hadn't FELT anything wrong with them, but it made sense to check. "My... wings are alright, aren't they?" "Yet you did close to what I expected of you." She was examining her claws when he asked about his wings. "If you're in the mindset that your wings are going to break from a small impact against a floor, I don't see how you're not a sitting Ducklett, so to speak. Your wings are fine...and thank you." She put the claws to her mouth where the new grooves were from his blade, and just bit them off, leaving them blunted on that limb, for the time being. "I don't know what you expected me to do, but was now really the time to expect me to do it? Whaagh, that's a bit of a thing to say." Striker said, fluttering his wings just to be sure. Serena smiled at him. "No time like the present to test your blades against an elder's. It shows how far I have to go, and against one of your kin, who could easily tear into my hide as if it were a blade of grass...it is a good thing to know that i can show my respect...besides that...we'll be on the road tomorrow..." she picked up her cards and looked at them, then leaned back with her eyes closed. "And Kyn has requested to meet Royce...which I'll be doing after a couple hands here...and then I have to go see Anana to return my favor, and to end my contract...I do trust that you enjoyed my work, from where you were sitting?" "I am not sure what you mean. As far as that is concerned... it is the first time I have seen something like that." Striker said. Kyn picked up his cards as well, studying his crappy hand. "Left of the dealer goes first in this particular case. Though since Medicham hasn't joined yet, it's just you and I. Alright Striker, so there are 52 cards in a deck... .... ... and for this particular game we each get five cards." Serena gave him a fangy grin, but said nothing as she let Kyn explain how the game was played to Striker, it was only afterwards that she spoke again. "Probably will be the last too, I don't make a habit of such things...even on myself." For some reason, this was easier...perhaps because the lion was still sleeping, but she was distracting him, she knew, probably distracting everyone from giving their full attention to the game. Kyn placed two down and picked two more from the deck. "Check, Serena" Kyn said. "So you like formalities then Kyn, even when we're not playing for a bet...unless there's something you -want- me to bet?" In the end, the word 'check' slipped through her lips, betting...wasn't a good idea, but she did fan out her cards, verifying that she wanted to keep her hand from the start, then closed them again. "It's not exactly as much fun without betting, I'll admit...but it comes down to how well you can read the other people this way." She said, for Striker's benefit. "A little, I guess in a way, like a hunter's gaze...judge if they've really got poison in their fangs, or if they're just a Ditto." "You just totally added another analogy to my head. Serena.... Royce would be all over us if we BOTH used our abilities. I fold by the way. Now, just for the heck of it, you are now the dealer, Serena." Kyn puddled his cards, and shifted them and the deck over to Serena. "Royce is always keeping a close eye on me, Kyn, there's nothing I can do about that...unlike most of them I can SEE the way that a being reacts, they don't need a specific tell. It's like that I could tell that the first night Tensa was here, he was happy about something, I didn't know WHY, of course, I was in the bath..." She paused to think as she mixed the cards, then carefully reshuffled them thrice. "We should take these down when we meet him, play a couple hands between us...well, not these cards, but the others." "There is another thing that is different here though.... back home, there are tables reserved specifically for high rollers, those that throw around hundreds of thousands up to millions, though I don't... exactly know if that's the case here since, this casino seems reluctant to part with its money, if you know what I mean." Kyn said, then waited to be dealt his hand. Serena looked up at Medicham and Scyther. "Joining in or staying out?" She played with the cards, waiting for their answer, then dealed out accordingly. "And skip the formalities this time." She flicked open her cards, then closed them, and returned to what Kyn said. "They do, but they're easy targets and its never wise to sit at them...either you lose your money at the table or you lose it in the back alley." "Then I guess I'll have to covertly win. I'm sure 10,000 Poké spread out over a while won't be TOO suspicious will it?" Kyn put down two cards and waited. "Watching this round...." Medicham and Striker said. "...and how long are you planning on staying in the bay? You have until sunrise, and then we're leaving." She too traded out two cards, then looked at her cards again. "Didn't you say you wanted to find a gift for Anana as well? You might not get to sleep at all until you get home." "Serena, y'know that set of PokéBlock I gave you? Well I'm going to give her five pieces of the opposite. I don't want to be around her when she finds out that she can't have more for a while. Her sister's tantrums are legendary, but I don't think she's the type to have them. Let me know when the first details arrive. I'll be back in a about two weeks your time." He then pointed at Serena's cards. "Show 'em. Whatchu got?" Serena looked at him, and chuckled. "I'm afraid to say...," She paused, flicking her cards out onto the table. "...that you've won this hand." She finished. "Truth though, you should have paid to see what I had last hand, and not this one." "So then why don't you tell me? Or will I be utterly blown away?" Kyn handed the cards back to Serena. "Because that's not the point of the game, you didn't pay to see them." She pointed at him, then shook her head. "Time to meet the guy that's going to want you and me both bent over his desk. I've got an hour of time left with you tonight...So we may as well make it a fun hour...Still want to take all of them with you down there?" She already knew the answer, and didn't seem to wait for the reply before speaking again. "Do you mind if I use some of your money to get us into /trouble?/ Vendetta will be giving us a 20 to 1 ratio when she learns that I want to see Royce. She absolutely adores pissing him off." "I'm going to make it back one way other another so go on ahead. Though... I'm not sure if this is the method of which I am going to meet Royce... I wonder what all this next client is going to request... Serena.... the more of my Pokémon I have near me, the less chance I'll have to worry about. Plus if it even comes to that, you'll see one helluva spectacle." Kyn said. Serena sniffed around him, until she found the pocket that he had been holding the poke in and removed the gold from it entirely, pouring MOST of what he had earned back into the bag that held his winnings, which was presumably still on the table. She did show him five golden coins that were left in her claws, to show him just exactly how much she was leaving out and taking with them. She also dumped out her bag onto the couch, not exactly in any order, and folded the cloth up so that it was small enough to be hidden under her scarf, which was exactly where she put it, and the coins...as well as where she kept her keycard. "Until we get to the machine...yes, as in slot machine, I'm going to hide amid your illusory tail...you could say that Vendetta has been known to get me into trouble...the biggest problem will be...well, keeping the others around you without showing that they actually are with you...the obvious answer of course would be those infernal balls...and then taking out the guard at the door without killing them, leaving our own at the door...I've done that before, minus having our own guard at the door of course...Royce was especially pissed off at that point...still though." She realized now she was rambling again. "So...time to gather the missing members of the group I suppose..." "Wait! Serena! I have a question regarding this currency, known as Poké. Is it made out of solid gold?" Kyn asked frantically. 355 PM] : Serena blinked at him. "Well...yeah...why?" She looked at him curiously. "It's soft, easily molded into the shapes we need, and relatively light...well, for us anyway..." "Well, it's just that, humans place a high value on gold, silver, copper, and other materials, gold currently being the highest. Love it. Get money for shiny rocks. The purer the gold, as in not mixed with silver or iron or anything else, the higher the value. Just a few hundred of your coins could actually make me a decent amount of money back home, that I could then turn around an invest in fur and meat to bring back here, IN ADDITION to the hunting that will be done." Being as he was still sitting on the ground, she walked over to him, looking him in the eye. "Kyn...look at me, and take a good look. Life is not better with excess money. If you have enough to live and to treat those around you with dignity, why do you seek more?" Of course the memory of Inferno speaking to her about why he'd given her the PokéBlock came to mind, but she shoved it away, thinking of the PokéBlock and that she was given some, and what he'd said to Anana as well...well, it wasn't the best combination of events. "Serena...," Kyn began, facing her to not exactly 'confront' her, "It's not all for me. I can continue to live the lifestyle I currently live, while also being generous and helping others. My mother still works. If I build up enough, I could have her retiring 30, maybe even forty years sooner. All she's given to me, I can help get back. Not to mention donations to agencies like the Societies of Prevention of Cruelty to Pokémon. Most people don't even take them seriously." (KSPCP, HSPCP, ISPCP, JSPCP, and of course SSPCP!) She did feel the twang of guilt and envy that came with being reminded that he did have parents, and while she was sure that she did too, she would never exactly get to know them. Her nose twitched with this news. "You say it as if Pokémon in your world can not take care of themselves..." She didn't draw attention to the other things, she didn't want to admit them even to herself...but she had spent enough time in the past crying about her lack of Sire and Dame, she wouldn't waste any more on them. Of course, her mind was easy access now that she had given everything up to protect him. "We're wasting time..." as she spoke she moved away from him, towards where she thought Heji would be from his scent trail. Well, he had said that he would like ALL of his Pokémon with him. "Still. You're right. Though if you were to see the way some of my people lived, what I am doing will seem like..." He trailed off and couldn't finish his sentence. He stood up and put his cards in his pocket. /Then show me./ The thought echoed around the room. /You have that ability now./ With the sun in the west, the room was quite dark, not something she was totally against...when she did reach her room, and found Heji, she tilted her head off to the side. "You look restless." obvious enough of a statement, of course if the clicking of the claws against wood hadn't given her away it could possibly have taken him by surprise. "Ooh, I don't know how you stand him sometimes Serena! That bloody ghost (ha, double meaning cuz of the color of his cloak!) is so annoying at times!" Heji gave a low rumble. "Maybe it's just me, at this current point in time that he feels obligated to do this to. I told him to get out for fifteen minutes or I'd electrocute him." His fur was sparking, and "As if the sparks weren't enough of a clue Serena..." Kyn muttered. She walked over to the sparking lion and put her hand on his flank...electricity...it didn't bother her too much so long as she maintained the current, essentially letting herself become an extension of his energy flow, she was smart enough to do that. "Practice...patience and understanding...among many other things...You heard at least some of what went on this morning...he's...I suppose you could say reacting to the way that I react around you. Probably still insisting that I'm going to abandon him...for...living friends." "Serena... perhaps you could explain to Marlow, that just because we're all here, doesn't mean that we're going to stay forever. He'd more than likely be near you far more than we would. Besides, if he stays with us, then he'll be with you more since you'll likely be with US more. That should make sense." "Then just to clear the air, so to speak, I shall return to my Ball for a while. Only coming out to eat, or if Kyn decides to utilize our convenient bodyguard feature." Heji said, heading over towards Kyn. Serena let her hand drop as Kyn spoke. "I tried that already...I specifically invited him to come with us on the trip with Anana...he's trying to push me...specifically, towards Heji...because he believes that he would be a better provider for me than he could ever be..." She hesitated a bit, one might say her life had become a soap opera. "...he's been reading my mind again...I didn't TELL him that it was more than physical attraction." She hadn't paid attention to the fact that Heji hadn't gone back into his ball yet, her dulled clawtip in her mouth as she thought.../but he said he didn't care that I...oh you CAN'T be serious./ This part was only local frequency, but the thought that followed was essentially the same volume as a shout might have been. /MARLOW./ /Idiot, Idiot Serena, you're a bloody idiot, too much instinct, not enough specification./ it was her turn to pace. Marlow, having been only fifteen minutes away, or so it would seem, heard Serena's voice, and figured it was time to come back since Heji had banished him. [Has Heji decided to calm down yet then?] Kyn took notice of Serena beginning to pace around, and took into account what she had just told him. Serena immediately turned to the source of the sound, even if she couldn't see him, he was in that direction, it gave her a better feeling to be facing someone when she spoke to them. {When did it happen?} always directly to the point, she rather ignored his question. "If you do not mind, it would probably be best for you to head down before me, Kyn...per usual, I shall be along shortly." {Serena you're going to have to be more specific. What is this 'it' of which you so-called, speak?} Marlow still stayed out of the room, but still went nearby, since Serena hadn't answered his question. "I guess I WILL show you some of those memories sometime then. So, you're not still against me utilizing this source of gold, are you?" Kyn said. "....No....and My apologies, i should have explained HOW to give memories first...we'll speak more on it...well, whenever I find time I suppose." {Oh for fuckssake Marlow...The others are going downstairs, when we finish this talk we'll be joining them. Come. Here.} Her eyes had closed. {You know very well what I mean. You try to push me away, then terrorize Heji when I leave you alone with him, the ONLY reason I can see that you would do something like that is because you feel threatened. When did you grow to love me, Marlow?} "Onward, to victory?" Kyn said, waiting for Serena's next set of directions. {Hm, I'm not exactly sure if it can be called love or not Serena. Perhaps our maintaining a link for so long caused something that normally shouldn't be possible for me. I don't know.} Marlow DID go down into the room where Serena was. {Call it what you will, the result is the same. An attraction, admiration, addiction. You want me to be happy, yet the mere thought that that might be with someone else troubles you, you try to push me away...Marlow...I'm an idiot...and no, even ghosts can love....} "Go ahead and play some, Kyn, I'll come to you." She sighed, opening her eyes to look at Marlow, trying to think. She hated having to do a 180 on what she thought almost immediately after she had said the exact opposite. {I meant it when I said that you were a part of me, Marlow, you already have one part of me to yourself, but to think that my being can't encompass...many aspects, many Pokémon...is absurd. Would this happen if i ever went off to one of the mating grounds because I wanted an egg? Would you try to scare everyone away from me then?} "You make it sound like I'm gonna raid the poker tables, Serena." Kyn said with a chuckle. {Probably not. Just, give me some time to get used to things Serena. I think I have a comparison. Consider it like when you first went to Kyn's world, and you saw ALL those beings that were twice, if not more than you in height.} "No, if you were going to raid the Poker tables then we would require another trip back upstairs to deposit all the gold...it would be smarter to do the opposite and go in the hole a bit, make it look like you're getting desperate." {I...still don't like being among all of those Pokémon...I don't mind the height...but being surrounded isn't pleasant...what can I do to help you adapt, then?} "Serena... I... was joking but... really? I don't think I like that idea... in the hole... for one thing, that seems like the reason that people DO meet Royce, and of course, that being for the wrong reason. Though winning too much is ALSO the wrong reason, as you're about to show me. So... is this... your best suggestion?" Kyn asked changing his tone. {I do not know at this current point. Perhaps KYN can help you work something out.} "You want to be shown as clever, you're not really going in the hole at all, you're just losing all of what you take down with you. This is another reason for the amount limit that I imposed on you taking down at a time." She paused at Marlow's words. "Actually, it seems like we wont need to divert from the original plan...the talk is done, so to speak..." {My time is limited tonight Marlow...I will try...but...it might have t wait until after I've had my bath tonight. Please, come with us?} "Let's see... losing almost everything, and then suddenly rapidly gaining it back? What would that look like then?" Kyn asked, now thinking of various scenarios. {I will come with you.} "Kyn, you're lingering on a plan that has no need to be put in action now." She mused, she was not Tensa, but at least she hoped that it would be enough to knock him out of his daydream, if not, she would repeat it in his mind. {Thank you...} She stepped back through the doorway, her internal clock was running. Anana wouldn't be happy, but she was sure that she wasn't going to be anyway...If she walked in on the meeting with Royce, she didn't want to think about what could happen, she would have been on Anana's time, in an area with Royce...the mere idea made her shudder. "Oh, that's right. Serena, howabouts would I go about giving Anana her PokéBlock this time around? Don't know if YOU would be the one to give it to her..." Marlow situated himself on top of Serena's head again, and then disappeared. She flinched a little at the implications of being around Anana and playing delivery girl for Kynexn..."There's Pidove post, at which point i could mail them to her...can we refrain from talking about the Kecleon that will insist upon me servicing her orally once i finish using my silver tongue to turn you into someone that Royce will admire? Yes, i did just pull the phrase from your mind." She looked at the others as she walked back past them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Delibird presents? Let's go." "If I actually had a Sceptile's tongue, it would be fairly easy for me to do that, I think." Kyn said obviously referring to Serena's particular use of her mouth. "Well, if you're willing to take care of the mailing aspect, then I'll just get them after I come back." He made sure he had this keycard this time, so he wouldn't get scolded by Serena. Heji took his Ball and then entered it, and then converted into light energy and then disappeared inside it. Striker took his Premier Ball and rolled it around, using his foot to push the button and then disappeared inside as well. Tensa and Medicham walked near Serena. "The recall system obviously doesn't work here so... I have to pick them up manually, which isn't that bad. I actually prefer it that way." Kyn said, putting them on his belt. Serena wrinkled her nose, there was just something wrong about how something so big could become so small. Of course, with the recent contact with Heji gave that thought a double meaning, and she mentally chastised herself for it. "Right then, after we go down to the gambling area, as I mentioned prior, we'll be looking for a slot Machine that is, as you might have guessed, a high risk machine...Vendetta has had a history of letting me win on the machine...that would be why I need to be kept hidden, especially since Nina saw me around the poker tables." She resisted the urge to want to ask for Heji's ball, feeling that it would be overstepping her boundaries...and that Tensa would turn it into a bad pun. She didn't exactly leave them anyone behind, but she could guess what he meant about Tensa's tongue. They were both reptiles after all. "You wouldn't want to Kyn...she tastes worse than a trubbish smell." "Well that's not very helpful Serena. I've never smelled a Trubbish or a Garbodor before. Hey, Serena, how exactly would I found out where my tail is in size, compared to Tensa's?" Kyn asked, taking with him some Poké as well, numbering in about 10 coins. Serena, instead of giving him a verbal answer about the garbage Pokémon, took the opportunity to fill his mind with VIVID memories of both the smell of Trubbish, AND The taste of Anana. She expected that he would be running for the bathroom rather quite soon, considering. <Is THAT helpful enough for you Kyn?> there was a slight tone of amusement hidden amid all the disgust. AH, I see... that would be pretty foul. I doubt that you want to think about WHY that is the case, but yes, I can see now. No I don't think I'd want to taste her if she tasted like that." Kyn said, probably surprising Serena with his lack of the response that he gave. If she did ask, he would tell her WHY it wasn't as big of a shock to him, but for now he just waited for her response to his LACK of one. She snorted again, at this rate he would begin to notice the difference between snorts of confusion, those that were indignant, and those that were clearing her nose of any scent that she no longer wished to smell. This one, was one of the foremost, but she didn't ask a question. "......." she would be stating the obvious if she said that not all females reptiles tasted the same, but she felt like she should say it...she just wasn't quite sure why the desire to clarify was there. Eventually she settled for the silence as she slipped out the door, down the hall, and pressed the button for the elevator. Her tail twitched oddly...her life was complicated enough without asking that stupid question that lingered in the back of her mind, and she certainly wasn't going to dig for it without permission. Gaining a new phrase was one thing, looking into your own file in someone else's head was another. "Alright... the here I go... ready to lose it then gain it! Royce, here I comes!" Kyn said, while in the elevator. "I'm glad though, that this casino doesn't have as much security as some of the casino's I've been to." Serena took the opportunity in the elevator to use one of the claw rails to climb up to the same height as his head, and mindfully used her dulled clawed limb to bap him upside the head, or at least attempt to. "I think you paid attention better WITH all the voices. The talk with Marlow cut our time shorter than it already was, and since YOU chose to use that time talking to me instead of going down and continuing with the idea, there's no time to establish that you're clever that way anymore. I'm probably going to have to cut it short even before Anana gets too upset with me anyway." "Ah, I remember now. Anyway, what exactly AM I going to do then? Also, can't I just come back a month and restart?" Kyn said, now realising that he HAD lost track of time. "....I swear, sometimes I think I need a leash for you Kyn. You don't follow plans well at all when they aren't coming from your own head." Serena sighed, then he'd get a couple of memories from her, this time on what the machine they were looking for looked like, and of course, as they approached the Casino floor, Serena darted back between his legs to where she knew she was concealed by the illusion, ironic that she was almost literally in his footsteps. <I won't be able to talk now...but that image is your target Kyn, it should be relatively easy to spot, most people stay away from it because they believe it to be rigged...and it is.> Kyn walked with his arms folded, slightly annoyed with the casino at this point, but he DID want to meet Royce... After a quick bit of searching, he found the machine in question. He did not pay attention to any others that may have been looking at him for approaching such a machine, because he was completely focused on it. Not even someone trying to stop him would. Hiding in the shadows, that was something a rogue was good at, and when he was on the bench, she contacted Medicham. [Alright, can you situate the false tail to wrap around near Tensa's? It'll give me enough cover.] <10 seconds Kyn, then when I say it's Okay, you can put the coins in the slot...> She moved, careful to move onto all fours as she got close to the machine, she pulled out the bag and set it at Kyn's feet. <You'll need that...> She said, then put a blue claw to the bottom of the machine. /Hey Vendetta~ You up for making Royce mad again? How about you reverse the rigging on this machine for a little payout, hm?/ A cheerful voice, not befitting the name Vendetta, answered. ~Heee, Serena! Making trouble again? Ooo, you've got a friend this time, hope he's good with carrying heavy things. Play a couple hands first, if you don't mind? Have to make it look good~ <Alright Kyn...put 3 coins in the slot and pull the lever, this one wont pay out...neither will the next...but the third one, when you put in 5 coins will.> [Will do.] Medicham answered. /Tensa, Serena will be under your and Kyn's tails, be mindful./ Medicham informed Kyn of what he was doing and then Kyn shifted himself accordingly. After Serena depositited the bag, he quickly kneeled down to pick the bag up, and then went back to looking at machine. He deposited the first three and then pulled the lever, waiting to see what appeared. The characteristic pinging of a machine in action came to a slow stop as the first symbol showed itself, A seashell, followed shortly after by a flower, not unlike what Anana wore on her head, but the last one was clearly a Duskull skull, the typical kind. <There's one...> She herself had to be mindful of Tensa's tail, with this positioning she could easily have slipped out from beneath the leaves. [Thank you for connecting to Tensa, now I can as well.] She added to Medicham, before her tongue flicked out against one of his leaves. |This is probably one of the more awkward maneuvers...the Siren will ring after the third pull of the lever...when they start to gather 'round, and by they I mean Royce, the Clefable, and the Machamp, you're going to conveniently move your tail to expose me, as you turn to face them, understand?| "Damn.... well I guess I can't expected to win on the first time. That would be incredible." Kyn said talking to Serena, but obviously aware that it would look like he was talking to someone nearby. Tensa gave Serena his understanding, and waited for the proper time. Kyn put some more Poké in the machine and repeated his lever pull, remaining silent. Serena managed not to snort. <Again, if you don't mind...and then afterwards put five in.> There was very little to do but wait, with the five gold poke in her claws. Again the colorful wheels spun, and again they stopped, The first was a Footprint, the other two being king's rock shapes, and two poke dropped down into the slot positioned below the colorful wheel. <Incentive to keep playing, if you were a normal player.> she explained. <Well that's interesting. Y'know, I've just... gotta stop thinking about the ones at home. Do I take these two to?> "Hm..." Kyn placed five more coins in the slot and pulled the lever. He watched the pictures roll, after spotting some of the stationary ones, he was able to equate some of the pictures to what he would have seen in his home. (Gotta keep those memories solid!) <Mind your ears.> Came the warning as the wheel turned again, this time they all lined up, this time all three with the Red flower that Anana wore in her hair. Something clicked in the machine, and the spout that had been a holder for the two coins, turned into a spout that poured out the golden money, right into the bag that she had set up to be it's holder. Of course, a High risk machine like this, there was a pole with a red light that announced when someone won. 'WINNER WINNER' Vendetta's voice shouted with the dings of the machine, and soon the bag was overflowing with Poké, and quite heavy, then Serena moved forward, essentially to help hold the bag up, but with the positioning as she heard the running feet of the higher ups coming, that would look very, very suspicious. <GOOD LORD, even MY ears are affected by that. What is this a fucking warning siren?> Kyn placed his hand under the bag, and with some quick sleight of hand, caused about twenty coins to fall to the floor, to add to the five that Serena had already. Then, he shifted his hand under the bag, to make it look like he was reaching to pick up the coins, but was actually holding the bag up. <Similar.> She was interrupted by the 'Ahem' of the Slowking Royce, followed by a whisper to the Machamp and Clefable. 'I thought that I told you to leave this machine under an out of Order sign since the incident!' 'We had sir, but they claimed to have gotten this fixed, and so we removed the sign.' came the reply from the 'champ 'Fine, fine...' he grumbled, stepping forward to Kyn's side to where he was looking at the Sceptile's eyes. /Don't resist./ came another warning. 'Congratulations on hitting the Jackpot, you know you're the first person to hit it since it was brought back on the floor.' [Are you capable of speaking to the others while they're in their Poké Balls Medicham?] 'For this, we have a prize for you as well, if you'd be willing to come with me to retrieve it?' "That's rather exciting... I get a prize just for... winning." Kyn said in a suitably excited voice. He didn't turn to face Royce but instead said to Tensa. "Tensa would you be wiilling to help me carry some of my winnings?" [No. For some reason they block telepathic fields. It's rather odd though that I can lift them, but cannot communicate with the beings inside.] At this, Tensa decided to reveal Serena. He did indeed bend over instead of kneeling down, which exposed Serena, once he turned around to face them. It was plain to see Royce's eyes go wide, and Serena stuck out her tongue at him as he commanded that the Machamp 'seize the 'thief'.' who immediately complied, and Serena was picked up by her sides, her arms pinned at her sides, and of course, as a reflex, she dropped the gold that had been in her claws. She was defiant as ever, but her mind was cool and calm, despite the tight squeeze. [Pity.] Her green eyes were locked on Royce, who was just barely keeping his composure, but she reassured Kyn with a mental flick. <You don't know me, for now, remember those words, you'll need to say them soon with conviction. You'll be able to keep your money, so long as you don't make a scene...sorry about that gold that I dropped, that will be 'confiscated' > She was carried with the others walking, as they followed Royce down from a hidden door, into a long hall that was guarded with fighting types, and THESE now drew her attention. At the end of the hall was his office, characteristically a black door amid the red walls. [If you would be so kind then, Medicham, to pull the other's balls off his belt for a moment, He and Tensa will be let inside, all of us, however, will be left outside with the fighting types...who we'll soon knock out. That shouldn't be too hard...and Royce will be expecting ME to join them once we test out his 'security.'] Despite his earlier excitement, he now became extremely stoic. He observed the surroundings change and thought loosely, 'How can anyone think they've won a prize after going through this place. Looks more like a Team Rocket hideout with all the quote unquote security. Either that or the beginnings of a torture chamber.' Medicham via Serena's suggestion, covertly and quickly removed the Poké Balls containing Striker and Heji, and moved them closer to him. [What exactly have you done Serena...?] he asked, seeing as how he was thinking along the same lines as Kyn regarding the surroundings change. [Given him a chance to double what he won out there, or lose it all in a fair game.] She answered, and once the door had clicked behind them, she thrust her sharpened tips of her headplates back into the Machamp's shoulders, making him drop her, followed by a kick to the side of his knee, which caved. "Typical..." she muttered, the last thing the Machamp would see was her fist, which of course, she pulled the force on so that it wouldn't crush his skull. Of course, to the sound of the Machamp hitting the floor, the others would come to see what had happened, and she hoped that Medicham had taken her actions to mean it was time to let the others out. 258 PM] : Having been paying attention, it was fairly obvious to the current residents inside of their Balls that something was going on outside. Heji let himself out first, followed by Striker. He wasn't really sure what was going on either, just that they were now (sort of)separated from Kyn. "Serena, what's going on?" Heji asked, noticing the Machamp on the floor. "Guard the door, knock out anything that tries to get in, if it can't be reasoned with." She said simply. "Kyn is safe while inside...can I leave this to you?" Inside, Royce had chosen to sit behind his desk. "Welcome...I promised you a prize, and you shall have it, but first...where did you meet that Bagon?" he had his hands in the symbolic finger threaded pose. "On a completely unrelated note Serena, I think I was a bit taller than you when I was a Luxio. Our evolutionary forms are very close in size. When you are Salamence, you'll finally stop having to look up at me." Heji said, now, standing in a battle ready pose. "Excuse me? This is the first time I've seen her. In fact... this is the first time I've seen a Bagon with headplates like that, come to think of it." Kyn wasn't lying about the first time he'd ever seen a Bagon with headplates like hers because it was the truth. However, both unfortunately for him, and fortunately for him, he was good at lying when he need to be, a skill he developing when dealing with politicians and getting out of sticky situations. Though he didn't have to work as hard to convince some wild Pokémon that he met in these regards. Serena flashed him a smile, then turned, breaking her battle form to pick the lock on the door with her claw, and then she was through, leaving the three able Pokémon to hold the door, and clicked it closed after she entered. The sight of the Pokémon in question walking in soon after being mentioned was a shock, and it caused Royce to stand up. "YOU! There's no way you could have taken them out that fast." His voice was a hiss. "Awww, boss man Royce isn't happy to see me~ pity...No, I left your goons in capable claws, pity, since it's the only place that I get any challenge anymore, but necessary." Her claws were muffled against the carpet, but she treated the two with a wide berth. She didn't know them, they were a threat..."What are these two doing here, you going to give them an opportunity to play a game with you? Anana, by the way." She used the safe word, and it was plain to see that the Slowking was simmering with rage. "You're lucky." his voice was the dangerous calm that made him so well known. "That you know to use that Lizard's name to save your own hide...Yes, they're here to play a game...I do hope you like Roulette? It's a fair and square game...but the stakes...to double it, or lose it all." "Double or nothing eh? I've never played a game like that before in my life, and I don't think I want to now, especially not after winning so much. If this is the prize, then I do not want it." Kyn said firmly. He wondered just what exactly this would do, considering that he now no longer had any outside security. "Also, who IS this Bagon? She seems to know YOU, but doesn't know ME." Serena looked at the Sceptile that was Kyn skeptically. "Eh? That's not in the spirit of the casino at all~" she wasn't exactly allowing herself the childlike tone, but Royce didn't seem to be paying much attention to her at the moment. "She is, to put it lightly, a pain in my side. As you wish, I can not force you to play, after all...and since you don't know her, or at least, you CLAIM not to know her, the winnings are yours to keep. However...I will tell you...That machine is, apparently, still broken and will be taken off the floor again." <Translation: You weren't supposed to win. Ha.> "You However, Serena Bagon...You KNOW you're not allowed near the machines, you're too young, I have told you before if you wish to train with the fighting types that their barracks are out back. "But they can't even stand up against me one on one, and they wont come at me in twos and threes." She whined. "Hm, do you have any idea as to when it would possibly be repaired? I doubt I'll win like this again of course, but as she said, the spirit of the casino and all." Kyn asked. He was also interested in the fact that Serena apparently had at one point or another, encountered the fighting types before. He knew though, that she was incredibly strong, as the readout told him. "So what's up boss, can I go or what?" She looked a little anxious to get out of there, perhaps a little too much so. "Anana wants me to go to dinner with her, have her two favorite Bagon beside her." mentally she rolled her eyes, but the response was the one she wanted. "You...all of you, may go, since you don't want to play my game....as for the machine...perhaps a couple of hours, our technicians are the best, you see." He motioned the door that she had just come from. <Annnnd that's your lecherous Slowking, won't play his game, you're dismissed to the help...of course Heji and Striker have likely already taken them all out...but you're now on his watch list.> as she spoke she grabbed the door handle, and pulled it open towards her. <Had we had more time, I would have suggested a different game than Roulette, but they would kill me if I left you in here virtually alone with the Slowking. /Back in your balls for a bit guys, coming out./ She had of course, borrowed his connectivity, as she mentioned she would prior to, and waited to see that they were all clear before stepping out into the hall again. {Marlow, you have a show to do, Hugh will not be happy if you are late.} she reminded him. Heji pushed Striker's Ball first, and then his own. They disappeared inside, and waited for the rest of the group to return. Kyn returned with Serena, and still having a most full bag of Poké, which he was happy about. {We both have places to be Serena, don't we, eh non?} "I am totally not used to things being at or above my height, Tensa." Kyn said, in obvious reference to Royce. {Unfortunately. Good luck Marlow.} She did snatch the two balls from view, to ensure that Royce wasn't following them out, before she gave them back to Kyn, Heji's a bit hesitantly, torn between wanting to take him with her, and not wanting him to see her in that light. "Have fun out there." She had to go, she knew she had to go, and yet, with what the situation was, she wasn't looking forward to it. She knew that Anana was going to be ecstatic that she finally was no longer a virgin, and of course sympathetic that she had taken the equivalent of a baseball bat for her first time. While Kyn and the others went out, more than likely, the way they went in, Serena took a right. <As soon as you're away from the door it's okay to let them back out.> She made the mental note to Kyn. <And apologize to them for having them go back without context, I didn't know if Royce was going to follow us out, and so I had to take precautions to assume the worst would happen> <I will do so. So then... When will I see you again? I hope my first order isn't a large one. I mean there can only be so many different types of meat that one of them needs. Even for a sushi-bar they don't need a lot. After I see the first request, I'll decide how much time I need to take on the other side.> He took the balls and put them back on his belt, waiting for the right time to let them out. Afterwards, he went back up to his room, to see just how much he had actually acquired. 41:49 AM] : <Late...> She said, and stepped out through the side door, into the cooler night air. <I do hope that you wont be too tired...> she added as an afterthought, but she would be too far away by then for her to recieve a proper response again.-----It was, as she promised, late(about 3am) when she got back from her escapade with Anana, and she smelled of alcohol and of course, the lilies...as well as Anana's natural scent, and even as she very quietly clicked the door closed, she expected that if she wasn't intercepted between the door and the smallest bathroom on the opposite end, that would be where she would head first. 54:04 AM] : "Everyone... Serena has returned." Medicham announced. Kyn had occupied himself by browsing various pictures that he had taken as well as organizing his Poké. He didn't know HOW late she had meant, but he had also taken several times to exit the room and look up at the stars as the nightsky shifted. 521 AM] : Serena snorted, identifying the source of the voice, still, she hadn't been stopped, and she soon had found her way to the smaller bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind her, but she was NOT taking the scents through any of their rooms. While she waited for the water to get hot for her shower--she wasn't sure she wanted to even sit in the filth that covered her body-- she took off the scarf, dropping the keycard on the floor. /Didn't mean to cause such a commotion./ She took the mouthwash and spat three times before she deemed her mouth even clean enough to speak. "Hope I didn't wake anyone." "We are both nightowls, and nocturnal. We've been on both ends of the spectrum. In other words, we adjust quickly." Kyn explained. "So, you did say that yesterday was Marlow's last day performing but... what about this rental time?" She didn't look out the door to identify that they were close, at hand, in fact, she stuck her claws under the water of the shower and slipped in, wetting her hide, her tail partially tucked. "The room is ours for as long as we want it, you could easily stay here for a week or two if you wanted, I on the other hand, have to get home, and Inferno and PD will be waiting for you too." she turned the water off when she was wet enough, and took the liquid soap to her body so that only her green eyes stood out among the lather. "Well then. I'm outta here today. How abouts would I be going abouts getting back to Tao? Do I have to walk all the way there again, or can I get some form of transportation? Also, when next I come here I will pay this lovely casino a visit." Kyn stated, folding his legs together. "If you wish, you can get transportation to go back to Tao, There's Barty's airlift, or of course, carriages that you can set up to take you back." she pulled the knob again and the water washed away the soap that had covered her. She flicked her tongue out to taste her scent amid the water, and once she was sufficiently clear of Anana on her person, she turned the water off. Once more, she smelled unlike herself...of course though, she had chosen something different than the first time, a mild cherry blossom scent. She dried with a fluffy towel, and picked up her scarf with disgust, taking it over to the sink, and rather annoyingly, kicked up a stool to stand on to wash it. "It's a pity you didn't spend any time out on the beach." "...Which would be the fastest? I'm certain that not even a full day has passed in my world. As for time on the beach, after I deliver the supplies to Anana, unless she has jobs lined up, then I'll be able to take a lot of breaks, and piss off Royce via something that I'll show you later." Kyn noticed that Serena had a different scent to her, and it reminded him, (not for bad reasons of course) of their discussion regarding Anana. He waited until he got an answer before beginning a new topic about Anana, the last he'd probably have in a long time. "So, Serena, that little detail you showed me regarding Anana's... taste, you remember that right?" "Barty's." She said simply, rinsing out her scarf, she nearly dropped it as Kyn mentioned her again, and she turned to wringing it in her hands. "I remember." the words were, as one might expect, full of hatred in regards to the lizard, all she wanted was to FORGET about what happened tonight, and he seemed apt to remind her. "Well. If that's the case, then there are some places in which I would NOT bring you to in my world. Even my weak human nose has trouble with some of those places. So then, how will YOU be getting back home?" "I have not thought about it, whichever way you are going about it more than likely, since i did say that I was to be your guide, and I'm not certain that arriving without you would be a good idea..." She paused to blow the hot flame directly onto her scarf again, and then put it around her neck. "There are places around here that I don't care to go to either, Kyn..." She turned around and sat on the step-stool, tilting her head at him. "I think this trip turned my life into something akin to one of your TV programs..." She dropped her voice. "Marlow's in love with me...that's why he's been so...difficult since I told you that I would look for someone like Heji..." She was probably blushing again, "He suggested...that i appeal to you to assist in finding a way to help him to adapt...he compared it to me being surrounded by all of your Pokémon in the other world." "Very interesting. I'll have to think very hard on this matter. If this is the case then, you'll probably have a hard time keeping Marlow away from you for a while, since Heji and I will be leaving. I'll have to do some research. Perhaps some of the Ghost-Masters will be able to shed some figurative light on this for me. I currently have no idea what to do." Kyn said, standing up to his full height. She nearly twitched at the reminder that her source of security would be leaving with him the next day, as is, her nose flared for a split second, then she got to her feet, recomposing herself so that her posture didn't give anything else away. Her eyes closed as she caught her balance. "I suppose that now, I might as well tell you how -I- go about sending memories to others, since we've circled around the topic...you could have to picture the other person in your head, and picture yourself giving the other an object...I use paper. That object will contain the memory." "Interesting. Well, you'll have to remind me what I was going to show you since I've been occupied. You'll probably be carrying Marlow." Kyn added. "There was nothing definitive in what you were going to show me, I believe you mentioned showing me the difference between what you were doing with the money, and what some other people were doing with it, though." She hadn't bothered to oil her scales, he might have noticed, as they looked a bit duller than normal. "....Why would I need to carry Marlow?" "He's coming with you back to the cave isn't he? Now I'll give that memory thing a try." He brought up to the forefront of his mind all the lavishly expensive homes, as well as vehicles. Then he pictured all of these things being on a TV screen, that then stopped showing the images, once a tape was ejected. He then gave the tape to Serena. "How's that....?" Serena looked at him strangely at his words, then opened her mouth to say something, but paused as she did successfully receive the images, and instead snorted, snapping her jaws shut with the obvious clack of teeth hitting other teeth. "There are some like that here too, Twigs and Styx, the two feline brothers that Anana mentioned, live with the equivalent of that stuff, here." "So. Now you see what SOME people do with it, and now know what I plan to do with it. I thank you for tolerating me Serena, and after I come back, I'll give you some Poffins! So, when would I be able to arrange a flight?" She took the time to look at his watch before aligning her clock with the strange face. "They open at 7, Barty is stationed in Tao, so it'll take two hours for them to relay the message, and for him to get here, total." She answered. "After that you can leave at any time...he's a Driftblim by the way...and I still don't see why i would need to carry Marlow, considering that he floats." "FIREWORKS! Ugh! How could I forget!?" Kyn said seemingly out of the blue. Serena had gotten used to his outbursts, perhaps this was to her credit, she wasn't exactly sure...She merely tilted her head at him questioningly. "Because the brain is flawed to where you forget things that aren't necessarily important." She answered, walking past him into the common area, and sitting on the couch for the time being. 4:006 AM] : "Serena... I'm requesting your presence in my world for a while, sometime in the future. Also, so, about those cars. There was at one point where we called those horseless carriages, due to the fact that they did look like them." Kyn mentioned the bit about cars in reference to the memories. "...'kay. Since the time distortion can be changed, it doesn't matter so much if I spend some time over there..." She didn't mention the whole 'horseless carriage thing...finally she did get the gall to ask though. "Kyn...you're not...looking at me in the same light as you look at Anana, are you?" She was skeptical that he was, but she was just looking for confirmation. "If you are talking in terms of physical attraction, then no. At least, unless you'd allow me to. Then I guess I could maybe. However, you are my friend if you want to be. She is not." Kyn wasn't sure WHY Serena asked it, but he saw no reason NOT to answer it. She took her time in thinking about it...She wasn't willing to let anyone near her, not in that light at the moment anyway. Her nose twitched before she replied. ".....maybe at some point, when my life isn't like a soap opera." She paused again, sharpening her dulled claws with the other hand. "...Anana wasn't happy with me tonight, if you're wondering..." "Well, at least she didn't physically punish you Serena. At least, I don't think she did. I can't exactly tell. If you don't mind reliving it, then... why wasn't she pleased with you?" Kyn understood her answer, but the part about Anana sparked his interest even more. Learning more about the way Anana behaved... would allow him to better extract money from her. "She apparently saw the way that I treated Terra at the resturant, and believed that it was within her rights as a child to behave that way, because Anana is HER Mistress...erm...that didn't sound proper...I meant Mistress as in senior, Terra is an apprentice...and she tried to tell me that as a worker, i was below her apprentice...and tried to let her assert herself in that manner by letting her test her claws against my hide as one Bagon to another." She flicked out her tongue. "When her claws didn't make a scratch, even though I allowed it, apparently it was MY fault that my hide couldn't be punctured by the claws? I don't know..." her tongue flicked out. "Of course, it could have been the fact that she tried to take advantage of the fact that to show her that I was no longer a virgin, i had to expose myself to her." She snorted. "She about got her fingers taken off by the guard scales as they closed." "Why is it that everything about her seems so dirty now? And I mean that in all meanings of the word." He found the whole situation ridiculous. To him that would be like expecting someone to get stabbed while wearing armor made to protect them, and getting upset when they didn't get stabbed. She leaned her head back to look at him over the arm of the chair. "She does bathe, thankfully, i don't even want to imagine what it would be like if she didn't...but she has a bad flavor...I suppose it would be the same way if I did the things she does...but no...she considers them kinks...to try to convert those that are straight....some DO find that they like it, and begin to question their gender..." "Well, she's probably going to take my gift out of context anyway, but I still figure it'd be something. So, you made mention of the time distortion, does that mean that you're going to be visiting sooner than I think? Of course not right away though." Kyn began to check his watch more frequently, even though he knew that checking it more frequently WOULD NOT make the time pass more frequently. "Also, I do still believe that if the portal is moved to just outside the Bay, then it'll be safe for me to pop in there. Though that means I'll be out of contact with you though, I don't exactly know what the best method of goign about delivering stuff is." "Pidove Post." She answered easily ".....am I keeping you from something with your mate? You seem...anxious." she closed her eyes, realizing that if she WAS indeed keeping him from something with Tensa, she was going to have a hard morning, since after being under his tail, she was sure that it was His scent, and not Kyn's that had made her feel randy. "You can't exactly ever be out of touch with me completely Kyn, considering the fact that you have a link with me...of course, without training, things at a distance will be as whispers, or quieter...but time, practice, patience...But the Bay is only a quarter of a day walk from Tao, I can probably cut that in half if I run...should you wish to see me." "No, there isn't really anything. Just, I've got to tell a few people about why I'll be unreachable at times." She was probably referring to the fact that he was checking his watch so frequently. "Serena, I can't risk setting an alarm on my watch other than vibrate so... would you be able to wake me when the time comes? Also... what's your mailbox number? You're going to have to teach me how to write letters. Here I go again... learning it all over again, for this place." "I can read Unown script just fine, I'm not proficient in writing it, but I can read it." She answered "The most you'll need to learn to speak with me is how to spell my name in footprints...and for the time being i can convert them, give you a copy even...Have you poured the poke out of my bag yet? I do have things to put back in it before we leave...and yes, I can wake you...even if I have to pick the lock to do so." She was telling him, of course, in a roundabout way, that if something DID occur, that she would be coming in anyway since she had permission to do so. "Yes, I have. Go ahead and put your things back in it. My backpack will suffice for carrying the Poké for now. Serena... how exactly am I going to carry all of this Poké? The stuff that we got for the Tauros was HUGE. But if what I'm thinking is correct, trading with both Anana AND Gambitville will yield twice as much. Even factoring in the fact that she'll rip me off for a while since I claimed to be new." "....She'll give you a better price if you can beat my time." the tone she was using would make it hard to tell if she was joking or not, but at the news, she turned to where the empty bag had set, unnoticed until now, and set the heavy things in the bag first, finishing off with her own smaller bag of poke, before pulling the drawstring tight on it. "Serena. What is your time then? You know there is a way for me to surpass it easily. So I'm assuming that it'd work like this. She sends the letter to you, I get the stuff prepared, and deliver it I guess, then possibly send her some MORE mail saying that I've delivered it. That'd be my best guess. CORRECT ME if I'm wrong." "..." She listened to him, then broke out laughing. "Kyn, I don't know if you realized this...but you both called yourself /skilled/ and unskilled within the same sentence. I wasn't talking about the innocent type of delivery....but you've got the gist of it...just cut off the tail end of it...you wouldn't need to send a letter to say you delivered, since the item itself will have your name on it." "I have ten Fingers. That DOES make a difference in the things that I can do. But Serena, I'd definitely have to wash my hands after that. Though actually, if she's not too focused on it, she'd probably wonder where the extra feeling came from. Not to mention if I use my fingernails, which I guess you can call a minor variation of claws, that will make it that much better. I have thought about this before actually, though not with Anana." Kyn decided that it wouldn't hurt to reveal this information since she'd gotten the idea into his head now. Though he was slightly rambling his thoughts out loud. "...and you'd probably be able to fit all ten of them in there without problem too." She mentioned offhandedly "but no, she would have to know by then that you weren't a Sceptile...for one thing, she wouldn't let Medicham anywhere near her room when it was being done...for another, you wear too many clothes for her not to wonder...and you would probably not want that scent anywhere near that...Cottonee fluff? It looks like Cottonee fluff anyway...that holds a LOT of scents in it." "This overcoat, no, probably not, however, the rest are easily replaceable if it gets to bad. Also, it's regular cotton on the inside, but leather on the outside. But still probably done the same way. I was thinking of wearing my other overcoat the next time I come here. This black one is not the only one I have. I have a green one, a white one, and a red one. The white one might suit the environment more, but it'll show dirt more. The Red one seems like a good balance between the black. Hey! If I were the green one, it'll be closer to being like Tensa. Serena, what do you think?" Serena blinked at him, her eyeridge raised skeptically. "Would have to compare the colors when and if I see them...by the way...fingernails...down there, would probably...hurt a bit..." It was obvious that her thoughts hadn't left too much of the statements of before. "It... depends on how long they are, if they are filed, and how they are filed. I'm not able to give examples right now anyway. So as regarding the outfits, you will see them. But it's not like I'm gonna model them in front of you. I'll just take you to them." Kyn sighed. "Anana probably weighs so little that I could pick her up just as easily as a one of the Maches (pronounced motches) could." Serena still squirmed, if only so that it was just barely visible. "She weighs about half as much as I do." She confirmed, but she wasn't sure what the other word meant. "Um...Maht-ches?" She could have looked in his head for the answer that she was looking for, she chose not to. "Well... I can pick up Nero with no problem, as well as you so... yeah. Maches... it's what I call that evolutionary line, since they all share a similar first part. Machop, Machoke, Machamp." Kyn clarified. "...Ah." She flicked her tongue out. "Speaking of picking me up...I'm not sore anymore...and you seemed to be...reluctant to put me down before." She ticked her head off to the side, sitting Indian style on the couch so that her claws couldn't puncture anything, as well as any squirming would be...well, not as obvious as trying to get comfortable the other way. She did lean over and pick up the flask of the purple liquid that Syrup had given her, and take a drink of it, in hopes that whatever it had in it to prevent hang overs, would help prevent hers tomorrow. "Serena... I think it's time we address something here... and it may make you slightly embarrassed. Maybe." Kyn said, waiting for her response, trying to reel her in. If not he'd just jiggle the line some more. "With the fact that I had to be drunk to go down on Anana? No, I don't think that it will. If I was completely sober? Yeah, sure, it might make me embarrassed, now? Not likely, so Shoot." "Good. So, as things currently stand, you have mated with Heji. If, when we return, you wish to do so again... there is something that I would like you to have that will make... entry easier." Kyn said, choosing the word carefully. "I highly recommend it." "I can handle a bit of rough treatment Kyn...it wasn't the entry that made me so sore. It was because before then, I was a virgin. Understand? If, now that you know that, you still think that Heji wouldn't have done everything to make me as comfortable as possible while adjusting to him, then tell me...with the understanding that I will, put it JUST as I did to you, to him." "My point is, even if you can handle rough treatment, I believe you shouldn't have to. Of course, there ARE those that like that type of thing but... I don't know if you're one of those at all, since as you said, before then you were a virgin. Anyway, Heji COULDN'T have done everything, due to the fact that I wasn't available at the time." Kyn said. At this point Heji stepped in, beginning with an explanation for Serena. "Serena, I believe I know what he is referring to. As for the mere fact that I was the one to take your virginity... that is significant no matter which way you look at it." Really, she should have figured that Heji would have still been up, since he had been sleeping in the same room as she was, but it still caught her off guard, and she snorted in response. "I don't think that i would have wanted you there regardless, Kyn." She tried not to let the words come out as a hiss, but she didn't quite make it, and the words ended in the hiss of her voice. It was counter productive, really, because the mating grounds may as well have been one big orgy, but she had never been there. "I wouldn't have had to have SPECIFICALLY been there. Look, now that the initially contact has been made, future things will be a lot easier for you if you take what I am about to give to you. I think your world already may have something like this but... anyway.... here." Kyn pulled out a full bottle of lubricant. But not just ANY lube; a specially formulated lubricant. He then held it out so that she could see. She probably would do one of several things, of which he would be able to respond to any of them, at this point. Serena snorted at the bottle as her mind put two and two together, the words that came out of her mouth were sufficiently unpredictable even for her. "So...You just carry that around with you all the time, eh?" Combined with a glance at HIS bedroom door, it probably would have been enough to make any normal person blush...of course, normal people were not Kyn. "I suppose this might come as a surprise for you, since you spend more time with members of your own gender than the opposite. Girls create their own based on how much they want it." She supposed that this was a decent slam, had she been trying for one. "Oh no, I was around plenty of females. Plus I was educated on female anatomy when I was younger. It wasn't until I met Tensa that all this male stuff really happened. However, this... works a bit differently than that. I guess to you, one way of looking at it is the equivalent of... erm... basically taking those juices and sticking them in a bottle, but I mean it, this works a lot differently than that." Kyn said, trying not to stumble over his own words. Serena was satisfied with the results of making him awkward, at least he now acted as the situation felt. She rolled her eyes, adjusting and leaning over the table to where she was stretched to look him in the eye. "Will it make you feel better if I take yet another gift from you? I already know that you padded my Poke bag, You've already given me candy, and you've given me advice on life. Now you're concerned about my sex life Kyn...I'm going to put this gently, because otherwise I'm going to bite your head off, and I really don't want to do that. Back. Off. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself." She pushed herself back onto the couch, leaving the bottle where it sat. Nothing had been torn that wasn't supposed to be, and he was insinuating even that Heji was willing to proceed with a relationship with her, it was too much to hope for, and she wasn't going to let him get her hopes up. Still, on the brink of tears, she closed her eyes, but he SHOULD have been able to feel why, now, with the link. Those feelings bubbled over in her mind, and spilled into the permanent links in her head. "Very well. You're still getting those Poffins when we come back though. See you in a few hours then Serena." Kyn said, tossing the bottle back into his backpack. He was unphazed by her response. She rubbed her temples with her clawed digits, she was very, very tired of getting gifts. In a world where everything was earned, they didn't sit well with her. She eventually did open her eyes, and slip off the couch, only stopping when she was about at Heji's shoulder, and only then did she force herself to relax, she tilted her head down with a whisper. "I don't want to know the answer yet...because it's stupid to even ask at this point, some 'mon don't even think ones as young as I am know the meaning of the word love, and can't differentiate it from lust. What I do know, is that I enjoy your company immensely, and that it will hurt when you are gone, that I will miss you...and that you make me feel safe. I know that I clung to that feeling...because when I'm honest? This world doesn't have a 'safe'. Even when I sleep, it has to be with one eye open...perhaps I've indulged in too many luxuries this trip...It will be difficult to go back." "The way you phrased that, you practically make it sound like we live like humans." Heji commented. Then he went over to Serena and placed a tender lick on her cheek. "You have plenty of time to decide, Serena." Serena looked at him, and gave a meek smile. "That's the problem, I've already got my decision, I just can't, nor will I at all, force yours." She licked his nose, since it was within reach. "Part of the reason I didn't take that...was because of that...hopes...are crushed too easily; especially this kind." She moved away from him, not sideways, but further behind him. "I have to wake Kyn up in three hours so that he can arrange to take us home." She said a bit louder, obviously heading to her room. She didn't bother to even close the door, leaving him with the opportunity to choose where he wanted to sleep--if he wanted to sleep. "I will be visiting you often though. There are some things I want to ask Kyn about, and I'll probably have some other things to tell you once I get back." Heji stated. He wasn't directly insinuating anything. However, it could almost be taken as an implication of interest. She did allow herself the brief, if fleeting feeling of joy at the confirmation that he would be coming back with Kyn, but she forced herself to take the second with indifference, that way she had the ability to keep herself sane. Even the acknowledgment that they would be leaving tomorrow hurt, and that one stayed as she climbed up onto the bed. She curled her tail up, and let her mind wander. Of course it picked the words that Anana had said earlier that day. 'Now you're one step closer to being like me, soon you'll be bending over for that entire group, and you'll see, what you're feeling is nothing but lust. You'll be called a slut, and there will be nothing you can do about it but accept it, because that's exactly what you are.' "Night then Serena. I will allow myself this brief amount of sleep." Heji stayed near her yet again, within a few feet, feeling not exactly obligated, just that he felt like Serena in essence deserved his company and being there. He didn't know the feelings that were going through her, or at least he didn't think that he did. Defiance colored her dreams. It was in her nature to try to defy everything, even gravity. Her internal clock made her come to about 6:30, much to her relief. She took the time to oil her scales before bothering to try to get up, and when she did, she was glad she looked before she slipped off the bed, she would have slipped down onto the fuzzy lion. instead she dropped to the floor from the foot of the bed, taking the opportunity to lick at his cheek and mane. 10 minutes until she had to wake Kyn up, it wasn't often that she had the ability to even reach his ear, but based on his response to when she had licked the inside of his ear before, she had figured it wasn't a good place to wake him up from. Heji woke slowly and naturally this time, as opposed to the way he was woken last time, and although it took him longer, he was more refreshed than last time. He let out a loud yawn and then blinked his eyes, before looking around for Serena. "I'm assuming it's time." "You stayed with me..." she muttered, then nodded, pushing herself to her feet and stepping back so that he could get up. She knew exactly why she was touched that he cared enough to do that, but it just made that hollow place that recognised that he would be leaving, throb with pain. "Well...about five minutes before then, about the time that it would take to walk across the room...just didn't make sense to walk there, then back to wake you up..." She reached for Medicham with her mind, and metaphorically tapped on the glass of his (Fishtank) from the outside, then wrote 'morning' on it, before leaving it, and him be. Physically, she hadn't moved yet, she'd walked away from him last night, and felt the guilt for it. "Serena, what exactly do you know of courting rituals? It doesn't specifically have to be for your own species." Heji said, thinking about what he was going to do in regards to Serena once he came back the second time. In actuality, it would be with a decision, but he wouldn't let her know that at this time. 'Mmph. Medicham is not available right now, please leave a message after the beep. Beep.' Medicham said. Serena probably WOULD get the reference, if she remembered a few things from Kyn's world. [Oh no you don't you sleepy Psychic, wake up or I'll pick the lock and force food down your throat.] Serena did both mentally and physically sputter at the question. "Well...I know of Non-sentient mating rituals, of course...and I have...observed...some of them here, males giving females things like flowers, chocolates...or shiny objects like gems..." She tried not looking at him, which was difficult. "I'm not exactly sure either of those things would suit me, personally. Being given things makes me edgy...and while I enjoy the proof that someone would be able to protect me, flaunting it against anyone who would be in the area isn't..." She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Sorry, I'm rambling." "Serena, believe it or not but, I think Kyn accidentally set us up with a date." Heji used the term without remembering that it was more human. 40:47 PM] : Serena looked at him with the question, knowing he didn't do it purposely, she held up a claw to symbolize one minute, and then abandoned the courtesy of asking permission to enter while she rifled through Kyn's mind for the definition. When she found it, she snorted, physically and mentally. <Wake up. It's 7:05 by my internal clock.> She had, thankfully, put everything back the way she found it before returning to her own head. "It...would seem so..." date...yes, she knew that definition now...and she couldn't keep her cheeks from coloring at the realization. <I believe my alarm vibrated some time ago. So yes, your internal clock appears to be in working order.> Kyn got up and unlocked his door, before going back and gathering up the rest of his possessions. [Force feeding me would be a bad idea don't you know that?] Medicham brushed back. He unlocked the door, so Serena wouldn't be able to pick it, but still stayed inside. "Just make sure your ears can handle it, Serena." Heji said. She smiled at him, and licked his nose again. "I don't think that I could ignore your voice if i was standing next to a waterfall and you were 50 foot away." [It caught your attention, that's all I needed it to do, but seriously, Kyn will be making an appointment with Barty the Driftblim and need your skilled illusion creation to cover him.] compliments on mental skills, usually the way to a Psychic's type purr button. <Medicham and Heji are awake already, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Tensa is as well, that leaves Marlow and Striker, and Striker's internal clock is about as good as mine, if not better.> She didn't pull back from the lion in front of her, she didn't want to have to...but she knew that it would only fuel Marlow's emotions...or lack there of, to find her lingering like this, and eventually, she did force herself to stand up. {Marlow?} "I was referring to something else. So, what are you going to do about your Poké Ball?" Heji asked. <Well then, when you're ready, take me there if you please.> {Serena, I will eventually need more sleep if I'm to do what I did earlier though.} Marlow referred to his experiment where he was away from Serena during the DAYTIME for a long period of time. {It is time for the group to return home.} She rubbed the back of her head with her claws at the question. {Come here, you can sleep in if you're tucked in my scarf.} "He 'can' keep it, if he wants to...I mean...this way....we match." she did look away from him for a moment. "For all we know, it may malfunction when he goes back through...time will tell,I suppose." She did look at him afterwards though. "We've got a date with a Driftblim to set up, we can talk more later, m'kay?" <Yes Kyn, of course. Barty's isn't really hard to spot, even in this city though.> She walked towards the common area, and picked up her bag, placing it around her shoulders. [Resting time is up.] {Your scarf is like, mega huge. Compared to Kyn you might almost be able to call that clothing. I will be there shortly.} "Time will tell." Heji proclaimed, standing up now. [I'm gonna take a long rest once I get back home. Kyn will only bring me out to help with the illusion, since I'll be asking for rest that SOME'mon are in a hurry to relieve me of.] He teased at the last part. {It will have to fit me when I'm a Salamence too, Marlow.} There was a slight flick to her tail that was almost cheery. [If it were up to me you could sleep the whole day if you wanted.] She knocked on Striker's door to ensure that he was <Ready when everyone else is.> {Assuming you're still going to be using the same scarf when you ARE a Salamence.} [Alright, fine fine. I'm coming.] Medicham exited his room finally and made his way outside. <I'll go fetch Striker, then we'll be on our way.> He of course did not directly mention that he would be putting Heji back in his ball, as he felt like that would be adding yet another gash in the fact that she wouldn't be seeing him for a while. <Already at his door~> {Even if I'm not, it shall be part of my collection, Marlow. Where are you? It's never taken you this long to get to me before.} Her tail was still virtually wagging, she had almost completely forgotten that they would be leaving today. Marlow arrived sometime afterwards, not revealing where exactly he went but instead waiting for Serena. <I will be there shortly then.> Kyn headed to Serena, and thus to Striker, to collect him. Striker gave a silent nod, and then waited for Kyn to put him inside his Ball. Serena gave him a smile, stepping off to the side to let him past, she didn't think she had smiled so much in her life, not genuine smiles anyway. Her body posture gave away so much, but she didn't care, didn't bother to control it either. {I thought you were tired, normally you would be doing most anything to get closer to me~} Kyn walked out of the room, now having Striker on his belt, then he went into Serena's room to collect Heji. Serena understood, she supposed, but still she felt her body react. No more Heji. Her tail twitched once; no, he wouldn't be that cruel, she WOULD at least get to say goodbye...she could deal with that. Still, she wasn't quite as happy as she had been previously, and if this did turn out to be a dream, if this was all just a lie her mind was telling her...well, it would certainly be one that she would remember. As he came back out, she couldn't exactly ignore him. "You wont need your keycard anymore, you can give that to me...and make sure you've got everything...this'll be the last time you see this room." Her mood had sobered considerably, it seemed, from the cheery feeling that she had had moments before. "Yes... the keycard.... here." He took it from one of his pocket and handed it to her, then began to head towards the elevator. "How does this transportation system work? I mean they are just kinda living balloons." Tensa commented. "Also, and how will Medicham be able to maintain the illusion?" "Are you going to complain about a 6 hour walk being turned into about a 45 minute flight, really? Also...he probably won't have to, so long as he can get into Barty's mind, I can take the memory of what he saw, if he looks down at us...like dream eater, but not...like I took Marlow's dreams so that he wouldn't have nightmares at the start." She put the keycard with hers, in her scarf. "{Marlow. You have five seconds to get over here or I'm revoking my offer to let you sleep all the way home.}" She crossed her claws and started counting. "{One..........Two......Threeee.....}" Marlow moved behind Serena and tapped her on the shoulder with one of his bones, but still didn't say anything yet. "Not complaining Serena, just curious. Flight is still flight, just this is a different form, I'd consider it a fast hot air balloon ride." Tensa tried to clear up. Of course, any hunter would have turned and swung, and that was exactly what she did, lucky for him that she didn't use a MOVE with it, making it just a normal type swipe, which went through him, per usual. "MARLOW. Damnit, Now I KNOW I told you not to sneak up on me at LEAST twice in the time together." She realized her tone wasn't the best, and growled at herself. "I'm sorry..." She held out her claws again, this time to take his skull before it could fall. She tried to recapture the mood she had had earlier when she had found out that she and Heji had just had a (Very long) date...but that only brought the reminder that the date was about to end. "Well. I stopped talking BECAUSE I was tired. Now, please do not drop me Serena." Marlow said, reverting back to his non-cloaked form. "I have not once dropped you." She snorted, and put the skull beneath her scarf, and now that they were all set up, she opened the door and walked out of it, leaving it open for the others, she dropped the keycards in the slot of a box, and then headed out of the lobby as well, rather dropping to all fours once she was out of the casino, and into the open air. She zigged, heading towards the beach, and then stopped just short of it to the outside of the city, where, sticking out like a sore thumb, there was a Driftblim hut. 014 AM | Edited 1:23:53 AM] : "And I'd like to keep it that way," he retorted, resting inside. "Oh. Uh... you're right. That's kinda hard to miss." Kyn commented. Serena chuckled more to herself than at Kyn, she made her way to the hut and of course, stood up once inside, ringing the service bell twice before a Driftloon showed up. 'Yessss? How can I hellllp you?' the words characteristically sounded like they were air slipping from a balloon, soft and airy. "We'd like to schedule transport back to Tao via Barty...Two Sceptile, a Bagon and a Medicham." The Driftloon hmmmm'ed at her. 'Barty is still in Tao for the moment, there will be a two hour--' "I already accounted for the delay, it will give us time to enjoy the beach a bit and get a light breakfast, and we'll pay upon services rendered." The Driftloon bounced once in a nod. 'Very well.' "I don't usually see a lot of Driftloon or Drifblim." Kyn commented idly. "Look like I get to enjoy the beach After all eh Serena?" "You're not going to take your boots off for the beach, are you? You probably don't remember the feeling of sand between your toes much do you Kyn?" Tensa said with a grin. Serena ignored the two, really with a fresh coat of oil, the beach was the last place she wanted to be, sand in her hide, it just got in places where it wasn't wanted, still though, she dropped to all fours again as they exited. "That's awkward...really awkward...ugh..." "Serena, uh... does Gambitville get sandstorms? I might as well not ask my next question if the first answer is no." Kyn said, changing his focus slightly, but still remaining on sand. "Almost never, but Pokémon with the ability to cause them do come around, and stir up trouble." She answered, she had hated the look that the Driftloon had given her, he must have known the way the guilds worked, it was quite backwards that the youngest member of the team would have been talking, but what did he know? She could have been the OLDEST member with how dragons aged. She jumped a slight dune in the sand as she headed down to the water's edge, where the sand wouldn't be so prone to getting between her scales. "Go enjoy yourselves, If you feel the need to eat, go eat..I'm not sure my stomach will hold anything at the moment. I'll notify you when Barty gets here." "Well thank you Serena. I think I will go attempt to build a sand castle from scratch. It may not be the best but... I don't exactly have my tools with me." Kyn commented, looking out further towards the water. Serena left them there, she didn't bother to say anything. To be honest, she didn't KNOW what a sand castle was...probably most of them here wouldn't either, well, she wasn't going to ruin his fun...she laid down like a lizard might, if one saw it they might think she was a figment, as her scales matched the colors of the sea. Once Kyn was at the waterfront, he took off his overcoat and cape, and got down on his hands and knees. He first started building the foundation, taking slippery wet sand and ... .... "Having a bucket or anything like wouldn't really look in place here. Maybe they'd just think it was a really elaborate Sand-Attack type thing... that turned into art. I dunno, go bother Serena about it sometime. Show her some sand-castles." Tensa commented regarding what other beachgoers might think of what he was doing. "Hm, actually maybe Medicham would also be able to assist me in this. But for now, I'm just building my foundation." Kyn said, having successfully collected one full layer that was stacked together. Serena hmmm'ed at the water, and after a while she made her decision. Of course, she knew how to swim...just the water tended to sap her strength. She pushed herself up to her feet and slipped into the water, choosing to swim much like an alligator would, rather than anything else...and then she dived down to the sand where the decent shells were hidden. Kyn, with the assistance of Medicham, managed to make about a 4 inch high castle by 6 inches wide, complete with towers, albeit not perfectly square towers but still pretty close. "It took a while, like you said. However, I can feel a bit more accomplished via doing it this way than simply turning a bucket upside down. Though it would help in the later stages, like building palisades. I hope Serena comes back soon so I can show her." Kyn added, observing the tide level. Serena did come back up a bit later, just as she predicted, the warmth was sapped from her body. She had the shells in her claws, and gingerly walked over to where they were, dripping wet, before setting the shells down, and shaking the water off. She did check the skyline with her internal clock...she had time to get her warmth back. "Having fun?" "Sort of. Serena, take a look at that little structure made out of sand. That's sort of what a sand castle is." Kyn pointed over to it, just incase she overlooked it, since After all, it could have been taken as something else. She tilted her head, laying out as she had earlier. "It reminds me of Merlot's castle." she said idly. She did look it over with a slight interest. "But then, we don't have many castles around here, so you can understand that, I'm sure." "Kyn's going to show you more elaborate sand-castles too. Remember, he only had his hands and Medicham to help him with this, no tools!" Tensa explained, pointing a finger in the air and taking a professorial pose. Serena looked over the shells, then looked up at Tensa, in a single word...she was quite weary, and it showed in her eyes, that she wasn't used to such long trips away from home. She sorted out the pristine shells from those that were subpar, and threw those that weren't up to her standards out into the ocean. "Anyway Serena, it'll get claimed by the tide. So, I see that you've been collecting seashells. Do you have any particular ones that you'd like to show me?" Kyn asked, trying to shift the conversation towards her. She looked at Kyn. "Hunting is a better word for it...if you see any that you like you can have them...they just...remind me of scales, I suppose you could say...I know that the artists Pal and Pallette like to break them up, file down the edges, paint, and use them in sculptures to get the feel they want..." "Serena, that painting that Palette will paint... would it be painted more than once if I asked?" Kyn said, remembering the photograph. He'd hope that he'd be able to either give a copy to Serena, or have one for his home, and another for an archive. "It can be." She answered. "Palette is agreeable enough, just don't ask her about other's of her kind around tao." She advised. She felt like she was still a child in their eyes, the way that they tried to look after her, tried to make her the center of attention, she wanted to tell them to stop making such a big deal about her, but instead just put her head on her claws and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her hide. "I probably wouldn't... Considering the thing you told me during our first meeting. So, what exactly is Palette that, I shouldn't be asking about more of her species then eh?" Kyn asked, thinking about what she might be. "She's a Zoroark." her green eyes had closed, if it wasn't for the fact that she was speaking, one might have thought her asleep. "Tao has had some...problems...with Zoroark and Zoura." "....uh... this may sound a bit strange but.... I've... never heard of those Pokémon before. What do they look like?" Kyn said rather embarrassed. Serena once more opened her eyes, and borrowed Medicham again (with a mental lick in thanks for him putting up with her borrowing him so much) and broadcast the pictures of Palette and Pal together, and then the zoura that she had seen while doing missions. Then her eyes closed and she licked her forelimb very much like Heji might have done. "It seems that here, you have the opportunity to add more Pokémon to the human's Pokémon Index." "....I need to find a wild Zoroa and Zoroark in my world for this work Serena, but yes, I now know. That makes... two new entries to add. I wonder what others are here that are not entered in the Pokédex... I think I'll take a few hours or so later to go through the list. If I organize them alphabetically then I can easily find discrepancies." Kyn stated, now back to thinking properly again. "Serena, I have yet to see a green Kecleon here." Kyn stated out of the blue. "You make it sound as if that's unusual...Kecleon change color, so I'm sure that if you asked...any of them would turn to be green, though they prefer their birth color..." "Once again Serena, world differences. I actually prefer their coloring here. They ARE born green in our world. I wouldn't ask a Kecleon just to change color for me though." (UNLIKE the PMD games ones which literally talk to you about it. "What's your favorite color? I can turn into it!") Kyn said, thinking about birth color and all that. It hadn't really occurred to him that there could even be the possibility that Kecleon could be born different colors, simply due to the fact that practically every single Kecleon he'd seen so far had been green, or some variation of green. "Where are Kecleon found in your world?" She asked. "From what I've seen, it has something to do with WHERE they're born...for example, Anana, she was born on the beach. PK was born in the city..." ".... Oh. That might have something to do with it. A good portion of them are from my home region, the Hoenn region, and come from forests. It never really occurred to me to think about what would happen if a Kecleon was born in an area other than the forest. Now that I think about it, that probably would have a major effect." Kyn said, verbally recalling things that were in his head. Serena stretched and stood. "I believe it is...Burmy that has multiple cloaks depending on where it is born...have you encountered those, at least?" She tilted her head, for all of the time he traveled, it was rather a unique position that he hadn't seen a lot of Pokémon. "Barty should be here soon." "Yes. As well as Wormadam." Kyn added. It wasn't hard to know when Barty got there, really, with all the fingers that pointed up towards the sky and the giggles at a Drifblim carrying a large basket. Serena decided that it was about time to go, and picked up her shells, putting them in her bag with all the other items. "Ready to go mess with a ghost's head then?" "I wish we wouldn't have to. But yes, let us do so for my benefit." Kyn said, putting his outwear back on. He looked up at the sky and saw the basket and still thought about hot air balloons, and that he still would always consider Drifblim and Driftloon living balloons. Serena managed a smile, if it was halfhearted, it couldn't be told. the walk through the sand made her want to roll when they got back to the path with grass on it, and so, she did. She walked over to Barty before she stood. "Morning Barty, thanks for putting up with us." As she spoke, she climbed into the basket, sitting on the rim until all of them were situated. "How's Tao been lately?" -Tao has been fine, little lady, all of us have been working to repair what is left to do, the ranch is being moved, as you know.- Kyn and the rest climbed into the basket after Serena, but not before Kyn said his own variation of a 'Morning' to Barty. "I'll be glad to be back in Tao for a bit." Soon the Balloon was off the ground, and when Serena could no longer make out the shapes down below, she nodded her Okay to Medicham to remove the illusion from around Kyn, and from then on what Barty 'saw' when he looked down was a placeholder image. She enjoyed flying, for how little she got to do of it, Barty's bluff wasn't usually something she could afford to do, but if it made it easier on them, she could deal with it. Since she was messing with the ghost's head, she had to stay quiet...and since she was the only one used to dodging mental defenses, she was the only one for the job. Kyn took some time to look down at the ground since he probably wouldn't get this opportunity again for another few days to a week or so. He did remember Serena saying something about going into someone's head but, he forgot the specifics of it and didn't want to mess up anything that she had planned by asking her at this current stage. The time passed quickly for Serena, being put to use made her feel better about the fact that they would be leaving today, when she felt the basket touch down, she opened her eyes, pleased to see that Medicham had put back up the illusion before they had gotten to that point. She hopped out of the basket, and left Barty's mind behind her, digging in her bag to pay for the flight. No, she wouldn't let Kyn spend his money here, and the reason SHOULD have been obvious enough. When it was taken care of, the bag was slipped back onto her shoulders, and she felt a little relieved to be back in her home town. "Tao Village.... could become my third home... if need be Serena." Kyn though out loud. Using Tao as a waypoint, considering all that pretty much all of what he would do could be found it Tao, and it was Closer to Serena than the Bay. Serena's tail twitched at the thought. "Counter productive, your business is in the bay and in Gambitville, not in Tao." She of course, had started walking towards the northern boundary, their lack of Pokémon in town to protect Kyn didn't seem to bother her too much now, perhaps it was an oversight on her part, but compared to the other places, Tao was calm enough to be considered...well, peaceful. It wasn't too long before they had reached the clearing that marked her cave, and she pulled the bag from her shoulders. "I suppose you're right Serena. Where exactly would you recommend I stay then... if not at all?" At this point Kyn let out Striker and Heji. She shook her head at the question. "I don't really have one. Windswept woods is a little more than a half a day's walk from here, and equal distance between Gambitville and the bay, really the only 'mon that live there are, as was mentioned, Twigs and Styx, So you wouldn't have to worry about them too much...that was around the area in which we encountered the Patrat." She let her voice echo as she walked into her cave, and set Marlow up on his usual place on the mantle before bothering to even look around for Inferno and Pendragon. She was annoyed, it seemed that the spirit fire had gone out without Marlow and herself around...well, it was attuned to them after all. "Well, then perhaps I'll not have a place of residence. Anyway Serena.... once I find Pendragon and Inferno then... I'll begin heading out. So, while I'm looking, if you want to you can spend time with Heji some more." Kyn suggested. Serena bit back the words that if he had asked, it would have been a simple matter for either Heji or herself to find them. She caught on quick enough as to what he was doing, and instead of making mention of it, she simply drew upon her inner self, her 'soul fire' as one might call it, and sparked up a proper fire in the den again. Even with it just being a tiny flame that escaped from her lips, it soon was roaring in full."Thank you." She walked past him, and approached the big lion almost in a meek fashion. "Hey, come wander around with me a bit?" "Alright. How's the bird doing, by the way? Or have you not checked yet?" Heji stood up and waited to be lead. "I can't check while Marlow is still asleep, It's in the area that is sealed off from most other things..." She knew the forest like the back of her claws...and while she knew they couldn't wander -too- far away from the clearing, she could take him at least across the river in which she bathed, it wasn't much bigger than a jump for either of them. "I'll have to change that if and when he leaves..." She took off her scarf and tied it onto a branch, since they had just crossed a river it would help them identify which way they had gone, when, and if the others came looking for them. "I suppose that it's a bit childish to say that I don't want you to go..." "Serena, even if you don't want to be, you are allowed to be childish. Besides, it's not as if anyone will hold it against you." Heji bent his neck down and nuzzled Serena with some of his fluff. She churred, she couldn't really help it, and wrapped her arms around his muzzle, she nuzzled him in return, even licking up between his eyes. "Heji..." She murmured against him, her claws in his mane. "One of those Chargestones...was intended for you." "It would make a great gift. Even if you didn't give one to me personally Serena, I'll still remember you for it. Is that alright with you?" He figured that even if he visited Chargestone cave again, it still wouldn't have the same effect now. "I....Of course..." She didn't let go, using her claws to essentially pet him. She was going to be covered in his scent anyway. " I don't know what effect they have in your world...but you can store a large amount of electricity in them here..." she let her green eyes close. "I'm going to miss you; miss your warmth at night..." She paused and giggled. "And that tongue of yours, of course." Heji did enjoy the feeling of Serena's claws against him. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised. So, then..." Heji now shifted around so that he was laying down, and would be closer to Serena's height. Serena did let go then, if only to let her claws trail down his mane, deftly untying the knot that held on his bandana so that it didn't interrupt the path. She didn't make a request, she doubted that she'd need to, unless he decided to stop her, she'd work down his back. "About how much time do you think we have before Kyn actually starts to go look for Inferno and Pendragon, do you think?" "Probably about now. In all honesty all of us have been keeping track of how much time in relation to our world passes." Heji said, looking to the right. "I think I would have been more surprised if you didn't keep track of the time in your own world...I didn't really mind having to wake you up." She had easily reached the base of his tail by now, and rather than letting the temptation overtake her, she stopped, and leaned against his chest, not quite in a sitting position, and a sigh escaped her. "So... when you're a Shelgon... will you still be thinking about me?" Heji wondered. "Yes." The answer was simple and honest. "it won't wane...you can probably look forward to being tackled to the ground even when I'm a Salamence, any time you come to visit." "Well, then I guess it's lucky for me I can take a hit eh?" Heji said. About five minutes later, Kyn's voice could be heard in the distance calling out for Heji. They had at first followed Serena's scent, then after finding the scarf, heading in the general direction that the branch that it was tied to was pointing. Serena could hear the voice, she turned to bury her head in Heji's mane again. "If I had to worry about breaking you when I change forms...well no, I can't say that, I'd still love you regardless of if my claws could break you....do you want to head back, or just let them find us...?" "They've got Striker in the group. They'll be able to find us." Heji said, thinking about Serena again. There would be quite a bit of difference between their forms, if not the height which would be relatively the same, finally evening out. She pushed on his shoulder enough to convince him to roll onto his side, and slipped up between his forepaws. "I know they're able to find us...I asked if we should -let them-." she was, if anything, sure that she could lead them on a wild goose chase for a good period of time, but that would be counter productive. "Well... I believe it's best if we do let them find us Serena." Heji said, thinking that Serena probably wanted to spend even more time with him, which he wouldn't be surprised at. She entertained the idea that they might think that she kidnapped him, but eventually she did put his bandana back around his neck, with a nip just under his chin, of course. "Fine...at least it's not good bye...I don't do Goodbye's well." "See you in a little while then Serena." Heji said, mostly understanding her viewpoint. He enjoyed being here in this world, and having more ability to be in tune with his predatorial side, while still maintain the side that maintained a pack. Serena gave a weak smile, then licked his cheek before moving out from between his paws, or at least trying to. He could have easily kept her there. "See you soon." The words caught and sounded almost like a whimper as they emerged. Now she was sure that she would be crying before the day was through; and while before she had been hoping that it was a dream, now she hoped just the opposite. Heji waited for the others to find him, and they went back to the other side. Upon all of them returning, Palkia closed the portal.

One of the first things that Kyn did was greet the rest of the group, followed immediately by calling Bill. "Hey there Bill... got a bit of a request for ya... involving some of your more.... underground services." Kyn's voice came through the receiver. "Hold on... let's not discuss this on... this form of communication. Meet me in person at my office in a few hours." Bill responded. Exactly as requested, Kyn made his way to Bill's Kanto office, in a few hours, but for him, it was literally seconds due to utilizing Palkia to create a localized time distortion that also cut the distance from where they were into practically nothing. Kyn paged the front desk of the building, and then told the receptionist that he had an appointment with Bill. "Now... what was it you wanted to discuss?" Bill asked, placing his fingers together (OMG actual fingers that this pose was invented for) in a manner that reminded Kyn EXACTLY of Royce. "I would like your help in attempting to rig a particularly special slot machine. I figure you'd be able to help create something in which the machine pays out more than normal, not necessarily paying out the Jackpot though." Kyn said, still steering clear of being specific as to WHERE the slot machine was until he was asked. "Tsk tsk tsk... cheating in a Casino? Shame shame. I'll see what I can do. I'd need to do preliminary scans to determine if the technology would successfully be able to be hacked, or at least altered. Where is this casino?" Bill had asked the dreaded question. "Ah... it's in an unmarked location that can't be found anywhere on a map except by those whom already know its location." Kyn said. "So it's one of those then. You'll have to take a scanner with you, and report the data back here." Bill clarified. As far as the underground part of his services went, some situations require that basically not a lot of questions be asked. This was one of these times. "Excellent. I'll be giving you extra this time if it turns out we can do this. If not, you'll still get your usual fee anyway. Thank you very much Bill." Kyn said, tipping an invisible hat. He left the building with the knowledge that when he returned he'd be on his way to finding out more of the intimate mechanics of how the machine worked. He spent the minority of his time acquiring unbranded cattle Tauros and fish, that he would then be able to deliver. A few hours later had Kyn receiving a call from Bill with the codeword shipment. 'Your shipment has arrived.' the message read. Kyn returned to Bill's office and collected the scanner, which he then carefully placed in his pack. It look like a mix between the Isshu Pokédex he had, and a miniature television. The next thing he did was print a large version of the photograph of Serena and the rest of the group. He made several copies and put it several folders so that they would not bend. He want it to be in absolutely pristine condition. After everything was in place, they went BACK to their previous location in isolation, and then started to do a calibration. Heji went through the portal first, to see how long the much the distortion was. Eventually they did enough testing to calibrate it so that Palkia had a general idea of how to create hundreds of different dilations. By the time they finished, Kyn had set it up so that he had gathered what HE believed to be enough initial 'stock' to be able to successfully meet the quota that would be set. A total of twenty days had passed between the two. This time, Palkia came through with them via its Luxury Ball, so that Kyn would be able to get back to the other side, and that they wouldn't have to keep the distortion open. "Twenty days. What a trip. I hope I have enough gathered. It's time to go visit Serena then." He of course, let Heji out, and then they all made their way back to Serena's cave from the halfway point. Twenty days, falling back into the pattern had been relatively easy, surprisingly. Event 6 had come, and gone, though for some reason the Celebi was hanging around. "Your friends will be back soon." She kept claiming. "When they do I want to meet them." Serena kept snorting at her, It hadn't been enough time for the ball to fully regenerate, but she did feel a twinge when they came back through, she told herself it was nothing, at least, for now. "Jasmine...If you insist on meeting them, why don't you just teleport into the future?" Serena had said. "I can't predict when THEY'LL get here 'cause they're not from here, silly." Jasmine retorted, and finally Serena had withdrawn into her own mind. /SHE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!/ Everyone who WAS still connected to Serena felt a faint.... something. They couldn't describe it, but when more than one of them started to talk, it became something that couldn't be ignored... They drew closer and closer to Tao village, and then they began to feel the thing they felt earlier a bit stronger. "It's going to be more than a simple visit. We'll be going to the Casino to scan the Machine after all. Serena said I was on a sort of watchlist or something so those two moon things will definitely remember me." "Kyn... calling them moon things is hardly the best thing. At least TRY to remember their species names." Tensa said with a chuckle. "Get..." She swiped at the Celebi that was hovering just out of her blasting range. "Down...." another swipe, another miss. "HERE!" This one just barely missed, grazing the Celebi's arm. "Oww! And you think I want to go down there?" The Celebi retorted, then turned away from her. "Oh, they're here, Yay! I've been waiting months for them to arrive!" This statement startled Serena to the point that she didn't swipe at her again. "What?" She opened up her mind to suggestion, and snorted as she felt the other familiar mind, she couldn't reach Medicham since she didn't have a permanent link with him, but she could feel Kyn. <KYN? Holy Hell, Jasmine wasn't full of shit after all.> Her claws had faded away from the ghostly purple. "Fine, I apologize, you're right. THIS TIME, flower girl." clearly she had been out of sorts, her headplates hadn't even completely turned back to being their golden color yet, the bottom half was still greyed out. <I have a contract Serena. It should be about time for the information on the first task to start arriving, if it hasn't already.> Kyn said, not sure if Serena could hear him. He wasn't used to speaking long distances like this, and Serena had said that it would be weaker than normal. <Two days ago, I hope you don't mind that I opened it, I figured that if you didn't come back I would fill the order so that it didn't go against your record.> She had walked back into the cave. <About how far away are you? Your voice is rather distant.> She bit into an Oran berry, no sense in going hungry while she waited, at least, not if they were too far away. <Just outside the west southwestern entrance to Windswept woods.> Kyn answered. He thought he heard her right. 'if you didn't come back'. That must have been a possibility to her. He wasn't going to mention it to her right away but, the only thing that would be keeping him from coming back would be something wrong with the portal, which there wasn't, thankfully. <Ah...No wonder then, You've still got about a three hour walk ahead of you.> She didn't ask what she was dying to ask, she didn't mention Heji, but OH she wanted to. <Looking for perspective spots to buy a house on Twigs' territory?> <I've thought about it and, I really don't need a house. So, now that you've opened it, what exactly have I got to do?> Kyn wondered. He'd tried to cover as many bases as possible with what he'd gathered. Serena picked up the letter, 'snapshotted' it and sent it along the line to him. <It's not too difficult, well, I suppose that for anyone around here it might be...Tauros is always in high demand, but that one's part of the optional, couple of Shellder--which are easy enough to find even here...> She went on to list different types of meat (Of which you can choose) In different cuts, some of which he might recognise the names of. <Oh and... I'll be doing some tinkering with Royce's lovely machine too, after a while. I've got enough Tauros for quite a while then I think. I went on a fishing spree, and shopping spree.> Closer and closer they drew until finally the town limits could be seen. Kyn also wrote down the names of the cuts, since most of them he didn't recognize but some he did. <Kyn...The gears of the machine have no control over what happens to them...it's the Porygon that controls everything.> She snorted. <If you mess up the machine, then Vendetta is the one who gets in trouble.> Jasmine was now hovering around her head. "Oooo, let me talk to him, you're talking to him, right?" <"For fuck's sake Jasmine, GO AWAY"> She said both mentally and verbally, not bothering to close the channel while she tried to fend off the Celebi. <Then that's not my problem. There's always a risk that come with things like that Serena. Besides, all this thing will do... is collect data. I won't be doing any actual tinkering yet.> Kyn said firmly. He'd heard Serena's outbirst and in his rush to get supplies and things he'd forgotten who Jasmine was. <~D'aww, I just want to talk with him, the last human I met was a girl by the name of Papaya. Hiiiiii HUMAN! I'm Jasmine.~> <Ugh, Jasmine, you are WAAAAY too perky.> She wondered if this was what it was like to be used as a relay, except Jasmine wasn't as covert about it as she herself was. Kyn chuckled, since he knew Serena wouldn't hear it and he tried ignoring Jasmine. <So... I'm like, literally a few inches away from Tao Village now, Serena.> Serena had to grab the Celebi before she could flutter away, and still, of course, she teleported to a few moments in the future, and stuck her tongue out at the Bagon. "Oh for fuck's..." <Be right there, Racing a time deity, pretty sure I'm gonna lose. If you see a Celebi, grab her mouth and don't let go until your out of town.> Of course she had landed on the Oran berry, and thus had the juice running down her thigh, she paid it no mind as she zigged through the trees, and streamed through the town, She was aiming for the Celebi, who would have been Hovering around Kyn at this point, and leapt, but of course, being a bloody flyer, she was able to go up out of her reach. /You Little.../ There was that growl again. She landed on her feet some point behind them, skidding and finally hitting all fours. She was, as one might expect, panting. "I really, really, really HATE you right now Jasmine." "You're the one who offered to let me stay with you for assisting with the forest~ I figured that I was allowed to drop by whenever~" "A decision I regretted two days later." She snarled, of course, her snarl dropped as she realized just who was among the group, and how she was making the Celebi look. "She's harmless...Annoying, but harmless..." /So long as she doesn't go spouting off about you know what./ "Hm. Time AND space. An interesting combination I see here." AT this current point in time, Kyn had his proper swords, the Katanas in their sheaths, which would assist him in hunting. Serena of course, didn't bother asking, she jumped upwards, borrowing Heji's shoulder, and finally caught the Celebi, pulling her back down to earth with her. "Ha, got ya! Didn't see that com....Time AND Space?" She looked up at Kyn, questioningly, then her eyes got wider as she recognized the scent. "Oh...Void..." of course, her hands had slipped in her shock, and the Celebi had gotten loose again. "Now you see why I wanted to meet him~" Jasmine taunted. "Well Jasmine... it's pretty simple... though I don't know how much you know about me. Oh and.... please keep my... 'condition' to yourself mmmk?~" Kyn said, with a grin. He did find the way Jasmine had managed to gain the upper hand on Serena to be humorous. The Bagon snorted, she was already knocked off schedule by the Celebi, and she checked that she hadn't even displaced any hairs off of Heji's shoulder with the jump, scratching down his mane in greeting. "Oh sure, I just wanted to meet you, I've been hanging around Serena all month, well, all month minus a week, of course~" She fluttered up to eye level with him. "I'll be popping in and out during your visit since Serena was so nice to offer me a room, as I said~ I've met you in other timelines, but never this one! Hee, toodles." As she spoke, she did a twirl, and disappeared into thin air. "Waaaay....toooo....perky." came the almost tired voice from Serena. "Since there's another version of me, you haven't met them yet. OR if you have, then she'll probably tell you sooner or later. Now, let's go back to your cave so I can sort things out eh?" Kyn hurriedly suggested. Serena dropped back to all fours and walked them through the town back towards the cave, stopping to drink, of all things, from the fountain at the center, and then continuing on. "I'm not really...interested in meeting yet another one of you Kyn, being attached to ONE of you is enough to be a full time job." She flicked out her tongue over her lips, and soon, of course, they were at the cave. She was thankful there weren't any questions about her bicolored headplates, but figured that that would be remedied soon enough, knowing Kyn. "Twenty days minus a week...you know she had the gall to tell me not to mark the trees so i could find my way back after everything changed? I mean really." She scoffed. "Serena. I am requesting a new hunting assessment. I believe you remember me telling you about my swords a while back." Kyn said, keeping focused on why he was currently hear other than to visit Serena. "I do." She confirmed, standing and pouring water over her sticky thigh, then drying it with her flame. "What did you have in mind?" The look in her eye could have told him what SHE had in mind, since she had been being truthful when she said that the security detail was the only source of a challenge she got. "There is a slight chance, only a slight chance, that I would want to test them with YOUR help. Other than that, a visual assessment would suffice first." Kyn said, probably thinking along similar lines to her. "You're not going to be able to actually hunt around here...but go ahead, we'll see if it can stand up to the visuals...and then maybe a torture test." she quickly amended the words. "Er. Stress test...been around Merlot too much lately I think." She was almost embarrassed to admit it. "At that point, I'll be running off of feral instinct alone...so, well, it might be a bit painful...but I shouldn't be able to /break/ you with that alone." She sniffed to find where the Oran berry had fallen, and dusted it off, starting to eat it again. "I do so hope you don't break my swords though Serena. Now here they are." Kyn took his time sliding the long blades out of their sheaths and the holding the out in non-battle position. With the last bit of the Oran berry in her mouth, she licked her claws clean and walked over to his swords, she examined them, first with her eyes, and then, yes, even slid her fingertip across the edge to see if it could cut her hide. when a small droplet of blood appeared against her flesh, she licked it off and nodded. "They'll do well. An...honorable, artificial weapon, better, at least, than what was tagged on the memory you shared." "That is a rather odd thing to do Serena. Anyway, what other things could I test them on here?" Kyn wondered, sheathing his swords again. "It's no odder than testing my claws against Striker's blade." She countered, walking away from him about ten paces before answering his question. "Me, for one." she had, as she turned, struck something of an unusual battle stance for her. Her pupil's had slitted to the lizard like state, and between the two clawed limbs that touched the ground, she dropped her scarf. "If you're up for entertaining a bored dragon, that is." "Striker would probably be humored by watching. You are fast Serena, I have witnessed this." He did not mention anything at all about the Scyther he encountered besides Striker. She grinned at the compliment. "Yes...perhaps he would...so that it's fair I wont be using any skills against you...no Dragon rush or anything...you should be able to keep up with me that way." Her muscles coiled, she was, at least, going to wait for him to draw his swords before she attacked him. Kyn spent no time drawing his swords out. This time they did make a Shing! and then he then switched to a different stance for combat, one he was pretty sure she hadn't seen before. In this particular stance one of his swords was held downward instead of point upwards, and the other blade was held upwards across his chest. He then lowered his posture by several inches and slightly parted his legs. 335 PM] : Her eyes narrowed at the pose, it was decent for defense, which meant he was expecting her to go first--She wouldn't disappoint him. "If it's touched, it's broken on your end, that way I don't ACTUALLY break anything on your half." She figured that he could live with that, and didn't wait for a response, letting the coils in her muscles spring her into a sprint towards him, darting towards his left leg, being wary of the sword. She hadn't put any restraints on HIM, only herself, so she doubted that he would be kind enough not to leave gashes in her hide. She expected the logical maneuver would be to swing the sword down at her, and had her head tilted so that if he did, he would collide with her headplates...and of course, that would resound in a rough vibration up into his hand. 552 PM | Edited 3:024 PM] : Kyn hmmed to himself quietly, and then watched her move towards him. Once he saw where she was headed, he shifted himself into a pose that streched his right leg back into and almost kneeling position, while shifting his left leg into an extended pose, then moving the left blade from the angle it previously was, to a horizontal one, and keeping the one in his right hand in practically the same postion, albeit a little lower. 3:08 PM] : She couldn't stop, exactly, but she did, with the next step, launch herself into the air to avoid the outstretched blade, balling herself so that she wouldn't touch his head, of course, if he wasn't moving already her right claws would catch his right shoulder with a deliberate tap. 3:114 PM | Edited 3:200 PM] : "That was my objective Serena." Kyn stood up to his full height again, and turned his body and his swords, but not exactly knowing where she was going to land precisely, only held his left sword in the normal fashion. His right sword was held slightly to the right of his face. 3:310 PM] : " 'ch." she didn't wait as soon as she landed, her toes had barely had the time to catch her weight as he turned to face her, and took the opportunity to strike at his leading knee and ankle with her own left foot. Abiding by her rules, that would, or at least SHOULD keep him down, not really giving him time to even get into his position fully. That wasn't saying that she herself wasn't thrown off balance, but with her tail, she should have been able to bound just out of reach of the blades. "I think we're done here." 3:44:30 PM | Edited 3:45:26 PM] : "We are unless you'd like to consider the possibility... that I'd still want to fight. I'll have to adjust my strategy some more when fighting you. I'm not an expert of course, and still have some more things to learn. Though as far as I'm concerned, I now have a few ideas as to what I could have done in that situation. Using a sword as a crutch is something that is not unfamiliar to me. Why didn't you go for both?" 3:50:26 PM] : "By my own rules, you would have had to have fallen on me, and had it been a real battle situation you would have crossed the swords to take me down with you, instinct told me to strike and get away." She answered, gripping one clawed limb at the other. "DID you still want to continue, unable to put any weight on one leg, and unable to support yourself with the same arm since your shoulder was 'broken' on the way down, I mean, really?" She tilted her head at him. "Considering what Striker put me through... I probably would. Perhaps it is time for me to start being more aggressive towards you when I fight and not pussyfooting around by mostly defending." "You behave like prey you're treated like prey." she confirmed, looking at her claws. "I am not Striker." was the next statement, and it came with a growl. "No more than that was a Scyther's plan of defense...AND keep in mind, that was without any of my moves, just tact against tact." "You most certainly are not. Perhaps I'll stop dual wielding for a while and practice utilizing singular forms. Next time Serena. Just, next time. Anyway, I believe that I have some Tauros to butcher, as well as a few others." He refocused the conversation on to why he was even there. To that, she pointed off in the direction of the river that they had crossed the last time they visited. "Not near my cave, if you don't mind. There's a river, you remember it, right? With a decent clearing around it now. Don't trust your memory on how to get there, a lot of the trees that were found to be dead were removed and had new ones planted in their place." She dropped to all fours, and went to retrieve her scarf. "And since I'm sure you don't want me tempted to eat it, I'll stay here." "...That reminds me. Since we AREN'T in Tao anymore, it is more kosher for me to be able to do this here, or would it be just as negative as if I was doing it near Tao?" "I kill things in the woods all the time." She wrapped her scarf back around her neck. "They can't hear everything from all the way out here, so go for it." She walked over to Heji and gave him a quirky smile. " 'sides, I'm sure i can find /SOMETHING/ to do." "Oh... and uh... there's one other thing I forgot to mention. Palkia is here." Kyn said, trying to get her attention again. "I gathered that when you said time and space, you should have seen and heard that click earlier. I never said you couldn't bring Him with you, only the White one." "I figure, perhaps, if not Reshiram, then why not bring the location to me instead of going to it. That... saves time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll return in maybe a quarter of day or so. I've got a lot of work to do." Kyn then headed for the river. He spent most of the day skinning, cleaning and cutting Tauros. The other cuts that he didn't know about he'd go ask a butcher back home to assist him with. Other than that he'd had more than enough that time to not need to butcher ALL his Tauros. He then packaged the meat up in various boxes, put those boxes in a larger container, and then put that container inside a Poké Ball, labeling it with a marker. He then brought went back to Serena with the sets of Tauros hide. Serena laid down beside Heji with a slight sigh, laying her head on her claws. "If I hadn't given him the ball of energy I could be a Shelgon right now." She said idly, her green eyes partially closed as a reflex. "Not that I'm complaining, the whole thing with the forest 'caused my headplates to go back to being grey." 4:338 PM | Edited 4:320 PM] : "Serena, there's three Tauros pelts here. Do I personally deliver these? How does this thing bloody work?" Kyn asked trying to figure out the process. "I barely recognized you until I noticed your scent of course." Heji responded. She opened her eyes with a soft sigh, looking over at him. " The pelts you will sell to Anana in aseparate package to your meat, because they weren't asked for it's not part of the deal. She'll take care of things from there. It's not difficult...Unfortunately since this is NOT Gambitville we're dealing in, the bones are worth next to nothing, and even those in Gambitville wont take the bones without the pelts." She laid her head back down on her claws. "And no, you don't have to hand deliver them if you don't want to, but you said you were going to the bay to begin with." "Yes. Fine, then. I'll just... create more petls and bring the bones too. I'd rather not make two trips... another few hours Serena..." Kyn said giving Serena a huge sigh. Serena tapped her claws for a bit, and then curled up against Heji for a slight nap, she had long since gone back to being Nocturnal, and being up in the sun was cutting into her sleep cycle. She trusted that they would wake her up when it was time for her to come back around into the realm of the living, and she DID feel bad about sleeping when she could be spending time with Heji, but combining feeling safe with being tired, and you get a konked out Serena. He'd added more to his workload, but still he'd gain more Poké this away. It was boring doing the same thing so many times, so he had fun by being silly with skin folds, and other things, while he was working. After the hours were up, Kyn went back Serena to see if she was awake or not. True to her hunter nature, footsteps woke her up. One green eye stared up at him. "Well, now you -smell- good, not sure that's what you were going for." she said groggily. "If I didn't know that you were a human, I would say that you would be hunt worthy...which means, you're going to attract Predators." "I have a remedy to that. Just call it artificial scent. I probably spent too much time around the meat then." Kyn said, sighing and laying down on the ground about ten feet from Serena. "Mmmmph..." She forced herself up into a sitting position, stretching her claws out in front of her. "You're tired." "Why not go lie down out of the sun?" "Well. Most humans work for eight hours or more, not simply doing things like this. Those that do do this most of the time are used to doing it for longer periods than what I've done." Kyn took out his spray bottle and covered himself from head to toe in the stuff. He had the decency to move away from Serena first, and he figured that he wouldn't need to put as much on has he normally would, but he'd ask Serena about that too. Serena watched, well, it was hard not to watch, the way he went about it, she didn't understand, she sent him near a river, you were supposed to clean up after yourself, and clean yourself up when you were done. He'd done neither of those things, and now she was having to ignore her stomach, which was telling her that he was a tasty Tauros and easy to take down too. She did eventually duck her head against Heji to assist in ignoring her stomach, even as Kyn doused himself with the strange...scented water. "Inferno cooked the blood that came from the initial spot, so now there's that but... I'm the one that got the major dousings of scent. So... uh, how's this?" Kyn asked, moving back towards Serena. "How many of your friends did you bring with you this time?" She made marks in the sand as she counted. "Heji, Inferno, Palkia, Medicham, Tensa..." She inhaled, and almost buried her nose back into Heji's side. "Well...you don't smell like food anymore." she coughed, choosing to breathe through her mouth rather than her nose. "Hmm... how many did I bring....? Fifteen of them. Except Reshiram. I also brought the picture, of which I'll show you the large version." "Fi-fifteen?!" She recoiled, backing away from him, her eyes wide. It was clear that she STILL didn't like big groups of Pokémon. To her credit, she didn't run away entirely, and stopped about just caddy corner to Heji's haunch. "I was planning on maybe bringing a bit more, but then I remembered, not all of them have accessories." Kyn said. Then he noticed that Serena had moved quite a distance from him, and migrated towards Heji. "Uh... Serena... ?" "I don't like crowds...remember?" the mention of more had her almost in a ball, not the fetal position, but it definitely one that protected the weak points of her body. ( http://th03.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/210/e/8/Warrior_Cat_Poses_1_Dawnclan_by_KasaraWolf.jpg Second row on the left ) "Well they're not all here right now. Nor will they ever be out all at once unless I'm like, in a position to where death could claim me. Now, do you know if Palette is currently in her studio?" Kyn asked, taking note of the way Serena had currently repositioned herself. "Likely, she's a bit of an....introvert, understandable really, most of the town still blame her for something or other, they seem to be trying to put it in the past." her positioning relaxed a little, not much, to know she was being WATCHED by all of them didn't help matters too much. "Then, I'll be headed there soon. Would you uh... assist me Serena? I'm in essence borrowing the 'mon's familiarity with you again. Also, you wouldn't mind if I left my pelts here for now would you?" "No, I don't mind, on either account..." She stood up, all the way up onto her hind legs. Well, she had nothing to be ashamed of, even if aside from her scarf she was just in her scales. "Soon as in Now or soon as in Later?" "Soon as in now. Also, how long do I have before this uh... thing expires? It's been twenty days, but, when did recieve the letter order?" Kyn moved the pelts inside the cave, near the Straw bed, making sure that they weren't too close to the fire. "I told you, it arrived two days ago." While Kyn was in the cave, she took the opportunity to lick behind Heji's ear, and then behaved as if nothing happened as he returned. "So you've got time to relax." "I don't really have much to relax about. Now, take a look at the large version of our photo." Kyn pulled out a folder, that contained within it a folder, which then had the eleven by eight inch print-out on cardstock. He then handed that copy to Serena. "I suppose that I should have used the words 'have fun' rather than 'relax.'" She snorted, and took the photo in one clawed limb, almost afraid she'd break it. Still, her eyes picked up the smaller details that human eyes would have missed. When she was finished looking at it, she handed it back, being mindful of her claws. "Right well, I might as well keep this out, since it's what I'll be giving to Palette. As for having fun... What would you recommend doing for fun then...? I've got some rather human ideas but, I'd like to maybe try out some of the local things here." Kyn checked his watch to see what time it was. "Also, since Palkia's on this side... I don't technically have to worry about time yet." "You're asking a minimalist what she does for fun, when her day is composed of mostly hunting, sleeping, tending the berry garden and jumping off of high places." She paused. "well, hm, I suppose we could probably find -something for you to do. You asked about the creation myths here...there's an religious thing in the town now, you could probably get information on things there now...and you probably noticed that almost golden roll of parchment in there too. Care to take a guess?" True to her nature, as she spoke, she turned around and started walking back towards the village. "Are you literally asking me to guess or being figurative? If it isn't figurative... then I have no basis to form a guess with." He just continued walking instead of stopping do to his 'thinking pose'. "Yes you do." She said, "it's a Scroll, of Parchment, it practically GLOWS with energy, and you can't guess what it is?" She was soon, of course, standing on the same embankment that they had slid down twenty days before. "No, not really. Perhaps I am overlooking something that I would not normally have, because I am being single-minded right now. If not now, it will probably come to me later." Kyn said, continuing to look for what would be the studio. When he was last in Tao Village, he didn't really have much time to look around, and well now that he knew that Palette was a Zoroark, he figured he'd either be looking for a Zoroark shaped building, or whatever Pal was. "Serena... if Palette is a Zoroark, then what is Pal...? I forgot to ask a loooong time ago." "Smeargle. They make an...ah...interesting couple,I suppose you might say, since she's almost double his size." the smile didn't fade from her lips as she spoke, and she led him, at least, through the town to the smergle shaped building on the south west side of town next to the diglet hut. "You'd know about that, wouldn't you Serena?" Kyn quickly said, making an obvious reference, before being quiet again to look out for the Smeargle shaped building "I would." She confirmed with a slight chuckle and a blush. "Although, it's opposite of my situation,I suppose though, it's not what you've got, it's how you use it." he had, of course, thrown her head further into the gutter than it already had been, but to her credit she managed to maintain a professional composure as she opened the door with the 'open' sign hanging on it; and walked inside, not at all surprised at seeing Pal working on painting a Starly in what it clearly thought was a fearsome pose. Of course he wasn't using his brush tail to paint, but he did turn away to look at them. "Ah, Serena, I'd know those plates anywhere, Palette's waiting for you and your...friend in the other room." he pointed with his paw. "W-waiting for...? You make it sound as though I've got an appointment... but I'm not really complaining." Kyn said, and then he continued trailing behind Serena. "You do, actually." Serena confirmed with that same smile, stepping into the darkened room that obviously didn't get as much use as the other. There were quite a few paintings--they didn't have the same style as what Pal used, obviously, but that was soon fixed, even as the door clicked closed behind them. "Welcome." The voice was sweet, and rather, of course, shy as it came from the almost smooth haired Zoroark "I'm Palette, you must be Kynexn." "Well, most of the time that's what I'm called, yes." Kyn said. He gave his usual bow, and waited for a response, not necessarily knowing how she would respond. "Humans ARE strange." She mused, "I understand that you have something for me to make into a painting?" She motioned to the canvases that were around the room. "Conversion is relatively easy with -my- paint, but sometimes it does what it wants. Hm." "I have it here with me." He turned the picture around, so that she could see, and held in front of him. "Having this is one thing but... something that is crafted and individual is much better." The Zoroark took the print, and looked it over. "Huh, colored ink, who woulda thought...You look happy here Serena, happier than I've seen you in a long time. How's Marlow?" She turned, taking her hair into her hand and starting to work with her special paint. Serena had found herself leaned up against the wall. "He's out...experimenting...so I don't know exactly how he is. I mean, i can feel that he's okay, and in an emergency i could probably find him...but he asked me not to look for him if he didn't come back for a couple days, so I'm trying to let him be..." "Oh dammit! I forgot to talk to the others about Ghosts. I'll have to put it in one of my devices to remind me. What with all this running around I'll be doing I'll probably forget again." Kyn said, facepalming himself. <Honestly he's been trying to stay away until he's sure that I've used the evolution scroll. I'm starting to think he's as selfless as one of the rescuers.> She snorted at Kyn's admission, it was about ten minutes later that Palette moved away from the one canvas to let him see an almost exact copy of the picture, on the wet canvas. "There~ It'll need some time to dry, Probably be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest." "Ah... yes, that's the type end result I was looking for!" Kyn exclaimed happily. He then chuckled at Serena's 'accusal' of Marlow. "Serena mentioned something about several copies?" The zoroark wiped her face, smeering the paint across her cheek. "At least, I think she did, there was this Celebi with her that kept interrupting her." Serena grumbled something about Jasmine following her everywhere, then snorted again. "Yes... I was hoping to be able to give one to my mother, and.... the other to Serena herself." Kyn avoided making eye contact with Serena as he said that last line and instead focused on the painting. "What, you're going to try to make me adorn my cave now? No one would ever be able to see it you know, not unless we get a version with you as a Sceptile. Doesn't make sense to have something that no one would ever see." She wrinkled her nose at him. "Would be better If I just kept the photograph version." Palette let them talk, trying to think. "Well huh...so that makes two copies? Or are you just giving this one to your Dame?" "Still three... Serena, by for you, I literally mean FOR you. There will come a time.... when I have to leave here for very long periods of time. I still have pictures of me from when I first started my adventure." Kyn looked at Serena, then to Palette, then back to Serena agian. "You're...Impossible." She snorted the word, still, she didn't argue anymore, and Palette got to work on a second one, and then a third a bit later. Serena didn't have the right words, grateful, yet annoyed that she would have to carve out another room to hide things in away from everyone, that she would have to secure the thought so deep in her brain that it wouldn't be found by ANYONE...it would be impossible to get to when she was fully evolved, she realized, well, impossible to fit anything but her head through, she supposed. "Actually, while I'm here, yeah I kinda am." Kyn grinned, knowing that that that was not what Serena meant. She stuck out her tongue at him and put her claws over her headplates. Of course, her stomach, which was still complaining that it hadn't gotten to eat the Tauros, chose the moment to speak up. "Heh, should have eaten you when I had the chance." "So um... Palette... just out of curiosity, do you have a favorite type of berry... or maybe a specific flavor preference?" Kyn asked. Serena, who was probably VERY familiar with this process by now, would more than likely recognize exactly what he was doing. He also planned to give Anana her specif treat later that day if he could find her. Serena was indeed becoming HIGHLY familiar with this process. <If you're going to ask everyone why not just make a candy shop and get us all addicted that way.> She was looking at him now. "Oh, Serena and I have always liked similar berries, though she prefers things a bit too spicy for my tastes." <Would be less suspicious than asking everyone what they like, you could just give out samples to find what they like best.> "There, there's the last one done. With the guild rate that's 150 poke each, so 450 total. You can pay now, or tomorrow when you pick them up." Palette handed the photo back to Kyn. "I think I'll pay for them right now." <I don't literally ask everyone, Serena. In fact, that's what I do back home to find out Trainer's Pokémon's flavor preferences. It's the same thing that I did with you, with those five. Though you do know me well enough to know that back home I WILL be making a business out of it due to the inability of most humans to make good PokéBlock. PLUS I have the advantage of actually be able to ask the Pokémon personally.> In some ways he regretted the fact that they were solid gold, due to the fact that in some cases that would make them weight more, which would make his backpack weight more. He took out the necessary amount and asked Serena for some assistance, not afraid to admit it in front of Palette. <Oh and thanks for reminding me to make you some Poffins too.> <GAH. Stoppit, seriously. Stop giving me things, it's annoying. Really, really annoying.> She had formed her mental avatar just for that point, and to poke him. She did help him with the money, without really having to be asked. She clicked her tongue as she pushed away from the wall. <It's like you're trying to reward me for being your friend, to bribe me to continue to do so, and it's really getting on my nerves. I'm not a human Kyn, I don't need things to make me happy, you want to give me things? Your presence is enough.> <I don't give you things in an attempt to make you happy. In fact, the fact you mentioned the whole 'reward' for being my friend thing, makes it even worse when you consider that that is exactly what some humans do to their pets. I would not want you to EVER think that I would treat you like that. Then if this is case, then perhaps the Poffins will be last.... > "I do enjoy visiting Tao Village. It is interesting, and I feel less far away from home here." "Goodbye Palette, see you tomorrow." She opened and slipped out into the main lobby, then out into the open before she answered Kyn. "I...couldn't be anymore opposite. There's too many rules in town. Don't climb this, don't stare at that, oh, don't you even THINK of touching that, you'll break it." She snorted, then sighed, <My point is, Kyn, that if I want something from you, you'll either hear it from my mouth, or notice it in my body language.> "Sounds like things that uh... are applied to children. Are all of you non-evolved 'mon still considered children until you evolve or something? If so then that'd be annoying." Kyn then thought about what happened at the Casino with the Machoke. "Yes and No, to those who CAN evolve, a lot of the time, yes...but the Machoke was guessing that because I was a dragon, I would still be considered a child to my own kin. There are cases of Pichu who simply do not wish to grow up, and they are not always considered children, since even though they maintain their form, they continue to grow to their full evolutionary height." She looked back at him. "The same way a hatchling starts out where it will actually fit in the egg, it grows quickly within a couple of weeks to within a month to the size that is within the range where it would properly be considered part of it's species. Perhaps I'll show you later, I still need to hunt, and I know there's a den of Eletrike that have just hatched a few days ago near by. Should be an easy meal." She kept her voice down so that only those within her immediate vicinity could hear her, still she got some odd looks. "Serena.... about how much would it cost to maintain a building in Tao....? I do remember that you said that that initial amount was a lot more than I thought it would be but uh, that was just the cost of the equivalent of BUYING one right, and not maintaining it. I mean... I like I said earlier, I might not even really need a house so..." "...You're going to have to be specific here Kyn. Define 'maintaining'. Things like cleaning? So long as the windows and door are closed you wont have much more than a layer of dust...If you're thinking about upkeep of the exterior...Nothing. Generally the houses take care of themselves. If you develop a leak then it'll have to be repaired, but those are few and far between. You'd only have to worry about...storms...." "Ugh. Of course. Well that's good. So if I did purchase a building.... it'd just be a dusting every now and then. Hm, well. I suppose I'd have a Sceptile shaped house then?" Kyn thought about what it would be like to actually STAY in a semi-permenant place of residence. There were barely any times where he utilized human technology much, other than for cooking. For anything that required electricty, he could just borrow Heji. But he still didn't have that much anyway. "Or you could have one like the rentals." She pointed at the Tenements. "For fuck's sake Kyn, if you WANT a bloody house, get a bloody house." She turned around to face him. "It would get all of the love letters I keep getting from Anana, out of my hair." She snorted. "Figuratively speaking, I mean, and yes, those are in the cave too, they have their own little hole in front of the fireplace just WAITING to be tossed in." "I'm debating dammit! I need some time to think. Oh, Serena, don't burn those yet. I want to read some of them and see. I didn't expect those already. So, does that meant that BOTH of us are getting them or just me?" "I'm out of contract, anything I do for her is freelance now. Yes, these past 20 days she's sent me two, trying to get me to come visit her. Note the double meaning there...and just flip a poke, really, i mean it's not like you don't have several to be able to do it with." She lead him back through the forest to the cave, then dropped to all fours again and wandered in the direction to the den where the hatchlings were, and spirited one of the pup's from the nest before the mother even knew that it was missing, holding it in her jaws as she came back. This trip only took a couple minutes. "Well, I hope you enjoy your meal. So. Would you like to come with us to Gambitville and the Bay or will you be staying here?" He didn't want to speculate, so he figured he'd ask. Serena had held the pup up for his inspection, a proper showing of it's size, then dropped it into her maw and swallowed. Hatchlings; it was hard to believe that she had once been that small. "That depends, I suppose you'll be leaving after your paintings are recieved tomorrow morning? If so...no, probably not, Syrup will demand that I have a drink with her, or ask why i haven't used the scroll yet...likely both. The former wouldn't be too bad I guess...the second would backlash to both YOU, and to my headplates." she answered, walking inside; leading him to the pile of letters, and of course, grabbing a rock and chewing on them. "The bay...well, if a small town like Tao puts me on edge, what do you think the BAY will do?" "I'll be going today, and coming back for the paintings tomorrow. You'll probably be even more reluctant to go to my world after I make a comparison that some of our cities are outright ten, to sometimes even a hundred times larger than Tao AND the Bay combined. But, that's not the main point. So... let me see some of those letters then eh?" (You DID say you like to be cruel to your characters sometimes wellllll...) Serena looked at him skeptically. "Kyn...You DO remember how long our trip took LAST time, right? Six hours on foot to the bay, and another tweleve from the bay to the Oasis, and THREE from the Oasis to the town of Gambitville. Even if you did ask Palkia to jump the space, having him do so to a place where he's never been isn't the smartest thing in the world." She motioned to the cushion by the table and gave one word. "Sit." She dropped the half eaten Rock onto the table and collected the letters in her arms, dropping them onto the table beside the letter that was the order. She then picked up her rock again, and finished it off. "Yeah no...I'll probably be staying on Heji's back all that time in YOUR towns." "Technically Serena, there is a way to make it so that Palkia HAS been there. Besides, we did some experimenting back home. Took about a week. We don't exactly have the ability to experiment much here. So then..." Kyn look at where he thought the letters would be. "The letters?" She nodded at the letters on the table as she walked away. "Yeah, have fun with those Romeo. If you need me I'll be...well. Somewhere in the forest...you'll have that decision by around Midnight, if I'm coming with you or not." Of course, predictably she took a leap out at Heji when she was close enough, making good on her promise to pounce him when he came back, and bit at his ear with a playful growl. "Well, I thank you for your assistance in all of this Serena." He then turned his head, only to hear what he knew to be the sound of Bagon connecting with Luxray. He then collect his pelts to deliver. After gathering the pelts he then he called out Palkia to assist him in making the trip to Gambitville shorter. "Ah, well you definitely pack a punch Serena. I take it this is your specific version of a welcome back for me?" He said with a toothy grin. "Well, the others wont be getting it, that's for sure." She licked where her teeth had just been, choosing not to talk around it for the sake of his ear, and being understood. Half clinging to his mane. "Of course, i wouldn't think you would want -just- a pounce to show you how happy i am that you're back, hmmm?" "Well it's up to you for now. We literally have the entire day now to be together unless you have something else to do." Heji clarified. He figured where she was going but tried to sort of if he could, gently nudge her away from that subject. Maybe even saving some *other* things for later as a special activity. Serena chuckled in his ear. "I've little to do other than enjoy my time with you...You're not going with Kyn later on?" She scratched under his chin, well, if he was up to just relaxing, she could deal and enjoy his scent. It didn't mean that she would stop toying with him entirely, of course...but she would at least cut back. "You mean you didn't notice that he's already gone that far? Serena, he left me here with you. Then next time you see him, it'll be for him to tell you that he's staying somewhere for the night so he can pick the paintings." Heji rolled over onto his back, and if Serena didn't follow he would encourage her to lay on him. "I kinda...left him in the cave and came to tackle you, no I didn't notice, but that might have had something to do with the soft black mane in my face and an ear in my mouth." She did rather catch on, meshing her blue scales with his blue and black fur. "Not that I'm complaining about either of those things. Or the fact that you're here with me." "I could do with a belly massage, if you're up to it. You're the closest one so..." Heji left the rest for her to fill in. She chuckled and rolled her eyes at him, licking at his chin once then turning on him so that he would be essentially looking up her tail at her as her claws worked over his stomach. There really wasn't another option, she wasn't going to get off of him after just getting on. " You're sure you want to trust me near your belly, knowing where my head is?" She licked at his belly with the tip of her tongue. "I'm fairly certain you'll do pretty well. You CAN focus after all." Heji did take notice of the fact that she had turned in an interesting position that, if she were in her Salamence stage, he could try out that position that Kyn told him about where both partners pleasure each other at the same time. He'd ask Serena if she knew about it later. She took her time, kneading through the muscles of his stomach and being mindful of her claws, when she did nick him it was in the form of a scratch, and not hard enough to draw blood. Still her tail flicked just a bit, reflexively adjusting her balance--the very thing that had saved her in the spar with Kyn earlier that day. When his belly was relaxed, she rubbed it with the pads of her forelimbs. "Ah... yes... I don't often get this feeling.... as you know, the alpha reflex in me doesn't allow it most of the time." "I know the feeling, yes...." She nuzzled against his right hind leg, and gave a lick at the joint. Both the neck and the belly, both very...vulnerable places to leave exposed to one another. Of course, she was VAUGELY sure that he could still lick her if he curled himself, it would probably be uncomfortable to stay that way for long. Heji then remember how there was a certain spot that once rubbed, caused some particular canid Pokémon and sometimes non-canid Pokémon to move their legs uncontrollably. He silently wondered if Luxray had that spot as well. Time of course passed as the activities grew more and more heavy, by the end of the night she had ended up on her back beneath the big lion; off and on snoozing, at least, until the sound of footsteps shook her from it. Well, it wasn't exactly a provocative pose to be caught in, she just had a lion resting on her was all. "Mmmph." Stretching was out of the question, of course, but still she tried to look at the source as a hunter's instinct. Kyn came back with several sacks worth of Poké, that he wished he was able to use a wheelbarrow for. Tensa helped him carry one, and Inferno helped him carry the other. He headed towards the inner depths of Serena's cave, wondering what exactly became of his leaving Heji and Serena alone together, and if part of what he expected would have been fulfilled. He would of course later find a way to store the Poké via Poké Ball storage, but he also wanted specific help counting them again, if Serena was willing. He knew about how much each was worth now, after this second bout, but counting them would be able to allow him to get a general feel of about how much was in specific amounts via weight, and appearance. Serena wiggled her left arm free, ans scratched Heji under the chin as a way to wake him up as well, at least to get him to shift his weight as her body reminded her of her surroundings. Straw bedding, the pillow that had once been behind her head somewhere around the room; and since they'd been the only ones there at the time--she hadn't bothered closing the drape. Ah well. "Oh Serena...? If you're currently available, I'd like your assistance with something over here. If not, I'll just wait till tomorrow and I'll have one less to help..." Kyn gently called out. He didn't want to mentalspeak at this time due to figuring that it would be politer to greet her that way since he didn't exactly know how to 'whisper' that way yet. Heji did manage to wake, and thankfully he didn't roll over onto Serena. There wasn't a risk of crushing her due to his weight, but the normal risks of having a twice your height lion on top of you would still have applied. She grumbled under her breath at the question, rolling in place to look up at Kyn, Her tail taking the place of her claws in scratching under Heji's chin. "I'm...not getting up. If you want my help, you'll bring things to me." admittedly, she stifled a yawn. Yes, her sleeping schedule was skewed, she normally would have been up and about by now and working on her usual routine. "I have no problem bringing the things to you. That was not the issue." The group made their way towards Serena, and the coins moving around inside the sacks could be distinctly heard. Serena licked her lips, tasting Heji on them, waiting for the rest of the sacks, and looking them over with a polite interest. Of course with the lingering scents on the cloth, it was plain to anyone exactly what had occured. She crossed her claws under her chest, propping herself up, and even Kyn might notice that more of the golden color had returned to her plates since he'd left. "Heh, if you say so." "Serena, abouts when do you think I'll be forced to tell Anana what I am? Also, just as I thought she er.... loved the PokéBlock." Kyn set the final sack down on the ground near the table, and then undid the ties around the other three. She wrinkled her nose. "It would probably be better to do it before you were 'forced' into a situation where she tries to grab you...or before you try to...well, dick her; to be blunt." Serena pulled a large pile over to her and started counting in her head, looking up at Kyn as she continued. "If you're still going on with that, anyway." "Well Serena, I'm probably not going to be going that route, actually. Regarding my particular organ being used for that purpose. I do still find her attractive though. I guess I could just send her a letter. Surprisingly... she hasn't tried wrapping her tail around 'mine' yet. So... Serena, abouts how much do I have here and such? Probably the next thing on my to do list is to learn your currency." Serena flicked a coin at him. "Don't know yet...you've got four bags here, and you're not even putting them in stacks of 10 coins, by SIZE if you don't mind, that will effect the amount." She pointed at Tensa and Inferno as she said it. "Many hands make light work...and I officially need to stay out of Kyn's mind, even subconsciously." She put her claws to her plates for a moment, then went back to organizing it. "I think I can do that...maybe...if you have examples of your own currency on hand, we can get a comparison." "I'm not sure you were in my mind Serena. Anyway, we have paper currency as well as... coinage. Though I can give the rates for coinage to paper currency too." Kyn took out a one Pokéyen coin, five, ten fifty, 100, 500 yen coin, and then a 1000 PokéDollar note. "The standard rate of gold per ounce is about 64 of the 1000 notes. That's the start of what I'm going by I think. I can go down the line from there." She twitched her nose. "The last bit there doesn't help considering the fact that our currency IS all gold, and we don't weigh things out...So...the biggest coins account for 100 poke each, you can remember this because it's twice the size of the next size down, which is 50 poke coin. The next size below that is a 20, and the smallest is a 10. So the biggest one would be the equivalent of your 1000 note, the one below it the 500, and the 10 the 100. It's not...foul play to combine them up to the bigger ones either, so long as they're the proper size, and you can duplicate the markings on them." She set the coins back down. "Most of your bag was made up of the 10's an 20's. Now, think you're ready for conversions from one of our coins into another?" "This isn't as confusing as I thought it would be. I think I'm beginning to be able to be ready, yes. Slap 'em on me Serena. Uh... figuratively." Kyn said, remembering to clarify due to the nature of that idiom. "Alright...it takes a stack of 10 10's to equal ONE of the 20 coins." As she spoke she pressed a stack of ten down so that the edges started to meld together, and controlled her flame to melt it all together rather quickly, her claws reshaping the new coin. "It takes 5 of the 20 coins to equal a 50. She split the stack and melted those five into a new coin as well, then did it again for the other half. "But it only takes 2 50's to make a 100 coin." The last time she made another coin, reshaped it, and held that up. "Sometimes I think they just said 'Melt these together and make a new coin'." "Ugh. Serena, honestly. For those that cannot do simple mathematics this would be difficult. It isn't as linear as our system but, still. Thank you very much Serena, this will prove very useful in future interactions with your species. Sooo with that in mind... in these four bags we've got X stacks of 10, and X stacks of 20.. if I'm thinking properly that'd be about... oh let's say... 34,000 or so Poké, would that be about right?" (ALGEBRA.) "It LOOKS to be about right...maybe closer to 45,000? (alt+ 0447 is what I'm going to start using as Poke 'cause it doesn't have the proper symbol here.)), wont know for sure until it's all converted and counted up proper." "Well, as we've already established, we have eight hands here. Let's do it this way, which is the way I usually do things. This will take a bit longer, but I mean it would be best to be precise, and the labor is cut in fourths. Once we get a stack of 10 10's we put a 20 next to THAT stack. Going that same route, we take five 20's and put one 50 by THAT stack. Follow? Would you be willing to do that?" Serena nodded her approval of the system, then they continued to work until they had a proper number for what he had earned, by the time it was over, she felt like she was surrounded by coins...and well, with her limited range of movement (Mostly because she didn't WANT Heji to move to let her move about) that was exactly the truth. She had barricaded herself into her bedroom. Once more, not that she minded. She tilted her head up to give Heji a lick across the nose before she spoke. "Well, I was a bit over, and you a bit under Kyn, 40,000? in total, not a bad haul at all." "After I come back Serena, I believe Royce and I will be having another meeting. Uh... Serena... why is it that the Poké I make from the Bay and Gambitville... seem to be so much? I'm just not understanding... is it the meat, bones, and pelts?" Serena rather grinned at him, a toothy grin that told just how much she acted on her carnivore nature. "I told you Kyn. Tauros and Bouffalant (Probably butchered that, ha, butchered) and Miltank are the most highly saught after catches because they're the HARDEST to take down." She laid her head back down. "You happen to be in the presence of Pokémon that can do it, but most of them? They'd get killed even TRYING to approach one. I can do it because this is my LIFE, I do this to survive...had i grown up safe and sound in Tao? I wouldn't be half the hunter I am now." she realized she was getting off track. "Tauros is the most commonly saught after, and it's always in high demand in good quality." "Oh... I see... that's very unfortunate for me then... though I guess I'm lucky that all of you can take one down. I did manage to get one extra Tauros that wasn't blind this time, so that was a plus. I'm just a little surprised is all... I suppose being a human has taken away my wonder of what being able to hunt a Tauros is like." Kyn's tone shifted to a rather melancholy state, and his expression drooped as well. Serena picked up a coin and flicked it at Kyn again with enough force to leave a bruise THROUGH the cloth he was wearing. "Stop that. You're not allowed to suffer through the memories of Anana in silence and then get all droopy when I talk about hunting top end prey. You have access to my memories the way I have access to your phrases Kyn, you can EASILY ask for my first time going up against a Tauros." "I guess you're right... I guess it's like... as ridiculous as this sounds, the opposite of jealousy. I keep telling you I'm not a decent hunter, yet here you keep giving me all this bloody evidence to the contrary! It's not kosher, dammit!" "You want me to knock you down a peg? Fine. You can't beat me in an honor bound sparring match, you could be considered at the skill level that I was at when I was first learning my abilities and how to control them. The fact that I DIDN'T have to rescue you from the Tauros the last trip, surprised me GREATLY. You NEED your Pokémon around you, to protect you, not only from yourself but from those around you. Does THAT make you feel better?" She snorted. "Still, for someone who has not made their life on surviving this way, for someone who was thrown into it....you are beyond your years." "It makes me feel a bit better yes, though whole sparring match thing... it's going to change quickly if I do perhaps stay here for more than a total of a month or more. I probably won't be able to do it much longer. For I know you could be on your way to evolving next month. Or even sooner. (Leaning on the fourth wall here Kyn!) When that is the case, unless I just plain stab you in the face, I doubt anything of significance will happen. So, it was interesting while it lasted Serena but, I'm not the type of person to wrestle with Dragons like Drayden is. I mean literally in this case. Dear lord that guy is pretty amazing." "I have Nine days." She did look over at the mantle, where the scroll sat. "To get my color back completely, and to have enough energy, without the assistance of the scroll, to evolve." she licked her claws. "Nine days before I submit myself to a shell almost entirely." "Very well. Then the next time I visit you, you will be a Shelgon. I'm gonna miss being able to pick you up Serena. Of course, unless I train to be able to bench press three hundred pounds. That'd also help with taking down Tauros too. Being able to do stuff with bare hands would be a bit of a confidence booster as well. But that's besides the point. I'll be bringing back about 20,000 Poké. The rest I'll be converting back into my own currency. 20,000 Poké can help me a bit here can't it?" She looked offended, if only a bit. "Two hundred and fifty pounds tops..." Serena looked down at her claws. "Depends on what you mean by 'help' you here..." still she was a little downcast, she wasn't even heavy for her height! "I was referring to the ability to COMFORTABLY pick you up. The most you'd probably ever weight would be 270, if only if you decided to gorge yourself, which I know you won't. It's not exactly standard procedure for a human to run around screaming, 'HEY EVERYONE, I can bench press a Shelgon!'. Now, what I mean by help is... me being able to afford things like losing at the casino. Either that or winning at the casino, which if I'm correct, I might do a bit later. I was thinking maybe... just for the hell of it, going to a high stakes poker table. 200 Poké ante." She unwillingly sifted out from beneath Heji, onto all fours, of course now that she was away from his fur--without the danger of getting any stuck, the guard scales closed smoothly without so much as a click. "This is the next trip you're talking about?" She tilted her head curiously. She was doing the math...if he'd gotten everything done in one day here, then he would be gone again, THEY would be gone again...and soon "Well, partially. I... honestly have no idea what to do with what you've told me is a relatively large amount of currency in Tao. For me.... since you've essentially set me straight on a matter of money that is... I could probably just save it. Talking half of what I earn here and bringing it back. If that will be an average haul... since I DID go overboard in Gambitville, I think I'll have to wait a bit before selling there again." Serena snorted, she was sure that she was quite...messy. She ignored it, for now at least. "Didn't you have a REASON for doing this, on the other side?" She tested. "Accomplish that goal, leave yourself 5,000? to play with on this side to build it back up." She licked down her side with her lizardlike tongue, down to the joint of her right hind limb. "You'll be leaving tomorrow I suppose." "Only 5000? Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter though. Anyway, I'll probably take one extra scan of the slot machine, and then maybe poof back." "That's more than most people walk in there with." She took to licking up the mess that had been left to set on her hide, and looked up at Kyn again. "In other words, tomorrow or the next day, knowing how you get when you're bit by that money bug of yours." She licked her lips in a way that would have made most males blush before she turned back over onto her belly, and retracted her tongue. "Serena, I think I get it now. Even if I were to walk in there with just 500 Poké, I'd be red-flagged for money confiscation or something probably. Alrighty." Serena chuckled at him. "'nother rule for you Kyn. Never show your full hand. Take the money, always leave half in your room. Divide that half you still have with you into 1/4ths and keep them in separate pockets. Take my scarf for example...it's not high up off the ground, but it would keep people from not wanting to pick me, they'd have to get REALLY close to be able to grab from me, and even then, they'd have to grab around my neck. Not many would want to do that. If you keep most of your money in a pouch around your neck--Don't worry it wont get THAT heavy--then they can't choose you to be pickpocketed, and you'll be able to get out of there with all of what you won...If you do happen to get in on Royce's bad side however...play his game." "You mean that bloody roulette wheel? Doesn't he have more than just that wheel? I fucking hate that thing! Roulette is the most annoying game I've ever played. I don't EVER want to play it again, but now you're saying that if I don't bad stuff might happen ugh. Dammit, I hate the fact that in essence I'd be getting punished for winning!" Kyn began rambling after the first few sentences were over, and speaking his thoughts out loud incredibly fast. After he began spouting off his thoughts in the matter she finally spoke up over him. "...Would someone kiss him and shut him up for a bit?" Of course, the request was at Tensa, but really, she was getting used to expecting the unexpected with this group. "You're missing the point. He can only take what you take down there with you, which if you keep doing as I've said and keep MOST of your winnings upstairs, the loss wont be as crushing as it could be...and it's annoying because it's a fair game, you just choose Red, or black, and whichever it turns up on is the winner...I will tell you this though, there's one more Red section than there is black. Refuse entirely like you did last time and you'll be punished, lose...and well, if you're as silver tongued as I know you are, you can get out of there without owing him any...favors. Win and you double your money, i don't really see the problem with ANY of that myself." she thought for a moment. "and when you tire of your deal with Anana, I know a way that can end it within a night." "I'll say it once and I'll say it again Serena, I hate! more than anything, double or nothing. The fact that most of it would still be there doesn't matter. It means I have to work twice as hard, doing four times the work. I'm addicted to gambling here. It's far easier to win, but the risk of winning is far greater." Kyn said, resuming normal speed. "Well, there's only the risk so long as you don't use Anana's name in conversation with Royce, I suppose that you could walk out of there having not done anything so long as you use Anana's name, but it wouldn't be a punishment if you liked the situation, now would it?" She scratched up under her scarf with her claws, leaning against Heji's side. He'd probably have dozed off again by now. "On a completely different topic...you do still owe me a fireworks show." "Yeah. You'd have to come to my world for that. I'm not sure that bringing fireworks here is a good idea." Kyn said. "Well as I've said, we DO have fireworks here, but I've already agreed to try to get used to the way your world...feels...though it would probably be better to do so while i can still effectively bury myself in Heji's mane..." after a shiver and a pause she snorted out the word 'cities' as if that would clarify things. One look at her mind could tell anyone that she was both excited and apprehensive about evolving. "Hm, I wonder what your fireworks here are like. I don't suppose... that you would have seen any, would you?" Kyn laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for her answer. "If I have I either paid them little mind, or was too young to see them." she admitted, and followed his gaze, then clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth once. "curiosity...that's one thing we have in common, Kyn." "So uh, then I have some more questions for you. Since they DO have them here... do you know the variety of things that fireworks can do?" Serena eventually did get up, stepping carefully over the piles of coins to where Kyn was laying. "The only place they have ever been set off from is Tao. I can't say that I've ever had too much of an interest in learning about them, however i have been told in passing about some of they can do. Unfortunately i can't relay them to you since they weren't logged as important information." She waved almost dismissively. "I'm going to go get cleaned up in the river, try not to disappear without telling me this time, hm? Actually, you might as well come with me, you smell like Anana." "...Serena, that doesn't really help me much. Do I smell like HER specifically, as in her personal scent, or other aspects of her?" Kyn of course didn't really notice much himself, as for him to successfully be able to detect Anana's scent, he would literally have to breath deeply, and that would probably send the wrong message. She understood the moment he asked, as to how limited his sense of smell was. "You're very lucky to have as limited of a range as you do, in this regard...but I can just as easily...HELP you again." the way she said 'help' relayed it back to when she had given him a better idea of what Anana smelled and tasted like. Of course in this case he'd be getting his own scent, and the scents around the room as she perceived them...including the mixture of the scent from herself and Heji's. "If you wish." she added after a moment. "....Serena, let me put this another way. I am most of the time glad that I do not have a heightened sense of sme---- oh my goodness. Serena! The olfactory sense... I think I understand now why humans do so many different things to their food. Those without supersenstive taste that is. I'm going off topic of course, and the answer is yes, but the main thing is... Nothing, and I repeat Nothing, is worse than the back alleys of Saffron City. Whatever you do, do NOT look in my head for those memories." Serena did inhale deeply, then transferred the current memory flood into his mind, the comforting smell of Heji and her own scent, the cat more akin to nutmeg to her nose, where as she herself smelled like pine, Inferno was more of a Vanilla, and Tensa spearmint to her nose. Then there was Kyn, who's base scent (Which was overpowered by whatever he'd put on earlier) Mixed with what made her cough prior to, and above that the smell of Lilies and garbage covering where the lizard had touched. "Rather unflattering, isn't it? Tensa's scent on you heightens your own natural scent and mixes well...though personally it's not to my tastes." During the exchange she had leaned against the wall a little ways away from them. Kyn sighed. "And to think, I didn't even to put on as much I normally would have, and it didn't even take as much. Though I'm not sure if it's the same for all of the Pokémon here. But, anyway, I suppose I will. I'll have to wash my clothing too then. At least... it's not on my skin." "The way you say it, you make it sound as if you hate baths." She pushed away from the wall. "And no, it's not the same for all of us...insects for example have no nose...Marlow can't smell anything either...most reptiles can't even smell anything through their nostrils, they only breathe through them, instead having to use their tongue's to smell...like Tensa, I believe. Canines have a more sensitive nose than I do..." "No no Serena! I don't hate them at all. Ack, no, brain, stop going that way." Kyn said, once Serena shifted to mention Tensa. "It's probably a good thing then that I use scented soaps.... like the ones I found at the Casino...." Serena chuckled to herself at his reaction to his own mind's image. "Kyn...You essentially just smelled what MOST of us do, minus the pheromones--which are running through your brain anyway, I think you're allowed to have your head in the gutter...I don't think that any of us would blame you for that." She waited for them to get up, since she would lead them to the river for their baths. "I normally ignore them anyway. So far Tensa is the only one that has managed to have anything remotely similar to the effects of pheromones on me. I'm saying... that I don't think it would affect me. Even if I could smell in the way that you all do." Kyn crossed his arms. "Well..." She started, then stopped. "Apparently I'm not as immune to them as you are." she was being vague again, but clearly she was remembering the incident at the hotel the last time something like that had happened. She led them to the river, only adding quietly to Kyn via his mind. <I could probably send the effects straight through, if I really wanted to see you in such a state, be glad -I'm- not like Royce and Anana; since while they might just to see you squirm, I never will.> <Why don't you try. Give Tensa and I a bit of a surprise. Oh, of course, that is if you don't particularly mind me tackling him to the ground and... doing things.> "From what I've observed... for some reason, females appear to be more susceptible to it then males. Either that or the males are just better at hiding it than the females. This is in regards to humanity. Not sure about some Pokémon though." "It's...possible." She would call his bluff, could quite easily, and he had given her permission, so while she hung up her scarf she smiled to herself. <Would kind of have to anyway, considering that his scent has been either overpowered or off of you for a while.> She moved away from his thought system and down to the emotion core, and essentially haywired it to the point where any and all emotion would re-route to lust, and just to test it out to make sure she had done it right, she fed him a loop of happiness and watched it turn. Essentially...he'd get to feel what it was like to be in heat for a couple hours. <Just for the record...because you probably wont be able to think straight for a bit. You asked for it.> She realised she would have to turn a bit more than a deaf ear to them, but with a little training, she could probably easily teach Medicham as well. Of course, Tensa was indeed a bit surprised by Kyn's apparent change in behavior. Considering that he hadn't really seen Kyn in this state since a long time ago. (HORMONAL teenager possibly?!) "Well... this is rather interesting..." Tensa commented. "I'll say... I haven't felt this way in years..." Kyn said. Moving closer to Tensa. He was going to remove his clothes anyway to wash them so it didn't really matter that he was taking them off now. He moved closer to Tensa and gave him a long embrace. |So... I'm assuming that this is how you felt that caused you to want to be inside me so desperately.| |Yes... you could... say it was something similar.| Serena, quite aware of what was going to happen, backed out of Kyn's head quite quickly and essentially slammed the door on the link, she'd have to go back in eventually and reverse the change, she couldn't...well, she COULD essentially leave him until they wore one another out, but she doubted that that would be the best solution. She didn't stay around the same area of the river, of course, rather moving upstream, up away from the two lovers to wash properly--the last thing she needed was to be thrown back into that heated state after just finishing a session with Heji a little while ago, and while curious, she wasn't perverse enough to want to watch. "Hmmm, seems Serena has quite left us. Perhaps she figures that it would be best to avoid becoming in the same state she left you. That does make me wonder..." Tensa said, before lying down on the ground. He figured that since last time he was the one who was currently caught in a similar state, Kyn would want to be the one to get off. "Oh how much I wish we were back at home right now. There are so many more things I would do to you, and have you do to me." About an hour, Kyn went back to what he originally went to the river to do, and washed his clothing and himself. He had with him, the extra change of clothes, and had chosen to bring his red set of clothing this time. The other set he planned on bringing back to Serena so that they might get back on their way. She'd never seen him in the red clothes before though so it'd more than likely be something new. He also applied the same thing on him again, only this time doing an extremely reduced amount. Serena did, about an hour later 'peek' with her mind to see if it was safe for her to come back. <Enjoy yourself?> it was a stupid question really, understanding what had happened, she ventured back to the core to ensure that things would go back to his normal, she of course, had LONG finished cleaning, but was resting by the side of the river in the moonlight. Still she felt a bit soiled to know that she had essentially controlled that...encounter; it was definitely a good thing she wasn't either of the two sexual predators in the bay area. She pushed herself up, and walked back downstream to rejoin them. <Not completely. There were so many more things I wished to be able to do, that I couldn't do because of where I currently am. Though, I do believe that I'd be able to control that next time. Since it was already there, you just... seemed to magnify it. Serena, where exactly are you? Are you still by the river?> <Coming back down.> Was the answer she gave, and moments later she walked back around the rocks she had disappeared behind in the first place. <Pity though...ah well, can't please everyone all the timeI suppose.> She leaned against the rock, her green eyes glowing mildly in response to the fact that it was night time. "Serena. I have a question for you. A question that when asked, would make some people feel awkward so I'm not sure how YOU would feel. The question is... Is Royce bigger than I am, in regards to both girth and length? I do so wonder now that I've thought about the casino again." Serena snorted. "I left a bit before you got to that point...and I'd really rather not bring up the memory of when I've seen Royce...like that." She had wrapped her arms around her shoulders in an almost protective stance, like it was a bad dream she was trying to wish away. Even giving him the memory would leave a bad taste in her mouth. "Why does it matter?" "Perhaps for the first time in my life I have felt the notion to engage in a cock contest. Royce is literally exactly my height. If that bloody three inch tall crown weren't there that is. It's not often that I run into human sized Pokémon Serena." Kyn stated poignantly. She rubbed between her eyes with her claws, closing her eyes. This conversation was insanely awkward, after a bit of squirming with herself, she passed him the memory. The familiar black and red room, she had been forced down onto her knees, held by a Machamp and Machoke both as Royce walked over to her. She was smaller then, perhaps the same height as a normal Bagon. "You are...interesting girl. You walk into my place, take MY money, and think you can leave with it? Then you refuse to play my games, to give me a chance of getting it back. No, child, your struggling wont get you anywhere with me. Gag her." The cold piece of steel between her jaws, forcing her fangs back as if she had bitten something, stretching her jaw until it unhinged painfully, the straps tied behind the plates, holding it there. She tried to use her fire, but that drink, had there been a drink at all? had stifled it. The cruel fingers that held her nose so she was forced to breathe through her mouth. "I'm going to break your spirit, girl." she remembered being lifted to his waist height, her head held straight as he used her, and eventually she learned not to have a gag reflex. She almost had been broken, by the time that Anana made her first visit to Royce's office, she would admit that her nose wasn't exactly working right when she had finally removed the annoyance of the ring, and the leather bindings that had replaced the other Pokémon. Rescued from the hands of a devil...The memory faded, and Serena realized that tears had fallen from her closed eyes, the meek voice that answered didn't seem to be her own. "Does...that answer your question...?" "Not completely. Though Royce just seems to be of more and more interest to me. It makes me wonder if I should continue to play in Royce's Casino. There appears to be a darker side to the Casiono and you warned me about it." His tone was cold and calculating. Almost borderline cruel. The more sadistic side of Kyn had been revealed just then. Serena recoiled, just as anyone might have in that situation, but she didn't run, she didn't hide, instead she gave a feral growl and snarled at him, the tone was too similar to that which had been used in the memory, and she had just been immersed in it. She wasn't a hatchling anymore, she could easily have defeated the Machamp and Machoke now, she could have EASILY killed Royce, the one who had taken away any chance of her being a child. Finally, she wrapped her scarf around her neck, and forced herself to walk away from him, not to take it out on him; he wasn't the one from the memory, no matter how much he sounded like him. "You once asked me not to use the voice that Royce took from me...I'm going to ask you not to use that voice around me." The problem was, even after Anana had gotten her out of Royce's hands, she still felt that anger at herself, not at Royce, burning like a flame she could never forget. She remembered the words he said when she was finally released too. -I'll be waiting for when you come back to me, unbound by contract, little Serena.- "I suppose I can try my best." He said, and then he watched her walk away. Afterwards he put his hand on Tensa's shoulder. |Then perhaps both your and my affinity for bondage... will be kept from her. At least until she is older. I'll have to thank Medicham for this type of link.| |I take it Serena showed you something?| |Yes. Now, I believe Serena will want to be away from me for a while.| /Well... I think I'll be heading back into Tao. I'll be checking out the uh.. renting places. Dawn...was it really almost dawn already? She found the pillow that had been tossed somewhere around the room and looked up at the evolution scroll. If she took the energy from the scroll, as she was supposed to do, she could evolve today. Her claws bit into the pillow, not tearing it thankfully, but still...she just wanted to curl up and be forgotten for a while. She laid her head on the pillow with a slight huff. Old wounds...she had been walking forward; DAMNIT. The punch left a hole as it collided with the wall. Still...what she herself didn't understand was why her body had reacted in Royce's hands...and any thoughts of sleep were beyond her, knowing that she would just keep hearing his taunts. Kyn himself had been left thinking though. What would he have been like if something like that had happened to him when he was five or ten? He'd probably more than likely wouldn't have gotten into bondage as much as he was; and certainly telling Serena about things like that at this current stage would just be utterly stupid. He wondered about how he would proceed with Serena. For now he just stood awake, looking at the night sky, waiting for morning to come. When dawn did come in, he was still in the same place he was the previous night. He'd expected Serena to react a similar way, but, he didn't realise that she'd had THAT kind of memory with Royce. He also meant what he'd said about Royce being more and more interesting. The next stage was waiting for Palette so that he could get his paintings and leave. She hated being alone with her thoughts...still, she turned her head to look at Heji--could she even return to him? Eventually she decided to try, and nudged his side to slip under his paws again. A sickening lurch occurred somewhere in her stomach, but she fought through it, she was SAFE with him, she reminded herself; and tried to get some semblance of sleep. Dreams tore at her, as she knew they would, lingering over the sections where her body betrayed her, but the warm presence at her back reminded her that they were just dreams, even if they did have a root in the past. It was about 7 when she awoke to the sound of a voice in her head. ~Ee, horrid memories, i thought you had those locked away.~ She knew the voice without looking up to see Jasmine there. "I did...." she said groggily "...but I trusted someone to where i thought i could...share them." ~Do you want to lock them back up again?~ "...not...yet." she mumbled, trying to relax. In waiting he debated on whether or not to go back to Serena early, before the studio open, but decided to remain outside until it opened again. After it WAS open, he asked about how much longer the paintings would be until fully dry and then waited that amount. Afterwards he collected them, and then wrapped each one in a special canvas material, so that he'd be able to bring them back without having any looks from the nature of the painting. He decided to leave a note both in footprint runes and in... his own native language, which he heard referred to as Unown-script.

By the time you get this, I'll have already left. God that sounds so cliché. Thanks for helping me with the money, and generally for all you've already done for me. See you soon. -Kyn

He then put the letter in her mailbox, and went far away, far enough so that the distortion wouldn't be able to be felt. Then he went back through it. Even in her sleep deprived mind she heard the footsteps, and the mailbox, her head lifted. What?! She snorted indignantly, looking up at Jasmine who spoke rather than thought at her. "Gone, for now little Serena." the word reference was enough to make her tremble. "Did you know this would happen, is THIS why you stayed around so long, you stupid Celebi? Go back to your shrine, consider my offer revoked." the growl was heard in her voice, but it died soon after. "Just leave me alone." Kyn of course had much to do. He went back to Bill who analyzed the data. "What in the blue blazes? This ain't like no data I've ever seen before. What type of technology is this?" He asked, fingering some buttons that looked like they'd been recently abused. "Uh well... I did kinda leave out the fact that it's also kinda run by a Porygon2." Kyn said, scratching the back of his neck. "Wassat? Some kinda souped up Porygon?" Bill said, in his signature dialect. "You could say that... so... what's the verdict on the riggability of the machine then?" Kyn asked, pacing around. Bill left him in suspect for quite a while. "Well... since a Pokémon's running it, yer chances are a lot less. You'd have to tamper with the gears or summat. Magnets might work." Bill explained. He then gave an example of what he might be able to use to do it. "You got a picture of this machine? It'd be a lot easier to fig'ur out if ya did." "No... I didn't think it'd be beneficial. Perhaps I can go back and collect more information. Examining it from all sides, if I can do it without looking suspicious, which I don't think I can, but hell... I think I'll be able to get out of it..." Kyn said with a grin. The meeting was concluded a short while afterwards, and Kyn was now left with a sort of magnetic gun of sorts, that he'd go test on the machine. Only those that would be able to detect electromagnetic waves would be able to detect anything, was the general assumption. Then he went on his usual hunting and gathering trip, to fullfil what he guess would probably be another interesting order, and he would go to Gambitville to see if he would need to lay off selling for a bit still or of the need was just as great as ever, maybe even more. He set the distortion up so that it was a literal month since he had been there, then entered, and headed for Serena's cave to go meet up with Heji after leaving him there for a month. The month had come, and gone, back to the usual spiel, hunting, gathering, sleeping...and a new found obsession with pushing herself further than she had in the past. It had taken work, support from Heji even, to get past that stupid memory again, and with it, evolution. That being said, the morning would find her just getting back from hunting, she would likely show up behind Kyn. "So...you've come back. Hmph, thought I'd scared you away when you had to say goodbye in a letter." Her head was retracted back within the shell, her green eyes cast in permanent darkness. "I've come here to collect Heji, and relieved whatever it is I need to deliver. Where is the order?" He'd considered snapping at her, but decided against it this once. It probably wouldn't have made his situation any better. She snorted at him, of all the things to say. "That's it then? Fine. I don't know WHERE your order is, after the last ordeal i wrote to Anana explaining that I would be in no shape to cover for you, nor even see anything with your name on it, she agreed that SHE would keep your orders from now on." Her voice was menacing, even as she strode closer to him, and then her head emerged to snap the ball, HER ball, from his person, and crushed it between her jaws, dropping the pieces to the floor. At least, she would have if he still trusted her enough to let her that close, if not, she'd just back him into a corner, it wasn't like she couldn't do it now with her size. "Idiot." "Was about time something like that happened. I told you it didn't matter if you kept your ball or not, since I said I'd never use it. Also, I told you that the next time that I saw you you'd be a Shelgon, and you are. Though, that does mean I have one less Luxury Ball." His voice was still calm, even after what Serena just did. "...shame it took something like that to make it happen." She stood out of the way, her head retreating defensively. "The money you left here was put in as a donation for the daycare, so don't bother asking about it." She looked away from him, sitting down. "You could have, and should have told me yourself, you know...Of course it came up, especially when I had to relive what happened...what I HAD had locked away. Of course that would be one of the first questions i would have to answer from Heji, have to begin to understand, and not from the mouth that it would have counted most." her look spoke one word very clearly, and it was only her eyes that he could see--'Coward'. "Oh so it was donated then? I hope it did a decent amount. Or, I wonder if that counts as asking about it." He retorted. He figured there was no pointing in pretending anymore, and depending on how Serena proceed, would change the way he proceed. Up on her hind legs, fully stretched out, she was as tall as he was, putting one forelimb on either side of his head on the wall. "Damnit Kyn. You didn't think i was smart enough to know the difference between a situation that is FORCED and a situation that is willing to at least be TRIED? You know the only way i got him to tell me, DO YOU?! IT was when YOU started to replace Royce in my nightmarish memory." Her head had emerged, her snout easily in his face. "Serena, I'm going to tell you a few things first of all. You did scare me away. Second, it seems that what I feared would come to pass came to pass. I figured that I should spend at least another month away from you, if not longer." He looked Serena directly in the eyes, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. She closed her eyes and snorted, yes, right into his face. Her teeth weren't bared at him, but she didn't move either. "What is there to be scared of, of a Pokémon that would have given her life to see that you were safe?" With those words, she wandered back towards the back, and laid on the straw. "I hated you for a bit, for leaving Heji here, hated the mixed feelings that I got when he held me too, the fact that he was a male was enough to send a sickening lurch through my stomach...and it took a while for him to understand as well, why i would shy away from him, why I would growl for no reason...but in the end...I'm glad you did. I would have shut myself away otherwise. Jasmine showed me another timeline, before I had made my choice to fight that anger at you for just walking away, and tried to learn. THAT was a nightmare." she crossed her claws, one over the other, and looked at him. "I can't call you a friend right now, Kynexn, a friend wouldn't have walked out on me like that. I can't say I'm healed either, nor that the dreams have stopped...but at least, when they do switch out you for Royce, I can control the situation to where it's no longer being USED like that." "These past three months, have not been easy for me. There were times when I desperately wished I could find a Celebi... one who would be willing to take me to the day before. But then I figured no... because that would mean that I would never come here. Never have to face what I had done. Would mean leaving Heji forever. That would be cowardly. It's why I chose to face you here and now. There is nothing I can apologize for. Even if I did, I doubt it would really do anything. But of course, the timeline DOES exist, where I didn't do what I did. And just wishing to see how that played out, is still just as bad as wishing to go back to the day before." Kyn hoped that she'd be willing to listen to at least some of it, if not all of it. She sighed at him, and eventually stood up, walking back over to him, and this time when she stood on her hinds, she gave him a hug. "Ironic, since this all began with a misinterpretation...I spent the time wondering WHY I had even said what I did, and it came down to this. Fate brought us together, there's a reason for everything that happens, why we chose the branch we did. I don't expect you to apologize for being you...but you have long been forgiven for leaving. Just realize that I expect you to face what you're afraid of, in the future." She licked his neck. "So long as it's not creepy that I'm turning that dream into a wet dream purposely." "You did... what? Wait... that's just odd. Even for me. Not creepy though, I think. Now... what is there left for me to fear but fear itself Serena...?" Kyn said the last part cryptically. She chuckled. "It was either that or me not being able to look you in the eye for the rest of my days." she pulled her head back so that she was looking him in the eye, and using him as a counter balance. "Although, I admit, it IS odd to be sucking off someone who you're not even friends with anymore." "Now... there are a few more things I wish to say to you. If you're willing to listen that is. So uh... perhaps you'd allow me to sit down." He said, waiting for her response. Serena pushed herself backwards and then down, snorting as she sat again, much like a dog would. "I'm listening." "First of all, I've acquired a new Pokémon. Secondly... An old friend of mine made a reappearance, and remembered me, after ten years. Third... I met Tenra..." Kyn said, after he plopped himself down. She tilted her head at the news of all these things happening to him, but didn't speak, waiting for him to explain just who they were. "The first one is... a Cyndaquil, who I am going to help evolve into a Quilava shortly, then a Typhlosion." He got rather excited after he said Typhlosion. "The next was... an old Crobat of mine who I released a while ago. No Trainers had managed to capture him. I believe it has to do with the fact that he was trained by me, for the most part. As for Tenra well... he's..." Kyn trailed off at that last part, and looking down at the ground a bit. "The other half of your three way open-ended relationship?" She offered that way of putting it, it wasn't exactly the least awkward wording, but it was an answer. "He was the first after Tensa to admit he loved me yes... but there's more to it than that... He... He was the Treecko I started with." Kyn said. "Since he's still alive, that should be an IS, not a was." She nudged him with her head. "If this is difficult, you can stop." "I don't know lately. My life has had an interesting turn. Perhaps it is time to consider retiring early." He said, now falling all the way back on his back. As he fell back, she moved forward, over him even. She could just imagine what this would look like to anyone who walked in on it. "Kyn, you love being a Pokémon trainer, why let one little encounter make you want to change that?" Kyn looked up at Serena. "It's not that... but, you're still right. I think... maybe it's time to wait a bit... before I do anything Pokémon Training related. If I do... it'll be to the newcomers to the team. The other are already top of the League strength." Kyn said, complementing them all once again. Serena looked down at him, at least as best as she could, given the circumstances. She laid down on him, keeping her weight on her elbows and knees so that she was closer to him. "Why are you thinking that it might be time to take a break? Lets start there." "Well, perhaps it is because I have finalized my business plans. That could be part of the reason." Kyn said, thinking about Serena's current location as well. "And the other part?" She nosed him, she wasn't really thinking about her position, or what it would look like. "Because I was planning on working for Anana for a while... is the other part." Kyn said. Serena nosing him didn't really feel like much other than, an encouragement of 'go oooon?'. Serena took the chance to lick his cheek, then chuckled. "Right...remember what I said about being able to get you out of that agreement when you want to be done with her...That offer is still open." She pulled herself back up, and stepped off him. "You'll probably want to be getting back to work then." "Yes, I'll have to go find Anana then. She is mostly found around the bay isn't she?" Kyn asked, trying to remember if anything was said about how frequently she was there. "That is her home, and she has a shop there...yes. She doesn't exactly leave unless it's to come bug PK or something...so she should be there." She turned away from him and went back to her bed. "Is there something else you want of me?" "No... that's it. Well except for one question. Have you officially taken Heji as your mate yet?" Kyn asked, wondering how she'd react. She chuckled, giving him a soft smile. "Nothing has been said, no, but...hmmm..." She turned around to look at him, and walked back to his side. "I think there's a point, when you need not use words to describe what you are to someone; and even if you speak a lie with your words, people will be able to tell that it's not true. Understand what I mean?" She paused again. "I will go with you." "Then this... will be your second time experiencing this form of travel. I'll go to the same spot I went to last time, to release Palkia." Kyn said, indicated an area near the forest. Serena nodded, motioning, in a round about way, for him to take the lead, and decide when to stop. "Third if you count the way back." "Hm, I guess. Perhaps we'll consider the round trip a single one. There and back. Now... I think about here should do it." Kyn said, after he'd been about 5 trees deep. "Ah, there, see? That marking over there came from my sword. These tress are... not a surprise to me anymore. Palkia emerged, and then Kyn told him where he'd like to go, and so Palkia tore some space for them. She looked up at the Palkia before her, honestly she wasn't sure how she felt about having that legendary around, being as he had caused so much pain...but she figured that it was like her ordeal with Royce, it couldn't be forgotten, and so it just had to be worked through. She waited until the space was torn open, and then walked through after Kyn with little more than a glance back in the opposite direction. "Alright... now then..." Kyn pointed the Ball at Palkia and actually vocally said, "Return." Instead of the ball opening up, a beam of red light shot out, enveloped Palkia, and then returned to the Ball. "I chose Gambitville as my first stop, so I can get rid of these bones. Afterwards... a five minute walk to the Bay." Kyn clarified, even though she didn't ask. "Ah...Hm...well then, while you're doing that I should probably see if Syrup is home...she wanted to see me when I evolved, if you remember..." She did wonder about the thing with the ball, but she didn't really ask, she had grown accustomed to strange things with Kyn. "Very well. I'll let you know before I'm headed to the next destination." He placed the Ball back on his belt, and then headed for the location where, for him, it had been quite a while since he had last been there. He brought the bones and pelt first, and then told that he would return with the meat. After he was paid for the first part, he then went outside, and unpacked the Tauros meet. He was rather glad that they STILL had a need for it. He collected the OTHER half of the pay, and then put that over his shoulder, and headed to either find, or wait for Serena. Serena watched him go for a little, then retracted her head into her shell before heading off to the outskirts of town where Syrup lived, and rapped with her claw on the door, not really at all surprised when she didn't answer the door. Ah well...Syrup was a hunter, just like her. She went around behind the house and found the key under the woodpile, and went back around. She stepped inside and took a look around, kicking the door closed behind her, then fetched a piece of paper and a stick of charcoal, writing a note to the Skuntank and leaving it on the kitchen table, backing out of the house, relocking it, and replacing the key, she walked back to where she had left Kyn, knowing that it wouldn't take long for him to take care of business in town. She wasn't looking forward to the next part, but willing to face it...well...she would have to sometime, may as well be in the present. "All done?" Her voice surprised her with it's strength, even as she sank a little more into the sand than she would like to have admitted. "I am, yes. I believe I will be working for Anana for about a year before I get tired of it. At least then I can accumulate enough from both Gambitville and the Bay. Speaking of which... I've.... got a new toy to test out." Kyn said, wondering if she'd be able to associate toy in the practical literally sense of an object of enjoyment that was not used for sexual purposes. It was easy to forget that she wasn't still a young 'mon, with the way she acted most of the time, but she still knew what a toy was, the original sense of the word. "...which is something that will get you into trouble." She noted. "I wonder how Royce would behave if the tables were turned on him..." "I don't think you'd want to find out Serena. ....Unless of course, you actually do." Kyn stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around to face Serena. She stopped short of bumping into his leg, she didn't look him in the eye immediately. "I...will be honest with you, Kyn, I am scared...but as I told you, I'm going to try to face them. Royce...Is about control; he controls everything that goes on in the casino, controls who gets to walk away with money, and who doesn't...and he's drunk on it..." She paused, her head retreated back into the shell. "He shouldn't be allowed to force kids to give up their innocence to him." The voice that came out wasn't like her at all, almost acidic with how cold it was. "Truth? I don't want him dead...death is too easy of an escape for creatures like him." "Well Serena, you know what the two us are able to do combined. I even have a Dark-type and a Bug-type. Since we'd be in the casino, he obviously wouldn't be able to use any Psychic type moves. Not ONLY that, but all angles are covered here, and Flying type moves can be used as well." He hadn't really thought this out much, just that his experience as a Trainer allowed him to quickly think of situations like that. Serena tried not to tremble, but in the end she found herself on her knees and elbows as she thought about what he had said, it didn't help that the sand was harder for her to walk in than on normal soil. "I'm...probably going to have to leave most of this to you...I can easily take out a weeks worth of security, I don't know how long you want to be here this time...but taking out the heads will be...well, the easier part...funny, that while I couldn't remember, Royce was just a troublesome creature, and now he's my worst nightmare...I'm sure by the time things are through, he'll be able to say the same." "I see... Serena, I have a move-related question for you. Do you have any new moves?" He paused for a bit, and then waited before saying, "Oh and... today is probably the day that I tell Anana that I'm a human." He added. "Well...supposing that you mean what I put on the guild sheet...Protect. I no longer 'officially' will be able to use double-edge in a guild associated mission." She specified. "But one never really forgets." She paused at the news. "Oh swell, I'll get to practice tackling the one who told me I would turn into a slut before the year was up before we tackle Royce." She chuckled to herself, but the laugh was hollow. "If I need to, I mean...She may think you have a disorder or something Kyn." "That'd be my own fault Serena. I do keep referring to being humans as a condition. It kinda is though. Serena.... I know you don't much like getting gifts but, it seems like you're rather sinking in the sand a lot. Does that... bother you? If not then I''ll just leave it alone." He started walking again now, heading towards one of the exit of Gambitville. She hefted herself up to her feet again, and shook the sand from her shell and hide. "It's...annoying...but the fact that I gained over double my body weight when I changed...even walking was difficult at the start. However...sand annoyed me even when I was a Bagon, it's no worse now." She followed him again, feeling rather like a big dog following it's master...was this how they felt all that time? Hm... Kyn sighed. "I see. Well, like I said if that's the case, I'll leave it alone! Besides. It's not like you'd want to wear things under your feet anyway. In fact, these boots aren't made for sand." Kyn turned around and saw that they were a suitable distance from Gambitville. "Hm, now we can go I think. Uh... this is a bit embarrassing but... where IS Anana's shop? Also... what's IN Anana's shop?" "You've never been to Anana's shop? Hm~ kind of amusing...it's on the bay...and it is rather quite...innocent, compared to the lizard herself. She sells pretty much everything you could ask for, and what she doesn't have, she can get." She thought about what Kyn was saying, and chuckled, the sound echoing in her shell. "I would have trouble feeling the ground if i put anything on my feet, I think that it would...well, be a bit awkward." Kyn held out Palkia's Luxury Ball, and pushed the button. Palkia emerged with a flash of gold sparkles, and then he turned to Kyn and said, "The usual place then...?" to which Kyn nodded. Palkia had since managed to incorporate the Lustrous Orb into its being. It opened a space just outside of the Bay, about a ten minute walk. "Ready Serena...?" Kyn asked, stepping within the distance of entry. "I...." She trailed off, her eyes had narrowed to slits as well as her pupils. Hatred bubbled behind those eyes, for the place, for everything it stood for. She hesitated, then exhaled through her nose in a snort. "As I'm ever going to be." came the proper answer. She wished she were still a Bagon, capable of hiding in Heji's fur, she wished he were out of his ball at least...still she held fast to her word--if she truly needed him out beside her, he would come, she knew. "Alright. Let's go raise some hell." Kyn said, stepping through the space after returning Palkia. Serena slipped through after Kyn. She didn't get the reference, since the term wasn't from her world, but she did do her best to equate it. She nearly shivered even stepping foot near this place, and she kept her head tucked back into her shell. "This is all fine and dandy but... um... does her shop share the traits of this place and look like her? Also, please lead me to her shop, and then if you don't mind I'll go in first, if that's alright with you?" Kyn asked, thinking that it would probably be beneficial to get his HANDS on a map. Instead of answering him, she moved up behind him and purposely would have knocked him off balance so that he would end up on her shell in a seated position. She'd let him adjust. "May as well just stay up there and let me get some more practice in with a heavier weight than just my own...Heji had been helping me with this earlier." she mused, this would at least take her mind off of where she was, as now each step, while normal speed of placement, would then take more concentration. Of course stopping just to the side of Anana's hut would tell him that they were indeed at the end of the journey, she lowered herself to the ground with a snort. Kyn was surprised at first that she suddenly and forcibly seated him but afterwards he quickly adapted. "Well, I hate to say this Serena, but normally this would make me feel like I was using you as a mount. But you in essence 'forced' me to. Though I doubt my extra 175 pounds is really going to be burden for you." "Better phrasing than most would have used." She answered, licking her claws. "You can go ahead, I'm in little hurry to see the 'gilded golden lily of the bay'. She looked up at him. "It brings my total weight to about 400lbs, for the record." "That's not even double your own weight. I bet you could carry me AND Heji at the same time!" Kyn said, looking around while he was being transported. "Probably." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and then tipped him forward in front of a hut that looked like a surf shack. "Ride's over, Anana's probably waiting on you." she nudged at him, there would be no more putting off the meeting with the golden Kec sister. "That was interesting. I wonder if.... the Dragon-Masters' children ride Shelgon like that. It would make sense, wouldn't it?" He said, asking rhetorically, since he after he got off, he walked into the place without turning back to Serena. 40:38 PM] : Serena took the chance to lay down, she would wait until she was called, or otherwise needed to enter.

It had been a slow day, even for her busy shop, few people had come, and gone, but she really hadn't needed help, even choosing to let Fabian go home, leaving her alone in the store. Any normal Pokémon would have been afraid to be alone in the bay, given what sort of things happened there. She thought she heard voices, but she wasn't going to bother herself with it, if they came in, then she would worry about it, and not until. Of course, Kyn did eventually enter the shop, much to her surprise when she turned to face him, one hand into the other. "Good Afternoon, how can I help yo---Ah, hello there Kyn <3~ Didn't expect to see you here." "Well, howdy Anana. How you doing this fine day?" Once again, he tipped an invisible hat to her. He approached the counter, and kneeled down, planning to talk to her at a somewhat closer to eye level. "Ah, it's been a little slow today. So I've been finding ways to entertain myself~" She waited for him to adjust. "I got Serena's letter asking me to hold any orders for you here, did something happen?" The false sincerity of her voice might have given away the fact she didn't actually care if something had happened. "Hmm, I don't know. I was gone for a month. Plus I think it also has to do with her evolving a bit. But, uh... so, do you HAVE an order for me to fullfil at this time? Or is everything squared away for a bit?" He said, quickly glancing back to see if Serena had entered yet or if she was even still near them. "Oh she evolved~ She didn't even tell me. Is she here? I thought that you two had had a fight or something.~" She said offhandedly. "I Think I might have something for you~ If you're feeling up to it of course.~" the lizard fingers reached and her head disappeared behind the counter for a moment, then came back up with a sealed letter. Serena was listening, just out of eyesight to most at the door, except for two claws, strategically placed so that they would only be visible to Kyn. She was giving him time to do whatever he was going to do, before she bothered to walk in on him. "She's probably in the area. I think I'm up to the task. But before I do... there's something that I have to confess to you, if we're going to maintain an honest business. First of all... I'm not sure but, have you heard rumors about things called humans?" Kyn asked. He figured that Anana would probably be well versed in gossip. Or rather he HOPED that she'd be rather well versed in gossip. Serena took this as her cue, she may as well reveal exactly that she WAS there, and pulled the rolled up door, down behind her, merely needing to snort at the open sign to turn it to closed, and pushed the window shutters closed with the side of her shell, and then she laid in front of the door, much like a guard dog would. Anana regarded his question curiously. "Oh...oh~ Okay, sure~ Yes, I think everyone's heard about humans at one point or another, but they're just myths, stories that hatchlings are told." Kyn decided that more time could be used to lead up to it. "Well, would you be willing to... tell me about what you think a human might look like if they were real?" He noticed the shutters close, and wondered what Serena was doing... Admittedly, this was an odd topic for Anana to even think about, but there was Serena, and Kyn, and the shop was now (Unofficially) closed. She swallowed and focused on the topic at hand. "Ah well...I don't know really~ all the ones in the stories were rather the bad guys, but then, some of us like /bad guys/~ I suppose that it would depend on them more than on me...Why do you ask?" "Hm, well I guess it makes sense." He then whisper super low. "From... a Pokémon's perspective..." Well, uh... I've got a bit of a confession to make..." he said, trying to leave Anana in suspense. Suspense wasn't the word. "So what, you're a Ditto? A Zoroark? A Smeargle that knows how to transform?" She went through her list of Pokemon that she knew could change their shape. Clearly she wasn't putting two and two together, and in the background they could hear Serena chuckle, but she didn't interrupt. "Well, actually, none of the above. Of course when I say it you won't believe it at first but... I actually AM a human." He said, folding his arms. That did the trick, it got her to stop talking, in fact, stopped her in her tracks. Finally, when the words did come back to her, things clicked into place about WHY Serena had closed down the shop, not correctly, of course, but they clicked. "Y-you're joking. Humans don't exist Kyn." She had dealt with some odd things in her day, for sure, but a Pokémon that believed it was human? Her eyes flicked back to Serena, and the wide eyed fear came back. Crazy, they were both crazy! "Oh, but it's true, and don't look so scared." Serena, of course, picked up on things that Kyn couldn't see, as well as what he could, the scent of fear was strong. "I'm just here to guard...well, I suppose this IS the only way out, isn't it...hm..." "Maybe not here at this current time but... Well, if you don't believe me, then try to touch my tail. It'd be as simple as that in some cases." Kyn said, pointing at what he couldn't see, but figured was the general area. Anana narrowed her eyes, counting her steps as she walked around Kyn, to where SHE could see his tail at being, and of course, her fingers passed right through his tail, and the illusion faded for her, at least, for a couple moments, and she staggered backwards, eventually falling over Serena's claws. "Not...Possible." "Looks like that took the sunshine out of her ass, it's about time honestly." Serena snorted. "Seriously, lay off the Enigma berries." Just as predictable, Serena wrapped one of the clawed limbs around her belly so that she couldn't get away, even as she scrambled to try to run. "This is why I said keeping it a secret was important, and she's taking it MILD compared to the others would." "Hm, yeah, I could figure that. From what I can tell... based on what Anana said about humans are on par with uh... let's see... I dunno, uh... the Boogeyman?" Kyn said, looking at Anana's 'OMGWTFBBQ" reaction. At some point, the conversation caught up with the little yellow lizard, and she looked at Serena in disbelief. "You KNEW? YOU brought a HUMAN into my EMPLOYMENT?!" To her credit, she didn't scream. "Give me that contract, I'm going to rip it up!" She squirmed. Serena rolled her eyes and snorted, then laughed. "You're going to rip it up, really now? Hm, that would be submitting yourself to a month alone with him, to see if things can't be...worked out, in your own words, Anana." She pushed the filthy lizard from her, back towards the counter, rather carelessly. "Go ahead then, and while you're at it, proclaim yourself to be crazy, institutionalize yourself, leave ROYCE to collect all of the debts that you've covered, I'm sure he'd love the chance at Terra, just like he had with me." Serena snapped at her. "Get a hold of yourself." she looked at Kyn. "Boogeyman? Hm...don't know. Only stories about you that I bothered to read had a Duskull in them, and the Duskull was portrayed as being WORSE than the human, in fact, I think the human was the victim?" "Anana, wait a moment or two would you? This doesn't need to get out of hand..." He backed away from her slightly, and let Serena do more of the directing. He also didn't block the exit either. Anana had curled after being thrown, but they weren't coming after her, not beating her, the reminders were what made her tremble and start to cry, her hands over her eyes. "Don't...you wouldn't let little Terra...Serena...?" she wiped the corners of her eyes, trying to, as Serena said, get a hold on herself. "...O-ok-kay..." she hiccuped. "I'll do..anything...just...keep...the others sa-afe." Serena snorted at her. "Me, keep them safe? Are you confusing me with a rescuer? No, that's your job, put back on your big girl face and deal through it. You're a merchant for fuck's sake." She snorted again. "You will do as I say though: No more short changing Kyn, and no more of this sexual favors to get favors from you, using Pokémon's honor against themselves to get off, it's shameful." She paused. "And...You'll tell anyone you see that Royce is going on a week long trip, starting this evening...for the record, Anana...? I Would have thought it better of you than to judge by appearances." "Serena, I didn't want the meeting to go like this... but, if this is what it took... then I suppose it had to be done." Kyn said, not necessarily 'pitying' Anana, but feeling a strange aura in the air. Perhaps Serena needed this, just like what her plans for Royce were. "Now, Anana... there are... a few things that I need to tell you about the non-mythical aspects of a human. When you've regained your composure completely that is." Serena didn't answer Kyn, going back to near the door. "One shock will counter out the other." She answered, laying her head back down on her claws. "Give her about five minutes, and she'll bounce back." She closed her eyes, still listening to the conversation. Deep breaths, wiping away her tears, calm the heart, one by one they fell back into place, until she was standing on her own two feet again, her tail coiled about them like a spiral, it would make one hope that she didn't trip when she stepped out. "O...K." she cleared her throat. "Okay." The cheer was gone from her voice, she was backed into a corner, but while in that corner she may as well learn what was...well, going around her. Kyn hadn't really seen someone go into a breakdown, which to him is what it was, since he had first revealed to someone that Tensa could speak English. "So, are we ready to continue now?" He asked in a cautious voice. There was a look of apprehension in her eyes as she moved back around behind the counter, and resumed her seat on the stool. "Yeah, sure. May as well, killed the buzz I had going." She pushed the envelope towards him with the job on it as well. "Well... for starters... I'm different than most humans, and not like the ones in those stories. Though I'm not completely surprised by this, even though there are currently no humans here except me, there must have been some here... I just don't know at which point in time." Kyn said, looking down at the envelope briefly and then taking it. Anana listened to Kyn while rubbing her temples. "You've never read the stories, how would you know you're nothing like them?" She looked at Serena. "IS he?" She was skeptic to even ask for her confirmation, after what she had just done to her. (Which if Anana was being honest with herself would be 'nothing' ) "He's not." She completely left out the bondage fetish, for good reason; the last thing she would do was compare him to Royce, even if her dreams kept trying to account the two to being equals. "Next thing... Uh... well. Let's see... how should I put this... I'm not from this world. That's best way I can put it plain and simple. I'm a visitor here, and Serena has... done her best to be accommodating." Kyn was slowly easing into another sort of transition, taking the steps slowly one at a time though. "Translation: I've done my best not to be a thorn in his side." She snorted, her eyes were still closed. "Another world? Oh, you mean like, metaphysical stuff...Prosphora talks about that all the time, how many times he's been reincarnated and stuff...Hm...." "Reincarnation... what... my... Well, Anana... Serena's actually been to my world before. She might be able to describe from a Pokémon's perspective better than I can obviously." Kyn said, wracking his brain around an actual case of a being that was reincarnated more than once and still in the same form. Serena snorted at Kyn, then addressed Anana. "It's not really that different...from what I've seen..." (In his memories) she added to herself so that she wouldn't twitch with the lie. "Just that there are humans and Pokémon that work together, they've even developed a sort of...sport, dedicated to seeing who are to be the alpha of any given species." <Well...I suppose? I don't know, It's a mockery of what I stand for, but what she stands for? probably not.> This was the first time that she had bothered to use the link since he'd come back, the first time that she'd allowed him any insight into her mind since she essentially pinned him to the wall in her rage. "....Is there anything else you'd like to share?" She sounded tired, as amazing as that was for the lizard to even do, since she was known for being perky all the time. "Well, besides actually telling you that Tensa happens to be my mate, " he mutter under his breath, "though you probably could have deduced that yourself...," resuming normally speaking again, "unless YOU have any questions, I can't really think of much else at this current point," he said, sitting down on the ground this time, like he did for Serena when she was a Bagon. "WHAT? Oh, right, I'm supposed to be all 'well that's alright then, you did tell me that you liked males better than females', but come on." She shook her head. "How would I have known that? Oh, wait, you're going by /HER/ nose, aren't you?" She pointed a finger accusingly at Serena. "Look, look at me. Lizard." She touched her own chest. "Dragon" She pointed at Serena again, and made the gesture appropriately again. "Not the same thing. My nose isn't as good as hers...jeez, and even I can smell the enigma berries on me....huh, must be sobering up." "You think your nose isn't good eh? Well... my nose, and most other humans' noses... wouldn't even be able to pick up the Enigma berries, as a matter of fact. Hell, I don't even know what an Enigma Berry even smells like in the FIRST place." Kyn retorted. The rapping on the door brought Serena to her feet, and she sniffed at the slit at the bottom of the door. "Kyn, I do believe that it's time to slip out...we do have...other things to do." She said quietly.----"Oh dear...well that wont do at all~ I suppose they're getting suspicious, normally the shop's only closed for short periods of time...pity really, but...you know, most of them are in a hurry to leave and don't like being watched...I assume then you can be reached at the King's Rock Casino?" She stood up and walked around him towards the door. "I'll just tell them that we were doing a private deal, I suppose that's not a total lie." "I think we'll be able to be. Anana... I will visit you again though. Of course, now you know about my little 'condition' as I like to covertly call it in public. So, you're in a trusted circle." He said, moving over to her and then kneeling. "So, talk to you later then Anana?" Kyn offered his hand in a handshake, though he still wasn't sure if they even did that here, since he'd never even offered SERENA a handshake before when she was a Bagon. "When you get back with the items, at least." Anana answered, then looked at his hand, now that she could see it for what it truly was, the overlap was still a little creepy, and she wasn't sure she envied Serena for being able to see through it this whole time. Eventually she did take his hand in hers, shook it, and then went about reopening the windows, and the door, motioning them out of the way as the stream of customers flooded in, and she found herself behind the counter again. <Trusted in the sense that she'd be called crazy and everything she's worked for would fall apart...> Serena said, easily making a path out for them as most didn't want to rub against the rough edges of her shell. <Better try this out. Hello? Is this thing on? Tap tap.> Kyn followed Serena, and figured that as she said their next stop was to the Casino to.... confront Royce. <Open the letter.> She mentally snorted at his antics. <You act like you thought that I couldn't get back in after I evolved, or vice versa.> Of course, sarcasm, but she was indeed headed towards the place that she feared the most right now, made evident in her posture. <Sorry...> She added a bit after. Kyn used his fingernails to open the top, and then he pulled it out. Examining it closely he read out, "FOUR Tauros? My god, this is gonna be one helluva haul. Alright so that's a relatively easy amount of Krab(by), about fifteen. I should be able to get those in a couple of months. I see here... WHAT in the hell...? Serena... Sharpedo. Seriously? Sharpedo!" Kyn said, hanging up on that, and trying to get her assessment. She probably reacted totally opposite to what he would have thought. "Mmm, those should be fun...probably threw that in as a challenge, considering everything else that you've managed to bring in when all others couldn't...well, couldn't do it 'in time' I should say...It's too bad YOU'RE not the one doing the hunting, that might be fun to watch." The conversation helped keep her mind off of what they were about to do, she didn't think she'd EVER have stooped to his level before, but it wasn't like she was doing it to an innocent--that was probably what made it alright in her eyes. She stopped and turned to look at him outside the doors, and nosed the outside of his hip with a soft sigh. "Oh Serena.. you wouldn't call it hunting in the sense of what you do, but we do, and I WILL be. Of course, the end result is still the same. You won't enjoy it. Also, technically I'm cheating since I have more than a month to get these things. Now, I'm assuming that Anana's going to give me a bit more for my and my Pokémon's efforts then?" He folded up the letter and placed it in his pocket. "You'll already be getting more for your efforts, since she's increasing your rate anyway...but yes, Sharpedo....well, due to their danger--there have been cases of Pokémon that have been taken out by them even attempting it-- do fetch a price. But remember, all of that is optional, anything you don't want to do, you don't have to." She pulled herself away from his hip and looked him in the eye. "Kyn...do me a favor...it should be an easy one...pet me." "Alright, but where?" He said, reaching out his hand. She extended her head, and even some of her neck to his touch, the darkened hide a sharp contrast against the bright gold and silver of the shell, she even retracted her fangs back into her mouth so there would be no danger of him raking his skin against them. "The shell I can't feel, in most areas..." she wouldn't tell him that this was the first time she'd ever allowed herself to actually BE petted, but then, he probably already knew that. Kyn took no time afterward, and he began moving his hand across he exposed skin in a sinlge direction, front to back, then front to back again. He wondered if the texture of her scales would change once she became a Salamence. Serena let her eyes close, and relaxed a bit against his hand. The sensation was odd, and she let him continue a few times, then licked up his sleeve, and pulled away. "Thank you..." She turned, walking inside the casino. <So, you wanted to try your new toy then? I doubt that we'll need a room, considering the fact that we'll have the whole...heh, HQ to ourselves.> <Uhm... Serena... If this device doesn't work, then I'll have to not use the machine since it's unlikely that I'll win normally. Though of course, since you told me about a procedure... I doubt it'll really matter much.> "You're welcome," He said aloud, figuring it'd be odd if he didn't. <Haven't you learned to use the mental relays yet? If it doesn't work, just flirt with Vendetta a bit and be sure to mention that we're going to make Royce REALLY mad at us.> She headed through the lobby and into the card tables. <'course you could just come with me to the card tables, it's not like we can't get his attention that way too.> <Mental relays...? I'm not sure what you're talking about. And... flirting with a Porygon2... I'm not sure I know how to do that Serena. We can do the card tables first then.> He scoped out the area, and looked around for the tables that he remembered as being higher risk. Serena knew her way around the Casino well enough. <I still haven't taught you to do that? Sorry, oversight on my part I suppose. You can reach for Medicham though? Also, choose your poison, and I'll pick a position where I can see your table.> <Uh... I haven't really done so in a while. That table with only two people... I mean 'mon, looks like there are only two playing for a reason. What's the situation on that table?> Kyn asked, heading towards it. <Two Pokémon visibly stressed, I'd say they've just been shut down from a good run, and are annoyed at that fact, Riko, the Clefable will be one that will need to be taken out after he goes to his room. Oh, sorry, you were asking about the stakes? 500?> She did a bit of wandering, just to make it look like they weren't together. <Oh hell! That's... that's way more than the 200 Poké one! That will.... attract attention in a hurry. Can I join it?> Kyn continued wandering around as well, passing some of the high stakes tables, but mostly retaining his focus on the one that was 500. <If you wish.> She mused. <Yes, it will, but that's the idea...get your fill today, Kyn...you DO know that we'll be escorted out after this week and never allowed back in again, right? Well, I wont, but I can't exactly shift my form like you can.> <Just what exactly are you planning on doing here Serena..., that is so bad that you'll be forever banished from the Casino...?> His mind shifted back to Royce but he couldn't really form any conclusions there... other than... bad ones that he didn't think Serena would actively want him to be a part of. <Are you sure that you want the answer to that question?> She eventually sat down at a different table from him, and pulled coins from within her shell. Of course, she hadn't chosen Poker this time, but she did quickly rake in money, keeping everything but her eyes hidden in the dark. It didn't help that she was almost always slipping coins back into her shell so it made her look like she was still broke when she would walk away from the table...well, it did help her that she was able to do it, but it didn't help the 'mon that was hosting the table. The fact that the host no longer knew how much she had won and what she had lost, would draw attention to her just as well as a winning streak would. <Um... is it going to be violent...?> Kyn migrated to one of the lower stakes tables and began accumulating things there, and followed Serena's advice about the neck thing. <Not in the bloody sense.> She stepped away from the table, taking a break to get a drink from the bar, which since she was playing, was of course free, and drew out her head to encircle the straw with her tongue. <I wont use anything that he doesn't have available to be used Kyn, you DO remember what exactly was in the rooms that I spent my time in, yes?> <I... do, yes. How are you faring at the tables then...?> He then took some of his coins and started counting them on the table IN PLAAAAAAAIN sight, but not aloud. <Well enough to attract attention, See the Clefairy talking to the Machop on the north wall? Was just at his table a little while ago, he's not sure how much I won from him, and the Machop is going to watch me now. If I do the same thing again then he's going for the boss. Oh hey, a Pickpocket, Sneasel, two tables to your left, natural little thieves they are.> She looked like she was in her element here, even if her voice, even her mental voice, marked her as nervous. <Uh... I'm deliberately counting money on the table. Though that doesn't necessarily mean much with this amount I think.> "I'm feeling a bit lucky tonight. I think I'll keep on." Kyn said, putting some of the Poké back in it's proper place. <You've got Riiko's eyes on you, at least, from what i can see, you'll probably get picked up before I do at that rate.> She finished her drink, and chose a different table with a much higher rate, once more putting the excess gold from the hands into her shell a little at a time, until finally a Machamp seemed very interested in her, and when she dropped off that table after winning (by his count) 8 hands in a row, he followed her as she walked around, giving Kyn time to catch up in 'popularity'. She didn't have to wait long. <...Ready?> <Weeelll I believe I am. My only question is... Are you ready to see Inferno's Fists of Fury?> "Well... I think it's about time for me to go for a bit." He said, looking back up to the dealer. She snerked at his question. <What, really? That's got to be some sort of obscure movie reference that I won't get. Just wait until we're in the dark hall and the doors are closed to let them out.> Two things happened at once, the first was that, knowing that she was going to be cornered by the Machamp, she turned around to face him. "Let me guess, Royce would like to see me." She said sweetly. The second was that Kyn would start to be followed. <Come over to me, may as well just enter the darkness together.> She kept the Machamp talking, mostly about nonsense, until her human--where had THAT thought come from?--had joined her with his tail behind him, and then the two of the guards would look at each other, then at them. "Well? Open the panel already." Of course anyone with half a brain would know this smelled rank of a setup...thankfully they probably had maybe a half of a brain between them. Kyn figured that the best course of action would be to directly go to Serena, and so he picked up his final coinage, and headed towards her. <Would they still recognize you due to the color of your armor?> <Scent, coloration, behavior patterns.> She relayed to him, and soon after they were sandwiched between the two fighting types in the dark tunnel, and about half way down, the panel clicked shut behind them. <Whenever you're ready.> Bad memories...still she stepped forward, and rose up onto her hind legs to face the one in front of her, pushing her full weight on the one before whacking it upside the head. She didn't pull the blow, and the Machamp crumpled, still from the smell of it, the gash on his head would be the most of his worries, if not remembering it's own name. "Alright Inferno, Nero, Striker, Heji, come on out..." Kyn said, then he pushed the buttons for each of them. They all emerged and formed a sort of static quadrant. The other guard, a Machoke, was, of course, surprised by the situation, he would be an easy target. "Clear the place out, meet back in this hall when all the guards are out." she licked the blood from her claws. "If you get lost, follow the colors on the wall. Blue will be the furthest from this hall, purple is in the middle, and Red, well, IS this hall All halls lead to this one eventually. Oh...and this SHOULD go without saying, but -enjoy- your stay." "Serena... I'm going to continue following you. Not sure why you're telling me to ENJOY my stay here. The few things that I enjoy here are going to be ripped away for a while." Kyn did remember the colors to follow on the walls, even though he said he was going to follow her, due to the fact that if at considering that they'd have plenty of time. Serena DID say a week, for explaining Royce's soon to be absence. "Sarcasm...." she crept down the hall, her claws left marks in the carpets, and of course there was the faint echo of the jingle within her shell, loose coins not the best for stealth, but what attention she did attract was knocked out either with the energy of a shadow claw, or a dragon pulse--she didn't dare use her fire down in these lush, carpetted floors. <I'm sorry...> She said again. <You're likely not going to like this side of me...Life under Anana was...unpleasant...but life with Royce was...> She trailed off. <By the time I'm through, he'll have nightmares about me for the rest of his life.> <We all have our dark sides Serena. You've been in my head so you know what I am referring to.> Kyn then moved his hand down to his Katana sheaths, confirming that he still had them with him. Serena gave what was, of course, an exaggerated sigh, confirming that they were alone on the last set of halls, that which he would remember as the entry to Royce's room. she stared at the door; then picked and opened it, expecting to see Royce alone, and instead finding him with a not so lucky patron of the casino, who didn't look at all happy to be there. The Charmander was just being forcefully fitted for his gag around the time they walked in, held by two Machoke just as she had been, it was enough to make her twitch, and she reacted without thinking too much about it. The shadow claw that impacted one of the two drew the others attention to her, and the voice rang with something of a false calmness. "Hello boys." Royce had been enjoying the show of the squirming salamander, when the energy hit the Machoke to his right, what the? He turned on the spot, HOW could he not have heard the door open? A Shelgon and a Sceptile...the color hit him, just as her scent did. "Serena?!" then to the one that was left standing, "Don't just stand there, get them!" The Machoke came forward, running at the two of them recklessly. "Typical..." Kyn said, as he saw that there was nothing really strategic planned out so he waited until the Machoke was in the right position, before sticking out his ankle to trip him. About the time of the initial encounter, Nero had wandered into the room as well, and saw the action going on. He decided to remain in the doorway, unless he was really needed. The rumble of the floor was expected as the Machoke fell, Serena left Kyn to deal with the (Admittedly stupid) Machoke, and ran to face off against Royce. She, unlike the Machoke, was not Reckless, even as she readied another shadow claw at the Slowking, she measured where he was tensing up, and rather than dodging, let the 'trump card' connect with her shell. "A Normal type move, really Royce? No matter." The slash of the Shadow claw would connect, of course, the disable was the next thing she felt. Damn that move; she fought against it. She ground herself, her head lowered, it was clear to see exactly who she had been training with the past month. Royce was rather sure that he was going to win at this point, Serena trapped in a Disable, but there was the other one--other TWO? How many of these things was he to be up against?! The Charmander was still in shock, that was good, he supposed, and the spots where the ghostly energy had connected, burned beneath his skin. "Honestly Serena, I hate hate the move Disable. It's messed up some of my strategies a few times." Kyn said. He quickly took out his sword, and using the flat of the Blade, brought it firmly down on the current Machoke with a very audibly loud thump. He then quickly put it back by his side. She hissed, opening her mouth, and fired off a BEAM of dragon pulse, rather than the typical orb, catching the Slowking off guard and of course, making him crumple to the ground as well. She spat at him, and sighed. " You know, so do I...how's THAT for a trump card? Stupid perverse Slowking" she ground her teeth, then looked at the Charmander. "Ugh...and a witness...isn't THAT just grand?" She snorted. "You sure you can't just convince that Charmander not to talk since you are in essence rescuing him, Serena?" Kyn suggested. He then turned towards to door, because he figured that the door would be the obvious escape route for ANYONE wanting to leave the room, when he noticed Nero. "Oh... Serena, Nero's here." "He's in shock right now, I was too when they started to stretch my jaws out for that thing...I don't have hands Kyn, or I would take it off of him...and yes, it is a him. If they haven't drugged him as well, then we'll let him go; if they have...he wont want to be seen by anyone for a couple days anyway." She turned, head tilted at Nero, and stepped over to him. Almost everything about her portrayed an Alpha, everything but her voice, which held true concern. "Is everything alright?" "Well I DO have hands, but I doubt he'd want me anywhere near him at all at this current point." Kyn said, decided that he didn't need to have his sword out anymore, and sheathed it. "Well, you've got an army out there Serena. Nobody is getting past them. Where are we anyway though?" Nero asked, as this WAS his first time in the Casino. She sighed. "King's Rock Casino, the Bay...as for what we're doing here..." She looked at Kyn. "Did you tell them, or will I have to...eventually?" She turned away from the Absol, and climbed her way up onto the desk, nudging and rolling the Charmander over, only to have him lash out at her, leaving gashes across her snout with a dragon claw. She didn't even flinch, just pinned the limbs down, and bit at the leather strap carefully. With her claws tied, the only tool she had left to get the ring out was her mouth, and for that...of course, her jaws were used to turn it, and her tongue to pull it out...she had just kissed the Charmander, or at least, that's what her mind rang it out as as she spit the torn device from her mouth, and climbed back down, only then did she check the wound between her nostrils, and judged it to be superficial. "I did not tell them, because for the most part I still did not know. You'll more than likely have to tell them," Kyn said, looking at the Charmander. "I take it that that Slowking over there... is a part of this then?" Nero asked. Serena was still focused on the fact that she would have to retell the story yet again, she only just barely heard Nero's words. "Hm? Oh, yes...the main reason we're here, actually..." She said with a sigh. "Leave the boy here for now, if he comes to and he's not lusty out of his mind, then we'll let him go, as I said...I'm just glad that they trust me enough to know that I'm not going to hurt you if left alone with you, Kyn." She licked over the cuts in a cleaning manner, then walked to Royce, and grabbed him by his neck frill. "I'll...explain when I've gotten him all...dressed up for the occasion." She of course, spoke with her mouth around the frill, her sharp fangs tucked back out of the way so that she could pull him by it without ripping it. "I've always wondered.... is that... thing, actually attached to them in a manner of just oddly colored skin, or is something that is actually able to be removed? It's similar to something I experienced back home... there are some people who believe that Lucario are actually... wearing pants!" Kyn said with false gasp of surprise after the Lucario bit. "This place is filled with fighting types. Am I able to use Psychic type moves here?" Nero said, once again showing his newbieness. "Nero...dear..." Serena dropped the neck frill from her mouth. "All Psychic type moves are nulled here, however DARK type moves are especially strong due to all the Dusk stones in the walls and foundations." She looked closely at the skin on his neck. "A good rule of thumb is that if it appeared when it evolved, then it's skin, Kyn...but I can't say I blame those that would like to think that they are pants...they certainly have enough fluff down there to mimic them..." She pulled the Slowking out of the room, down the hall, and to the left, where she KNEW to be his supply room and beginning to set out different types of gear. A black out hood that left the mouth open, a harness, cuffs, collar, a waffle ball gag...an arm binder was added to it moments later. She snarled at the unbidden memories, she would have to relive them a little bit later, why torture her NOW as well? The gear was the only answer; and yet, not one she was willing to accept. Nero took in this information and realised that he did have mostly Dark-type moves, since it was his type. After Serena's answer, all of Kyn's curiosity was satisfied for the most part. He followed Serena as she relocated Royce, and waited in silence, also taking a bit of time to look around the room. She could feel Kyn standing there, she had one more thing she wanted from here, still, she wasn't sure that he even had it anymore, or if it was currently in use...elsewhere, or even if it had been borrowed from one of the other two. "This room was a nightmare back when I was here." She said absently. "It still is, but it's no where near as bad as it could be...he threatened to have a gold collar made for me to match my headplates...until one of his cohorts--who will likely be coming down soon for their evening ...ugh, meal--reminded him that gold could easily be melted." It wasn't there, she snorted, no matter, she could substitute later. She didn't ask for his help, though she was sure she could have, setting up the harness, then the hood, the cuffs on his ankles and tail, the armbinder, connecting the tail to the backside of the armbinder so that he would be forced to keep it held high, spreader bar between his knees. She rifled through the drawers, finding a bottle she was looking for, and carefully dropped ONE drop into his wide open mouth, then turned it upside down over the drain and let the rest of the green liquid drain out while she retrieved the gag, and cinched that until the leather bit into his skin. She huffed, hating Royce, who tied up as he was, barely even resembled a Slowking without the crown in her eyes. "What exactly is that? That... doesn't look like something I'd want to be ingesting." Kyn finally said, after watching this whole process. Serena snarled. "His aphrodisiac, topical or able to be ingested...neither is pleasant...using it on the skin makes it react faster and more violently; but ingesting it increases the time spent in a heat crazed state..." She walked around the Slowking, now sure that he couldn't escape from her, she walked out of the room for a moment. "I'm...going to look for something that he used on someone else while I was here...I don't even know if it was his...either way, if I CAN find it, he's going to wish he didn't have it." ( http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/dan/terrifying2/ring.jpg for your reference )) Kyn actually took some time to examine Royce, especially in this state. He also wondered if the frill was naturally black and red like a roulette wheel or if he had done the equivalent of dying it via a tattoo like process. Something which he would ask Serena later. Out of the bondage room, for now, she traced her way back to the purple halls, and then into their storage rooms, checking every drawer until she found it, in a velvet bag no less. That thought made her laugh, if hollowly. She found her way back just as easily, the drawstrings of the bag were in her mouth, around one of her lower canines, she dropped it with a clang against the ground as she looked up at her human, and again squashed the possessive thought. One thing was plain, she didn't...want him to see what was in the bag; but she didn't want to push him away either. "Kyn....will you allow me to share something a little more pleasant with you, for this next part?" If she could block out his sight and hearing, that might do. "Well, you called it weird, but...anything would be better than having you watch me speed the process of the aphrodisiac along..." "There was once a time where I asked you what you planned on doing. What you just finished saying makes me wonder exactly what you would do to... well... do that. As for the sharing of something more pleasant, what could you possibly have in mind THERE?" Kyn crossed his arms, and walked around Royce again, oddly inspecting what she had done. Her eyes drifted away from Kyn as he walked around. "...The dream that I was able to edit." She answered the latter question first, then closed her eyes with a sigh. "And nothing that I haven't done to Heji...I just..." She trailed off. "He doesn't deserve it, I suppose i could just as easily let his mind wake him, and I could have him awake...when what's in the bag goes on....red hot." "Interesting. There are only a few things that I can think of Serena, that would fit your description, and be able to fit in that bag. Well, it's too bad that I don't feel uh, sympathetic for him. Doing all the things he does... How could he not see that things would come around to bite him in the ass sooner or later? Oh, and I do mean that figuratively, though there is also a possibility that it could have happened literally one of these days." Kyn said, giving Royce a slight poke in that particular area for emphasis. "I have no doubt that any one of the security, when they wake up and realize the situation, would have any objections to fucking him raw, considering that he keeps them in chastity whenever he can." She rubbed her claws over her face. "You know, fuck it. I'll leave him in his own wet dreams for a while, it's not like he can move enough to get off right now without assistance anyway." She pulled a steel plate from the shelf, linked it with another, and pulled the straps tight until those too bit into his skin, then picked up the bag, tucking it inside her shell to the right. "Lets go find our friends and...tell them why they just spent the last hour fighting." "This is probably not the best time for me to think about things involving Royce. I should probably... remove myself from this current location." Kyn said, heading for the door. Serena nudged him on his way out, once more falling into step, following him around. "Did you even realize that you were looking him over like he was a piece of meat?" Her words were soft. "Yes I do. Did I tell you... Slowpoke tails are an illegal delicacy? Makes me wonder what a SlowKING tail would taste like. I don't think that'd be appropriate even for this though, but yes, I do realize it. That's not all I was... looking at though." Kyn added the last part with a bit of hesitancy. Serena stretched her gait to catch up to him, to walk beside him. "Kyn...does the fact that you're enjoying this, at least on some level, bother you?" she phrased it carefully, since he had said that he would not enjoy anything that would go on down here. "I do believe that you are getting confused Serena." Kyn stated rather simply. He wasn't skirting around the issue, but he wasn't directly addressing it either. She snorted at him, and stepped in front of him, barring the path forward. "If you believe that I am getting confused, then set me straight. As Striker said to me the FIRST time we were here, stop dancing around the issue and take care of it." The words were perhaps a little more forced than she had intended. "Perhaps then. It's difficulty to explain. The answer to your first question is no. It normally might, but this is Royce we are talking about. I believe that in some ways, it may appear as if I am acting in the same manner as him... but, it's really just hard to explain." He was being truthful, and couldn't really say it with words much. "No, this is Me, doing it to someone who no longer, for the duration of our trip, will have a name, and probably will not have a name AFTER that if I have my way; and No, you're not behaving like him. I thought that We already made that distinction. There is nothing wrong with looking at, nor...interacting with the scenery." She turned her head away from him. "If there was, then I wouldn't have even started to think about edging him while you were there." "The only difference here Serena, is that he is not innocent. I was HOPING that that side of me would never have been revealed to you at ALL. Now, I'm assuming that he is going to see ME now as well, so I think change into a Blaziken then. Being slightly shorter can just be considered a variation." "Memories can be edited, distorted..." She muttered. "Kyn, you should try...to rethink that statement, about not showing all sides of yourself...You were the one who said that IF I took an interest in one of your family, that I would become family too--I did. You're about as much MY human, as you belong to Heji, Tensa, Inferno, Striker, or any of them. If you have ANY qualms about showing any side of yourself, and that's both literally and figuratively. Get YOUR Pokémon and get out of here. If not...then stop being so awkward around me." "You've put me in a rather difficult position here Serena." Kyn said, sitting down. He closed his eyes and a look of deep concentration filled his face. Serena eased herself down into a laying position, setting her head down on her claws, then dumping out the loose coin, keeping only the velvet bag containing the ring in it inside the shell and hidden from view. She took the opportunity to count it, then set it in the bag that she had actually been pulling things from to begin with. After all the things that she had to go back over, had to rethink, it was only fair that he had to do it at least ONCE. "Why have you seated yourself Serena?" Kyn asked. He saw the coins she had and then it occurred to him that she was using it as a sort of storage area in that respect. "I am waiting for your answer." the response was about as guarded as she could make it. "Until then, I'm still responsible for your well being, despite the fact that you could easily take care of yourself down here." She grabbed the bag with her teeth and tongue, and pulled the bag back into her shell. "Depending on what you decide to do, I will either remain here while you walk away, or I will stand and go with you." The sentence could also have easily have been interpreted as 'If I'm not wanted in this family, I'll stay out of it, and you can explain the situation to Heji because I'll never speak to him again.' "Interesting. Very well Serena. I am going to answer you, but first I will ask you a question. Do you truly want Royce to suffer for what he did to you?" Kyn stood back up, and turned his back to Serena. "I would think that that would be obvious, considered that he's bound and gagged, in his own gear room." She answered, she didn't look at him either. "Had I understood what was going on at the time, I wouldn't have minded so much, I don't think. I still would hate him for forcing me into it, but probably not this." "Then tonight Royce is going to experience what happens to those that cross me, in regards to what they do to my friends. I do not know the content of the myths involving humans, but tonight, he will experience, the reality of why the Pokémon of this world... are well within their right to fear humans. As well as this being an unseeable repentance for all of those innocents who were not able to speak out, or fight back." Kyn walked a few steps and waited for Serena. She pulled herself to her claws, and once more allowed herself to fall in step with Kyn, a little closer than before, perhaps, definitely within reaching distance, but not close enough to be considered over-bearing. Of course, so long as they had managed to stick together, even virtually, the group shouldn't have been too hard to find. Still, she turned her eyes towards him occasionally. "I think, that that will be something that I stay and watch." "He needs to be awake for it. How long will it be before he wakes up?" Kyn said, going back into the room. Serena leaned down and sniffed at the hood, gave a growl, and was pleased at the scent of fear she received in return--so, he still remembered, good, it was easy to edit memories later if they still had them. "He IS awake." She answered simply. "And he fears his fate." "Is there any particular reason why you put that thing on him?" Kyn asked, in a calm casual tone. Now that he was awake... it would probably be best to proceed with what he had in mind. "The hood? He doesn't have blindfolds and I wanted to make sure that someone's identity remained nulled. If it doesn't matter to you now, it just takes a swipe of my claws to remove it." "Doesn't have... blindfolds...? Do you... not know me? Oh, and there's one more thing...." Kyn went over to the door, and removed several cloth pieces from it. He opened door inward, and placed a portion of the cloth on the top of the door, and in the doorframe, placed the other cloth, then closed the door. Serena looked at him like it was a stupid question to ask her, after just telling her that he was trying to keep as much of this side of him from her as possible. She decided that since he trailed off, he was probably expecting the tilt of her head, and the classic 'hmmm?' She obliged the former, but rather opted to let him finish than to interrupt. "It wouldn't really make much difference at this point. I am... going to show you something." Kyn took out yet ANOTHER piece of cloth, this time, it being black in color. "Won't you take off that silly looking hood?" As promised, she hooked her claws in the cloth and it ripped to shreds, which was then pulled out from under the gag and collar. If she showed any sign in caring if she nicked him, it was when she drew back her claws and wiped the blood against the floor. "As you wish." Kyn then replaced the hood quickly with the cloth over his eyes, and said, "THAT is how you blindfold someone without all that... fancy stuff." He said, now walking away. "Now... for the most part he is more exposed. Dear Royce... I believe you are well aware of what might be done to you tonight." Kyn said, leaning down close. Royce could do very little but squirm and growl into his gag, he couldn't even truly gnaw on it, it was too big to give him the reprieve his jaw sought. If he could have, he would have spit, even getting his tail out seemed impossible. He didn't have much of a choice tonight, it would seem, but others had sought to break him before--he could last another. Against all of his established procedures his asked Royce the question, "Do you have any idea why you are here today, in this position?" and then lifted the gag out of Royce's mouth... before moving behind him "Tch, because some little brat decided that the next time they disobeyed orders they would get the jump on me before they could pay their debt." He dis spit, any chance he got, he worked his jaw and heard the pops, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He chuckled, finding himself in a puddle of his own making, he tried to remember when the last time he'd used that gag. "Of course you would say something like that. I'd say that the reason your here is due to a rather specific reason, but there are many more than just this one. Where I come from... we have a saying... What goes around... comes around. I want to play a game.... Royce." Kyn said, in a crude imitation of something along the lines of in the same type of tone as when Royce wanted him to play Roulette, keeping his voice still deathly calm. "And I want out of this gear, sometimes we don't always get what we want; like you, soon you'll be wanting more time to play your game. All it will take is for one of the security to get here, or Riiko and Nina to get here, and then your game will be over." He fumbled with the bindings. "Your coworkers? Mmm no." Serena clicked her claws against the floor. She didn't elaborate any further than that. <Should already have come down for dinner and met with one, if not more of our dear friends.> She added mentally. <Would just take a quick relay check, if you feel the need to confirm it.> "Mm, I have another idea. How about this? That gear stays on you for a while since you look so dashing in it!" Kyn of course didn't actually mean this, but it only furthered his role that he would soon play in this. <Serena, Heji's assistance is requested in this.> Serena looked at Kyn, but didn't complain, she reached for Medicham, and then to Heji. She realized that she had never been in Heji's head before, and so the feeling was awkward. -Heji, relaying Kyn's words, we could use your assistance...you should be able to follow the scent well enough to get here.- And then her voice faded from his mind. <Feh...the one mind that I should never have to enter, it's done.> Royce knitted his eyebrows together, well, he didn't expect to be let out, but the news about Riiko and Nina was troubling... and the Security staff? So his only hope was Vendetta, and Vendetta had always favored the blue dragon over him. He managed a chuckle. "I've always found leather to make me look fat." "Anyway, I've got a bit of information for you. Back home... my species happens to, for some reason find Slowpoke tails delicious. I wonder Royce... do YOU have a delicious tail?" He took his tongue, which of course, wouldn't feel like a lizard's tongue Royce, and ran it from just above his tail hole, down to the tip. Heji gave Serena his assurance that he would be there shortly, and then upon checking with the others headed into the area, via following the trail of scents. Royce kicked in his chains at the feeling of the tongue, he was too busy focusing on the words to feel the specific type of tongue that made the journey. "It has been claimed so." Clearly he wasn't thinking the same line as Kyn. "Anana sure seems to like it just fine." "I've never actually eaten a Slowpoke tail before. It's a pity that I won't get to sample yours since that is not my purpose here. It is different." This time he actually waited for Royce's response before choicing a point in which he would interrupt him. Heji knocked his paw against the closed door which stood out the most, obviously due to the cloth blocking the bottom and top. Royce had frozen at the word 'eat', but it was in the past, he'd made it through point where it was a possibility for him to lose his tail. "Don't suppose you're going to shed a light on why YOU'RE here." He snorted. "Serena too afraid to fight her own battles these days?" Serena was the one who got up, ignoring the taunt, and let the lion in, being the quick study that she was; she put the cloth back the way it was after Heji entered, and closed the door behind him with naught a word, only a slight nuzzle of greeting before she stopped distracting him. <Hey hey, Serena! Unfortunately, you know Royce better than I do. How good his he at handling mental shock?> "Serena wanted to see what I could do. Why I could be something worthy of being feared. She is well able to 'fight her own battles' as you said. I do have a bit of a surprise for you though." Kyn said, glancing over at Heji. <That's not what I said.> She snorted at him mentally. <I've never hijacked his mind, never wanted to try, The amount of mental shock one can handle however depends on how strong of a psychic they are. He's got two moves that are normal type and two that are psychic--> She cut to the chase as she sat back down. <He should be decent at handling them.> Royce laughed. "More like she'd kill me before you had your fun. I know the hunter, she's the one who tied these blasted knots so tight...." He squirmed to emphasize his point, and only ended up grunting against the steel plate that covered his groin. At least they couldn't do anything that way, though the combination between the aphrodisiac and the chastity was annoying for sure. "I literally wouldn't allow how her to do that. Now, we've been talking an awful lot. Perhaps it is time that we actually got down to having fun? Though that device that's currently entrapping your lower bits, will get in the way of that." Kyn said, looking at it carefully, to see how to undo it. Serena realized that, from the look on Kyn's face, he knew little of -their- versions of how things worked, and quietly slipped to hook a claw in the buckle of the straps, and pulled it off as one might do a band aid, quickly.---Royce didn't have time to complain, with the plate gone over his genital slit he rose to full arousal within mere moments, and cursed the drugs beneath his breath; for he was SURE that he'd been drugged, he just didn't know how much. "Oh by all means, let the games begin." "I do believe I will. Starting with... how many times I can get you to cum in a row of course." Kyn said. He went over behind Royce and then kneeled behind him. Once again, being human sized was something rather interesting for Kyn to experience. He licked his fingers, wetting them a decent amount, before taking one, and inserting it into where he knew Royce's tail hole would be. There wasn't much he could do against the intrusion, squeeze a little to prevent him access? It would just make it hurt worse, and one finger wasn't that bad anyway, of course, for one who was used to thick digits even, one of a human's fingers were small. "Eh, you think so, with those scrawny fingers? I've had a Happiny with fingers bigger 'round than yours." Serena of course, had laid down, she was looking mildly interested, but kept her thoughts to herself, and her belly plates to the floor. Well, this was the first time she'd been one to watch, After all. "I do have nine others Royce, but that's not the point. Even with one finger... all I have to do, is find your 'button', if you know what I mean. But that's not even the best part of it." Royce's response gave him the option of adding another finger to the mix, which he did. /This is going to be odd for anyone except people who have experienced it. Heji, after I find his 'button' I want you to send a charge through my body, that will then be transfered to his./ Nine others, Royce grimaced at that fact, his mind of course tried to avoid the fact that he even had fingers up his rear (I've always thought the Slowpoke line were akin to newts, so yeah)) and tried to think of what Pokémon had NINE fingers on their hands, granted if he was counting feet, well, that would add a lot more options, but not many had the dexterity to be able to do something like that anyway. Still, he knew what Kyn was speaking of; still the deep intake of breath through his nose was the alert that he'd found what he was looking for, and Royce doubted that his assaliant would have the naivity to not know it. /Ah... there it is... Heji, give me your paw and then give me a minor shock/ Kyn began to move his fingers over the spot, waiting for Heji to give him the charge. /Hmm, this is a rather interesting thing you're doing here./ Heji replied back. He put his paw and Kyn's arm that was currently involving in being inside of Royce, and he built up electricity, to send through. Kyn shivered slightly once he felt the initial arc, but he figured Royce would be shivering more due to where his fingers currently were. Royce did, of course, squirm, the fact that he could feel himself throb made him curse the drugs again, would he have been in this position without them? Well, not at the moment, he reasoned, as it was designed to keep him hard and needy even after releasing; but it wouldn't increase how much seed he produced--he would still be shooting blanks later on. Serena, as much as it brought up memories, compared his physical state to that of which he would be later. /If you consider this sort of thing interesting./ Her tongue licked at the scratches that were already healing on her nose, her head on her claws. /Just watch how much information you give him, anything you do to him he'll be sure to add to his arsenal later./ /Technically Serena, what I'm doing to him right now, he will not be able to do. Unless of course he always has an electric type handy./ "Well, now it looks like I'm getting somewhere." Kyn said, being able to feel Royce squirm gave him some indication as to which direction to go in order to push Royce towards his peak. Serena gave a snort, the first noise she'd made since opening and closing the door, /Chargestones make an easy replication of an electric type, and he has an easy way to charge them as well. Vendetta. He'll use the reasoning that in the case of the other power source fading, that she'll still be able to maintain power, this she will accept./ She reasoned. Royce growled at the acknowledgment, once more looking for a way out of his bonds. He could only feel leather with his fingers, but he didn't respond otherwise to the taunt. /Oh dammit Serena, now you've distracted me. Got me thinking about Chargestone powered vibrating phallus replicas in this world./ Kyn removed his two fingers now, and let Royce remain in that current state for a while. /Actually... if I could just go back to my house for a few minutes, I'd be able to bring back a few things. They aren't going to be painful or anything just... prolonging./ She shifted and looked up at him as he moved. /Hmmm, not sure if I should be sorry or not that I've distracted you---though you make it sound like I would mind his stay being painful. You could go back to your house for a bit, it's not like Palkia can't do that for you./ There was a bit of amusement in her voice. Royce felt him shift and move, and turned his head back in the direction that he knew the voice came from. "Giving up already, typical." "Oh relax. It's just a temporary break. I'm just temporarily stopping so I can get a few things." Kyn said, going back to the door, and then exitting. /Well, as for that chargestone thing, you'll see what I mean once I come back./ Serena lifted her head to watch him walk out, then looked over to Heji with a slight, curious glance, and finally submitted. -I suppose you're used to this sort of thing.- She let her focus drift, touching the minds of the others briefly to ensure that they were alright, and then even the conscious minds of the prisoners, some of which recoiled at her touch, others were too broken to care that something was invading their minds. 'You would be incorrect in that regard, Serena. However, it is not new to me.' Heji replied, moving closer to Serena. After Kyn was out of the room, he took Palkia's Ball and whispered to it. "Alright, this current location won't support your full height, I think, so do you think you can make yourself smaller, like say, my height at around 6 feet while you come out?" 'I can try.' Palkia than formed a local distortion around itself, and then gave Kyn the go ahead to open the ball. After opening, Palkia did appear at the reduced size. "Now, if you please, connect this place to my house?" After that was done, Kyn gathered several objects and placed them in another bag, which he then carried by hand, back through the opening. "Thanks for that." Kyn said, before getting the ball. It nodded in acknowledgement, and then returned to the door. /I am back now, and if you'll notice, the time synchronization is exactly the same, temporarily./ Serena had time to nose and lick Heji before Kyn came back. -Perhaps that's the kink, then, to never be able to get used to it entirely...- her voice held a rumble, even as she stretched her limbs. /Yes, we see./ Kyn entered the room again, and then walked within a few feet of Serena. "Just as promised, I'm back. Now, I'm gonna need your cooperation on this next part, so don't struggle as much." Kyn said, once again, taking on a neutral but playful tone. "And if I refuse to be your plaything? A mere tool to get off on, what then?" he spat. "I'm fairly certain that the only creature in the room that I've EVER done anything to, is Serena, YOU have no reason to hate me; in fact I'm sure that we're a lot a like." She laid her head back down on her claws after a moment. /I think I've had enough of his words./ she scratched her claws against the mortar between the tiles idly. "Oh, there is so much you do not know about me... You see... as a matter of fact, I do have reason to dislike you. No, I don't hate you, hate is far too strong to use here; but as for not having done anything to anyone, I do believe there are those that would disagree. But the main reason tonight is because of Serena. If there is one thing that I will not allow, it is for you to trample upon my family." Kyn said. /Best be prepared for something. All things considered, Royce is going to remember this for one reason or another. You may have to uh... well, step in though./ "Your family, You honestly think that a Dragon like Serena would be willing to allow herself to call you her family? Pathetic. She doesn't have a family, the very mention of the word turned her stomach then, just as it does now. You'll see, she uses everyone to get what she wants, even you." "You know nothing of the word, Royce, and preaching isn't going to help you here." She drew herself to her feet, moving to stand beside Kyn, lowering her nose to where the Slowking could feel her hot breath against his neck. "And while the word family might be new to me, I know more than you ever will." "...and with that statement Royce, you have lost talking privileges. But, before I begin again, let me show you exactly what you are dealing with." He moved in front of Royce and lifted up the blindfold, "Look at me Royce... the real me." Medicham took that as his cue to drop the illusion. Kyn backed away, and waited. Royce blinked as his eyes adjusted from the darkness of the blind fold to the dim light of the room, getting his first true look at the area they were keeping him in, and tried to sit up once again, finding the chain hanging from his collar to the ground to be an annoying, especially as he watched the illusion drop, and his true form take it's place. He did a version of Serena's snort, and pulled back away from him. "What is this sorcery? You don't exist." Serena stepped on the chain to keep him somewhat in place. "If he's not real, then this is just a very bad nightmare." She figured she may as well put the thought in his head now; it would make it easier to warp it into his dreamscape if he associated it with one now. "I've still yet to find out why humans don't exist here, if there are stories. Most myths have some factual base to them." He said, going into scholarly mode. "It is up to you to decide whether or not he is real," Heji chimed in. "Get off my chain." Royce looked at the claws that held him in place, then at the Luxray that spoke, he was tugged back down with the hooks of the claws with an 'urk.' "In your own words, that's NOT the way you address your betters." Her eyes had slitted, and she pressed his head into his own drool with her other foot. " 'I'll do what I wish to someone beneath me.' " She snarled the words, then, sure that she'd made her point, removed her claws from his head, and later the chain. "Eh. Serena, you're not really giving me much room to do stuff here. Also, I don't like chains very much, for the record. Speaking to both of you there." Kyn said, moving behind Royce again. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a relatively medium sized vibrating egg. Serena backed away from him a little, letting him get his eyes on just exactly Kyn had in his hands, she didn't really say anything but she did make a rumble that might have been complacent. She knew that she had let her anger get the better of her, for only a moment, and acted accordingly. /Chains aren't that bad, most could and would tear through rope in these cases quite easily./ Royce did turn to look at what was going to be put in him, and snarled at the mere sight of it. He struggled at the idea- he wasn't going to make this easy on Kyn, no, why should he? He wasn't a female, and he wasn't going to have an EGG up his bum like one. /I'll have to show you some of the techniques I learned later then./ "Right so... Serena, if you would be so kind as to open Royce's mouth?" Kyn said. After this, he set down the egg and made the moves to put Royce's blindfold back in place. Royce of course, fought all the way, the hands to put the blindfold back down, the claws that pushed him down to the ground and hooked in his mouth, which he tried to bite (resulting in him cutting his own tongue against them) and that spread his mouth wide open again----She made little effort to conseal that she was enjoying being rough with the Slowking, tsking at his struggling. "Look what you did, you hurt yourself, I suppose later we'll have to arrange for you to drink some Oran juice to fix it." She let her claws dig into his skin, it would bruise, but not cut with the way she held him. /Hmmm~ perhaps, but a willing participant is less likely to struggle as hard as the one who is forced into doing something./ "Oran juice is not the best thing to use here. You of course remember my magical liquid don't you? That would be best." Kyn then moved as quickly as he could, to secure the gag back in Royce's mouth. Afterwards, he grabbed Royce's rear area, and then the egg, preparing to insert it. "They're just minor cuts." Serena protested. "It's not like it's about to fall out of his mouth." She wiped his spittle on his own frill, and backed away. "No reason to waste it on someone like -him- anyway." Whatever he had been going to say came out as grunts as he tried to get away from the fingers, he even clenched to try to prevent it from entering, for someone who had been so 'cool' about having his tail eaten, this was a stark contrast. "Serena. It's more so along the lines of, there will be no evidence left over. Bruising still counts as evidence of something having been done to him. Oh my, he's gone and clenched his muscles. I hope you realize, that you're only going to make this stay in more if you do that. Either way, it's still going in." He lubricated it using the lubricant that he once offered to Serena such a while ago, and then inserted it. The next part was adjusting it just right so that it sat near that area he wanted. "Better to wait until the week is over then." She snorted, retracting her head inside of her shell, and walking back over to Heji to lay down and watch. Royce growled and gnawed against the gag, grunting as it did slip in, and with little trouble at that. He huffed in outrage and tore at the inside of the arm binder, for all the good that it did. "I see. Well, I suppose it's time to show you some of the things you might be experiencing tonight," and with that, he turned the vibration up to low, and let the control hang out. Royce bit into the gag, trying to get away from the sensations, he even gave a hiss. He didn't listen to the words that were said, getting his sight back would only make things worse, he knew. /Sounds a bit counter productive, take it off, put it on, take it off again./ she commented and scratched at the scales on one of her forelimbs. "Now, Serena... the next step is this." He took out a smaller egg, but the difference was that the egg was attached to a piece of leather, that was then connected to a cord, which then went back to a control pad, which had a leather strap of its own. He wrapped that around the thinnest part of Royce's leg, and then connected the egg to the middle of his member. Serena looked at the egg, even drawing her head out of her shell to look at it. "I suppose I'll just have to watch and see what happens, since your toys are particularly...new to me." She wouldn't tell them about Merlot, she had been sworn not to do so, after all, but she was sure that the question of how she had learned to do any of this would come up, probably when they found a need for downtime...like when Royce was about to pass out, for instance. She kept a mental and physical tab for that, well, tonight was Kyn's baby, so to speak, she could easily torture him in her own way some other night...and then she'd ask the Slowking a simple question...which did he like better...of course he'd choose the one that was the...easiest on him; and of course, she would do the opposite of his answer. Royce felt the straps, and the cool material of the egg against him, shivering a bit even at it's presence, of course, since he couldn't see it, he had no idea what it really was---but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. "This one will be different too." Kyn turned the lever up to maximum on this one, while still having the other egg on minimum. It of course, made an audible buzzing/humming noise, (depending on your onomatopoeia for vibrators >.>) which gave an indication that it was active. He walked around and began paying more close attention to the way he was reacting, and any vocals he might be expressing. Royce huffed at the sensation, growling as he heard footsteps near his head, with the ball gag in his mouth he couldn't really speak or spit, and any noises he did make virtually died, turning into grunts. Serena shifted, and otherwise stayed quiet. From what she remembered, he was usually quieter than this, but then, that could have been because he was doing work some of the time. She wrinkled her nose at the scents. "Well, he's certainly enjoying himself it would seem." "Whether or not he wants to admit it... he'd like it even without. The area that first one is... is the primary cause of that. Speaking of which... I believe this next part will be rather... uh... how do I say this, to me at least, interesting." He turned the vibration up to medium now, which caused an increase in buzz/hum overall. Serena looked vaguely amused at the difficulty that Kyn had saying the statement, the next time he came around she licked his hand soothingly. /When your words fail, turn to thought, you need not put the expressions down in words, emotions are enough to convey what you mean./ Royce on the other hand gasped and moaned into his gag, squeezing his eyes shut, as if they could be seen, his hands clenching in the leather. Kyn let Royce sit that way for a few minutes at the medium setting, and then he turned to Serena. /Like I said earlier, Royce isn't going to forget this. As for that arsenal thing... it'll be rather difficult to replicate these things here. The effort it would take, would not be worth it to him, I believe. Now comes maximum settings all. He might start producing another puddle./ After that, he went over and turned the egg up to maximum. She smirked at him. /Of one kind or another, I would think./ She did shiver at the claws, involuntarily. /He's going to remember this week, entirely, and never be able to admit it to anyone./ Of that, she was sure they could agree upon. /I suppose it wont do much good to edit you out from his memories now that he's seen you./ He panted into the ball gag, biting down on it and tried most everything he could think of with his limited range of motion to move the vibe off of his length, grinding it against the ground even, which of course only made it worse. Needless to say, it didn't take long before pre started to collect on the floor beneath him, and he tried to focus on ANYTHING but what his body was doing to him, he wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeding the ground beneath him...not yet anyway. "Royce... I'm both surprised and not surprised. That entry was easier than I thought, despite you resisting...," came Kyn's words with a slight churr to them, something he supposed he picked up somewhere along the way, but definitely not in a way that normal human would. /He's also going to be looking for a Sceptile my height. Which is why I'll be a Blaziken. Also, perhaps you'd like to help me apply a different scent later, after I come back the next time. I'm thinking, something along the lines of the ocean./ Serena took a glance at the Slowking, and if the smile could get any more devious...well, it did. "It'd only take one thing, I think, from the way he's behaving...he's always been fond of...well, -sounding- I'm sure there's one of his hollow rods in the drawer there. /It would only take the threat of it, and choosing a smaller one will vibrate THAT as well...just remember to remove it before letting Heji shock him anymore, it would lightly fry the insides of him otherwise...and while a bit cruel.../ Of course, the temptation to do it was there, not as strong as it could have been. Royce managed a growl and what might have been a curse at Kyn, and a sentence that might have been a 'don't you dare' at one point to Serena's words, his breath catching in his throat. Still he throbbed at the idea, more of his body's betrayal. "Actually Serena... how about this. Pick a color... and a number between one and twenty-six." Kyn said, tilting his head back at Royce. /Roulette, of course./ She looked at Heji for a moment, then tipped her head to Kyn. "You already know my color. The number...15" Hopefully the semblance to Heji wouldn't have been missed as black being her color. Just as Pal had, Serena made her judgment to the one she loved. "Oh. Royce, let's hope that today is your lucky day." /Don't ask why, but I have a Roulette wheel application on my Pokégear.../ Kyn took out said Pokégear, and went to said application. "What I have here... is in essence a... portable Roulette wheel." He set the number of slots to 52, and then the app divided it accordingly, twenty-six red, and twenty-six black. He pushed the button, and held it near Royce's ear. The signature sound of the Roulette wheel spinning could be heard. After it stopped, a female simulated voice then called out, "Red. 6." Serena chuckled. "ah well, luck wasn't in my favor this time I suppose. But, fair's fair, your call, Kyn." She licked her forelimbs almost boredly, they already gleamed with the natural oil that she produced, but it seemed that she was trying to get the smell of him off her--which was impossible while still in the room with him like that.-------Royce groaned into his gag; drool collecting below his head, and the puddle of pre below his tip. /You're right, it is counter productive. Gonna need your help getting it back in after I remove the gag this time./ Kyn took the gag out of Royce's mouth, and then asked. "Temporarily got talking rights again Royce. Anything you'd like to add?" Serena brought herself to her feet again and approached Royce's head before the string of curses started flying from his mouth, some of which Kyn might know from when Serena herself had used them, others would be a mystery. "Time's up in 5...4..3..2...1..." She grabbed the male's muzzle with a snarl, making him bite his own tongue. "I should wash your mouth out with soap. Such filth that comes from it." "Alright then. Guess not." Kyn said, the gag back in. The next thing he did was go over to the control on Royce's leg and turned it down to low. Then he turned the other one down to low. Serena sat by Royce's head. "You couldn't really have expected much better than that, considering he's not..." she lost the word, perhaps because at one point, Marlow would have used the same word with her. "Tamed yet." Royce hissed at the lessening stimulation, it didn't do anything for his current level of arousal, if anything, it made it worse. /Serena. I believe it is time for me to indulge in another fetish of mine. You'll see what I mean./ Kyn reached into his bag and pulled out a leather riding crop. "Such language Royce... I think you need to be disciplined for that," and with that, he brought the loop down on his rear, being careful this particular time not to hit Royce's tail hole with it. She was glad that she was both; one, A Shelgon, and two, sitting down for this, as a hunter, being hit was a bad thing; and this equated as little difference to her. /I get the feeling that you and someone else will need a room at some point this week to relieve what you've been doing here./ Royce grunted as the loop came down against his rump, he couldn't see her, but he could smell that Serena was still there; as if he could appeal to the dragoness to change his mind, he nuzzled at her feet...Of course, he really just wanted to tear the gag off with her claws, but they wouldn't know that. /Hm? Why do do say that eh? It's not like I'd really need to. Also, I'm sure that if Tensa were here right now... he'd want to be doing the same thing./ "Now, hopefully you don't think that's the end of it. Of course by the end of this you're going to be have a very aching rear," After this, he stopped both sets of the vibration for a while, and waited for his reaction. Serena, instead of letting him nuzzle her, swatted the back of his head with the back of her claws, and moved a bit away. She wasn't going to encourage him sucking up to her, even if it had been innocent, and she knew Royce well enough to know that NOTHING he did was innocent. /Because you're indulging yourself in things you admit that you enjoy, and those things will eventually need an outlet, which will likely come when it's my turn to take over, as I'm sure you don't want to be here for that./ Royce tried to relax, still, the whack to the back of the head had nearly made him see stars; Damn Serena, of course she would know him well enough that it wouldn't be perceived as an innocent touch, or even a beg, but what did it matter if he was sore? it wouldn't be like he would be allowed to sit up anyway. /It's not like I really HAVE to, Serena. As you've seen we both have an extreme amount of control. Most of the time in Tensa's case as you might remember when he practically BLED the desire to mate with me. The fact that I am clothed right now limits me a bit. I'm not even sure if I'd have a wet spot or not. I don't want to check./ Kyn once again aimed just above Royce's tail hole, bringing the both the loop and the rod down across it. He wasn't using his full strength and was instead doing fast stinging movements. He repeated it five times before stopping and waiting for a bit. She chuckled half heartedly at the comment. /Well, hanging around--/ She dropped the thought, /Nevermind...and one of us could probably tell you, if it mattered....it doesn't...but yes, I remember Tensa wanting to mate with you to the point that he was almost unpleasant to be around. Honestly, asking me when I was going to get an egg the same day I admit to liking Heji, I could have slapped him./ The grunts fell in time with the slaps to his backside, each little spike of pain echoing as something else that he would never admit to being a touch of pleasure. Still just the same, he tried to keep quiet. /Serena... watch this next move carefully./ Kyn then activated the vibrators again, this time both on full high. Then he resumed his earlier onslaught against Royce. He switched back to using just the loop, which would give a different sensation than using both the rod and the loop. "Ah Royce... I wonder what color your hide will turn?" He then applied five to the left and five to the right. She snorted /It's not like i can even replicate it since my tail is sealed away in this form, and no opposable thumbs anymore for me either, one of the more annoying points of evolution in my case. The only thing you're doing now IS showing off...well.../ She looked down at the Pokémon on the ground below her. /and pushing him over the edge of course./ -----Clockwork, that was the only way it could be described, he hadn't calmed down even to the point where he was just as horny as the aphrodisiac had made him prior to this treatment, and now he was being brought back up to his peak at a rapid pace. "Nnng." came the word, about the 3rd strike with the crop, ropes of cum clouded the puddle he had been making, one for each of the remaining slaps; and each accented with a throb and another grunt. /Well I wouldn't exactly call it showing off...and there's number one./ Kyn used the opportunity of Royce's high to turn the vibration on the egg that was currently inside him down to low, while keeping the egg that was attached to his member on high. /It would be easier on you, and harder on him if i rerouted his emotions to pleasure, pain and hate, and looped them all together until they overflowed, of course, that would mean that I'd have to go into his mind.../ the dislike of that idea echoed through her thoughts.-----His heart pounded in his head, and his breaths came out in gasps and pants, or hisses, he tried to swallow his spit before it leaked out the ball, but to no avail. /No. Absolutely not. He is going to experience this naturally. Well, as naturally as being under the influence of that stuff is. Alright Serena, y'know that gag that's in his mouth right now? I'm going to replace it with something different. Also. What would really top this is off, is using his own seed to lubricate a new toy going into him./ He went into his backpack and pulled out a rag. He then tore the rag so that it was in several pieces, after which he tied those pieces together. He made a series of knots to connect the pieces all together, and then he had a string that was thick enough for what he planned on doing. She stretched and walked back behind Royce's head in an almost pace-like fashion, her eyes watching Kyn, but she clicked her claws by his head as she watched. /Have it your way. Either way he's going to freak when he realizes I can get into, and have been in his head to double check his mental status...speaking of which, I soon wont have to use Medicham's relays to be able to speak this way. Yeah, I'll be willing to assist you with that, before going and making the rounds to take them off their guard and check on the Charmander properly, I'm sure he's not thrilled having been left in the office where he was almost raped./ Royce came down from the high, his mind coming back to him, he heard the clicking of claws, the ripping of the cloth, and knew they weren't done with him. Damnit, how long would he be kept like this? Until he passed out? He squirmed a bit at the sensations that still remained on high, with him as sensitive as he was, it felt a bit overbearing, and he growled into the gag again. /Once again I am requesting you to open his mouth. Oh and of course, you do need to be gentle... since you didn't seem to before./ "Alright, time for a bit of a change." Kyn said, as he set the first vibrator back up to high, and the second one down to low. Serena snorted at the request. /As if he deserves anything less than what he gave me. Fine./ Well, with the gag already in she didn't need to re-force his jaws open, and instead just slipped her claws in at the jaw, pulling the other out with a hook of her claws. /You've given him a lot more courtesy than what I would have, that's for damn sure./ /Serena, this is a television crime drama tactic. It was originally good officer, bad officer, but in this case, you shall have, good captor, bad captor. It probably leaves what you are going to do to him... make him wish he was back with me./ Kyn replaced the gag with the thick cloth, and then he dug around in in his bag for something he wasn't sure Serena would recognize; a 9 inch nylon dowel. /You and your television, I don't see how me showing kindness when you have me do something will portray what you're expecting if I'm supposed to be 'bad'/ Once more she wiped the spit from her claws on his body, and stepped away with a half forced snarl. Her temperment wasn't getting any better it seemed. /At least we're on the same page about similar end results.../ the thought jumbled near the end as curiosity flooded the thought, then quickly sorted itself out. /...oh~/ One gag replaced with another of a different type, Royce spent his time trying to focus on the different texture of the cloth and trying to chew through it. "Hm, not tight enough. Well of course, everyone's different." Kyn wrapped more of the cloth around, and doubled it back through Royce's mouth, then pulled the front of it tighter, so that in essence it would be forced back a bit more, plus it created the essence of a sort of bow, not an exact likeness but a similarity. "There, now he's all gift wrapped." /Serena, this next part is going to be a mix of pain and pleasure again./ She tossed Kyn a look that said 'it wouldn't have happened if I had done it' as she walked back and forth in a pace, she was tired of sitting, and tired of just standing as well, she settled for stretching her legs proper. /Of course it is. Everything you've done so far has had an element of pain to it. All Minor, but still there. Merlot might approve for someone who was behaving/ She cursed under her breath. /You didn't hear the last part./ She added as an afterthought, well, it wasn't like she'd mentioned it outright, but only she was the only one sworn to secrecy, Merlot had counted on Heji being too embarrassed not to say anything--unfortunately for her, and Serena both, Heji wasn't the embarrassed type. /Is there any reason that Heji is still here, other than my comfort?/ /Yes. Heji is here for other purposes. Hm, I suppose I didn't hear that. But it does give me an idea that is now spontaneous, since you put it that way. Which depending on how you want to take it, is either good news for you or bad news for him./ Kyn didn't say anything but, he removed the egg from Royce, and then let it fall on the ground. He then immediately afterwards brought the dowel down across Royce's rear, harder than he'd ever done before, to the point to where it made an audible swish before connecting. /Isn't that the same thing? One would think so./ Serena didn't even blink at the swish and the thwack of the dowel against the skin, she did extend her pacing to nose Heji's ear, there was no need for him to have to focus on what was going on when he wasn't needed, obviously. A cry of pain, he winced as the dowel made contact with his already sore skin; even if he could have ignored the spike of pain, he wouldn't have kept the sound from his mouth; as is, his body trembled from having the egg pulled from him, it left him empty, and he wasn't quite sure why he ached as he did, especially with the other egg still buzzing away along his cock. /I dunno. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do./ Kyn shifted to a pattern, and since it didn't really matter much at this current point, he shifted to using full strength strokes. /Nylon. This material is call nylon, and believe me it both stings and is painful./ After ten strokes, he then switched off the second vibrator. "Royce, for this next set.... I want you to count them to me," He took a risk and put two gloves on one hand, two gloves that hadn't been seen in quite a while, and he used it to push Royce's cloth gag down. Heji hmmed at Serena, trying to figure out what she wanted, since he was starting to take an interest in what Kyn was doing. Serena turned on Royce the moment Kyn began to put on the gloves, and stared at him so that he would feel it even through the blindfold, it was that sort of protective glare that easily said 'I will make your life a living hell if you hurt him' Of course, with the coming week, she was already going to do that anyway, but she would go beyond that, if she felt the need to, and that wouldn't be fueled by her own revenge. When there was no bite at the glove, she carefully nipped Heji's ear once, then laid down beside him as she took the hint. -Careful, or you'll start giving ME ideas dear.- she was half joking, of course. Royce didn't dare, he could feel the two predatory sets of eyes on him, and even the shadow of Medicham, and he still had 6 days left to go of this torture, he was sure that Serena would kill him some point if he hurt her so called 'family'. He let the human do as he wished with him, and growled as he spoke. "Sure your majesty, want that with your slippers or would you prefer a newspaper?" The sarcasm that laced his voice would have been lethal had it been a weapon. Kyn gave Royce a lash to his side instead of his rear. He actual growled, something that he rarely did, and said, "The only sounds I want to hear out of you are numbers, and yes, or no. Clearly this is something you can understand." "Tch. Understood." he grumbled, wincing at the hit to his side, and tried to focus on things other than what he knew would be happening again, clearing un-needed things from his mind. Perhaps how he would get back at Serena for submitting him to this...He couldn't even think of it as punishment. "Alright. Here comes the first one." He didn't bring his arm fully up, and didn't use the dowel fully across and instead, let the edge whip across his targeted left side. Royce had been, understandably, anticipating a full blow, and so the scathing blow caught him by surprise; still he hissed, ignoring the pain, and mostly kept his voice level. "One..." Without announcing the next one, he did the same on the right side. At this point he also observed the fact that Royce's rear was beginning to really show signs of its earlier abuse. /Question. Would you have ever done this specifc thing to Royce when you had opposable thumbs if you could, in addition to what you're planning on doing later? Or is.... what I am currently doing new to you?/ Kyn hoped that it wasn't so that he wouldn't be feeling relatively alone in what he was doing. /Perhaps, it wasn't the most...I mean...It wasn't among my favorite...lessons when I was shown--they saw that it would do no good to try it on my hide, and so had to demonstrate on others, as you do, the difference....they enjoyed the beating./ she rephrased midway, realizing that she could have easily had offended, and she could tell that he needed something from her that he wouldn't say, she just hoped she had interpreted that correctly. "Two...." another near completely stable reply. /Masochism is rare for me to find, Serena; and he won't mind me telling you this but, Tensa is an example of one of the extremes without really going all the way TOO the extreme./ Kyn then switched tactics suddenly, as per some of his usually procedure, and then gave three rapidfire (one per second) full strength strokes, all the way across. He was planning on overlapping those later. Serena almost winced with sympathy, almost, at the blows, her head withdrew into her shell as she returned the exchange. /Going to be blunt here, Kyn, I probably will never allow you, nor he to do this sort of thing to me. Sorry, just not really...haa, well I can't say at least one half of it isn't in me, can I? It's difficult for me to submit./ Royce groaned as he counted the next three out. "ThREE...FOur....fiVE" He hissed out in pain, his body starting to tremble. /No Serena that is not what I was thinking of. However, it is interesting that you went that particular route. No need for you to be blunt. How the hell do I do a mental cough?/ "We're not even halfway done." The next sequence was like the first, only this time he went two the left from the edge of the dowel, followed by two to the right, and then a full strength one. He was making sure to line it up so that there was about and inch between all of what he was doing. /Mmm...you misunderstood. That's alright. I'll explain. When it comes to sex, I tend to wrap my claws around my partner...right now it leaves scratches and tears some of the fur out of Heji's hide....In my Salamence stage...../ she trailed off. <I might hurt him...> Royce twitched at the blows, "Six, S-seven, Nng-Eight, Ha-Nine...Ten." "Now please, do try to keep up with these next ones." Next he applied five to the right with the edge, trying to overlap as much as possible, before moving over to the left and applying five more to that side. <I can understand Serena. However, I am certain that HE would understand it if you did managed to slightly brush him with your claws during that. After all... He.... Does the same thing.> Serena might have flushed scarlet, it would have been hard to tell with her head withdrawn as well. <I know...but his are retractable, and I'm not exactly slippery...well, probably in this form neither of us will have to worry, perhaps I'll linger here longer than I normally would.> "Eleven, TWElve ThirTEeen FourteEN FifteeN Nnnng-Sixteen, SeveTeEN Eighteen...?" He was falling behind, and his spots were burning to the point where they were blurring together. When he panted and tried to ignore the pain in his sides he found that he was throbbing with want of release again. Damnit. He could guess if there were two more, but if he was wrong he would have been punished worse, what would happen if he didn't report the last two strikes? Two more? Two more wouldn't be that bad. "You missed two. That's some rather bad news for you. That means we get to start all over again." /Serena, normally... I wouldn't do something like that. But this is Royce we're talking about here. I told him, he would feel this, did I not?/ Serena drew her head out so that the tip of her nose was visible. /He's going to cum again, probably about the fifth stroke in, maybe third, depending on what type of hits they are....Hmmm, panic in the error, seems he thought that he would get off with only the two to replace the two he missed./ "No! I...." He started, then remembered the situation, remembered that he didn't want him to say anything other than yes, no or a number. /That stuff must be really powerful then. Either that or.../ "Here they come now then." He started off with two full strength strokes, and this time, since the egg wasn't in, he deliberately aimed for Royce's tail hole those first two. Afterwards he used the whipping motion for three more on the left side. /Or he likes it./ She finished for him. /The aphrodisiac only keeps him horny, for a designated time...one drop equals a week, and yes, he has more of it, as much as I would love to say I depleted his stock by dumping it down the drain/------Royce huffed at the two strikes across his tailhole, "One...T-two...." he took a deep breath as he changed the placement of the next strike "Thr-ree, F-fffour...FIVE" The last was more of a Hissed shout as he tensed up, coating the floor with his seed again. "Shit...." It wasn't like it wasn't expected, but it was a single concentrated word, instead of a string of curses like before. "Royce, I'm allowing you temporary free speech. What do you have to say for yourself about the fresh mess you've left on the floor?" Kyn said, noticing that it was starting to create a decent amount. At this rate Royce would begin to be a the point to where he was probably be shooting blanks soon. "It IS what you wanted me to do, ISN'T it? We're playing YOUR game after all." Every little shift he made hurt, he hadn't felt like this since before he founded the King's Rock Casino. "It's not like you positioned a cup and told me to hit it against the far wall." Sarcasm. "Well, then I guess that brings the count up to two. Now, I believe I left off at five, is that correct?" Of course he knew the answer, but the point was to get Royce to either say yes or not, and since he hasn't revoked his free speech yet, he might say something else. "Haa...I can't feel the left side of my face, it's gone numb against the floor..." he realized he wasn't answering the person in control's question. "Five...yes...can I not have to have my face against the floor for this next set?" He tried to emulate one of the Pokémon that he had dominated in the past, one that had given in, but his posture didn't show it, he was still the same proud Pokémon that they began with this night.----------/Hmmm....well he can pretend well enough./ /Oh but he can indeed. That won't even fool ME./ "No. You can stay there like that." He started up another set, without warning, this time it was full strength AND the whipping motion,to the point to where he figured if not already, welts would begin to be showing more heavily since he kept it within that particular one inch area. He did four in a row to the left, and four in a row to the right. /This way of communicating with you is getting rather difficult somewhat. With the way a Slowking tail works, anything that is done to him down there, won't be able to be seen by most 'mon unless they specifically go under it, and even so, he wouldn't be willing to tell them exactly how he got them./ Royce growled and hissed as the rod started coming back down on him, and his skin was indeed welting up, not that he could see it. "Six *Grunt* Seven...Eight *Growl* Nine, Ten...." He had time for a breath before the others started again. Eleven, Haa-Twelve, Nnnng-Thirteen..." He hissed out the last of the 8 hits with the same rough, and hateful tone that he had started the night with.-----/So don't talk. Told you, emotions work just as well./ /Serena, I want to be able to overlap all of those at once. Do you think that if I moved his arms up I'd be able to do that?/ He did give Royce a pause but... what he did next was something that he also wouldn't normally do. He moved over to Royce, and used the edge of his fingernails to draw over Royce's affected area. Serena stood and walked over to where the tail was held high against his collar, and undid the latch, holding it under her hind claw, and then grabbing with her teeth and YANKING up on the armbinder in a sort of stretch that forced Royce to arch away from the ground and expose his back fully to Kyn, leaving him free to continue his onslaught, and because she was a Shelgon there was no danger in hurting her if he did rake against her scales. /Go for it./ Royce screamed, there was no other word for it, the welts being scraped brought tears to his eyes, and just as he was contorted, his arms brought upwards, his tail stepped on and pinned beneath cruel claws, now he truly looked as submissive as he sounded. Kyn prepared for the final seven. He did them as fast and as hard as he could, two per second, followed by a find one across his tail hole again. Depending on how Royce reacted now, he would either stop, to actually give him a break for one reason or another, or he would continue in another way. /That brings the total up to fourty./ When the swipes were done, Serena reclipped the tail, but left her teeth in the binder, and when she did let go, she rolled him back over onto his side, effectively throwing him into another cursing and yelling fit as he tried to get off of the welts, trying to relieve the pressure on them, she backed away to let Kyn resume doing whatever he wanted, though her words rang out as clear as day. "That's three, and he's out of juice." Embarrassment flooded his mind, in a fit of extreme pain, he'd cum, there was no pleasure in that at all...still, he'd somehow managed to count the rest of them off, between gasps and coughs. Tears had seeped into the blindfold, and while he was still cursing them with what breath he could muster, each one was interrupted with shuddering moans as he tried to ignore the welts. "Well Serena, I don't plan on letting all that go to waste down there." Kyn said, making sure Royce could clearly hear him. /Serena. Do you know what will happen to Royce if I put a mixture of salt and lemon juice on his welts?/ Serena regarded him with her green eyes, the same devious green eyes that once looked up at him with Naivity. "I don't think I do either, perhaps it's time he refilled himself with what he spilled, hmm?" /He'll pass out./ she warned. /Understand, the beam shot that he took earlier was the first time he'd felt that much pain, at once, since the last time he could remember; what you've shown him tonight, is just the kiddy pool...but you know that./ "I do so agree, but I need a little bit of it. Royce, basically, you're going to have your own seed back inside you, one way or another." Kyn reached into his bag, and pulled our another phallus. This one, to anyone who was familiar with metal, was metal, and it had a cord that was attached to another metal piece. There was no control piece, as it has been slightly modified. /THIS is where Heji finally comes in. Metal conducts electricity as you know. Do you know what this particular one is going up against, Serena?/ She shifted and stretched, walking around to Royce's head. /Since you just said you're going to be using his own sperm, and you pulled that thing out...I have an idea...and yes I know, I made mention of the sounding rod earlier conducting electricity....it conducts fire quite well too./ Royce was panting, still, he growled at the idea that he was being used like this! He ran this joint! How dare they treat him like some street urchin? "Not likely." /Uh... Serena, perhaps you could let me in on what you have an idea about./ "Pardon me...? I believe you are under the impression that you have a choice in the matter. You're also lucky that I don't have a chair that has twenty or so bumps in it to put a constant pressure on your rear." /Eh? Oh, I meant I had an idea of where it would be going. sorry, I train you in specifics then slip up myself./ Serena held up one clawed limb. "Maybe your fingernails weren't enough pain to send the message home, I have about six FINELY honed claws that would love to turn his skin into a scratching post." "That... does sound rather painful. I hope you don't force Serena to do that Royce." Kyn said, after which he then placed the metal phallus in Royce's own puddle, and rolled it around. He then held his held his hand under it so that whatever dripped could be put back on, and then he quickly inserted it into Royce's rear, after having... thoroughly coated it. Serena let Kyn insert his toy before unhooking the chain from the ring on the floor with her other claws and grabbing him by the collar, pulling him to his mess, her other claws still held by his welted skin. The balancing act wasn't FUN, mind you, since she was no longer built to walk on two legs, but she managed...awkwardly...like a dog that was just learning how...."You're either going to eat it, or you're going to wear it, if you wear it...well, I'm sure that will definitely be a shocking experience for you." The claws that had been on his collar moved to press him down, using him for a counterbalance as well, pushing his face down into his own puddle. "You have until the count of three before I let our resident Luxray do his thing." Royce had had just about enough of the idle threats, Serena would never HURT him, she was a hunter, sure, but she wouldn't--the thought was lost as he felt the claws, and the mess beneath his lips, he heard the alternative....well, he was going to end up wearing a bit of it anyway. It was the final threat that got through to him though, and his tongue raked against the floor---when was the last time that he'd washed this room anyway? He wasn't sure; but it was going to get a good scrub after this week was over, if only to erase the memory of the week that he spent here. He did get a generous amount on his face, due to positioning...he just couldn't believe that he was eating his own spunk. /Serena, ain't Heji gonna shock him anyway?/ Kyn looked at the scene in front of him, filled with bewonderment. Here he was, Royce the Casino owning Slowking, being in the process of being reduced to less than the way he treated some others. Having to experience SOME of what he'd done to others. Royce really couldn't believe what he had just done, and he spit the residue from his lips. "Fine, it's clean, now remove whatever it is from my ass." Came the hateful words. /Never said he wasn't, just that it wouldn't happen on the count of 3~/ She shrugged at him. /Okay, maybe i have been spending too much time in certain places, demeaning him like this has me buzzed...would be soo easy to get lost in a power trip right now, glad I know better./ When it was clean, she hooked him back up to the ring and flicked her tongue out to taste the emotions. "Hmmmmmmm? Oh, just because you did something for your Mistress, don't think it lies in conjunction for anything to your Masters' whims. That was...rule number 5, wasn't it? When you first reintroduced me to Nina, and she made me a promise, and then YOU told me that Whatever I did for her, didn't count towards my debt with YOU." /Heji, please take the other metal end in your paw, and use maybe about one and a half volts for about fifteen seconds if you can, please./ Heji did exactly that, and him moving towards the rest of them could definitely be heard. After Heji put the charge through, he counted mentally. Since the other half of the device was currently situated over Royce's prostate, it would send that jolt over it, and into and all around. Royce of course, knew when he had been had, but it didn't make him any more happy about the information, nor the fact that she seemed to be walking away, being chained, and on his shoulders and knees, with a short chain and a false dick up his ass, didn't help his disposition any either. He growled, and then grunted at the electricity, forcing his body to readapt to the charge that ran through him. "Nnng...bastards." "So, it seems that I was right about the voltage then." Kyn said, moving over to the toy. He experimented a bit, twisting and turning it to see which would truly be the best way, but without electricity flowing through it. Serena found a spot that had silken cloth in a pile, she didn't remember it being there, but after making sure that it wasn't...well, that it wasn't intended for -another- purpose, she curled up on it. /He may not realize it himself yet, but soon enough he'll be cursing us for touching him with STATIC. When you tire of playing with him, be sure to have Heji switch to the opposite charge to accept his electricity back./ /Hm? Serena, Heji already has it back. The device was built for alternating current./ "Royce, I have a question for you. Of all things, why is it that you have a Roulette wheel built into that floor? I can picture a few reasons but... I would like you to give me your answer." /Ah, hm...well then, I'm not sure why he's behaving like this, if he still doesn't have a charge running through--Oh...his crown's gone...that might explain it; he's probably experiencing withdrawls to top it off./ She sighed, supposing that she couldn't have him reverting back to being a slowpoke just yet, that would make everything useless. /I'll fetch it, be back relatively soon./ She clicked her tongue, and exited the room with a click of the door. It wasn't really hard to find it; since she hadn't drug him off in multiple directions, but still, she took her time just the same. "Why's it matter?" He snarled. "It's a fair game, a fair chance to walk out without any strings attached." "Is it truly no strings attached? If so, then why is it that the doors close behind us, when you invite us back? I'm referring to both sets of doors, by the way." Kyn said. It was a FAIR question to ask After all. "The first doors out to the game room close so that no one outside can follow and corner the staff, blackmail them. The second to my office, well, most people are nervous enough; wouldn't want the security burning eyes into the back of their heads." business, he could do business talk. "So long as the security follows orders, it IS a no strings attached deal if you win." "That's not the only part I'm referring to. I am... referring to what happens to those, who refuse to play. Like I did." Kyn said. He wouldn't have asked this last question if Serena were still in the room. Royce didn't like where this was going; and knew that if this human didn't like the answer, he was going to get another jolt, knew if he lied, he was going to get another jolt. "Those who don't play...find the security not to be the friendly sort. Just asking a chance to make my money back, or for you to double yours." "Yeesh. That doesn't seem like a lot of options. But, the reason why I asked that is well, for one thing, it'd be really inconvenient... for both of us I might add, if I had to fight my way out." Kyn did remember the last time when he had to pretend like he didn't know Serena. "I really wanted to meet you Royce... and I had no idea that all I had to do was just in essence if what you're telling me is correct, WIN too much." "Tch." there wasn't a question, there wasn't an answer requested, he kept his mouth closed. Serena took the time to check on the Charmander, who had indeed been drugged...and though it made her even more angry at Royce, she did knock out the Charmander and put him in a separate room. She sighed, the rock in her claws, and sent a mental notification that she was coming back in, made sure things were back in place, and clicked the door closed behind her, setting herself down in front of Royce. "Here's a question for you, Royce, have you ever lost your crown before? Do you know how much it HURTS to have it reattached? Yet without it, you turn back to your former state." She taunted. "I've wondered about that actually. I... don't think I'd want to have to had something literally embed itself back into my skull." Kyn said, shivering. "But of course... I mean there are some humans who do modifiy themselves in the most painful ways I've seen..." Both fear of the pain and fear of not getting his crown back clouded the air around them, not that Kyn would be able to smell it; but Serena and Heji could. "As a slowpoke, he wouldn't have been able to feel it for, what is it? six hours? Nine? Well, you're not so lucky this time." She picked up the crown with her claws and pressed it to his head, growling at the scream that of course came with it. "I paid the Charmander a VISIT while I was out." She hissed after the scream reduced to sobs. "How much did you give him? How long will he be in an endless rut?!" "AUGH....I..." blood of course dripped with the tears down his face, as the Shellder reattached itself. "Four..." "Actually, I take it back. This type of pain is nowhere near what some of us go through. He acts like he's not used to much pain at all." Kyn noticed the blood, and wondered how far in the Shellder actually went. Serena looked at him in disgust, she said nothing for a while; then trembling in a quiet rage, went back over to the silken cloth and proceeded to tear it to shreds. "He's not." She said after a bit. "He's used to dishing it out, but he's never even tried anything that he uses on others on himself, not even his own drug..." Her voice was cold again. /Four drops, four weeks...we're going to have to leave him here in a rut.../ "Hm, I see. Well then Serena. Perhaps it is time for him to experiment with things like that." /He doesn't know it but, everything that I've done to him tonight... I've experienced one way or another. Which is why I know how to do it so well. You could take that Charmander with you./ /As have I....and I don't mean with him.../ She sat down on what she had torn up, and gave a shuddering sigh. /I might...but then he would equate me to being like Royce, keeping him tied up as he is, and even being around him would be torture for him./ "Yes, I would think so." She closed her eyes, withdrawing back into her mind. /Give me 10 minutes, I need to calm down...if I don't then even under YOUR control, i will kill him./ Of course, Medicham would know exactly what she was doing; and by association, Kyn likely would as well--though it wasn't a meditation pose; as there were none set up for her species, she forced that anger into another little stone, and added it to the pile that she had started creating since she had unlocked the memory for him.------Royce was already in pain, he could barely hear Kyn and Serena's conversation, and what he did hear, he wasn't happy with. He licked his lips and tasted the tears, mentally cursing himself. "Sigh... Royce, you know you don't deserve it, but I'm going to do it anyway. This is going to sting severely, but it'll be over quicker." He went into his BACKpack, and took out a potion. He then sprayed it all around where Royce was bleeding on his head, and then waited. "Nng..." he hissed, but the cuts did stop bleeding and heal.--- Serena soon had had her ten minutes and opened her eyes back up, she wrinkled her nose, which was unseen. "They were just flesh wounds you know. Head wounds just have a tendancy to bleed a lot." She recounted what she had 'heard' but not 'listened to' while she was out, and snorted, and filled in the details that having her eyes closed made her miss. Those stones of anger...each one of them would be thrown at Royce later on, and each one would leave a mark that he wouldn't be able to forget. THAT was enough to still the turmoil that bubbled in the back of her mind. "Royce, do you want me to heal your other wounds as well?" He was being MOSTLY sincere, despite what Serena would think. "Doesn't matter what -I- want, now does it?" He snorted, still on his side where Serena had left him, spread and shown for all of them to see. Was he embarrassed? Perhaps...not that he'd ever remember it. "Doesn't matter even if it did matter what I wanted, First night of seven, worse will happen than what -you've- done to me tonight I'm sure." he scoffed. "Are we done?" "If you want anything other than to be released, I might actually consider it. So, I take it that you do not want me to heal your wounds then, simply because you expect much worse to happen in the seven days." Kyn responded, ignoring Royce's attitude, that he was certain he wouldn't be having IF another shock were applied to him though. "Tch." was all he said. Favors were laced with problems, and he wasn't going to bother with asking for a favor from a human anyway. "You sure don't like talking much now. Whereas earlier you couldn't stop sputtering curses. So, Royce, how long has it been since you've used one of your Psychic type moves? I mean, you DO run this Casino After all." "How would you know if I even HAD psychic moves in my arsenal? Pokémon where YOU'RE from might be that predictable, but we're not." He snarled at the mention of him no longer spouting curses. "Would you prefer I go back to that, I can, after all." "I would prefer if you didn't but, Royce... I did SCAN you, while you weren't looking the last time. Just for fun. Seems you do have Trick Room and Future Sight." The string of curses that left his lips at the mention of reading his moves could have made a sailor blush, and this went on for quite a while, at least until he was out of breaths three times. "You had no right." finally escaped his lips. Kyn spent most of the time wondering when Royce would finish with his cloud of curses. "What makes you say that? You say that as if looking at your moves is like invading your personal space. Unless of course, you see it as... losing an advantage over someone." "It IS an invasion of personal space and privacy, did you SCAN Serena for her moves, or did you ASK her about them? Did she voice something to you, or did you just take it from her?" He accused.-----Serena raised an eyereidge, that once more couldn't be seen due to her withdrawn head. "MY moves are registered in the guild database, and anyone can look them up by requesting the team registry." She offered. "Well, a bit of both actually. Your reaction though, does make me question a few things about this world." He said. He completely forgot about the guild for a while. "Database my impaled and sore ass! It's a sheet of paper that you signed and wrote down what you wanted, you could have lied on it if you wanted and no one would be any wiser." He snorted. She gave a wiry smile to the accusation that she would lie on her application, of course he didn't know she couldn't lie, and if it was in her power he never would, it would keep him guessing for sure, as to if she was telling the truth, or if she was lying to him. "Royce, I specifically want to know more about humans here. Would you please tell me what you personally know about them? You might as well tell me since, after this week you'll never see me again." He snarled at him, his curiosity was piqued, that was good as far has Royce was concerned, he had a bargaining chip now. "I will not." came the response. "Well, since he's done talking, may as well get back to it then." Serena stretched. "Unless you'd like me to take over Kyn?" of course, she was rather sure the answer would be no; considering that she'd already given the night to him. "Well... I suppose you can take over. Just... let me know when he decides that maybe being with me would be a better option. I wanted to just converse for a bit. But apparently he wants to be with you instead." Kyn made his way to the door. "I think I'll go check and see if the Clefable is here. The way there is the blue walls right?" She gave him a look like 'you're sure?' then walked to nudge Heji, and Medicham as well. "Go with him, show him the way, if you don't mind." Of course, it was an excuse to get the two out of there for a bit. There was no smile on her face now, strictly business. They both guessed at a deeper meaning behind her suggesting they go with Kyn, and so they did go anyway. /...Do you have a Rayquaza here that lives in the outer edges of the sky? If not... then I was wondering if I'd be able to bring some technology here... since I doubt very many besides Rayquaza can reach the outer edges of space./ /I wouldn't know, I've never met one, but if we have all of the legendaries that you do, it would be possible that we do./ She turned her attention to Royce once the door clicked closed, she was practically glowing with the purple energy that marked her shadow claw, making her look almost as devious as Royce had at one point. "Dear Royce...do you know why ghosts are considered the most dangerous Pokémon type around? It's because they, and their energy, can go through solid objects and become physical at any point afterwards. You experienced this once; Royce; do you remember how it feels to have your muscles burn as they bleed?" she stood over him, and drew the tips of the energy over his side, making him wince as even her actual claws scraped him. She did pull the gag back up into his mouth; giving him something to bite down on. She saw his eyes, if only for a moment, plead with her, heard the words that were supposed to be 'no, please' but came out garbled and she could only chuckle. "You had your chance to beg with Kyn, No, the only thing I want to hear from you, is to hear you scream." Kyn meanwhile did manage to find Riiko's door, but he didn't go in. He did take into consideration that thing about privacy. If only Marlow were still here, he'd ask that Marlow help him dig around in the room. She extended the shadowy claws and ripped down his right side, careful only to graze the bones of the ribcage, and stay away from the vital points in his torso, then stood up and let the energy pass through his legs and then yes, stopped at his crotch, where she hooked them and pulled back, ensuring that he would never bear children. Of course, he was squirming and screaming by this point, he even curled up on himself, or as much as he could anyway, as the purple glow faded from her claws. She pulled on the spreader bar until he was straightened out completely, turning him on his back and then ran her claws down his sides again, any welts he had would bleed. "Fuck you Royce, I was a child when you got your hands on me, when you made me service you, when you drugged me to make me think my body was ENJOYING it, that it was my place, and I'm not the only one. LOOK AT ME!" She ripped of the blindfold. "You don't get to hide from what you've done, You don't get to pretend that this is all just a bad dream, that will go away the moment you open your eyes, Every moment of this, you will remember, and you will speak of it to no one. You don't deserve Mercy, you don't deserve a damn thing of what your casino gives you, not the protection, not the wealth, not the friends, or the ability to turn us into your slaves." She took two steps back and brought out the velvet bag, opening it; and taking out the metal, heavy cockring that beared the sharp points on the inside, those that would pierce the skin, and even deeper. She laid it open in front of his eyes, then unleashed a torrent of flame onto it, scorching the tiles around it, and finally, latched it around the base of his dick. She pinned him down even as he screamed and thrashed at the heat of it all, taking the latch into her mouth and welding it to him...the only way that was coming off, was if they pulled it off like a normal ring. Kyn of course did not hear Royce's lament, due to being so far away, but even moreso, due to the fact that he soundproofed the door. He figured he'd give Serena a few hours, before going back to check on Royce. It was only when the male was on the brink of passing out that she stopped torturing him, and it was torture, she had made little effort to show attention to him sexually other than the device that now had long cooled down; but aside from that area, she had kept true to her word that she hadn't sparked blood that couldn't have been there anyway. She decided that she would turn off his ability to feel pain for a bit, letting it build like a hose with kink in it. It was about this time that Kyn would walk through the door, and he'd find her walking back towards her satin pile. /Find everything Okay?/ her mental voice sounded weary, even if she wasn't physically tired. /Close the door.../ She drained a bit of his pain off to the pleasure node, and he moaned beside himself; unwanting, unwilling. His eyes looked up at Kyn; pleading with him to let him go, or to stay, not to leave her alone with him anymore. /Yes. Now Serena... there are a few things I need to address with you of course. I need to know what you did to him. We have stories of hell, Serena. Stories of torture so horrible. Things that would make even you cringe; and you have the opportunity to do it to him./ "I don't think that even a week will be enough to convey so many years of emotion. Is he able to speak?" Kyn said, looking over at Royce. Serena snorted, both mentally and physically. /Only two things permanent you need to worry about. One is the ring...I wouldn't remove it...and two, he'll never be able to procure an egg to submit them to the kinds of horrors I suffered through./ She tilted her head at him and gave a smile that was worthy of Devonshire. /Of course, this means that he probably wont be able to cum for you for a bit, sorry./ "I've not done anything to his vocal chords...moving...moving would be very painful for him." she said, rather offhandedly. "I see. So, I should probably be careful with him then. But that still doesn't completely answer my question." Kyn went over to Royce and inspected him. Like last time, it would also appear that he was inspecting a piece of meat, assessing the damage to it. She sighed. "Why don't you see if HE remembers everything I put him through, if not, I'll remind him of parts that he left out later." there was a sinister tone to her voice, a threat as well as a promise. /Hell is what I was put through, I LIVED through hell Kyn; I told you this would be a waking nightmare for him, that he wouldn't be able to hide from it, that it would probably damage him to the point that he wouldn't be able to TOUCH another peice of this gear.......and you wont find anything worse than what you did to him...on the surface at least. Shadow claw./ Kyn went over to Royce and looked him in the eyes. "Royce, tonight I can be both your salvation, and your damnation. I do so wish you would have talked to me earlier though." Serena laid her head down on her claws, watching for the moment, Royce only moaned again as if he had been drugged in yet another way. /Do you still insist that in your presence, I not mess with his emotions? If so, he's going to pass out soon, if not, he may pass out when the pleasure tries to make him cum./ /Yes, I do. To me, it like toying with him in the same way that the drugs do only with a different scale. Why is pleasure even in this mix?/ Kyn sighed out loud, and dug around in his pack for the object that he would soon be using. /Very well, but as I said, he'll soon pass out from pain taking away that outlet...as for WHY i used pleasure...I only did so after all the negative emotions were on the brink of overloading, this includes pain...He's going to scream again when you remove the gag, even to put that liquid down his throat, and yes, I already know you're going to waste it on him./ She snorted, reverting the changes she had made to ALL of his emotional pathways, not just the one to his pleasure senses, and he went tense the moment she did as the pain began to overload and the others decreased. /Then... when will I be able to do it to where I won't get my ears screamed off, Serena? Did I ever tell you the tale, of the man who sinned on this earthly plane, and was sentenced to eternal torture?/ Kyn pulled out the vial of clear-golden liquid, that was at this current point filled to the top. She sighed and winkled her nose at him. "Fine, I'll take his pain away for five minutes, and take it unto myself...and no, you haven't." he might have noticed that she closed herself off from the public channel as she walked over to Royce and looked him in the eye. Almost immediately he went lax. "Now you can." she answered, in a rather rough voice; but it was obvious that she had a higher pain tolerance than the slowking. Kyn went over to Royce and lowered the gag. He then took off the stopper and tilted Royce's head up. Ten large drips of the liquid made their way into Royce's mouth, before he closed it again. "I will tell you the tale later. When we away from him." Serena took her eyes away from the slowking the moment she was allowed to, replacing the gag after he'd swallowed, and virtually held him in place as he screamed into his gag then went lax in her grip. "As you wish." She sighed and stretched her muscles. "You didn't seem to mind too much when I was playing on YOUR emotions." "That is a bit true, Serena. Now, take a long look and see why I keep this particular liquid with me at all times." He sat down in the corner of the room, and waited for anything else that Serena might do. About a 1/32 of the liquid was gone. Serena's nose twitched as she watched what Kyn could not see, the work she had done in the hours, and the work that he had done in his time with the slowking, she turned him onto his side and loosened the binder a bit so that his arms were in a more natural position, not enough that he could get away though, and removed the spreader bar from between his knees, leaving the cuffs and chain that linked his ankles almost tightly together. One might say that she was even being kind in this regard, considering she grabbed another slip of leather and bound his legs the rest of the way up, and then, of course, removed the chain linking his ankles, as well as the one connecting his collar to the floor. These, along with the others, she hung up on the wall, then she pulled the blindfold and the gag up and down respectively, to let him sleep in peace--he would need all the luck with that as possible. "Fine, I've seen. You are, as you've said, the keeper to his safety and to his pain. An angel and a devil." she walked away from them both, grabbing the door handle. "And I'm just an executioner with her hands tied." "The story involves a case where a man is sentenced to have his innards eated every single day. The next day his entire body is restored, and he has to go through that pain all over again." Kyn said, putting the liquid back. "Now, are you telling me this story to make me wary of what I do here, or to make reference to what you've just done to him?" She gave him a toothy smile. "Definitely the second one. Though he'll still not be able to have children. Not even this magical liquid can undo that Serena. So he'll probably either have to steal an egg, or adopt one. I hope you've covered that angle somewhere." He went over to Royce and carefully pulled the metal phallus out of him, before letting it clang to the floor. "Of course, now I have to wash this again. Metal... ugh. Metal attracts bacteria far easier than the other types of... toys I have. Unless you've burned the hell out of it. But I'd still wash it just for the sake of being careful." "Good, because I'm already aware of what I'm doing, and how it will stay with me just as long as it will for him, for a different reason." She looked back at him. "I CAN, but i haven't...Hm,I suppose i could have...." "Serena, I hope that your thought process didn't just shift to what I think it did. If not, then phew. If so, then uh oh. Now, you did say a whole week. There's not really that much that I can think of that can be done in a week. Of course, I', not exactly well versed in torture. Which he is more than likely going to wish that you weren't. Serena, that one place where you sat down in front of me and waited for my answer... this is another answer to that. We both have sides that the other now knows about." "Mmm, I suppose so." She walked over to him and nudged at his hip softly. "Doesn't mean that it'll tear us apart...and of course, I suppose that since you're not from this world, it's perfectly fine for me to tell you exactly where i learned...if you wanted to know, and IF Heji hasn't already told you." "I have not. He'd probably find it rather interesting." Heji commented at her. "Well, I do infact want to know. Of course... I learned it from... websites and personal experience but..." Kyn trailed off and figured she'd understand that that was the end of his thought and that he'd like the answer. She jumped and turned to face Heji as she would any predator that surprised her. "I swear, Stealth Lion..." she turned back around. "Merlot...was all too happy to show the different situations, and to teach me..." She coughed. "Heji got to watch, of course." "Merlot...? Heji's... right. I do find that rather interesting. Heji, stop using your predatory skills to sneak up on your mate." Kyn said with a chuckle. Heji himself gave a chuckle back at this. "I will try my best, MASTER." Serena twitched a little at the word, and snorted. "Yes, Merlot and her maid fetished servants...Udon was all too willing to let herself be subjected to a spanking...lets not use that word anymore, m'kay?" she paused "....and I don't always mind him sneaking up on me." she admitted. "Agh. Dammit Serena. Now I've got to fight of the temptation to visit Merlot. Oh, that reminds me... there are multiple Lugia back in my world... is Merlot the last of her kind? I didn't teach him to call me that by the way. He just... heard it from other non me trained Pokémon. So.... who is Udon?" Kyn fired almost rapidfire questions, but they were spaced differently. "Udon is a Dragonite." She was getting used to answering his questions. "...and if you do, be prepared to wear a maid's outfit. No, I don't think she's the 'last' of her kind, but she is the latest generation of the Draclugia family. Many have tried to court her, and she turns them away..." She looked up at him. "And LASTLY, yes, my mind did go there." "Bah, a maid's outfit. Besides, I couldn't go there anyway due to being a human. Unless of course, for some strange reason Merlot decided to not be bothered by that. OH LORD, I just had the worst idea for what she might do if she did find out. Pardon me while I bleach my brain for a sec." Kyn said, rubbing his temples. Serena laughed at him for a moment, then turned and nuzzled Heji, one of her claws going up along his side as she did, a rumbling churr escaping her throat, the symbolance of a hug fading soon afterwards. "Hey, it's not funny! This is serious business." Kyn immediately shifted his tone. "...exactly how much did Udon endure? You've got me curious yet again." At the question, she shivered, if for a very different reason, and actually had to sit for a bit as it brought up the memory. "Before I share...I'd like you to recall how strong dragon scales are." "You did mention something about it. I'd imagine that it'd take a lot to get the equivalent effects, as to what would happen with human skin." Kyn said, trying to think of where she was headed with this line of thinking. She passed him a memory of the big Udon bent over the desk with her hands gripping the other side while Merlot took a paddle to her already bruised rear; and still she hissed and begged for more. Of course, a tidbit of what the memory had brought up came through with it, and she looked away from him. "Hmm well... anything short of bleeding Serena, is up to the other. I'm not sure if that particular one would... go until she bled. Though I have known some that are like that." Kyn finished exiting his thoughts, and then he noticed Serena looking away. "Serena, why are you looking away?" "Emotions that are tied to the time of the event aren't transferred...and I'm not used to...sharing such things...understand...previously the only one I shared anything with, was Marlow, and he couldn't...react, couldn't really judge either...it was just reminding him of what it was like to be alive...keeping him aware." She realized she drifted off topic. "The emotions are...current...you would think that someone who can reroute her own emotions would have better control over them..." She sighed. "Serena, I do so wish that I could hug you after you said that. I don't care if you can do all that stuff. Sometimes it's just too much." Kyn said. Serena glanced at Kyn, then retracted her head back into her shell, hiding the blush that was quickly filling her cheeks and the bridge of her snout. "I suppose then I'm a bit more of a Sadist than Merlot thought of me....still though I wont be accepting her invitation to quote: 'come back any time.' unquote." "Does that bother you Serena? There are severel ways for you to deal with that, if you even WANT to deal with that." Kyn figured that meeting Merlot for that purpose would be... a rather trying experience, consider than he figured that Merlot probably dealt with Dragons moreso than any other type. The Castle was called Draclugia After all. "I am NOT--" She growled "Going to deal with something like this, after treating Royce as I have. I will NOT associate torturing him, to sex." She had stood, and one could see the tongues of flame and smoke curling from her jaws. "That is not what I said, Serena. I am fully aware of the difference." Kyn recognized the signs of Serena being angry, something that recalled him back to when she was in the Bagon stage. "No..." She agreed, swallowing back the flames. "It's what my body's saying." "...Serena, what exactly is your body saying right now?..." She phrased it carefully, taking a deep breath. "That it's willing to submit to..." She paused. "My family..." She snorted out the last bit, the words feeling odd on her tongue. "And My mate, Properly." Kyn sighed. "I think I can figure how that might seem a bit difficult for you Serena but... I'm not going to tell you how to think but I suppose you must feel a bit like you're losing a fight. I don't really think I can understand how you're feeling right now." Kyn said. Serena was different than the Dragons he knew and associated with, and learned from. (Not including Reshiram by the way) "I have no problem submitting to my alpha..." she rolled her shoulder towards Heji. "But yes...comparing it to Anana calling me a slut...yes, it feels like I've just lost a fight...but gauging by the response from Heji earlier...and your own admissions...everyone in the family has submitted at one point or another." "Serena, this may sound odd but... I do believe that in some way, Anana may be jealous of you. She imput that thought into your head so you would conflicted when the time came that this would happen to you. In regards to the submissive thing." Kyn decided that if anything, it would probably make sense, consider what little he knew about Anana. "I'm not letting what she said bother me." She clarified. "She's the one who's got a cunt that you could put both hands in, and even if I was promiscuous, when I evolve it...heh...tightens back up." She really couldn't believe that she was talking about this, but considering what they had just gone through, just watched, and what she had just done, somehow talking about sex, though it still made her squirm, was no where near as bad. "Then again, maybe i just got some of that gunk on my claws and licked it off..." "There is one way for you to know. A biometric scan. Speaking of which. You remember the Pokédex... well, it does have a scanner that does scan vital functions. You wouldn't have to go in his head all the time, to see his status." Kyn suggested. He figured it'd only make sense to offer, and if she didn't want to he'd understand as well. "I don't mind being in his head." she sat down again, aware of how moist the guard scales were. "Probably the most annoying thing about this form....is that I can't take care of things like this with my tongue. Not that it would help if this isn't of my own making, it would likely only make it worse...since it quite literally puts me afire as if I was in heat...just...minus the fertility rate." "Alright... let's take a peek. If there's anything unnatural about it, it'll show up." He whipped out his Pokédex and activated the scanning feature. His eyes looked down at it, and then afterwards, and then back to Serena. He didn't say anything for a long time. The silence told her the answer she already knew. "I suppose I should have been more careful...the problem is I don't know where I was exposed...either licking my own scales, or out of the residue on the Charmander's ring gag..." she realized, annoyingly enough, that she was making a puddle on the floor herself. "Either way, it shouldn't be as...extensive as it normally is..." "Serena, are you really going to torture Royce for a whole six more days? It's not that I'm going soft on him just that... unless you know some things that I don't in that regard, I'm not really sure there's much more you can do." Kyn said, trying to be careful in the way he phrased it. She smiled at him, if it came out a bit...submissive and begged, well, she couldn't help that. "One punishment can last over several days...I believe aside from being called edging, it's also known as blueballing...and it doesn't have to be done the same way each day either..." There was that devious tone again, even if it was on the back burner, and she barely stopped herself from offering to show him personally. "So then, you are telling me that you know about that? Interesting. Very well, then I shall offer you my full arsenal. Everything in that second bag I brought... will suit your purposes." Kyn said, indicating the back that he had brought the metal phallus, as well as the two eggs from. "I was...taught hands on about...many things in Merlot's castle. Both having them done to me, and doing them to others." A ought of Soba tonguing her out came unbidden to mind, and she curled upon herself as much as she could. "Haa...that's not helping." "And here's the part where you explain to me who Soba is. Y"know, those are the names of human foods back home... it doesn't really seem like something that would appear here. Though you probably shouldn't give me a memory this time and just tell me verbally though hell it probably would come up anyway. Dammit, this is not going to be easy either way for you." Kyn said, facepalming himself. "I didn't INTEND to give you that memory...fuck...Soba is a Dragonair....as you might have seen...he's Udon's counterpart. Nng...No, this isn't going to be easy on me regardless of what I do." "Serena... perhaps.... something from my world my able to help. I don't want you to be stuck in that state." Kyn was going through possible antidotes, including the actual antidote, on the offchance that the solution might treat the 'disiac as an exotic poison. She had to concentrate REALLY hard to even be able to focus enough to look over his thoughts, "Heh...I suppose this shows just how impaired I am...can barely scan someone I have a perm. link with...there IS an antidote...I remember it from when Anana rescued me...I...um...can't focus enough to get into his thoughts to find where he's got it hidden though..." Her green orbs looked over at Medicham, and she just looked with a begging look in her eyes. "Of course there is a catch...for it to work there has to be...well...sperm in my stomach...and yes, he showed me that it wasn't just a load of...." She laid down as yet another thought passed around. "I think...I'm going to stop thinking for a while...Stupid Serena, stupid stupid stupid." She clawed at her shell, which of course, didn't hurt her at all, but it sure made the sharp squeal like it should have. "You go right ahead and do that. I'll wait as long as it takes. A Dragonair eh? Merlot sure likes collecting Dragons, doesn't she?" Kyn thought out loud. "She does." She confirmed, and even as another thought started to slip, and she caught this one, throwing it back into the door about Merlot and slamming the door. She whined beside herself, and wanted to beg, just as their end goal for Royce was, and she finally reduced herself to reaching for Heji's mind with her own--insanely difficult, and practically fruitless. -Do you mind...?- the words were broken, and clouded. 'I am not sure what you are asking. But I do not think I would mind either way.' Heji replied. He moved closer to her and tried to figure out what she wanted. -Chase the other images away...I don't want to think of dragons at Merlot's castle, when my thoughts should be of my mate.- She exposed her throat to him, to the point where they could see the edge of her scarf, which she pulled loose, she was already lying down, it just took a slight push to turn her onto her side. It probably wouldn't take much imagination to gather what they were watching, even though they should have been reaching into the pervert's mind and finding the location, and then going to get it. 'I will do my best.' He decided on which way to proceed first. He placed his paw on her shell, and then decided to begin with clearing up what she had already been making that pooled on the floor, starting with the edge of her scales. Afterwards he used the underside of his tongue to massage the guardscalesm trying to coax them open a bit further so he'd be able to perform a more specific task. Serena closed her eyes, it was easier to pretend that there weren't others in the room with her eyes closed...............and when she opened her eyes, sweet, blessed thought, she could think! Oh sure, she was out of breath, she was completely and utterly embarressed out of her mind that she had even done so in front of the others, but she didn't mind; so long as she could think. "Mmmm, much better, for now at least. It's not going to stay away...what, were you two gawking this whole time?" back to her indignant self. "No, no, never mind, i don't want to know." "Well too bad. I'm going to tell you anyway. It's not like this is a new thing to me Serena. You've apparently decided to feel embarrassed doing this in front of us, when you shouldn't. You, the one who said you had no trouble watching non-sentients mate. Now do you want the antidote or not?" Kyn said with his arms crossed, in an imitation of being stern. "Perhaps -I- Should have clarified. Non-sentients of the same species, and yes, I want the bloody antidote, tch...if only it would work on the ACTUAL heat as well as this false simulation..." She tucked her scarf back into her shell, looking up at him. "But yeah, I get the point." "You know my usual curiosity on things like this? Well, this is one time where I will lay that curiosity to rest, about this particular antidote." Kyn said. "I don't know how it was created Kyn, You can taunt Royce with the almost identical bottle of more Aphordisac, after I switch the labelling around. Now, can i have the stupid thing or are you going to make me do something for you while i still have the head to do so?" "Make you do something? What in the world are you talking about? Take the damn bottle!" Kyn held it out to her, She practically swiped it from his hand, carefully dripping one drop into her mouth, before putting the cap back on it. "Yick. I'm reminded of why you have to be a heat crazed, sex-starved 'mon to be desperate enough to drink this stuff, doing it willingly is just..." she trailed off and wrinkled her nose. "You get the picture." "No I don't. I've consumed some pretty foul stuff in my time Serena, so perhaps you might be able to give me some idea, so that I might share in your revulsion of the stuff." Kyn said. "And I don't think that drinking it will suffice either. I dunno what it would do to me since I'm not... in that state." She dug around in his memories for something to compare it to, and when she couldn't find something that compared properly, she sent it to him. Acrid, musky and bitter at the same time, with the flavor of rotten lum berries; Strong and potent as well as she could get the full bearing in a single drop. "Y'know Serena... I'm starting to wonder. You... seem to rather have odd sense of taste compared to mine, and vice versa. I hope you can... understand." Kyn stated simply. The tiniest hint of embarrassment may have snuck it's way into the emotion of that sentence. "I am a near 100% carnivore, but I will admit, my metabolism has slowed down to where I don't have to eat but maybe once a week, when I do, though, it's a rather large meal to counterbalance the fact that I, unlike my brethren at this stage, am not sitting around in one place and focusing entirely on the mental arts." "Serena... do you know what time Royce is going wake up? Also, I was... rather surprised at the fact that... when I was whalloping him, he seemed to enjoy it, regardless of the drug. I... wouldn't have expected that." Kyn said, going over to him. "A psychic's shock could wake him up at any time...and the body is always more honest than the mouth, with his situation...at least -I- bind myself to the truth, even if it's hard to speak about." She nuzzled Heji, then started peeling the label from the bottle, and pulled it off, setting both the label and the bottle on the counter, then wandering back off to his office with an 'excuse me for a moment', which she then proceeded to ransack it for another bottle of the aphrodisiac; bringing that back before peeling the label off that one, switching them, and hiding the real antidote out of sight. "So... Royce isn't that willing to accept that type of feeling like I am. Perhaps you should... oh, please forgive me for putting this way. Perhaps you should... convert Royce." Kyn said, slightly looking away. Had they been able to see her hackles raised, she would have raised them, as it was she hissed and spit a tongue of flame down the drain. "YOU won't let me put him in a position where he recognizes that he enjoys being beaten, because it would require me robbing him of his ability to feel PAIN for a while, and as you said, that would be messing with his emotions, just like the drug is. He'll never accept ANYTHING if it hurts him to have it done to him. Not right now anyway..." she turned her head. "Besides...the biggest required part of it, is trust, and I, nor you, have done anything to build that, as of yet. A few more days of me virtually tearing him to pieces? He'll enjoy your treatments a lot more, he'll be more willing...and then he'll be able to beg for you to give him more." "Dear me. Well, as I have mentioned, you do have all those at your disposal. You can adapt to those that are built for those that are more dexterous, can't you?" Kyn asked. "Still think I can't break him a week?" she stood up on her hind legs, using the counter to balance herself out, and stretched. "Yes, I can adapt to things...one way or another...It would be a better question as to asking if I WANTED to, considering the fact that for the most part, my new set of hands is my mouth and tongue." "That's what I was also referring to. Hm, well, you might be able to. Now I'm thinking about rephrasing. It probably won't take an entire week. Considering how he's never experienced his own... situations before." He phrased the last word carefully and thought about what types of things Serena would possibly be doing to Royce, and for various reasons, it did start to cause a tinge of minor arousal. She grinned, for more than one reason, but she played it off as being because he had faith in her abilities; and dropped back down to all fours. "Considering that he's never had the guts to be able to put himself in this position, and he had to be forced...I don't think that he'll ever do it again after this week..." She took Royce's chin in her claws, raking across his cheek with the curled digits. "Do I really want to give him a good memory amidst the nightmares?" His face contorted at her very touch. "Well...every time he looks down he'll have a reminder that it's NOT just the drugs at least...You never did get to see what it actually was on the inside, though I'm sure from the blood that was there, you could guess." "There is a good chance that I could guess, yes. As for what you said... I'm not sure if you should give him a good memory amongst it. He also has a human to think about too." Kyn added. Serena chuckled. "Not to kill your buzz...but let's go check on the others and let him rest a bit more...I'm sure they're fitful dreams, what with what he partook in a bit earlier." She picked up the false bottle of antidote, and the real one from it's hiding place, tucking both of them inside of her shell, and slipped out of the room, following the line down to where she had left the others; not really bothering to look behind her to see if they were coming with or not. "So, how goes the situation guys?" five hours, that was how long they had been left alone; and she was sure that she still smelled of sex, which she blatantly ignored. "Been having fun I hope?" "We've all been taking bets as to how long it'd be before you all sort of returned to us. Looks like Striker wins. His guess was closest at four hours. You'd be surprised how few Pokémon actually make it here." Nero responded. He then began talking about how Riiko the Clefable, which none of them knew about, had come back to check on things since he hadn't seen Royce in a while, and didn't bother to ask anyone else. "After the security woke up... we 'convinced' them, ha, air quotes via scythes, such a human thing I've picked up. We convinced them to temporarily become deaf, blind and well.. most of them were already stupid." Striker finished with a chuckle. "To be honest, I would have been back after subduing Royce to see how things were going but...well, I got sidetracked...in more ways than one." Of course, they'd probably think it was all sex, she didn't really care. "So...Riiko was here? I do hope that you didn't let him go back out onto the floor. My apologies, as I said, i would have been back to notify you earlier, about the Clefable and the Clefairy, Nina." Any time she had to use their names it was like she was forcing herself to spit them out. "So, what would have happened HAD we let him go back out there Serena?" Nero asked curiously. "Panic...the casino would be declared under a terrorist attack...erf, now he's got me using his terms...it wouldn't be considered safe for their patrons, and it would close down...the dusk stones would be disabled and we'd have three very angry Pokémon heading an army of Clefairy...well, two, since I have Royce tied up at the moment." "Well... we are no strangers to things like this. Those bases are covered, in the sense of not leaving the ability to figuratively sound the alarm. Or literally if that is the case." Striker explained. "I never thought you would be." She gave him an almost false smile, then it too faded. "I suppose that I...owe you all an explanation, as to why you even had to use these skills tonight; and with it, it will come an overview...you do of course deserve a break as well...let me see...If memory serves me...there's a meeting room down the hall to the right, and it's the second door on the left..." she wandered as she spoke, and tested her memory. Indeed it was spot on--the two fighting types that had been using it to nap, quickly got up and left upon seeing the golden plates of her Shelgon state. "Feel free to, but you don't really have to. It's been a while since we've had to put our skills to use. Being a Bug-type and taking down a Fighting-type, also feels excellent, by the way," Striker commented. Serena climbed up onto the long table, claiming it as a perch. "I would imagine so...you represent your typing well, for an old man." She sighed. "Striker, you probably would not be surprised to know that like in gambitville, I came here when I was younger...and of course, I was stupid...I got into trouble...with the Slowking known as Royce." She once more, spat the name, and withdrew her head back into her shell almost as if she needed protection from her own memory. Which...she kind of did. "Inferno, you stayed behind the first time, so you don't know...this place is about as straight as my tongue is while I'm talking; that is to say, Not at all. If you have any instinctual inclination, or are just lucky, you can become a target for Royce, who will take you into his office and offer to play a straight game with you...of Roulette." She paused to let what she said sink in. "Erm... Serena... none of us are... familiar with this game that you mentioned... called Roulette." Striker spoke up for the group again. "Not even I am familiar with it, and I travel with Kyn." Inferno added. "I...Hm..." She stood up, walked to the other end of the table, and launched herself at the roulette wheel that was on the wall, yes, complete with the ball, though this was glued in place and clearly for decoration. "This is a roulette wheel, ignore the green space on this one, ignore the numbers too. A normal wheel will have all of these, and you can place money on either a number, or a color. the ball normally isn't...sealed to the wheel, and the wheel spins...the ball clicks until it finds a place that it becomes seated in one of the slots, which is how you know if someone has won or not." She ticked her head off to the side. "Understand?" They all nodded. "That is very simple." Inferno said. He then tried to connect the dots between what Serena said earlier about Royce and Roulette. "That doesn't give you a lot of options though... does it? Depending on how many numbers there are, it decreases the possibility of winning, doesn't it? Unless you do the color." "Well, That's why it's called gambling Inferno...but the wheel in Royce's office has no green, and it has no numbers, there is only Red, and black, a 50/50 chance of winning...If you win, you double what you have won up on the floor...If you lose...you lose everything...and if you try again and go into debt...well...you lose your freedom for a set amount of time. If you refuse to play, as Kyn did last time, the security detain you and you become a prisoner here for an UNSET amount of time...that is to say, Until Royce gets tired of fucking with you...literally and figuratively; or until Anana rescues you..." "So then... you probably could tell that Kyn would be the type to refuse... right? He wouldn't know the consequences of refusal." Inferno asked, thinking about all the things that could go wrong with gambling. "Annnnd that is why last time we were here, Heji and Striker took out the security before he could get himself into deep shit...like I did." She knocked the wheel off the table carelessly. "I didn't know either. I was a kid, who relied entirely upon instinct to see if the others had a good hand, and like a good hunter, was unreadable...I was invited down, and I politely refused...or at least I thought I did. I exited the room and was, as you know from fighting them, out matched at only a bit more than a hatchling..." she drew her claws across the table. "I learned...the hard way, what kind of debt that Royce claimed that I owed to him...he believed that I owed him my body, and the use of it whenever he pleased." Her pupils narrowed to the characteristic slits. "So then..." Striker spoke, picturing it, "Kyn would probably damage the guards. If not, they'd sure as hell have a time with ALL of us combined. He'd probably get thrown out... though not in the literal sense, unless like... four of them swarmed him at once." She looked at Striker as if he had just turned into a Clefairy. "We're not here today protecting Kyn...If anything, Kyn is helping me...heal an old wound by making about forty...I've got one week to treat the Slowking to everything that he did to me, took from me, and more...and I plan on breaking him in that time...the last time that Kyn left...you might remember, Inferno, he didn't even say goodbye to me...because he let his fear rule him...I'm trying not to do the same...sharing that memory with him on the river bed opened a whole can of worms, that are just being rounded up and put back..." she looked away from them. "Because he didn't think I'd know the difference between rape, and consensual bondage." "I suppose that we might have guessed that. For those of us that are rather on the aged side... I wouldn't have really expected it myself." Striker admitted. "Though I suppose that's all out of the way now, isn't it?" "It is...yes. To the point that he's finally willing to accept me as a family member and not going to try to shelter me anymore." this...was said with a bit of pride. "Well, then, perhaps it is time that we start thinking about the future for a while and where we are all headed together." Nero suggested. "Perhaps..." She inclined her head to Nero. "But right now, my future includes staying the hell away from any green bottles of liquid...like this one." She pulled it from her shell and twirled it between her claws and the table. "As you should too....since it will send you into an artificial rut. Just one drop will keep you that way for a week." "Hmmm, well... no need to worry about an artificial one Serena..." Striker said vaguely. "I'm..." She started, then chortled. "Still socially awkward I suppose. At least when the tables are turned on me." she gave him a toothy grin. "Well, I did say to enjoy yourselves, so by all means, within reason of course, enjoy yourselves." She hopped down from the table. "Just...try to avoid occupied rooms...they're likely still under the affects, and are not willing participants in all this." she looked back over her shoulder at them. "There's three gear rooms, the one in the red hall is...occupied." "Hmm, well, I suppose it will be best for us to examine them." Striker said. He lead the way to one of the rooms and entered with Inferno. Nero stood outside as a sort of guard. Serena had to get back, as much as she might enjoy watching, rather than being watched, she did have a captive to torture, and so while they were examining and enjoying themselves, She returned to where she had left Kyn, Heji and Medicham. It was to her credit that she was able to laugh such things off now, considering how uptight she had been about them only two months before. It struck her that she had never asked exactly what had been done with Riiko and Nina...but then, she figured it didn't exactly matter. "So... I take it the others are currently occupied... with non-security related manners?" Kyn said with a clearly understanding, but questioning tone. From her chuckle, the answer was yes. "Well, they weren't needed to stand guard anymore, so yes...and I explained Royce's game for them; teaching them how to bet feels a bit dirty, but they asked, and I told." She stretched, as if to work out the kinks in her muscles. "I figured that I should come back; lest you get bored and start without me." "Serena... can you imagine how it must feel to have someone to help you with... things... after being alone in a cave for fifteen years without any semblance of hands, claws, paws, or whatever...?" "I suppose, that depending on the type of Pokémon, it could have been extremely dissappointing, as they thought that they were beyond that need by then, or to where they were almost in a desperate flurry...I would be grateful, personally, though I doubt that I would last long." She did look at him. "He, as a warrior, though, should have been flexible enough to suck himself off." "Of course he was. But that's not the point. Fifteen years... Anyway. I offered to help him once or twice and well, you can probably understand my feeling on this matter." Kyn tried. "On THIS matter?" she retorted. "I'm afraid you'll have to be specific, since I haven't done anything...yet...and I can do without you piecing together old stories that you left details from because you thought you were sheltering me. My mind has already done that, did that about after I finished the eggs." "Uh, what I meant was... my feelings on the matter of helping out a Pokémon in that specific way, wherewas most humans wouldn't." Kyn tried. "...and you're bringing this up because?" She walked over to the back and quite literally nosed around in his stuff. "Well, I just figured I could be as open with you as the rest are with me, and I am with them." Kyn said with a sigh. "That will take time, Kyn, patience and time, before I can do something like that. I am known to adapt quickly, you can see that even now, as you change my mind about being seen while mating, and watching, in that case, the people of Tao do still desire...privacy for things of the intimate nature." she pulled back and folded her fangs back so she didn't have to be near as careful about ripping the bag, or the things inside. "Perhaps by the time that this visit is over, you'll see a different side to that." "I'm willing to wait as long as it takes Serena. Now this next question may be a bit odd but... uh... do you have remember in which season you were hatched? This is also completely off topic." He said, chuckling. "I didn't pay much attention to it, no...what I do remember was waiting in the darkness of the nearby cave--you know it to be my den now--waiting for a parent's call, for someone to return...and then accepting that I would have to take care of myself, that if I was to live, I would have to make it so by my own claws..." she trailed off. "When I had the mind to keep track of things, It was spring, I just started there." "MMM, well, although this may not apply to you... Liru's hatchday party is coming up soon." Kyn said. He specifically used the term hatchday due to the fact that crossing over the two events would be easier that way if he could correlate it to their terminology. "...and you wanted to know when mine was to add it to your list." she finished, then stood, and walked over to Royce, digging into his mind and then giving him a mental shock to wake him up, the same effects as a wake up slap might do, or smelling salts. Royce didn't know whether to be grateful for the reprieve from the fitful dreams, or afraid, now that he was back in the world of the waking. He squirmed, remembering that this wasn't just a bad dream...he tried to speak, but found his mouth too dry. "No. For they do not share the same meaning here. For here... I would have to say, that in essence, it would be an event marker of another past birth that you are still alive. I shall inform you more about the subject later. Hopefully you'll be willing to listen." Kyn said, and then turned to Royce. "We do have parties here to celebrate birth...the Town celebrated Sorbet's birth a while ago." She said offhandedly, not even bothering to hide what they were talking about from Royce. She walked to the sink and pulled a small cup from her shell, and filled it with water. (Standing to reason that there would be a sink to clean off the equipment.) She carried this back to him in one clawed limb. "Open, or it will get all over the place." Royce watched, his eyes portraying many different emotions, until eventually he did lift his head, amazed to find that he could, and looked to see that he could actually sit up! Still, the humiliation at being forced to drink for her made him snarl, and as soon as he was able, he spit at her. "Royce, I just don't know what to do. You've got six more days. Haven't you considered what will happen in those? I'm going to watch for a little while. I won't be participating for some time." Kyn said, with sincere effort. /Serena, in these six days, by the final day... I want you to have forgiven Royce.../ /You ask for a miracle.............I will try./ Came the response, and she snarled at Royce, wiping the spit from her face, and then pinning him back and dousing him with the rest of the water that would have gone into his mouth previously, enough to make him sputter and cough, but not enough to drown him. She set the cup well out of the male's reach, and stood over him where she had pinned him down, waiting for him to stop sputtering before she spoke. "Oh yes, six more days until life returns to normal...or as normal as it can be, considering that you'll always have two reminders of our days together. You can THANK Kyn, for restoring you, so that I might do it all over again." She chuckled, stepping off of him, but holding him down by the collar. "But first...there's a matter you need to hear of, if you remember it, that is, and if not, I'll remind you. You played Kyn's game, and you surprised him as well, You came while being beaten, there was no stimulant for your pleasure, and yet, you came...and don't try to blame it on the drugs, we both know that they only keep you aroused." Royce was quiet until she mentioned the event from...last night? tonight? His sense of time was thrown off horridly...his face screwed up as he tried to sit up again. "I played his game and nothing more, You don't know what was on my mind while he was doing it, I could have been thinking of fucking your sweet ass again. Clearly someone has." "I do have a rather important question for you Royce. IF you to be released today, what would you first do?" Kyn attempted to change the subject, but he figured that with the way Royce currently was, he might just be even more difficult. Serena didn't seem phased at the lewd comment. "That's one lie to me Royce." She said, though didn't say anything about what she knew, or how she knew, her eyes did clearly say that he would pay for the remark though, she let Kyn talk. "Nothing that I wouldn't do before I was interrupted." he ground his teeth, how would she know that he had lied about anything? She wasn't a mind reader, her type didn't allow for that. "Royce, I realize that you're a bit tied up at the moment, but could you at least find some time to answer some more of my questions...?" Kyn mentally groaned at his own pun even though he did it on purpose. While Kyn grabbed Royce's attention, Serena grabbed the armbinder straps and pulled him to the wall, clipping his collar against it (Without any chain) and pulling his bound legs back to the nearest ring on the floor, and clipped the cuffs to that, forcing him into a semi relaxed position, still exposing his length and tailhole to her claws. She gave a cruel tug to the ring around his length, then slowly began stroking, letting her claws scratch him. "Oof...Well, I'm a captive audience, and the treatment seems mild enough...fine, ask." "Well, for one thing, I'm curious about the dusk stones here. Could you possibly uh... tell me an area where I'd be able to find more...?" He kept his main focus on Royce, as after he saw Serena handling Royce, he didn't want to think about what she would do if he DIDN'T cooperate. /That's all I'm asking is an attempt. Holding that with you for a long period of time... I just hope you can let it all out in these six days./ Royce of course hissed at the rough handling, still, he took notice of the fact that she was watching him, and listening to his answer to Kyn. "There are...Dusk stones for sale in Anana's shop, I'm sure you're familiar with the golden lizard by now. If you don't want to...pay for them, you can probably find them in a cave somewhere in the Sandsong desert with the other types of stones...North of Gambitville." "Hmm, thank you. I'll probably pay that place a visit eventually. Hm. Now this time I have a rather personal question for you... how long have you been sexually active?" There was a general sense of hidden psychoanalysis going but, but he hoped that neither Royce nor Serena would be able to detect it. "Why does it matter?" The squeeze and growl from Serena was enough to tell him that was the wrong answer. As her grip got tighter, he winced and said. "I don't remember. Probably since I evolved..." he relaxed as the grip loosened, and went back to stroking him, thankfully she wasn't doing anymore permanent damage to his organ, perhaps a bruise later where she squeezed, but other than that she was being rather gentle...well, in comparison to the times before. "Now I have a half-personal, half business. Besides the things that you do behind closed doors," Kyn gave a fake cough, and muttered under his breath, "in the most literal sense...," he resumed normal volume,"do you enjoy running this Casino?" "I do." He answered, and Serena lifted her claws from him, it was actually starting to be pleasant, and he tried, to little avail, to shift and press into her hand, well, if she was going to give him a handjob, he wasn't going to complain. "Hmm, alright. Now, I've asked you this once before but.... Since you've met me, you now know that humans exist somewhere. Do you... have any questions, about my homeworld?" Kyn move over under to where Royce was, still trying to avoid watching Serena, and focusing soley on him. "I have no questions about a monster's homeworld." He snorted; to his surprise Serena didn't add her claws back to him, apparently opinions didn't count, unless they were directly negative to her or her family. The clawtip teased at the head, and he bit back a groan, the pre sticking to the tips of her claws was word enough that he was enjoying the mix, he paid it no mind. "Why should I? I would never want to visit it after all." "Everytime you all react like that, it makes me more and more curious. How could it possibly be that humans have risen to that status? How am I supposed to know what to compare myself to, if I don't know the specific details. Usually actions have to warrant such a disposition. There's a high chance that whatever the darkside of humanity is here... I've experienced it back home." "The Point is, Kyn, there AREN'T any humans here, and there NEVER have been. There's no True darkside, humans are just the escape that Pokémon here use for when bad things happen...kind of like the symbol for bad luck, I suppose." Serena tossed in, really, this obsession he had was rather annoying her. As if to keep herself from saying anything else, she licked around the base. Sure, she found the mere idea of it disgusting, but this would be the easiest way to bring him to his high, and then end it before he went over that edge.------Royce just tipped his head back against the wall, what exactly was this girl's game? A reward wasn't like her....and since she had taken the question from him, he had little to say. "No one knows that for sure..." he added; after a short bit. "Well damn. I guess my brain took a different path. Well if that's all it really is, then I guess being the first and last human here won't mean anything. So, next question.... do you have a particular diet? I hope it's nothing really specific." /Oh yes, oh yes. Now this is for addictive purposes. The others were not./ /Are you TRYING to divert his train of thought away from the pleasure he's recieving?/ she snorted, feeling him throb beneath her tongue, and just as he was about to reach the peak, she pulled her tongue away, making him growl and try to get her resume.------So THIS was her plan, he growled through clenched teeth. "I'm an Omnivore, not specific at all." He tried to fight his bonds, and panted. "Hmm... that makes it a bit more difficult..." he muttered lowly. "Excuse me for a moment Royce." Kyn knelt down and ran his tongue over the tip of Royce's member, along with part of the shaft and the base, that he could. Serena chuckled as Kyn joined her on the floor; she did pull some of the pleasure away from the slowking for a moment, just so that it wouldn't become a mess, knowing that Kyn would probably be upset if he knew she did it, but really, she had said that she would begin edging him today, she wasn't going to let Kyn make him cum.------Royce snorted, grunted, and groaned, but he was sooo...close, why?! His struggling increased, "Damnit..." "Ah... of course. Oh, and Royce... you may not like it but I'm going to do it anyway. Thank you for answering my questions." He then shifted to Royce's rear. He hoisted Royce up, gripped him by the sides, and then... proceed to start rimming him. Serena quickly backed out of Royce's head, shuddering at the sensation, and then pulled herself back in, knowing that she would have to endure, thankfully she wasn't always linked to his emotions, or what he was...feeling. /Could have warned me with that.../ She figured that Kyn, thereby, wanted to take over, still, she stood nearby, mostly trying to get the taste off of her tongue, and partially watching with some level of mixed disgust and fascination.-------Royce himself wasn't sure what to expect, he hadn't noticed that the clip on his ankles had even been undone, but then, from the look on Serena's face at the point he was picked up, neither had she. "What are you--Ack...nn-no...stop that." Kyn pulled back almost immediately, and figured it would be an almost opportune time for a question. "Is... something the matter Royce?" /Whoops. My... mistake./ /Mistake my tail./ she was tempted, keeping him just before the orgasm point, to let Kyn make him orgasm with his tongue beneath his tail, humiliation was the name of the game, after all.----------"What the fuck do you mean 'is something the matter?'! Of course there's something the matter, with your tongue up my ass, you idiot." "Ooh I see. So you're saying I should continue," Kyn said, and he began again, probably interrupting Royce midsentence. /What exactly happened when I did that?/ /Since neither He, Nor I, have ever--and I hope I never do, from that feeling quite frankly--felt that, we shared a common bond for a moment and i could feel what he did./ she let her head withdraw into the shell, making her expression unreadable, at least from the middle of her snout down. /You do realize I'm not going to let him cum, right?/ Royce was indeed caught in the middle of a sentence "What?! N---" His voice gave way to a moan, and he squirmed, he couldn't exactly go very far, held up, and clipped to the wall at the neck. /I realise... and he's really going to be on the verge if I keep doing this to him. He will be begging for it./ Kyn speed up his pace a bit, and occasionally, just pushed a tiny amount of his tongue inside, and circled around there, before returning to the outside. "Haa....Serena, Make him stop..." was that pleading? No, an order made by a hitched voice.-----------Serena watched, then eventually closed her eyes and tried to distract herself, still uneasy with the whole aspect of watching and being watched, but knowing that the best way to become accustomed to it, was to do it, and better to do it where she could be disgusted, rather than where her body would be highly aroused by watching. /Perhaps, he's already facing that urge...as far as he's concerned, his body's betraying him by liking it, when his mind claims that he hates it. For a Psychic type, he's sure that his mind is 'right' and his body is 'wrong'/ "What makes you think he'll stop even if i asked him to? He's not my slave after all." /I can't exactly talk right now. I hope you have excellent concentration./ Kyn continued his fierce rimjob, and tried a new technique that involved holding Royce with one of his arms, while using the other to reach around and handle his member. /Oh please, you could have just asked for me to balance him for you./ She slipped herself under Royce with little trouble, her unique plate positioning allowing for the perfect wedge to keep the Slowking balanced, she did nudge his arm when it was time to move...and of course it put her head in Kyn's lap, to which she would be Privvy to -all- the scents from him, as if she would pay them any heed. Royce shivered against the warm plates, he could FEEL her under his tail, the only thing he could think was 'what now?' Still, his length throbbed in the human's hand, he couldn't understand it, even as his mind tried to haze and relax, let the sensations take over, he still couldn't..."Nnng...this doesn't make...sense." /Serena... are you familiar with something known as a dry orgasm?/ Kyn utilized Serena's adjustment to do even more to Royce. It was an odd thing to do, but he actually inserted a single finger in, in addition to his current rimming, in essence to spread Royce further so that more of his tongue could tease him. Serena took advantage of her positioning to nose him as he asked the question. /Heji....might have mentioned it, Soba didn't...I'm not entirely familiar, no. From the sounds of it, it's something that only you males get...but then, we females have enough...buttons to push, to get us off, so long as you know where to look./ "Just what doesn't make sense Royce?" He hissed a bit as he was stretched, and squeezed beside himself. "That I haven't gotten off yet!" He demanded. "I've been on the edge since you stopped with your tongue, and and yet I still haven't cum!" For his outrage, he received only a chuckle from her. /Alright, basically, I guess it's kinda the opposite of what you're doing. Edging him will create... well, would have if he still had any left to give after those three in a row, but would have given him a huge orgasm that would make him convulse with pleasure. A dry orgasm is the opposite. The stuff comes out but..... they don't feel it, and it's as if they never had the high./ Kyn did stop for a short while to allow Royce to teeter even more so than before, and to allow his thoughts to be collected enough to be coherent. /Will create./ She assured him. /You gave him your...oh god this could be taken wrong in SO many ways, where's the way to phrase it that it's not taken sexually...ah, the miracle cure all...I think that works...which means he got his stamina back as well.../ She thought about the description. /That...hmmm...probably would be easier if he had external testes...it could be coaxed...as it is you'd have to go fishing in the genital slit./ (Though for the record everywhere I've seen it, it's depicted as the exact opposite of what he described)) Feeling the shivering and shuddering stop as Kyn ended his teasing for the moment she added. "You WANT to cum with him doing this to you?" She asked, rather deviously, She was the one in control here, at least partially, but with her nose against Kyn's pants, there was the easy notice. /Okay, now I KNOW that this wasn't from watching Heji and I. That would have faded in the down time./ She wasn't exactly referring to much other than the smell, but her being comfortable enough with him to point it out was something else.------------"What? I.....No! Of course these circumstances aren't Ideal..." He growled, his breath in a frustrated huff. "But..." /Well, I... earlier I was thinking about all the non-painful things you could possibly do to Royce, and then to top it all off... I started giving Royce a rimjob./ Kyn removed his finger after Royce answered Serena's question. /You got yourself riled up./ she mused. /If he cums on my shell, YOU are cleaning it up; with your tongue./ perhaps she HAD learned a thing or two from Merlot about being dominant. She swiped her tongue across him within his pants to drive her words home, then returned to Royce. "But? Oh, I know, you were going to say 'but this whole week isn't going as Ideally as you would like' Ha...So you're turning to the any port in a storm idea. That's not going to work, no matter HOW desperate you are to get off." Royce shuddered, the breaks were almost as bad as the torture itself, even if his arousal did start to fade, to know he was going to be driven there again and again made the pleading tone real. "Please...." /What makes you think... that I would be willing to listen to that particular... hmm... ultimatum?/ Kyn figured that sooner or later he would eventually decide to taste Royce's cum, but he found the way she went about saying that a bit humorous. /Because you're curious enough to do so, and were stupid enough to get involved after giving me control--without asking for it back. You derailed my plan to make him confront his body, after saying that you were 'just going to watch'. I don't know about in your world, but here, my turf, giving someone control over the situation and then jumping in, puts themselves below the person they gave control to./ She looked up to him with an amused look on her face. "No, Royce. You won't be getting off any time soon. It'll be easier if you accept that fact." She on the otherhand, was compiling a room in Royce's mind that she could trap him in to give them both a reprieve from the creature, and yet it would still be utter torture for him. Typical Royce, when pleading didn't work, he resorted to threats. "Why you little--You'll NEVER step foot in this casino again! I'll have you pummeled on SIGHT, and sent to the back allies where I'll collect every single cent you owe me." Of course, he had forgotten that Serena was such a good player that she NEVER actually owed him anything, but these threats usually worked with others, and so he spouted them off at her, as if it would help. /That's rather interesting. I'll have to remember that. Hmm, I don't suppose you'd accept something akin to an apology, would you?/ "I... don't exactly think that would be possible Royce. I mean sure, you can order it but, if you do order it... just know that there's a chance that I'll be IN those back allies." It wasn't really a threat either, just an implication that if Serena DID ever decide to come back to the Casino... she'd probably be with him, but that it wasn't a one hundred percent guarantee. She laughed, an honest to god laugh, one Kyn hadn't heard since she was a Bagon. "Well, that's if they could even get me to the back allies too. THINK Royce, I've been known to destroy HOW many of your security without breaking a sweat? I've been able to Infiltrate your sanctuary HOW many times? Oh, and what's more, I've never owed you a single Poké, even if THEY could beat me to a bloody pulp back there, which i severely doubt, they wouldn't get their cut because there's NOTHING to collect, they'd be out for your blood." She closed her eyes and withdrew her head. /You already know that answer...besides, aren't we here to settle debts, and teach him not to lie to his body? What sort of teacher would I be, if I didn't push you to do something that you WANTED to do anyway? Sure, not exactly in this form, but you can't deny it; can't lie in your thoughts./ /Weell... now you know what aroused me and er... well, I do apologize a bit that you have to be so close to that particular area then./ "I think it's time we get back to OTHER business Royce." /Hmmm, don't apologise...that accidental sync wasn't enough to get me riled, and while your scent is.....pleasing, it doesn't have the effect of an Apex predator like Heji, or someone that my body is compatable with, like Tensa...His arousal is back down to about base, with the anger he just exhibited, perhaps a little lower, I'll have to fix that.../ Royce grunted at the words, he didn't like the sound of that... /I think he'd get a bit worried if I put the blindfold back on, or put the gag back in. I'd recommend not using them for a bit. Plus... I do so like hearing Royce moan./ Kyn waited for Serena's response, and possible encouragement to start again, before he did anything with Royce. Serena chuckled. /You do, eh? Then get back to work, slacker./ She teased, phrasing it that way with the clear intent not to give him back control. /...And maybe, if you can keep your head, we'll think about taking care of your own arousal, If not, I'll interrupt Inferno and Striker to tie you up and keep you out of my hair for a while./ She poked him in the leg with the tip of her claw, careful not to put much pressure behind it at all. /But I agree, no blindfold...let him look up at you and watch his body 'betray' him./ /Hmmm. So you say I have forfeited something by interrupting you. Oh well. Guess I'll go along with it for now./ Kyn resumed his rimjob without a second warning. He DID give Royce a first warning After all. /Does it make you uncomfortable?/ She seemed sincere enough in her wording. /Unlike Royce, you don't have to do -anything- that makes you uncomfortable, you're not on display here./ Royce gasped, and squirmed as the appendage began again, he was thankful that neither of them could see the expression on his face as he tried to...enjoy it. As much as his mind recoiled at the thought, the idea that he was just going to be edged again made him squirm again and try his bonds. An unbidden thought, one he was sure that under normal circumstances (and in this one as well, as it was planted by Serena) he would never ask himself, if he could get out of his bonds right now, would he pull Kyn away.....or pull him closer? /Well... a little. But don't worry about that right now./ Kyn continued toying with Royce for another seven minutes, before stopping again. Serena let Royce wrestle with the idea for a while. /Kinda does me too. So easy to lose your head if you don't know how to submit yourself...so on a totally unrelated note.../ she switched to the secure channel. <Have you ever given Heji a belly rub?> Royce was shaken by the idea, but he twitched when Kyn stopped; he was expecting to be taken to the edge again, and when he wasn't....no, he couldn't have been...disappointed, could he? The same thought that came to him before, would he push him away? He answered it aloud. "No....Don't stop..." The whine that accented it was almost cute. "Even if you are going to leave--" Of course, it was this point he realised he was begging, and promptly shut up on that note. "Stop fucking with my MIND, bloody psychic types." <Yes I have.> Kyn answered simply. <That... is totally unrelated, as you said, but yes, I have.> Upon hearing Royce's plea of not stopping, he figured it would be time for Serena's direction again. Her claws clicked against the floor. "I'm sure the Medicham has done nothing to interfere with your thought process, everything you've done here today is of your own conviction, but I tire of being a table...since Kyn has instinctively decided to jump in ANYWAY..." She slipped out from under Royce, rolling actually, so that Kyn would either be forced to catch him, or let him fall, either way it would end the servicing of that particular oriface. "Perhaps he'd like to show you some OTHER tricks, since he was so keen on participating." There was a dissmissive tone to her voice, telling him that it was just a suggestion, as she returned to the torn pile of silk. <It is, and it isn't, actually. This, and that act both have one thing in common...you know me well enough to know what that is by now, at least, I would hope.> "Hm, well, that depends on you Serena." <Well, I'm not exactly piecing together the connection at the current moment.> Kyn tried to catch Royce since he didn't actually want him to fall, since if his calculation was correct, the way he fell would have him land on his stomach, which would push him into his cock ring. She shot him a look that said 'you're really going to put me back in charge after making you so uncomfortable?' Serena thought on it for a moment. "Well, no, it depends a bit on your answer...Is the real thing better than any toy? At least, in your experience, i should say." <Trust.> she said with some disappointment in his lack of memory.----Royce was thankful for the catch, really he was, but he was still torn up about what she had said, everything here was of his own conviction? He shuddered at the idea, and another thought popped into his head. Was it really such a bad thing? He came back to earth to hear what she was suggesting, and recoiled, both physically and mentally, she COULDN'T be serious, could she? "It can be, but I don't think it will matter much right now." Kyn said solemnly. <Erf. Well...> Serena snorted, half with laughter at his answer. "You don't want my suggestions right now, Kyn, you've just shown that. Do as you will for a bit." <Do you know why I asked you to pet me, before? It was an exposure of my neck to your fingers, respect, sincerity...and above all, trust. With my life, .> She laid her head down on the soft cloth, and closed her eyes. /Let me know when you get tired, I'll put him back to sleep...at this rate he's going to be more rested than we are, haa./ /I will not be tired for a while. It sounded to me like you were suggesting that I engage Royce with firsthand experience as to how a human feels. But that's just my guess./ "I don't really have much more that I can think of. Well actually I do but..." He sighed, and sat down in front of Royce, but at a 'safe' distance. /As to how a male feels period. I DID tell you, this will be the first time that he submits himself, I meant it. Your fingers were the first thing he's had back there...except for maybe his own tail...but even your own appendages still count as fucking yourself./ She paused at his second statement. "But....? I'm growing to hate that word." "Well, it'd be more of the same. Right back where we started. Also... Royce, I'm beginning to wonder... why is it that you feel the need... to use your position to force people into doing sexual things?" "Tch, I'm done answering questions unless I get something in return." Back to the starting point it seemed, he frowned at Kyn. Serena frowned at Kyn for a different reason, she stood back up and walked back over to the two. /Out of tricks already? Pity, I was having fun watching you play./ "You're not in a position where you're allowed to make requests, Royce, I would think even you would know that by now." She unclipped Royce's collar from the wall, then walked away again. /Lets see...there was the mention of teaching me to rope somone up, I think.../ /Serena, remember what you told me about gambling? Never play all of your cards at once. It's only a little white lie./ "Royce, you seem to think that my curiosity can be used as a bargaining chip against me, and you're actually starting to push my patience a bit. I am too kind sometimes, however, if I have to, I will begin to treat you like a naughty child." /This also includes a punishment spanking, and not one for play or pleasure, though of course I can't help if his body confuses the three. I can show you the rope thing later, but after he's asleep. Now...Serena, I have a bit of random trivia for you involving humans. Something that you may or may not be interested in./ Serena shot him a look like 'Haven't I been saying you've been too gentle with him all this time?' She pulled, not surprisingly, chains from the wall, then used the wall to rebound to the D-ring up on the ceiling, stopping just short of the two. The first thing she did was flip Royce over onto his stomach, pushing him down into the ground, and tightening the armbinder back to it's proper tightness, no more would he be given some room to stretch....She ran the chains through the loopes on the backside of the armbinder, and yes, she admitted that Rope would have been better for this, but she didn't really care at this point. His tail she unhooked from it, and clipped that one to the floor, then put her weight to stretch his arms backwards, the chain links easy hooked in her claws as she pulled, and then secured them with yet another ring on the floor. /Never know unless you try./ ---------Royce, who now was forced up to his tiptoes to keep from having all his weight on his toes, scrambled to support himself. It seemed that he had forgotten just how...unforgiving she could be. He could look at her, for sure, even watch her as she counted out the links, and hooked her claws in them, just waiting for him to smart mouth them again. /So, you know how Pokémon come from eggs? Well, humans are mammals and... mammals give birth to live young. That is something that I figure most Pokémon would find either odd or interesting./ "That definitely looks rather uncomfortable Serena, but, it put him in an ideal position for a certain type of punishment." Kyn said, casually. "He'll learn to respect his betters, either through pain and discipline, or of his own free will, and since he has decided that the thoughts of...wanting you closer to him are the work of the quote unquote, 'Only other Psychic type in the room'..." She twitched, even with the lie that wasn't her own, and she trailed off. "You really should have looked up what my partner was, Royce, It might have given you some insight." She didn't let him ask the next questions, she just pulled on the chain, and resecured it. "You'll either have displaced shoulders or you'll learn to whimper like a dog before you're allowed to talk, I'm not going to put up with your shit anymore Royce."---------He hissed in pain, the very tips of his claws just barely touching the floor. What, what? Those were his thoughts, they were in his head, and she knew them. What? How? Why? Who...? He winced at the ideas flooding in, and what had he meant as far as punishment? /If you'll excuse me for a second, I need to get just a few things before I get started. Also, please blindfold Royce./ Kyn went out into the hall again, and utilized Palkia's Spacebending again. "Sorry for bumming your ability so much... I mean you are practically a god After all... and here I am asking you for menial tasks..." "You are not doing it every five seconds, like I am sure some humans would. I am alright with it..." Kyn returned literally with a bundle of switches that were cut from the area around his house, that he had tied together, and when he returned he started to explain some things, even though she didn't ask. /Serena... I absolutely hate using these. However, I will not allow him to talk back to me anymore./ Serena did as he asked, finding it easier to counter balance, the blindfold was still on his forehead, and thus, easy to pull it back down, she was curious what he was going to do, and when he came back, her nostrils flared and her pupils shrank to mere pinpoints, even SHE knew what those were, and she shuddered, backing out of Royce's mind completely. She snorted, and flicked her tongue out, her logic centers registering that they weren't going to be used on her, and she calmed within seconds. /Much better; it's about time that you saw things my way./ "Royce, if you thought what I did to you earlier was painful... you haven't felt this yet." Kyn said, lowering his tone by an octave. "There will be no silly counting this time, and I will not be gentle." /Because if I'm not and he bleeds, it can still be undone eventually. After of course, he knows his place in all this./ Serena still balked, she didn't want anywhere near those things, if she had been submissive while under the effects of the heat drug, she was frightened now. She backed up to the wall, and sat. Oh sure, they couldn't tear through DRAGON HIDE...not immediately anyway, but her hide was still Lizard hide, and that tore easily to them...she made a mental note never to make Kyn this angry. /I understand... just never wave those things at me...unless I deserve it, and you better make damn sure that I deserve it; If my logic checks come back and it reads as unwarrented....well, no, I'd probably still cower in the corner, whine like a little bitch, and try to make you happy again...eventually./ Royce wasn't so lucky, he couldn't see anything, he didn't know what was coming...but the counting gave him an idea. This, again...and he wasn't going to be gentle; the last time was gentle? He started to say something, and remembered what happened last time, he braced for another pull on his arms, and when it didn't come, he was surprised. Kyn moved closer to Royce and brought a single one with him from the tied pile. There was no warning, no indication, nothing to give Royce something to brace for. He move his arm to the side, and using his index finger as the second gripping point, brought it across Royce's rear ONCE at full force. The immediate rush of air before it made contact could be heard by everyone. Had Royce not been tied tightly in place, he would have jumped four foot into the air at the strike, as it was he tried to turn and look at what had hit him; and unprepared as he was, to say he yelped in pain and surprise would be a severe understatement. "That is not even the beginning." Kyn said. He didn't look at Serena or say anything before he flicked his wrist for another strike. This was was not as much force, but like with the nylon rod, he aimed it so that the tip up to about nine inches would connect. He flinched, bearing the pain, his eyes welled up with tears at the second strike, and he had to grit his teeth not to make a sound, Still he didn't quite make it, as sound escaped him in the form of a grunt, but how long he could manage that...well, not long. "Fuck..." he gasped out; how anything could be more painful than the beating he had gotten before, but it seemed like he was MORE sensitive now that he had been healed, as the switch burned marks into his skin as if it were on fire. Kyn was trying his best to make it so that he could do as many marks as possible, without overlaping, so that once he did, it would be even worse. The next time he walked around to the right side of Royce and repeated the two strikes, in less than a second this time. He twitched as he cried out, to his credit he didn't yelp the first time, he did manage to grunt at that one, but the second was a full fledged yell. His body trembled, but the voice in his head, which now wasn't even hiding who it was echoed. 'You deserved it' over and over and over until it filled his mind, he couldn't even focus enough to tell it to shut up. Of course the pain was being interpreted as pleasure somewhere in his brain, as his cock throbbed with his heartbeat...thank the gods that it was sheltered from the beating, at least until he decided to move to the front. "Of course that was just a warm up." Kyn said, forbodingly. /Serena. I can tell that you are affected by this. Tell me; do you know the difference between a whipping and a beating in this particular event?/ The voice, when it did come, was as meek as it might have been when she was a Bagon. /Whippings do not stop until bones are brought to the surface, beatings end when the disobedient one has learned their place. Yes, I am affected by this...I am glad that you are doing it, but I don't like it any more than you do./ She forced herself away from the wall, and back to where she had tied the chains, not exactly looking at him. His face was moist, he didn't know with sweat, or with tears, but moist it was; he had learned that using his voice was not a good thing, and applied what Serena had said earlier--- that the only thing they wanted to hear from him, was a scream-- back into play. /I might need assistance to make sure that this does not crossover into the former./ He went over to the pile and picked up another switch, and held the two of them together with his thumb and index finger. The next set came across lightning fast, five; all within the span of five seconds, and of course, double by the fact that he was using two, in essence bringing what would be a singular total up to ten for that set. The cries came more frequent, and louder, by the end of the ten strikes he was gasping for breath. -----------/I...if it's necessary, I will stop you one way or another./ Her word in thought, as he knew, was as good as a promise. 225 AM] : "Don't pass out on me Royce. I still have plenty left." He did, give Royce a break, to recover, but only to recover. He waited until Royce had regained his normal breathing pattern. /Would you have done so before I requested it?/ /......before his death. Most wielders of whips....pride themselves by being able to cleave to the bones in a single swipe...they wield them like claws./ She forced herself to turn around to look at what was going on, not that she wanted to, but she would have to. "Pass out? This...is nothing." The Facade was clearly false, he couldn't even hold it steady as he spoke, but his body did calm back down; he was beginning to tremble on his tiptoes like this. /Most humans... aren't really skilled or strong enough to... do what you said./ "Very well, we shall see." Kyn, took another switch and this time, tied the three together. He took aim, and gave another series of five, which would multiply into the equivalent of fifteen, at this point, things would begin to overlap. /Royce is being damn difficult./ /....When he begins to bleed, and it runs down his back and legs to the drain, he will stop being so..../ She laid down, her head withdrawn. Already she could see evidence of the switches biting into Royce's hide, she could hear the screams as they became more ragged and painful. /No more breaks though, not unless I tell you he's about to pass out.../ That right there would tell him, she knew, that she was, at least to some degree, going through it with him, and that THAT would be why she was reacting so strongly, and THAT was the reason that her voice sounded almost...hollow. /It will not take much at this rate./ Kyn started up again without any warning, switching to using full force again, and going as fast as he could at the same time. It then turned into a mix between a delayed series of full force swings, followed by a series of swings with less force, but at an even more rapid pace. The total number of swings that he aimed to connect with Royce that time was fifteen. Serena watched, and felt the total of forty-five separate swings, it wasn't long, of course, that he began to bleed, before the blood ran as streams down his hide, and before his cries turned to sobs. It didn't take the full amount, and he would find Serena's mouth wrapped around the bloody sticks, stopping him from the next swing. /Enough. Drop them./ The voice was commanding, dominant; and almost would make him want to obey, even without his mindset being of one that didn't like using them. /I've... never made someone bleed with these before. Ever. I will gladly rid myself of these./ He commented simply. Once they were out of his hands, they were out of her mouth, dropped on the ground, and she stood, wrapping her forelimbs around him. /I'm sorry that you had to...but he will....behave now...without question./ The word broken came to mind, but she refused to use it. She lingered in the hug for a bit, then walked back over to the place where she had secured the chains, and gently, ever so gently, did she lower him down to the ground on his side. Of course at some point, due to the pain, he had soiled the front of the leather, and that joined the blood down the drain. He groaned as he felt his body released, and crumpled as he hit the ground, not wanting to be moved at all. /My mind cringes at what would happen if you were not here for this./ Kyn did realize that in some form he had done THAT to Serena, but he didn't let any indication that he was affected by it seep through. /Your mind cringes at many things./ She tugged at his sleeve and pulled him over towards the soft pile of silk that she had been using as bedding, and nudged him so that he would sit, or at least know she wanted him to sit, if nothing else. /Come here you two...after something like that, one can feel hollow, and the only cure is to be around those that care about you./ /This situation... Royce... I've done this, he understands now, but, I've gotten almost all of what I need from him./ Kyn sat down on the ground next to Serena. She nosed him, wrapping one forelimb around his lap, the other behind him, protectively; she even licked his cheek. /Almost everything you need from him?/ she inquired softly /The one thing that makes it different. I want it to be so that, although he can relieve himself... he won't truly be able to get off unless we are both here. However... we're probably not going to be./ He waited for a response before continuing his thought process, due to the fact that it could also be taken AS a complete set of thought. /He knows I'm able to get into his head now, I dropped all covert behavior when....you began./ She had an idea of what he was referring to. /I guess this Slowking will need pants...since he wont be able to tuck it away./ /Now Serena, is there anything else YOU needed to do?/ Kyn figured she was in reference to the strange cock ring that was currently housed around the Slowking's member. /The only thing I need to do, is to give him the actual antidote...and I suppose that I should remove the ring too, but by that point we need to be ready to use your cure all almost immediately...the almost coming in because it's going to split like an Oran berry sliced with a six sided blade...not all the way through, of course, but....and for that, I will be playing with his emotions to make him feel pleasure instead of pain there./ she laid her head down on his leg with a sigh. /Thank you./ /You're... welcome...?/ Kyn rested his hand on Serena's head, and thought about what exactly an Oran berry split six ways WOULD look like. /Serena... that's going to look very odd. I think my penis just cried a little./ Serena looked up at him, letting a rumbling thrum in her chest be the marker for her mood. /I'm sorry...that was the least graphic way I knew that I could put it....as for why I said thank you...well...the six days shrank down to two...it probably IS about morning, by the way.../ /Ah, I see about the graphicness. Now, I'm guessing that you don't need the rest of them then? Are we going to unbind Royce, or will he stay like that?/ Serena shook her head a bit beneath his claw. /Until it comes off, I want him bound...speaking of, we should probably do that before he passes out from blood loss...../ She picked up a large strip of the silken bedding with her mouth, pulling away from him carefully so that she didn't cut him with her long fangs. /If you're ready, that is./ /I'm ready. It'll probably take most of it to heal it. I'll be having to go get more from the village./ Kyn said, standing up. Serena walked to Royce, and first pulled the chains from him with the understanding that he wouldn't be going anywhere, then sat the dazed Slowking up, delving into his mind and rerouting all incoming pain to pleasure before grabbing the ring with her two claws. She braced against him...and then pulled. Flesh stripped away in large gouges all the way around the member, blood oozing out in it's wake at the blades of metal continued to cut, all the way to the tip, which she quickly wrapped with the silken cloth. Of course, he couldn't cum like this, the seed dripped back along his front rather than out the tip. "Any time now Kyn..." She squeezed the bloody and infernal cock ring, crushing it in her unused claw. Kyn had the vial opened and ready. He poured in literally half of what was remaining and then waited. She examined Royce, very much like he was still a piece of meat to ensure that everything was healed, then pulled the blood soaked silk from him, much to her relief he was whole once more. She ensured things were back to normal in his mind; and then walked around to unbind his arms; then his legs; letting him sit on his own. Royce was dizzy, understandably so, considering what he'd gone through just moments before, but he was handling it well, considering the fact that he had nearly had his dick ripped to shreds. He flinched at the idea, and also understandably, reached down to touch himself to ensure that he really was in one piece again. /Yes, of course. Alright Serena. He'll probably take off the blindfold himself soon./ He watched and waited, wondering what Royce would do next now that his arms and legs were free. Serena padded away from them both, picking up the cup from earlier and filling it with water again, setting it beside Royce, then laying down just out of arms reach. She didn't trust him, wasn't sure how his mind would react to this new acceptance.../ Perhaps you expect too much of him to have such freedom, I was the one to put down the blindfold, normally, one would ask if they can remove it...at least, in my experience./ Royce heard the water, heard the cup, and heard the claws and the scraping of the shell against the floor as she laid down. He wasn't sure who was in charge, but his head was dipped when he tried, not 'looking' either of them in the eye. "May I....remove the cloth from my eyes, that I might drink? Or will lady Serena assist me in the feat so that I do not spill?" the voice was raspy, again understandable due to the events that had passed not moments before. /I believe I did expect to much of him. But that is alright for now./ "You may. Unless for some reason Serena does not wish you to do so." "I have no reason to deny this request." she said simply. /He's not going to test his limits anymore, you have to understand, It's not like you just imposed a limit on one of your Pokémon here, Kyn...to break someone is much different...I'm guessing that you haven't done that before?/------Upon the response he pulled the cloth up above his eyes, and picked up the cup carefully, hands...well, without his arms in a binder as he had for over 8 hours now, he was shaking a bit as he did drink. He noted that his tail was still clipped down, a clear 'stay', in his mind. /Well. I've really had no reason to. However, I have imagined it before. It was, rather something I was afraid of, but once again, as I have said, Royce is something different./ Kyn crossed his arms, and examined Royce with his eyes. /To be truthful, this is not something that I've dealt with either, but I've had it described to me, the signs were input into my head as best as Merlot could...that is, to say, via memory.../ She too watched Royce, careful not to do anything to set them off, and when he finally stopped drinking. "Royce, Do you remember your normal? The way you were before this event? We're going to be working from that base." Her voice was rather neutral. "Do you understand?" "Yes...I remember, and Yes, I understand, m'lady." /Well then I suppose we'll just have to deal with together. For now you should do most of the talking. I will sit back and watch a bit until my imput is needed./ It was rather interesting, that Royce was... apparently this easy to be broken. /Since the word broken is being used, then I suppose that that means that Royce was rather... fragile in that sense./ /It's odd to hear a title attached to my name, but Lady is better than Mistress, I suppose./ Serena didn't break eye contact with Royce. "Good...the first alteration to that is that you're not going to have your security rough someone up if they refuse to play, they're for your defense only. If they lose playing your double or nothing, then you may still offer them something else, but it will not be a stay under your control. These rooms down here will be used for your night life entertainment, sure; a specialty of bondage, for people who are into that kink, and each one will have a safeword so that they can stop something when it goes out of their range of comfort." /Fragile...is a word for it./ "On that note...you do not know enough about your own body to be considered a Master over anything; not even your own hormones. I believe that we will have to put something in place so that you do not forget that." /Although, can you call someone fragile when you've got someone tearing down both mental, and Physical walls?/ ---------Royce listened, that was all he could do, really. Had he had any pride left he would have argued that he could control his own body, but in the haze of the drugs...could he, really? Did he really not know that much about his body? If Serena was saying it, it would have to be true, she wouldn't lie to him. "If you deem it necessary, m'lady." "Mmph. Serena, it took me six years to get control of mine, and... not only do I not know how old Royce is, but... I don't know much about Slowking in general." Kyn finally spoke, but it wasn't at Royce. "He's comparable to your age, at least as maturity is concerned." She answered Kyn before she addressed Royce again. "Since you will not be able to act upon your hormonal responses, we will expect to BOTH be present when you do finally are allowed to get off. Am I understood?" She waited for a response before continuing. "Good. Now...do you have any questions?" It was open to both of them, if Kyn had any questions over what she put in place, or if Royce did. /That goes for you too./----------Royce would wait to speak until he was sure that Kyn didn't have anything to say, and then ask. "How am I to go about getting the word out that these services are available for the patrons, m'lady?" "No, no questions yet." Kyn responded, then waited for Royce's response. "You have waitresses that deliever drinks, they could easily give out a business card that on the back, has information about services you provide. If there are questions about what 'night life entertainment' means, which I do hope there wouldn't be, considering this town and how well it's known...then you can offer to meet with them and speak to them about it.." Royce nodded in acceptance, that would do well enough. "Yes M'lady, understood." he paused. "What is the rest of my week going to look like, now that I know my place, Lady Serena?" /And this is where you come in again. You DID promise him a week. Are you going to reward him yet?/ Kyn sat down on the ground next to Royce, but once again, making sure that he was at what he deemed a 'safe' distance. She stood up, walking over to Royce, then pulled out the green bottle. "You know how this works, don't you pet? You need to have semen in your stomach for it to work...I suggest that you get to work then...and if you find yourself in need of...assistance....ask for it, nicely." she tucked the bottle back into her shell, and settled down out of the immediate area of him, still within reach.../I did, yes, and he'll get a proper week in my care--you're no longer bound by that week, of course, you can leave at any time./ Royce didn't read the bottle, either choosing to trust her that she wouldn't give him the wrong thing, or to naive to question it. Serena received a 'Yes Mistress.' much to her annoyance, and he curled upon himself enough for his own tongue to lick at himself, one arm spread out behind him to keep him in this position, his other fingers working at the base of his slit. /There you go again with that 'you can leave anytime' stuff. When is the last time you have known me to actually do that after you've suggested it?/ Kyn decided to head for another room, to check on the others. /So, where are Striker and the others right now?/ /Nero was outside the door to the purple Gear room last i was with them, standing guard. I do not know if they have moved, but I doubt it considering that Striker mentioned that i wouldn't have to worry about an artificial rut affecting him when I showed him the bottle and explained what it's contents did./ She turned her head to watch him leave, then turned her head back to watch Royce work himself over again. /As for the last time you took me up on my offer to leave at any time...I've chosen to forget that occurrence./ /I think I'll go work on the order then. How am I gonna contact you in those few days then? I mean I think our connection is getting stronger so... if I'm near the casino you'll know right?/ He found his way to the designated room to find Striker and Inferno. /Well; anywhere in the bay really, but yes...should you need me you SHOULD be able to ask one of the security to take you back to see Royce, of course, you'll have to tell him who you are, but that shouldn't be a problem at all./ Serena gripped Royce's shoulder and offered him the empty cup, just a bit before he would finish, and he did sit up properly, filling the cup with his seed; and waited for the Okay to drink it down before licking the cup clean; and showed Serena that he had indeed swallowed it down. In response she had him tip his head back, and dripped one drop of the antidote into his mouth, then waited for the results. "Good boy." she muttered to him. She hadn't bothered to look to see if Heji had remained behind...but she had some things to go back over regardless. /Almost makes you and I sound like VIPs, Serena. See you later then./ Kyn arrived just in time to see Striker finishing with Inferno, and of course commented, "So I take it you've had your fun then?" Striker commented back with a sultry tone, "Unless you want to join us of course. Chances are that you have something that you may need to relieve." Kyn closed the door behind him. Serena chuckled, and out of habit, closed off the link with Kyn for a bit, and opened herself to the memories of exactly what she had done over the past two days, and even how slutty she had been under the effects of the aphrodisiac---willing to submit to everyone? She almost shivered at herself...and yet, wasn't that in a way, exactly what Kyn had proposed a short while after it? Not under the same circumstances, for sure, but...her thoughts trailed off, and she hadn't realized that her eyes had closed until she felt Royce touch her questioningly; and that brought her out of it, she opened one green and yellow eye to look at him. "Hmmmmm?" Royce looked down at her, realised that even though he couldn't help his size, he should never be looking down at anyone ever again, and laid down to look up at her, If only meekly. "Mistress, I...uh...I realise that...before--I um...treated you badly...it was two months before Anana took you away from me that time before...and I...um...wanted to apologise...I know that's the reason you're here, really...how can I...atone for that...or at least try?" The reply he heard made him shiver. 'Nothing.' After a few hours Kyn, Striker and Inferno all returned to the room in which Kyn previously was, and knocked on the door. Roy, as his collar now read, rather than Royce, answered the door, not looking them in the eye, but rather at the floor--a few more rules had been set in place since Kyn left, but that would be spoken about a bit later, he imagined. She had melted gold and scratched the lettering in the collar, so the name actually stood out against the brown leather. Serena hadn't bothered to look up until after the door opened, and was in roughly the same place she had been since they had left. She raised an eyeridge questioningly, but didn't say anything. Kyn basically gave a great sigh and then started talking. "Yeah, Serena it happened... as you can probably tell. Hmm, that's a rather interesting collar. Can I touch it?" He said, waiting for an indication before he would reach out and actually touch it. "The only difference between the collar that was on him before, and the one you see now, is the fact that I added his name to it...and yes, I can tell." She paused, then laid her head back down. "You can touch it...as you might notice, the collar says ROY, not ROYCE...In order to attempt to keep my promise to you...it also doubles as the key word that the security will know...Roy is his Pet name, don't use the other one here." The fact that she was saying this in front of the others didn't seem to phase her at all, how much she had grown in just two days. Kyn sighed. "I'm such an odd human. I must say, I rather enjoy Striker almost as much as I enjoy Tensa." He then reach out and ran his finger across the collar. /Oh Serena... that thing you said about Alphas and such... Royce is reminding me about all that stuff right now./ Roy lifted his head, but tilted it off to the side, he still wouldn't meet Kyn's eyes, or any of the others for that matter, and he didn't speak. Serena chuckled, finally she stood. "Perhaps at some point, I'll be able to share the comparison with you...for now I'll just say this. It is not to your shame, but to your credit, that you can find enjoyment in your family, in many different sources." She walked through all that remained of the switches, bloody or not--a pile of charred twigs and ash that crunched below her claws as she walked, and powdered. She clamped Roy on the shoulders as she rose to her hind legs, using him to balance as she approached the doorway, choosing to lick the Slowking's neck. /Non-threatening, submissive, yes, he learns fast...although he doesn't understand why i changed his name./ Still not using his name he asked, "What is he gonna be like after you and I leave, Serena?" The things he was thinking in his head were to many to be expressed all at once. Serena looked at Roy with a soft sigh. "Royce, go back to normal for a bit." As she said it, she removed the collar, the one thing left marking him as 'Roy', and she dropped away from him. Almost immediately the stance changed, he looked Kyn in the eye, and that glint was back. "Did you need something? No? Then why are you in my way? There's work to be done, this Casino needs to change, after all, I've got instructions from a higher up that need to be fulfilled." even the tone of voice had shifted back to that difficult, rough voice that was used to getting his way, very convincing, for those who didn't know his keyword. Somewhere behind him Serena mouthed the words 'say ROY three times in casual conversation to let him know that you wish for him to turn back' and held up three claws (One limb) to add significance to the number. "Well, it was nice meeting you again Royce." Kyn said before sitting down next to Serena. Such an interesting set of circumstances in the past two days. He'd have a convesation with Serena about all the changes that would be made; the ones that Royce had mentioned. Serena waited until Royce was gone to speak again, and this time there was a chuckle in it. "I spent a lot of the time building that side of him back up...Roy is...well, Royce without the Pride, arrogance, and humility that we literally beat into him...It's very HARD to teach something that requires you to not know it to work properly." she laid her head across Kyn's lap before. "Another part of it was spent getting rid of the switches." That made her not only flinch, visibly, and shudder as well; and she was looking at Striker with curiosity, as was her nature- but she didn't comment anymore on it. "Getting rid of the switches...?" He paused and waited for her response before continuing with a, "Well, now, I believe you did say that we were going to be banned from this Casino. What do you have to say now then, Serena?" Once again he put one hand on Serena, and the by his side to brace himself. Out of habit, she pulled her fangs inside her lips, she looked much less threatening without them hanging out front like that...she relaxed a little with his hand on her, and she nosed his stomach. "Pile of ashes....and yes, I did, i didn't count on...completely breaking him like that...I mean...merf...you know what I mean...I suppose there's only one thing I CAN say...and that's this: I was wrong. In fact, in a way...we're fucking the owner." She brought the 'screwing the director' reference to his mind, since that was where she had gotten it from in the first place. "Serena, just what 'changes' is Royce talking about? Seems like you've done it again, and are desexualizing the more sexual residents of Bay. " Kyn said in reference to both Anana and now Royce. "I'm making the deviants more tolerable." She answered. "You know most of the changes and rules going into place for the outside of the casino, the workers here will of course begin giving out cards, the security will not be the ones keeping watch on how much people are winning, but rather the Clefairy, no more intimidation tactics to try to scare them into making a wrong move, and the Clefairy will up their membership card, or direct them to where they can apply for one, to get free meals if they've lost a lot of money...comping, i believe is what humans call it, is it not? The rooms are possible for that as well...and so is the...entertainment. Vendetta also has been instructed to...ah...keep an eye on Royce's sexual behavior, and if he breaks the rule we set, then she notifies Anana that he's 'broken the cardinal rule'...I don't tolerate people breaking my rules, but as such I HAVE to give him ONE warning, Mind you, the warning in itself is painful enough to be a punishment.....and then if he does it again he'll be considered 'reverting'. He knows this already; He knows how much pain he'll be in if he does, he also knows that you likely wont be with me next time to save his hide." "A few more questions before I go. Once I've accumulated my goal of half a million Poké, would you like me to let you know?" Kyn wasn't exactly sure what it would mean if he had 500,000 Poké, but considering the general scale of things, it seems like it'd be quite a high amount. "I am not a creature of money, I've said this before...but if you do, then you would be at about half of what Anana gave to fix the treehouse, and she did that without batting an eye at the amount." The corner of her mouth twitched upwards, and she entertained the thought that swirled, until it leaked, considering being so close to him they were practically sharing a mindscape; the question of how the old bug would actually look tied down and bound to where nary a scrap of green could be seen. Her tongue flicked out; well, they were in a bondage room, and she was still in that mindset, considering that she had all this -time- to enjoy Royce...and she wouldn't deny having entertained the same about anyone else, if asked; either. "Question. Would you like to visit a human dwelling? Namely my own, sometime?" Kyn said also preparing to address the issue of a bondaged Scyther later. "Kyn, I know you know that I know you know, where my mind is right now...and with that being said, this question sounds very much like a setup, considering I know where thos items came from...but on the INNOCENT scale...unlike the others, yes, I'm curious about you, and your world...I don't fear what I don't know." "It is not. The only one room in my house with items like that is... in the basement, and that is sealed off by a door. So, a tour of the house. As for that thing with Striker well... minus the blades, I'm not sure it would be very practical. I don't think he's the type to like that though." Kyn finished. Serena chuckled a little, well, it was one way of learning more about the others, she supposed. She looked up at Kyn with a mix of curiosity and dominance, one didn't have to be in her mind to know what she was entertaining right now, then she closed her eyes, and moved away from him with a sigh. "Sorry, sorry, I should probably be trying to get OUT of this mindset, not entertaining it. I'll end up like Merlot if I keep this up...Going to have to set a rule for myself I think, none of that with someone I can't best in a duel first..." She did look at Striker after a moment. "Though I probably could these days..." "Alright, well that's about it for now. I'll be heading out to gather the order. As well as come back with the Sharpedo. I suppose that will be bonused then? Like you said, more than likely a test of some sort. Actually, I'll probably go for a million." Kyn didn't move until Serena was 'ready' to let him up. Though he wondered why YET AGAIN she was this close to his more intimate areas, ESPECIALLY after knowing what he, Striker, and Inferno had done. Of course, she caught the thought, and she adjusted, one claw on his leg as she lifted her head from him completely. "You really want to know? Why I keep putting my head on your lap?" She pressed down on his shoulder with her other claw, making him lay back. "There's actually two. One is the word that in TWO DAYS, i have made reference to three times; trust. The second is a claim on you; to protect you, care for you; and to call you mine. This doesn't mean MY claim overrides Tensa's on you any more than Tenra's does, it's not even in the same catagory, while it might be equal on the scale. For THAT, I can tolerate the scents of sex on you, their claim...Speaking of, you STILL owe me something." "Well Serena, since I have other things on my mind and am on my way out, you'll have to remind me. Also, I'm not used to you having your head there. Not not used to you trusting me and me trusting you." Kyn sighed, trying to remember, himself. "It was never set in stone, so to speak. I tossed a few ideas off you to see if they bounced, or if they stuck, and being as you went and interrupted them anyway, the latter WOULD have stuck." She chuckled. "To make up for it...Open." With nothing around her, with nothing in her claws, it was obvious what she wanted him to forefeit. A kiss, plain and simple...and rather mild in comparison to what she had suggested earlier. "Hmm, but Serena..." Kyn tried to keep himself from chuckling. He'd have never expected anything like this to come from her, but then again, a lot of interesting things had been happening in the past two days. "No buts." the words were a growl. "This is as far as I'm going to compremise Kyn, take it, or I delay your hunting expidition by four days." The words weren't a threat, clearly, from the look in her eye; but a promise. "Hmph. Four days isn't much at all! That's not a threat at all!" However, dispite his words, he leaned to Serena. He didn't open his mouth completely, but still DID open it. Serena gave a soft churr, "Just...don't cut your tongue against my fangs." she lowered her snout to his lips, and gently kissed him, snaking her tongue (quite literally to rub agains his softly, and removed her claws from his shoulders, she wasn't greedy, to her credit--she could have held him there much longer than a brief kiss. She pulled back soon after, and sat, licking her lips. "Thank you, now you can go." there was a slight chuckle in her voice. "...and that thing about lizards and their tongues... it makes me think about rimjobs given by them in a different way. Now I leave you with that thought." Kyn said, exiting the room. <Cruel and unusual punishment.> She mentally snorted at him. <I really didn't need to remember where your tongue had been.> When they were out of the room, she did stick her tongue out, all the way, showing just how long her tongue was...in this case, all the way down to where her front leg joint would have been, had she turned her head to try to reach it. Slowly she brought it back in, breathing fire over it as she did...just to be safe. <Seems that that idea remains strange to you. Oh, it gets worse (tvtrope) Serena. Do you think I can convince Anana to give me one?> <if she's high, probably...by the way...her tongue is about as long as her body...that sounds like it could get...messy...but yes, the idea will remain strange to me until I actually perform one...> <Perhaps I should explain to you about how such things that you are thinking about, are avoided, as Tensa does have a long tongue, as you know.> Kyn was out of the area in which lead to the hallways at this current time, and was headed for the entrance to exit. <Oh and one last thing before I go. By any chance... do you think Merlot would ever use her primary typing to... find out what I am if you were there with me? Or would that... be a waste of her time?> Serena chuckled at him. <DO I now...maybe it's time to have a tongue length contest...I might actually have a chance of WINNING that one.> she paused. <And no, i don't think so...she might try to add you to her collection if she did though.> <And now you've just made that contest comparable to a cock contest. Dammit Serena, I am not gonna be wearing a maid's outfit! Well, at least I won't be heading near that castle anytime soon.> Kyn kept moving further and further away, until he figured it would be a safe distance to let Palkia out. <Yes, yes I did.> She waited until she could barely feel him before sending him a picture of her closets of maid outfits. <Choose a species that is black or grey...A shiny Charizard maybe?> <The first one you said, that Charizard. Wins hands down, as being black.> Kyn tried, not exactly sure if Serena would feel it. <I'm not sure....? It's breaking up> Words weren't working anymore, she instead tried to convey confusion through the link instead. Kyn walked back about a mile, and then repeated his earlier thought conveyance. <And that means....What exactly? That you like that idea?> <...what idea? I just chose a species.> Kyn also conveyed confusion over the link as well. <Meeting Merlot in a disguise as a black Charizard so that she doesn't want to dress you up?> she answered. <Oh. Right. That does sound like a good idea but... wouldn't she just find a way.... to make it work?> Kyn folded his arms, visualizing the REGULAR Charizard in a maids outfit, and then he immediately went into a neutral state of feeling again. <Nope, she doesn't like the contrast of grey against black, so she wouldn't even try.> She started to wander, collar in hand as she looked for Royce. <I do hope my manner of finding a way to forgive him is acceptable to you...Roy I mean. I could never forgive the person that he was, but the person that he has become, I can.> <Why does it have to be acceptable to me, Serena? You fulfilled my request, and I believe that is what really matters in the this case.> The portal was open at the earlier point and was hopefully far enough away that wilds didn't wander into it in curiosity. <Because balls or not, you do belong to me, and as I said when the switches were out, I would do almost anything to make you happy. Now, good hunting.> <One more thing... Serena... how is it... that a stranger for another world... has fallen into your category of things to protect with your life...? I'm just... after all this time, still thinking about that...> <To your question, I have only one other. How is it that Pokémon can fall in love with something completely out of their race? When you can answer that one, I'll answer yours.> Of course, it wasn't something she could answer, and he likely wouldn't be able to answer the other either. <I can answer that. Personality and... because of the fact that were similar enough. He was young, I was young, we didn't have time to learn to disagree with it yet and we never have since> He responded right away. <Mmmhmm....> She answered, not really paying any attention, stalking her prey, what, he'd gone back into the open? Oh, that wasn't going to bode well for him, but she hadn't said he couldn't...of course the ring around his tail was still there...She tucked the collar away and crept up on him, tapping him with her claws, and said in a falsely sweet voice. "Someone wants to see you Royce. They're waiting in your office." "Not now Serena...tell them they can...." He turned and caught her eye, and that attitude caught in his throat. "Oh, oh, that would be the boss, wouldn't it? My apologies, lead the way." Serena snorted, which could have been taken as her not liking being used in this fashion, but of course, when they were behind the doors that lead out to the open floor, she took out the collar and virtually tackled him to the ground, knowing that In Royce mode, he would fight, and she WANTED a fight, but of course, she won, and proceeded to drag him by the neck. "I TOLD you, you were MINE for the week." She growled, pulling him back to the room that she had just left, and pinned him to the ground with one clawed foot at his neck. "Bad." His tail was clipped a moment later, followed by his collar, leaving him struggling against something he was making too tight, looking at her with anger in his voice. "What's the meaning of this, Serena, you said there was someone waiting for me!" "I was." She growled. "Waiting for you to come back like a good boy, and you didn't do it." Kyn of course, rather quickly told Palkia to retract the portal's current location, and move it to another location... one that would connect it directly Royce's office... and he was also certain that Serena would be able to feel the link strengthen because of that. Serena toyed with him, choosing to pin his limbs with her own rather than bind him, her long tongue swirled around him, bringing him close to the edge, and then just stopped, holding him still as he tried to thrash around, and then did it again as it started to decrease. Explitives flew from his lips, and for each one he got a nip(well, for her it was a nip) to his length in the non vital areas. It might bruise him...but he wasn't going to get off without Kyn being here anyway. Kyn stepped into Royce's office, and then attempted to do what he remembered Serena doing, which was a mental knock. Serena turned on him. <What?> She removed her claw from his wrist to face Kyn a little, and paid for it with a finger in her snatch, she hadn't even noticed her scales had opened. "Naughty naughty..." She growled, if with a shiver, pulling his fingers out before snapping them closed, just as the tip of his fingers got out of range. "That could have been your poor little fingers." She got a "Haaa" in response, as even her breath against him made him shiver. "You're a bitch, you know that, even to those who want to give you pleasure, you snap at them, even those you're raping." "Mmmm, that would be fine, but see, you can't rape the willing, and your body says you are VERY willing." She gave another lick to him, her eyes on Kyn now instead of completely focused on her work. <Weren't you going hunting?> <TIME, Dragon, DISTORTION!> Were the singularly accentuated words that came to his mind. He knocked on the room that Serena and Royce were in, and waited to see if he would actually be let in. Serena relished in the heavy breathing, and when she heard the knocks, she pulled away strategically, his legs first, then his arms, and she was out of reach, leaving him to roar and try to grab her, try to get her back into arms reach. She stepped over to the door, and opened it, hooking her claws to pull it open, rather than pushing it open as most others would do...it wasn't as if she locked it. <If you say so, you're interrupting my play again.> she flicked out her tongue <One might think you liked the kiss and wanted more.> she walked away, leaving the door open, sure that Kyn would close it behind him, and pounced back on Royce, capturing the male's legs with her own hind claws, letting him try to force her head down, from the emotion flood it was obvious that she was, above all, enjoying herself, as annoyed as she behaved. <Technically, the first time I was in the room with you. This is a different form of interrupting. You have a right to refuse entry, that is the point of a bloody KNOCK, Serena. One might say that YOU set me up unintentionally this time.> Kyn conveyed, before and during the opening of the door. <Irritated?> She chuckled, aloud even, as she made another swipe over Royce's length. <He can't cum without both of us here...and unlike before, I want to taste him, there's no way I'd refuse you entry anyway...sit against the wall, enjoy the show, and you wont be interrupting...Understand?> Again and again, she licked him to the breaking point, and pulled back just before he could cum, she even let her tongue fish and find his testes within the slit itself, feeling the load within the barely covered orbs shift. "Mmmm...this is to be a good one. Are you ready to beg yet Royce? I know I almost drove you there three times before Kyn knocked, and twice just now..." <He can't cum without both of us here? Isn't that... exactly like what I said earlier...?> Kyn did sit down, and watched Serena drive Royce figuratively up the wall. <It is.> Thrice more she allowed him to get that rock hard in her maw, and backed him away with a nip nearby, she couldn't see Royce, but she could see Kyn, and she licked her lips...listening to him hiss and finally beg to be let to cum; the ninth time, she finally did grant that wish; swallowing two of the shots, then withdrawing her head to where it would gather on her tongue, and get him nice and messy. It wasn't as if she couldn't have swallowed it all, she simply didn't want to. "Mmm...well now....that WAS a good one, too bad you weren't a good boy Royce, you could have been fucking me, instead of being teased like this." She hissed, well aware of how close her vent was to his nose, and the fact that he wouldn't be allowed to stay down for long. "You didn't want a lick, did you Kyn?" she 'cleaned' him, which was to say, moved the semen around on the entire length rather than leaving it to colledct at the base. "Well, possibily. I've been wondering a bit." He said casually, making his way over to Royce and sitting just close enough that he'd be able to get a closer view of the action. Serena smiled, more to herself than to him, nosing the length while her scent made sure that he stayed hard, that he hadn't done his job to please her, even as every swipe of her tongue made him groan. She was sure that she even heard a please in there, but she paid none of it any mind. She 'hmmm'ed for a moment, then gave the tip a kiss, her tongue sliding out to wriggle the first inch into him, coiling it around so that it wasn't much wider than a human pinky, then withdrawing it. That gasp was unmistakable. "Heh, you say no more, but your body says yes~ and we've yet to even start Royce." "Oh Serena, are you saying he STILL isn't obeying his body? If that is the case, then I have to say I'm rather disappointed in him." Kyn added, being completely sincere. "I---Oh fuck...you fucking cunt...Put it back." Serena gave him yet more nips for each demand, and each expletive. <Remember, this is Royce, not Roy, Isn't he trained well?> she licked each spot she nipped, making him whine in mixed pain and pleasure, he was definitely going to be black and blue in multiple places, then bit the sharp tips of her claws off, the last time she did that had been when they were damaged. This time, however, they were still in perfect condition; and she gathered up some of his own cum with the dulled digits; pressing one to his tailhole, which he fought every inch of the way. "Ahh.....haaa...careful back there or I'll turn you into a purse." Of course, she did the opposite, stretching him with two claws, and then three as his moans became more insistent. <I am aware, however... I didn't know that you only worked on 'one' of them. Hm, Serena, three of your claws... appears to be a rather significant stretch for him.> Kyn stopped speaking verbally and switched to their link. <There is only 'one' of them left, and it is Roy...> She looked down and licked her lips, withdrawing her claws for a moment, only to wait until it had closed to spread him wide again. <I wish I had access to my tail in this form, even though my wanting scent is his drug this time.> She huffed, licking her lips, then licking over his length again, his leg twitched, but he was too far gone to try to fight her at the moment, and so she used the advantage to press against his prostrate, making him twitch. <Probably a good thing that the others are either hidden away, or in a different area, right now -I'm- the one ignoring her body, to continue feeding the fire.> <Heh. Well this is super fun to watch, Serena, having Royce here. Though, I do believe human fingers work better in this case than your claws.> <They were not made for this...I miss my thumb too...I DO hope i get some semblance of it back when I evolve--some do, you know, it's considered a defect, but they do.> she backed him away from the edge once more, pulling her claws out and catching the leg they had abandoned as he kicked out in frustration, forcing it back down to the ground. <We can share, if you'd like a taste, and I promise, no funny business, this is a straight offer, no forefiets required.> <Does that mean that this would in essence, qualify as your first rimjob then? Oh hey. I just had an idea. Why don't you invite Tensa to... let's say... work his magic on Royce. He does... give such dreamy rimjobs...> Kyn's mind shifted to the memories, before he managed to catch himself and then come back to reality. She wrinkled her nose at Kyn, trying not to shiver with her own need. <I don't....think I could handle smelling Tensa aroused right now...not with how worked up I am...> the mental voice was clouded with need, but she did well enough not to show it physically....aside from her dripping slit anyway; which just made her plates more reflective than they were previously. She licked Royce again, this time extending her tongue a little further than necessary to remind him of the reptilian tongue length, knowing where his mind had almost slipped off to. <Then perhaps I will tell you a technique... that will really send Royce so close to the edge with your tongue that it will be hell for him once a non-reptilian tongue enters him. I myself have fallen 'victim' to it several times, and almost came from that alone. You have described your tongue as essentially being of enough length do to this technique.> Kyn said, moving closer to Royce. <If you get any closer to him, you're going to have your nose on his dick Kyn, watch it--he's still messy.> she of course, was curious, since she could barely believe that she was even considering doing this herself. <Sure, why not...it can't kill me, after all, my internal body temperature is too high for anything to live for long.> <Take your tongue... fold it in half, with it facing back to you inwards upwards, and then after you are at his prostate, lightly 'whip' it. Then gradually bring it up to rougher 'whips'. Does that make sense?> She took some time to think about the positioning, shuddered a little and nodded rather than answering verbally or mentally, at least for that little bit. <Get the cuffs and the spreader bar, and some rope, if you care for it, the moment I move to try it, he's going to start trying to grab me otherwise.> She looked towards the place where she had left everything earlier, over on the shelf by the sink. Kyn did as requested, and fetched the items. The rope of course, came from his own backpack. <There... now what? Shall I assist you in securing him?> <If you want to witness me trying this trick, yes, you will assist me...spreader at the knees, cuffs on the wrists and ankles, rope tying his wrists at the cuffs to the spreader bar....and I'm well aware that if this is as...good for him as you say, then it's going to affect me as well....I would suggest, then, if you don't want to have yourself jumped, that you find some way to...occupy my body as well. I'll leave that to your imagination completely.> She bent Royce's knees a bit, bringing them up as she licked his tip gently, not much stimulation at all, he had started cursing her name again, but since she was preoccupied, she ignored it. Kyn followed instructions once again, as well as coming up with ONE particular way to occupy Serena, and he was more than likely able to have more of an advantage over Royce due to the fact that they were not speaking outloud. After Royce was properly secure he waited for Serena. <Unless my cock gets broken, which if 200+ pounds is on it in the wrong way it might... I do not mind. But I do have a few ideas Serena.> When they were done, Royce was spitting expletive after expletive out, his arms pinned to his chest as his legs were held up out of the way, and his tail held down. <I would not be THAT rough with you, Kyn...> she moved around behind Royce, and swatted him once. "Stop that." came the warning growl, then she spread him with her dulled claws, closed her eyes, and licked at the Slowking tentatively at first, then delving in, her nose against his rump by the end of it, relying on the gasp of pleasure, the sound that gave him away the first time, to know when she had found exactly what she was looking for, and doubled her tongue back for the most part, then testingly flicked her tongue across it Once, twice, three times. "Nnnng...." Royce groaned again, and she herself was glad she had her eyes closed. <By the way....a better way to describe it, is a striking Arbok.> once she was sure that she had it, she was almost relentless, until he was whimpering, and she was panting through her nose. <Damn this link...> The thoughts were almost completely clouded with lust and pleasure now, and her claws bit into the tile. <I told you it'd work. What exactly did Royce do to merit a punishment like this so quickly? That is... if you can still answer me.> He said. He hadn't really done anything yet to Serena to help her, but he was still thinking. When he was about to cum, she pulled her tongue from him, letting him calm back down, and tried, almost desperately, to calm herself down as well, she counted backwards from 100. <He left the VIP area....walked out onto the floor, didn't come back; got wrapped up in talking with people when he was supposed to be gone for the week....> she rubbed her claws over her snout, then teased the ring of muscle with her tongue--she wasn't sure if he was tightening to keep her from getting back in to torture him again, or trying to relax to let her back in easier. <Tsk tsk. That is indeed very naughty of him. I hope he learns his lesson. Or else you'll have to bring Roy back. By the way, I figured out a way to bring Roy up three times in casual conversation but. Anyway, Serena, please don't chop my fingers off, I need you to relax your guardscales.> Kyn had finally decided! He would use his dexterity for more pleasurable purposes. <I only did that to make a point with him....they don't actually snap closed like that unless I force them to....> She raised her hind end, lowering herself to the ground further, and then pressed her tongue inside again, resuming the torturous flicking of her tongue, slower this time, more deliberate to make him last, and of course, her guardscales slid apart. <Heji would have to be a brave lion to put anything in there if I couldn't help snapping things off that were put in there.> <That is not what I meant at all...but whatever. I will go right ahead!> Kyn didn't even bother to lubricate his fingers since he figured Serena would be producing so much already. He carefully inserted two of his fingers, and was surprised by her interal heat at first. After he got used to he, he began to SLOOOOOOOWLY wiggle his fingers around inside her. He didn't know how sensitive she was at all. <Oooo.....> She squirmed back against him; and she increased the pace of her flicks, if only slightly. She could hear the groans of Royce, but they seemed so far away with Kyn's fingers in her. She couldn't focus well enough to create a coherent sentence, even with her mind, and her tongue was occupied, sufficiently gagging her without intending to....or had he intended this? Kyn also heard Royce groan and figured that Serena was doing exactly what he thought she was doing. Though he didn't hear her respond with anything other than what he believed to be a mental moan, and so he temporarily stopped to ask her. <Serena, are you sure you're gonna be able to do this? I mean like I said, we can avoid you being near Tensa and have HIM doing this but...> She stopped just short of snarling at him. <I am perfectly...capable of multitasking...> She added after a moment, then submitted. <Mmmph....but he's OUR toy....> she removed her tongue from him...clearly she was having one of those 'possessive vs lust' battles...but if she was to teach Royce anything about listening to his body...she would have to obey her own rules. <Alright, fine....> Kyn opened Tensa's Premier Ball, let him out, and explained the situation to him. Tensa of course, appeared to be rather delighted at the prospect of making Royce 'suffer' that way, and his years of practise definitely came in handy in that particular task. <Serena, are you ready again?> Serena backed away a bit, difficult to do with Kyn's fingers where they were, but she managed, and snorted at the question. <Are you planning to keep me on the edge as well, then?> At least letting Tensa handle the punishment, she could withdraw from Royce's mind, and the effect was almost immidate--her head wasn't as clouded with lust, though she was definitely still wanting and needy, but her mind was working with devious intentions. <Oh no, I just wanted your permission. So then.> Kyn shifted backand forth between flexing his fingers and wiggling them, and essentially tickling her with them. <Mmph.> She laid her head down on the ground, tilted slightly so that it would be between her claws, and she still had a nice view, she was mindful of how often she flicked out her tongue, still swallowing moans, refusing to join Royce in his ceaseless curses and moans, still she contracted against his fingers. <Nice view, isn't it?> She paused, then added <Since I know you've not had much practice on this side of things...and since you taught me a bit as well....stroke the other wall with the back of your fingers, we have a couple buttons you can push, one's out of your reach right now...the other two...one is at your fingertips, the other at about your second knuckle.> <Like you Serena, I'm always willing to learn. Though, now I see why other body parts are used for this type of thing. And... non-human LONG tongues.> She chuckled a little. <Yes....of course had we done something like this when I was a Bagon...well, pretty much everything would have been at your fingertips. Let me roll over, it'll give you access to all four of the buttons, and in your reach.> <Well. Not sure ya woulda let me do it as a Bagon.> He temporarily withdrew his fingers so that Serena could roll. <So long as you didn't compare the things to Anana, I probably...would have...I would have been immensely embarressed, but I would have let you.> she shifted, stretching her front limbs as she raised herself, then rolled over onto her back, and kept all four limbs on the ground, that is, until he was ready to begin again, then she held out her dulled claws to take his hand, to physically guide him as well as with mental tips. <I totally wouldn't treat it the same. But I think I'll stay with you too for this week with Royce... and Roy. Heji will of course, be able to help you through it as well.> Kyn dropped down to his knees and brought his hand back over her entrance. <Mmm....well, no use worrying about what might have happened in the past...and perhaps...the others as well?> She pressed his thumb to her clit, then the two fingers into her with her claws, her tongue flicking out as she looked, upside down, at Tensa, who was still torturing Royce with his tongue. <I'm curious....has Tensa had a reptile tongue up his rear before? Other than his own, I mean.> She pressed the tips of his fingers into her g-spot, and gasped with it. <Your thumb is on one...two is where your fingertips are currently...the other two are further back...> <Hmm, I think so. But uh, where are you going with this?> Kyn paid careful attention to where Serena was directing him, so that not only would be be able to help Serena, but that he'd also be able to possibly assist anymore females that decided to join his party... as well as knowing females in general. <You asked me to get to know and open up to the rest of them as well, didn't you? Well, the week apparently going to be more of this....in various ways, and you've opened the others up to joining in.> She pressed again, pushing his fingers back beyond where her claws could reach. <Feel that nub back there...? That would be the entrance to the womb...if you can force it open with your fingers, then....by all means, force it to spread for you....the last one should be at your fingertips if you allow your fingers to curl a bit.> Even in her instruction, she was panting through her nose, the idea of what he was doing just as arousing as the actual act it seemed. <Y'know, we're both lucky that I'm not disgusted by the idea of what I'm doing. Most of my species, would be all like, 'OH GOD why are you doing that to that Pokémon?!' and like... call an agency on me if they saw me. Which is why I tend to keep Tensa and my relationship a secret from the public, until a time when it is more acceptable.> <Mmmmm....stop thinking about it Kyn...it's not like anyone will be able to understand -me- personally...> She huffed, pulling her claws out away from his fingers, giving him free reign over her, and licked the claws clean. <I'm starting to understand why Shelgon choose not to move while in this stage...less chance they'll run into something that will arouse them.> <That's not the point though. It's the act itself. Oh well. Guess I'll just kinda... poke around. No pun intended.> Kyn chuckled a bit afterwards and then began working again. "Tensa, how ya doing over there?" Kyn asked. "You obviously aren't seeing him squirm." Tensa answered after removing his tongue. Serena churred at his work. "We've been watching you plenty though Tensa...It's a nice view." She herself squirmed at Kyn's fingers, and with the squirm came a squeeze of his fingers. "But I think he was talking about your tiredness level more so than your skill." "I haven't been watching him at all, apparently YOU have. Though that's probably because you do still feel a want to oversee it a bit." Kyn said, with a sigh. Tensa move opposite of Royce, and away from Serena and Kyn, to sit down. "I am definitely alright. It doesn't really take me effort." She chuckled a little. "I wont deny that I've been watching...he's MY toy after all, I'm just letting him borrow him..." she twitched and eventually did moan, her claws scratching her underbelly. <ah...I suppose that saying that I was watching his rump to see if he'd like a taste of his own medicine would be bad.> <Let me just say this. *I* wouldn't mind if you made Tensa cum like that. This grin on my face should probably tell you that.> Kyn switched to using three fingers now, massaging her again, whilst trying to suppress various thoughts from leaking through the link. Serena shuddered, her hind leg twitching as she relaxed to the stimulation, allowing herself to moan and gasp aloud as well as in his head. <Ah...but would HE mind ME doing it? If you want me to do so, you're going to have to remove your fingers, or think of something to get him over here.> <I'll just remove my fingers for a bit. Until you want assistance again.> "So then... how's Royce doing, Serena?" /I do mean scentwise, since I can't smell that./ He removed his fingers and then quickly licked them. She shivered a little as Kyn removed his fingers, and rolled back over, sliding her scales closed as she walked back over to Royce and looked him over, even going as far to tease him with her claws, making him squirm, and then looked the male in the eye. "Reverted...to Roy, i mean....in essence, you broke my toy Tensa, all that training...I do hope I don't have to redo all that to make him socially acceptable." she ducked her head a bit, obviously and purposely gave Tensa a show; and then let the poor boy cum. Of course, showing off...it was done in only a few minutes. Even as he spilled over himself, she clicked her tongue. "Good boy." she growled in his ear. "Damn Tensa. Either Royce was just too sensitive or... I'm just to accustomed... which, both of which are... sort of negative things, depending on the way you look at it." Kyn said thinking intensively about it. Considering how close Tensa was to Royce, it was a simple matter to walk up beside him and poke him. "Thank you for...entertaining my pet...perhaps I can show you my gratitude?" she gave an innocent smile, of course from the scent she was still giving off, he would be able to tell that she hadn't gotten off yet. "Well, I don't suppose I have any reason to refuse right now. Go right ahead." Tensa said, crossing his arms. Kyn kept the grin on his face, and guess that Serena could probably feel his mirth, but he turned away from Tensa so that he couldn't see the grin. Serena licked her lips. "You don't, well, I really don't have to ask, do I? You don't mind if accessorize your pretty green hide, hm?" she sounded almost like Merlot, a comparison that she did well NOT to make of herself right then and there. She wasn't sure how he would respond to the situation, but knowing Kyn...well, that would make it even better for him. "...What are you talking about Serena...?" Tensa turned to look directly at her, and tried to think about what she meant. "We're in a room full of bondage gear Tensa, what do you THINK I meant?" She didn't waver in looking at him, she was telling the truth after all, or else she wouldn't be able to say it. "Despite all the goings on here... I'm not really that much into bondage." Tensa explained. There was a certain aspect of it that he liked, but the situations were very variable. Serena's smile didn't fade. "Kyn -will- be watching, you know; but if it doesn't suit you..." she walked around to where she was between his legs, and nosed him, using her lips and tongue to bring him to full arousal, if he wasn't already, before shifting her focus lower. At first it was just brushing his tail and tail hole, then, since his tail was pinned beneath her, began to lick around the muscle--and finally delved into it, searching for that pesky little gland. <Think I should have warned him that I was a quick study?> By this point he would have probably been relaxed to let her do what she wanted, but then again...well, this was Tensa she was performing this on. "Eh... w-well I... mean... there are some situations..." Tensa started to lose his sentence, since he wasn't really expecting her to do this to him at all. <I think he's able to deduce that on his own now. Jeez Serena, maybe I shouldn't have introduced you to that technique early. And what I mean by that is, eventually you'd probably have learned it on your own.> "In which I do enjoy it a bit..." he finally managed to get out. <If I ever got up the nerve to try it otherwise.> She buried her nose against his crotch, beginning the treatment that, essentially, he'd just given Royce, however his...well, would have a happier ending than being sucked off. She stopped all stimulation to his length, focusing on his prostrate, and her eyes looked up at him with a look that could have read 'Oh yes, Kyn did tell me about this, and just how many times you've done it to him.' <Of course I'm not gonna say this outloud. It might be better... if Tensa is on his knees. He's definitely not going to spread and present himself to you though.> Tensa, began letting out a whole string of sighs, doing his best not to moan, but a few occasionally escaped him. His length began dripping pre, something which was an indication of how much he was truly enjoying it. <Enjoying the show?> She inquired, bringing the lizard close to the edge, and then she pulled back, waiting for the outrage when she stopped, clearing the gathered saliva from the corners of her mouth. "If you want me to finish you off, roll over. Otherwise you can stay like that....and don't bother looking at Kyn." she -thought- that would work to get what Kyn wanted out of her. <Hmm, well, I suppose the tightness of my pants would rather be the indication of that.> Tensa gave Serena a rather quizzical look. "And I suppose you're planning on stopping me from finishing myself...?" After this Kyn commented back to Serena. <Tch. Being stubborn. He's too used to this sort of thing I suppose. Guess you'll just have to... use techniques that I've not yet seen from you.> Serena licked her chops. "Between the two of us, you're the faster, I'll give you that; but I would think that satisfaction at your own hand would be...less pleasing than at the hands of another. I wont FORCE you to do anything...if what Kyn has said about you being the alpha male of this group still stands, I don't have the authority to do so anyway---but I do know that the position change would make it easier for me to get at you, and I know that you enjoyed what I was doing." she tempted. "Can your claws beat -that-?" <I do not have eyes in the back of my head, Kyn, even if I did, they would be focused on the blackness of my shell.> <I... wasn't expecting you to know about it, rather it was an on the spot cheeky informative...> "They cannot, no, however, is it not true that I have a reptilian tongue of my own?" Tensa countered. "You do." She confirmed. "With your tongue on your cock, you could bring yourself and finish yourself off, but then, if you were going to you already would have started. If you wanted to try the technique out on yourself then good luck. I'm. Not. Moving. lest i get a word of the affirmative, and remember, i can always just check with Kyn to see if you're lying~." She withdrew her head into her shell; she was completely in the way of him being able to get his tongue near his rear, and she was confident that her claws grip on the rings that were embedded in the tile would keep her rooted to the spot as well. "It's not like I'm asking for something that would embarrass you, you've already agreed to let me do something to express my gratitude to you for taking care of Royce...It's not like I'd make you clean up after yourself." She tried, but said it offhandedly, as if none of it really mattered to her. <Ah, I have seen that technique before. The ol' blockin' the path with oneself.> "Fine... I suppose. If that's the case. It does make more logical sense that you'd be able to pleasure me more in that way than I could myself, due to the angle difference." Tensa said, sighing. <Lizard is as stubborn as a dragon. I do hope that this is worth it to you, Kyn.> She did move, and waited expectantly for him to reposition. She didn't make mention of how glad she was that he saw it her way, or anything of the sort, knowing that she was pushing it as it was. <As stubborn as a Dragon? What do you mean by that...?> Kyn wondered. Tensa got down on his knees, and then rested himself on Royce, since he figured he wouldn't mind anyway. Serena licked her lips again, not answering Kyn immediately, she had made a promise to Tensa, and she was going to at least start on keeping her promise to him before she did finally answer him. <Dragons are known for being...difficult, eventually, we always get our way, one way or another.> She worked quickly to get him back to his peak, and teasingly kept him just at that point, until he either growled at her, or she grew tired of toying with him, likely the latter, and then she of course, let him cum, pressing down roughly over the gland with her tongue, milking it to increase his orgasm, not necessarily his load. Tensa reached to stroke himself, and since he was currenly in that position, he couldn't really see Serena, and thus, when she did stop for a while after he felt his peak, he gave a large sigh, and continued stroking himself whether or not she was pushing him or not. When he finally did push him over the edge, he gave another huge sigh, and let out a rather breathy, 'Haaa..." and then sort of collapsed onto his side, avoiding his own spurts of cum. She pulled her tongue out as he collapsed, chuckling more to herself than to him, and bent her head to lick across his tip, then cleaned up after him. She didn't really mind too much, or perhaps her normal mind would have minded...she wasn't exactly in her right mind at the moment; when she was finished she walked over to Kyn, and did her best imitation of a dog begging for a bone. "Hey, Serena... have you had 'Roy' service you? And if so... how has he done it?" Kyn was thinking about what exactly the submissive version of Royce might have done, and what Serena might have made him do since he wasn't there during his.... training. "I've not given him the honor of servicing me yet, no." She phrased it carefully, as if that were a reward not meant for a lowly pet, at least, not as of yet. "I don't believe that he's earned that yet." she sat down, looking up at him questioningly. What was he getting at? "Also that does remind me. You did say something about... having to and of course this is the word I'll use for it, remake Royce?" Kyn said, pointing at the current state of him. "Mmmm, yes...having to rebuild someone that you hate with every fiber of your being, it's not the most plesant thing in the world...but it was done once...actually...I suppose that I should see if it needs to be done again....." she walked away from Kyn, back to the Slowking, and tapped his cheek with the back of her claws. "Snap to, pet. Tell me, do you remember what i taught you previously, or will I have to rework everything again?" From the way she growled, it was clear she wouldn't be happy if it was the latter....still, she untied the knot to let his legs down away from his arms, and let his arms relax, but didn't uncoil them from the rope. "I....remember what Mistress Serena has taught me." he glanced at her underbelly scales, almost subconsciously. "It's odd for me to understand though how what Tensa did, drove him back to... that state." Kyn said, "Almost like a defense mechanism in a way. I don't know how that works, really. Roy, do you know who I am?" He asked, finally actually calling him by his pet name. Roy lifted his head up to look at Kyn, since he had been addressed it was alright to do so, in fact, pertanent that he did look him in the eye when he spoke. "Of course I know who you are, you're Master Kyn, I've only got two people above me--how could I forget something like that?" <I thought that might happen. Serena. I'm thinking I should get Liru out of the habit of calling me Master. Anyway, he appears not to have forgotten how to be Royce... I think.> "It's good that you haven't forget me." Kyn said in a delighted tone.. <But damn. Perhaps after the week is up, I shall visit Royce again and... ask for Roy to come out and play, after I'm in his office that is.> <You'll always have a title, when not in a sexual situation it will be Sir, when in one, and he can smell me like this, it will be Master...I already had this discussion with him; it's to show that he is there to SERVE you, and not the other way around. The same way I'm 'Lady' and 'Mistress' now.> "You're still second in command here, anything -I- say will override what you say, and likewise either or us can override whomever we give command over him no matter what. They could say, tell him to hop up and down on one leg in a circle, and if we told him to stop, he would obey us over that person." she explained <You could, of course, but remember that there's no rewards unless I'm there as well.> <I will definitely remind my other Pokémon should they find themselves in that situation. Now, I'm not exactly sure I'm used to this type of thing. Serena, do you have any idea why the color of your Dragon Pulse is the way that it is? In a way it matches some aspects of your eyes due to the green in it. Completely unrelated by the way.> "Understood. So, what's he gotta do to get rewarded then eh? That was his PUNISHMENT earlier." <You and Marlow are alike, he asked me why my energy was the color it was a long time ago...and Kyn? You're a really evil human, putting it like that. I am NOT going to use him to relieve my sexual tension, so drop it.> She unclipped Roy's collar from the ground, followed by the rope, which she coiled and handed back to Kyn, and the spreader bar was put back up on the counter. She didn't technichally answer him. "Stay within the confines of the VIP area, Roy; you're dismissed." She could see the want in his eyes, but he didn't argue, choosing to straighten up the room, essentially behaving as if they were not there, and Serena behaved in kind. <I will drop it after I say this. Using him to relieve your sexual tension would be bad and that is not what I meant. That's all. I don't exactly think I qualify as evil yet.> "It's a rather cool color. Not in the artistic sense I mean, that's why I was wondering if there was a specific reason behind it. Like for instance, Liru's Aura sphere is blue, due to 'Aura' being blue. When he senses aura, he told me that in essence the landscape, people, provided they have a clear and pure mind, all are shades of blue. So it's monochromatic." She of course, knew what the topic was, but of course Tensa wouldn't, she stepped closer to him, sniffing out Heji's ball, and took it from his person, gently holding it in her mouth until she was laid down on the ground, and rolled over. "All dragon energy is that color, when it comes from me, Dragon rush had it too, if you remember...Shadow claw is purplish...double edge had...well, it was kind of golden when I hadn't just used either of my other energies with it...but it wasn't affected by my fire." <When I first had sex with Heji, that was essentially what happened...I gave myself to him in order to get rid of the want that you and Tensa mating caused. You can't tell me that it's bad in all cases.> <I am not telling you that it is bad in all cases. Now, perhaps Heji can help with this five day false heat then?> Kyn sigh, figuring that he might as well have let Heji out earlier. <I'm...not sure what you're in reference to...I might be horny, but the effects of that vile potion wore off ages ago...THIS I can stand, the other, I could not...admittedly, a few months ago I wouldn't even want to try to stand this.......I am however, glad you enjoyed your show...it will probably be seldom that you get to see such a thing...> <Hm, I suppose I can live with that Serena. So, this time, I think I will TRULY be leaving to meet with you later. Abouts how long do you think I should wait this time? A month again? Or should I throw Anana a curve and only get it done in fifteen days?> He prepared to set off again, gathering the rope back into his backpack, and opening Heji's Ball. Of course, she realised that he was going to open the ball she had taken from him, that she was playing with, still, the fact that she handed the ball back afterwards might have been a surprising feat even then. <Your mind changes faster than a Dodrio runs. First you were going to stay the entire week, the next you're leaving now.> She got up from her laying spot to nuzzle Heji, all the way back to his haunches. <You're not taking him back with you?> <No, this is basically your goodbye allowance. I'm not just gonna take him and go. Still haven't answered me on the amount of time I should do to throw Anana off a bit though.> "Heji... I think that I'll really need your help on this Sharpedo thing." He said, waiting for Serena's answer. Acceptance, sadness and longing colored her thoughts, but at least he was keeping his word on this, and that, she could respect. As wanting as she was, she bore it, choosing to cover herself in his scent instead, and then licked his cheek and nose. She knew, of course, that this would be common...the goodbyes, the time apart; it was among the lists of things that she had to bear, loving someone from a different world than her own. That of course ended with her head in his mane. "Stay safe and come back to me." The words were quite soft, she was sure that Kyn wouldn't be able to hear them. <You've already surprised her with how quickly you can get work done, it doesn't really...make a difference...Don't ask me to set the time apart...please. It's like asking someone to chose their own jail sentence.> <I understand. These trips... I'm starting to think, Serena, most of these orders are fairly simple... this one was a rather unusual one. > Kyn actually went over to Serena, and attempted to give her a hug of farewell, instead of leaving in the normal way. <She did tell you that you didn't have to take it.> She stood up as Kyn approached, wrapping her forelegs around his shoulders for the hug. Of course the fact that she rose up to do so made the positioning awkward, being with both of their current situations. She did well to manage not to rub against him, and dropped back down onto all fours shortly after, then went to nose Tensa in the elbow, which just happened to be the only rather innocent part of him that she could reach. "Go on then, off with you..." despite herself her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears; how she HATED goodbyes. Tensa said his goodbyes to Serena as well, and then he headed out. Kyn, Tensa, Medicham and Heji walked out of the room. Palkia had been waiting for this particular moment, and in a rare occurrence, at reduced size. The portal opened, and then the group walked through, it arriving on the other side near the Tauros form. "Palkia... there's something that's been on my mind. I'm thinking of Serena here but... just to be on the safe side... I actually was hoping you'd adjust the distortion so that... For every four months here... only a day passes there." As the current situation was, he wanted to go back to Serena as soon as possible. Taking the time to deal with the most difficult issue first, the Sharpedo, would give him more time to take care of the simpler tasks that he could do either by fishing or by hunting. About two pounds of Krabby, an interesting three Tauros, which he of course would double to six Tauros for Gambitville. Three days passed nearly in the blink of her reptilian eye, with little to do but play with Roy, she had let him go back to his usual routines and spent her time with Nina and Riiko; while breaking Royce had been quick...and rather painful, she might add, on both accounts, she took her time explaining the situation to the two Clef-kin, until they saw things her way...well, in the haze of the heat drug, it was difficult not to see things in the other person's perspective she had supposed, but now things were set up properly, and they were back to their 'normal' lives. Serena had, however, insisted upon them getting a whole showering room set up between the night life section and the outside world; and Royce had insisted that as the one who came up with the 'idea', half of the money they made from it, would go to her--much to her displeasure. That being said, she stayed in a room behind Royce's office most of the time, looking over the blueprints for what was to be, and made corrections to what had been depicted there....and that would be the place she would be found now. After Kyn arrived in Serena's world again, his first stop was Gambitville. Then after dealing in the bones, pelt and three Tauros, he went to Anana's shop to see if she was there so he could PERSONALLY let her know that he had taken the order, and that he had fulfilled it. Anana, per usual, could be found in her shop; this time actually assisting a customer, her yellow hide hidden mostly by the order that she had gathered up; it was however Fabian that carried it out for them to their cart, not the lizard herself. The sound of footsteps alerted her to the presence of yet another person in her shop, and she turned instinctively to face them. "Good Afternoon~" She wasn't even really looking at who it was, her mouth was upturned in the smile that was characteristic for her. "Ah, hello Miss Anana! It's been a few days since we last met, it's Kyn and I've got somethings I wanna discussing regarding an order. If you're not TOO busy that is." Kyn said, eyeing the other customer for a split second. The voice made her eyes open wide, it had only been four days since she last saw him. "Ah...Kyn~ no, not too busy at all, how have you been?" She paused at the words 'order'. "Are you having trouble with it?" She did walk back to her counter, jotting down the sale and what her register should read for the end of the night; and with the last trip, Fabian returned to the back of the shop; aside from Anana, the shop was empty. "No... no, just that I've almost finished it. Even the Sharpedo. I think I'll be done in maybe half a day." Kyn said, creeping up to the counter, and then attempting to look over it. "I-in four days? Really now...So what did you want to discuss~?" She tried to maintain her usual demeanor, but since he wasn't having problems with it at all, she wasn't sure what he could want of her. "Well, I was wondering... do you know about how much meat is processed on a yearly basis? It might give me... an idea of what to expect, volume wise. Also... someone must have either some expensive or some dangerous tastes... that Sharpedo... was really scary..." Kyn said honestly. "Ah...that order was for a party that someone wanted at Nibbles Sushi bar...I can't say for whom, of course, but hmm...as far as meat is concerned..." She closed the ledger for the daily sales, and brought out a much larger ledger, trailing her fingers over the pages. "Last year...well, that is quite a big number, it's a good thing that families can replace those who were lost quite easily around here, no problems with fertility...of course there's the odd bits, but you know~ Ah, I'm off topic...Here, see for yourself." she pushed the book towards him. "If it doesn't bother you, I might start relying on you more for the meat products--if no one has to lose their lives then i would much rather that they didn't." Kyn shifted his focus down to the book that was put before him. "Er... well... I only got lucky this time. I wouldn't exactly say I could replicate this kinda of result ever single time. Oh, and speaking of meat.... There is one thing that I still haven't really told Serena much about... it involves... things about others of MY kind." He put emphasis on the my so that she might be able to guess that he was referring to his humanity. "This was a special case, i wouldn't expect you to replicate this sort of thing all the time...I thought I did say that." she tapped her chin for a moment, then looked at him curiously. "Well, knowing Serena, she'll ask if she's curious- she almost always is anyway, that's how she gets in trouble so much~" she trailed off at the mention of humans. "I suppose it was too much to ask for your kin to be herbivores..." "That's the rather interesting part about it Anana... we're all three. Pure Herbivores, pure carnivores, AND omnivores. Now, what I was about to ask was... by any chance would you happen to know where I might be able to find a group of Slowpoke...? Or at least *a* Slowpoke...?" Kyn decided to sit down for the time being. "Hm...well, Slowpoke do live by the water, I would try around Tao lake, or at the swamp, either of those should provide you with...where a slowpoke would be." The voice was curious, but she didn't ask; better that she didn't, she figured. "Thank you... now, I do have a non-food related question. Um.... have you seen any base colored green Kecleon nearby, or anywhere between here and Tao...?" Kyn asked, hoping to at least see ONE green Kecleon here. "I'm afraid that -MY- family are the only Kecleon in the bay; and we've not produced any green colors for generations, in fact, Daddy Grepa and....well, my SIBLING are the only cool colors for a while...Tao might have some green Kecleon in their guild rankings though, you could ask Serena about that, or send away for the records, I'm sure their record's keeper wouldn't be opposed to letting you see them. He's a writer, you see. A Ninetails if I recall, really though, i don't know why Papa allowed him to remain there..." "I see... well, thank you for all the information. Now, I believe I have something here that might be to your liking still..." Kyn of course was referring to the delicious Pokéblock that he had made. He took out five blocks this time, and held them in his hand for a bit. Anana looked at the PokéBlock and of course, gently took them from his hands--since she had been shown his true form, she could SEE it now. She folded four of the pieces up in a piece of cloth, and politely popped the fifth in her mouth so that it wouldn't appear as if she was gorging herself on treats....like her sister often did. "Mmmm, thank you." "You're welcome. Serena, Tensa , you, and I... all have a similar taste for these things. So, I was thinking... I'd be wanting to work a bit more until I got to about a half a million Poké, and then take a break for a bit." Kyn said, briefly switching back to stuff about business again. "That's a sizable sum, you realise that I hope? Most aim for that and have to save for their entire lives to be able to even reach 200K?...well, I'm not among them, but hm...it's understandable. If you wanted to take up my offer on being my Go to for meat, then you could probably make that in a few months maybe. You know, if you're lucky." She added with a pointed look. "It would mean filling more than one customer's order at once." "...I guess I might be able to try it out. The faster I reach that sum the more confident I can feel being here. I've gotten a bit more used to your currency and I'd figure... that, with what my plans are... I'd be trying to acquire at least 500,000 to a million a year. Compared to most of us... the lifestyle I have... is quite odd, considering the amount of my own currency I have, and the reason why I'm telling you this so suddenly is because... well... I may actually... decide to live here. Albeit with... a bit more technology... but uh... I hope I'm not rambling." Kyn said, reviewing all the information he just spigoted. She dropped the bit of charcoal she had been writing with. "You've decided to live here? Where?" She realised she had dropped her writing utensil and picked it back up, cleaning up the stray marks on the paper. "I uh...nevermind, it doesn't matter...If you're up for buying a house, I could give you an advance and instead of paying you, just mark off how much you would have made off of the debt; if you'd prefer that....that way you wouldn't owe anyone anything on the house itself." She ducked beneath the counter and brought back up three envelopes that he would recognise as being work orders, with different wax seals. "Here, at your leisure, I know you're already working on one that's relatively big, so, as I said." "I haven't finalized my decision to live here yet but... as it currently stands, I do have a sort of... non-permanent home in the Windswept Woods." Kyn reached down to the counter and picked up literally ever single order that she placed onto the counter. "Ah...I do hope Twigs and Styx aren't giving you too much trouble, living on their land..." She gestured to the envelopes. "Just come back when you want more." "Alright. Now I'm off to do... stuff." Kyn said lamely. He exited the shop and then he opened the envelopes. <Serena... Serena... by any chance are you currently available?> "See you later~." She said with a smile, and waved him off, going back to her normal life for a bit.---------Serena looked up from the blueprint almost instinctively and answered. <Eh? Kyn? Back so soon? Sorry, i was focusing on this layout...ugh, remind me not to go into construction...Yes, I'm available.> <I've finished, and I've picked up more orders from Anana. I told her I'd be finished later today though. Now, has much changed in the days I've been gone?> He looked at the two orders and sighed. Serena rubbed her claws over her face. <Construction is going to take place on the night life area, changing different things around, adding in a rental booth for gear that they don't have themselves--though I suppose after word gets around that that would be made null...making all the rooms more comfortable among other things, and a shower/locker room.> <Shower/locker room....? I'm assuming that that would be there for rather obvious reasons but... gear rental him. I suppose it would make sense for those that AREN'T me. Now, there another thing that has been on my mind rather a lot recently... involving Royce. I was thinking that perhaps it would be best if I could tell you in person.> Kyn folded the orders up, and put them in one of his many pockets, and started heading for the Casino. <Alright, is there a specific place you would like to meet, or can i continue to work while I wait for you to get here?> She inquired, preparing to roll up the blueprints if need be; the door to Royce's office was open, of course; but she paid the going ons very little mind...Royce had taken to wearing his collar almost constantly; if beneath his frill where no one else could see it. <Well, I can just go to you. I'm on my way now anyway.> Kyn wanted to see the beginnings of these changes for himself, so he entered the Casino the normal way. <Alright...since the new password system isn't set up yet, yours will be....> She pulled the most random word from Kyn's head <Jitterbug, you can walk up to the guard at the door near the card tables, or the lobby, and use that to get in the back, the others are...well, closed off while the construction goes on.> "Vendetta, be a dear and relay the message that I'll be having a guest soon, let the guards know that anyone who says 'jitterbug' to them; should be allowed back here. Thank you in advance." She looked over the blueprints for what seemed like a millionth time, looking for anything she had missed...Pull down cots, D rings built into the walls and ceiling, posts available to have someone displayed, and many interchangeable other rings that could be pulled out with hard twist and a yank----yes, that would do, at least for the less extreme fetishist rooms. She had written Merlot when this began, she did hope that she would be able to get back to normal life herself, once the week was up. <That certainly is... an interesting uh... password. I think I'll be at the Casino in oh... about fifteen minutes now.> Kyn said, mentally keeping track of how long he'd be away from Anana's shop relative to how long he remembered it taking to get there. After he arrived, he did as suggested. "I've just got this jitterbug in my head... I can't seem to get it out," is the sentence he had used with the word in it. Afterwards he went through to the back. <I'm behind Royce's office, the door's open so don't worry about disturbing him, or me.> Serena set down the chalk after tapping it against the corner of the paper as she tried to think. Could she make the rooms better? They already had a drainage system...of course all toilet activities would have to be taken care of outside of the room, but really, she didn't want them too crowded....the gear rooms were being condensed into a center point, and they would have to give them their room number when things were rented, the key cards were always swiped and synched...the lockers were the same way, the keycards were used to secure belongings so that things didn't become too crowded, and of course, the cards themselves were set up so that they could be put on the ring of the collar so they wouldn't be LOST in the rooms themselves...the collars of course, were monitored, but every one that would come to use them would have one worn, and only the guard had the key to take them off. <Behind Royce's office...?> (This is from both Kyn and me. He had been IN Royce's office before but never actually been behind it. He made his way into the office, past the open door and then waited. "You didn't honestly think that he SLEPT in his office, did you?" She said as she saw his sillouette(I know there's supposed to be an H in there somewhere but my brain isn't working enough to know where atm.)) in the doorway; she motioned him inward with her claw, and for about the fifteenth time; she smoothed the paper on the table against the wall. There was a bed at the far end, and even a chair beside where she sat on the floor, going unused. "Hello Serena, and no, the answer is that it would be silly if he slept in his office." Kyn said, sitting down on the ground, despite there being a chair and a bed. "Exactly. Well, except that he kind of does at the moment; since he doesn't want to sleep in the same room as I do, and I've refused to let him pay for a room for me." She got up and closed the door then spoke again. "You know that bugger is insisting upon sending me half of what he makes off of this idea?" "I did not. Now, I did come all this way to check on you but, I also came here to tell you. This idea has been in my head for a while!" He said. "What idea would this be?" She walked back to the paper, jotting down a memo on the border of the print with the white chalk, in footprint runes of course. <Not going to say this outloud. Now... to the best of my knowledge it appears that Royce has been behaving. My thoughts sooner or later shifted to the fact that, one of the few disciplinary things that I have inflicted upon Royce EXCLUDE an over the knee hand spanking from me. That's one of the things at least.> "Footprint runes in chalk... now that's something I never thought I'd see." Kyn said, carrying on the rest of the conversation in voice. <...and you no longer wish for it to be excluded from the list? He has been behaving recently, it's rather odd...perhaps it's because he knows that I'm working, he doesn't want to...distract me. Actually he's been that way since you left, probably doesn't have an interest in playing when he knows he can't cum.> she looked over at him. "Why wouldn't we be able to do them in chalk?" "It's not that just that... I haven't really seen chalk used in a long time. How many different colors of chalk do you have...?" He asked. <Well you could say that. I'm not just going to abuse my authority with him though. Speaking of which, I'm thinking that after you're with the initial stages of construction... you should reward him.> <You keep saying that...the thing is, he ENJOYS even the denial now. I'm going to have to start using harsher punishments on him if he DOES act up again...> She sighed mentally. <Perhaps you should stop saying things like that and just tell me your idea, since you clearly have an idea of HOW i should reward him.> "White and red...black if you count Charcoal. Truth be told this is the first time I've used it myself, it smudges so easily that it's not even funny." <He's enjoying it now? He's just as bad, not in THAT sense as Tensa was... for a while. He seemed to act up on purpose, before I caught on.> "Hm, then it's not like the chalk from my world. I believe Pal and Palette might be interested in... some of it. We have all the primary colors, and secondary colors, and even some in between." Kyn said, trying to give Serena a memory of some of the chalk drawings that he used to do back when he was a younger child under the age of 10. <Difference is, he can't hide it from me.> she gave up trying to write, with the different thoughts and things...well, it just wasn't working. "Perhaps they would...this is used only for official purposes...there might be a blue too, that shows up against certain things, but if it does exist, it wasn't given to me. (Like for making a straight line, there's chalk string that does that.)" <Tensa doesn't hide it from me anymore. But as odd as this is, I don't really have an set idea this time.> "Serena, Anana thinks that I can make at least half a million in a few months." Kyn said. "Working yourself to the bone perhaps, and with her drastically overpaying you." <If you don't have something in mind, then don't suggest that I do it. I've forgiven, but I've not forgotten, Kyn, and the fact that I've not forgotten wont let me let him touch me, even if he's the submissive in it all.> "Serena... in truth... I've been overworking since the day I started. I now literally have a surplus. A stock, if you will, to the point in which, I don't have to really hunt anymore unless I'm bored. I spent... a total of a year gathering, and it's only been a total of three months here that I've been working for Anana and, so far I've got four times as much, if you factor in Gambitville. Consider it like a money investment, that is currently building so fast, that you can't spent it fast enough to deplete it. You're not really one for the money though, but I figure you'd still be able to understand my example." Kyn took many pauses to breathe, break, let information sink in, and to generally get from one train of thought to the next. Serena wrinkled her nose at the thought of all the excess that that had to create, it went against her hunting instincts, but she let it drop. "yes, i understand...I suppose that I'll have an excess of money as well, considering this venture...too bad you can't buy accessories with poké." "Serena... what type of accessories are you thinking about? What type of accesories do they even have...? I wonder if Chrys would be able to actually tailor my overcoat if something happened to it..." He went off topic partially, but still stayed within the SUBJECT. Her head withdrew into her shell for a moment, and she eventually pulled out a large sheet of folded paper, and offered it to him so that he could see the accessories that could be recieved by going to Chrys. "Probably could, he's rather good with cloth...take a look. I want the Flygoggles~" "Ah... goggles are nice for flying. Though my goggles were to keep the sand out of my eyes during sandstorms. Hm, so. Some of these... look rather odd. Though I suppose that's just... from my perspective." Kyn said, trying to think of what some of the human equivalents would be. "You should have seen the stuff from after Mission 5...when essentially the whole town was in Merlot's castle...the accessories they had available then were...how should I put it...for a more...mature crowd." "Serena. The moment you said Merlot, followed by accessories in the same sentence, my thoughts immediately flowed to bondage-y things." Kyn chuckled. "Yes, exactly...ball gags...which she called a complaint muter, a Spiked collar with a leash attached to it...a corset, a dress and a set of shoes...and some lacey cuffs...oh, and make up." She added as an after thought. "My my. So, Serena... how long do you think it'll take to finish this construction? I might be staying here for quite a while this time." Kyn added, looking at the blueprints. "I'd like...to be back home by the end of the week, or shortly after...I would hope that Royce would hire someone more than competent to follow the blueprint that I've tweaked to hell and back being precise in everything....without me actually having to be here. Would you like to SEE exactly what's being done currently? They've been demolishing the walls around the other doors for the showers and locker room, pretty soon the door in the lobby will be the only one that Staff go in and out of..." "I'd like it to be surprise. Like walking into a whole new Casino. So... what's Royce gonna do while the two of us are gone Serena...? I'm not exactly familiar with the way things are gonna work, based on the way you've set it up with him." Kyn wondered. "Life goes back to essentially being normal for him while we're gone. No worries about being played with at inopportune times...I mean, the rules i put in place for him will remain in place, but he'd be essentially free to do whatever he wants. Actually it shouldn't be too different from now...unless he decides to be stupid and..." She sighed. "And he just left the Night life entertainment section, dressed in cuffs on his wrists, ankles, and one on his tail...and his collar. Yeah, see, acting up now that we're both here." "Doesn't that just mean that he WANTS to be punished? Hm. Royce looking like that, would look rather strange. I think we should handle this right away..." Kyn said, trying to picture what sort of type the items he was wearing were, considering the many different styles he had seen. Serena sighed, and stood up. "Honestly, what could we say? I mean...if people see him, they're GOING to ask questions...and I can't say that he's lost his mind." she pointed out. "But yes, it means that he wants to be punished, and that he knows eventually, that he's goint to be gotten off." (*Neuralizer* You did not just see the Slowking owner of this Casino walk out in bondage gear. You did not see us, the only thing you saw was the current show going on.) "So let's get going then? Maybe you could say he's modelling. I dunno." Kyn waited for Serena to lead the way. She sighed again, then opened the door and walked out of the back room, the office, down the path, and finally out into the lobby, following the mental trail until she arrived at...well, Riiko's table, who was looking just as shocked as she felt. <Ugh, I'm going to tie him to the ceiling upside down for this!> She growled mentally, and without an explaination, walked over and grabbed his tail just behind the cuff itself. "Royce, I know you want to show off your new outfit, but could you at least wait until ALL of it is finished and put on before you show it off? The tailors need you back so they can add the sleeves to those cuffs." Her mind screamed at the lie, and her claws nearly drew blood in his tail. Outfit, well, he was going to get a new outfit, just not with these cuffs...and he was holding them up on getting SOMETHING finished. <Oh, those rooms have those things, right. Hm, but this IS *Royce* you're dealing with, isn't it? If it is, then I'm confused as to why he'd act like that.> Kyn quickly trailed behind Serena, glancing at the staff slightly as he walked. She didn't wait for him to talk, she rather dragged him back towards the nearest door, until they were out of earshot of the others. "What the fuck Royce? I know you like being punished, but for fuck's sake, did you think I'm not going to adapt to keep you from enjoying it?" Characteristic of the Royce persona, he was unwilling and even rude as he was virtually dragged by his tail, back to the room, where she clipped his tail to the floor, and then his wrists to keep him from undoing it while she grabbed what was essentially a straight jacket, hood and leg bindings all in one. The aim here wasn't for him to like it, wasn't even for her to like it...or Kyn for that matter, and as she forced him into it and laced up the back, the rings built into the bottom made it clear that it was meant to hang from the ceiling. It had holes so that he could breathe through his nose, but nothing otherwise, and even his tail was tucked away beneath the leather. <It is Royce, yes, not Roy...but Roy is still inside Royce.> <Seems that at the oddest times the Roy side seems to interfere with Royce. All the things that are here are new to me. I've never really crossed over into the extreme fetishy side of things. Dealing with Royce makes all of my exchanges that much more interesting.> "...I just hope that the King's Rock Casino doesn't turn into a place where the common way to address it is Casino/Bondage Club, and hope that that part rather stays on a card basis. Are there... any other types of fetishes addressed here...?" "As if fetish club sounds any better....a lot of what I've arranged for revolve around Dominance and submission--those who choose to ignore their natural instincts would be able to accept them here...Mind standing on me to reach the ring so I don't have to throw the chain through the loop?" She offered him the length of chain. <I've tried to keep most of it tame...this outfit is on the more extreme side, I'll give you that...like forcing someone into a spinarak cacoon and not being let out...> "Tsk. This guy..." Kyn muttered, as he took the chain and fed it back through the loop, then handed it back to Serena. <What exactly... I mean... why does this outfit even exist...? Do you know what I mean...?> <Breathplay mostly...> she clipped the chain through rings to the cuffs, and then walked over to the other end, and easily pulled the chain to where he just barely hung from the top of the ceiling, and then sat to essentially bat him around with her claws, making him swing forward and back. <The idea is that the person in the suit gets light headed and dizzy from being hung upside down and swung, I'm afraid there's nothing really vicariously arousing about this punishment, unless you count the domination factor.> <No... that's not what I mean... I guess I gotta be more specific. Let me rephrase this; this particular outfit in my world, albeit with a few changes... is used for different purposes in my world. Though this is still one of them.> <Tell me then.> the message was short, and she gave Royce a particularly good whack at the shoulder, leaving marks in the leather where her claws touched. <You remember that discussion we had a while back, about what happened to those types of Pokémon that were deemed to be unfit for society due to various things like saying that they learned from humans... or other things? Well... if a human were to go around and say they were a Pokémon or that they learned from them, they'd be separated from society, and if they acted violent... as in attacking others, they'd be put in something similar to that thing, basically.> Kyn didn't bring any images to his mind since he hadn't really BEEN to or seen that type of thing, only heard about it, and this reminded him of that. Serena blinked at him, the image in her mind wasn't QUITE lining up with what he said, but it was close enough. <I....see. Well I wouldn't know anything about that, i just...well my instincts would be to kill them if they weren't right in the head...weeds out unwanted mutations...but that's going back to the fact that I myself have a mutation.> she laid down on the floor. <Of course, there's more than they do than just isolate them but that's beside the point. Anyway, as odd as this sounds, when it's not me up there, I find this situation entertaining. Royce has become an almost pendulum!> Kyn's ability to make a joke out of almost any situation, started to develop again. <...when it's not you up there, huh?> She sounded almost amused as she spoke, and then stood up on her hind legs, one pushed backwards to stabilize herself as she gave a rather resounding slap to Royce's rear, making him groan in reply. <Heh...> "That sounds and looks like it would have left a mark, had he been uncovered." Kyn commented. <You put ideas in my head, I will not be blamed for acting on them one of these days, Kyn.> "Probably will anyway." With Royce still swinging, she walked over to the chain, wrapping it around her one clawed limb, and then unhooked it with the other, walking back to the centerpoint before allowing him to be lowered to the ground, and putting her claws on his shoulder. "Look, Roy, I'm not going to play this game with you, I've TOLD you, in fact, that if you want to play you just have to tell me, my anger is not something you want to toy with." "I would have played with him too, if he'd just asked." Kyn said, sighing. <Of course, I'm not always here either, and neither are you. Also, like I said earlier, Tensa went through that exact type of thing. Getting himself into trouble on purpose.> The muffled reply that came in return made her mouth twitch in a frown, and she rolled him over, unlaced the hood portion, and pulled it off. "What was that now?" <It's a six hour walk to Tao, or vice versa, and he's rich enough to afford a balloon ride if he absolutely wants me to play with him, it's not an excuse.> ------ "I'm.....I'm sorry" <Hm, I see. Serena, did you learned about heightened sensitivity, caused by the blocking off of other sensations such as sound, and sight, for this type of thing, yet?> "Well... apparently that is the magic word and everything is all better now, fine and dandy, right Serena?" The sarcasm that was dripping from him would have been plainly obvious. "Oh /sure/, everything's just pecha-y." she walked away from him, towards Kyn, leaving the slowking tied up. "Because sorry is something that I THOUGHT i had beat the meaning into you a few days ago." the growl was present in her voice again. <I knew about it before Merlot mentioned it...I used blindfolds to learn my forest, and even hunt when I was...bored,I suppose you could say, training with my other senses.> <Merlot mentioned it? Ah, that Lugia. Hm, Serena... I've never really seen Merlot. Our... idea of a Lugia would probably have no concept here.> Kyn not so subtly dropped the idea that he wanted to know what Merlot looked like. She essentially curled around his feet, sighing through her nose as she brought up all sorts of pictures of Merlot herself, some in her 'teachings' others just enjoying glasses of wine or of course, speaking to Serena herself with a wanting look in her eye, they were in no particular order, but she did give them to him. <Could have just straight out asked me such things, you're lucky i can read your mind.> <No, I am not lucky Serena. Not always. There is a saying in my world. 'One cannot lie to a Dragon.' You appear to be a prime example of that, though probably for a different reason. I didn't exactly want to straight up ask you. Now... I believe that I will show you about our Lugia...> "Hoy boy. He's really screwed the Poochyena on this one this time." Kyn said, almost feeling sorry for him. <Most things are a blessing and a curse, Kyn, one would have...what, what was that saying? Er...?> She looked at him questioningly, not really making any noise, or even looking at Royce. <Heh... not literally. It's in essence means... to royally fuck up. Which actually fits the situation quite well, since Royce has a crown, it makes a hidden pun. Which I didn't even realize until now.> Kyn explained. <Well Kyn, unlike you, being around this atmosphere, the whole openly bondage fetish grows...stagnant to me, having been around it constantly since we began this venture.... If you wish to play with him, or punish him, be my guest.> <Serena, what you just said makes absolute perfect sense. To me, things of this nature are a treat. Either being the participant or participating myself. I could also see why you'd be glad to return to your normal life.> <I would not be able to see things from Merlot's point of view...she lives this, day in and day out, and apparently doesn't get bored of it...as for normal life...well, nothing's exactly -normal- since I've met you, now is it? I'm going to have all this money that I'm going to need to keep out of sight, that I'm not even going to count or condense, or anything...I've got Marlow who can't really be in the same room with Heji without graiting against one another's nerves, the fact that you left Heji here at least gave me someone to train with, and it was a good way to let off steam.> <Day in an day out eh? Well, it can be a rather interesting lifestyle. But, I think Marlow and I will have to have a talk about this.> "Is he truly repentant though, Serena? You should know." "Is he sorry that he did it, that he made things awkward, that he made me drag him back? None of those fall under the things that he is sorry for. Is he sorry for interrupting my work, does he finally understand that I am NOT amused by his games, and does he know that he's only gotten himself into deeper shit by doing it? Yes, he knows these things, and is, annoyingly, sorry for the former. In essence....he's only sorry that he got caught." <You did promise to assist with this issue, yes.> "I see. Well, you're probably not in the mood to deal with it right now. So, I guess I'll just sorta... maybe, do something, while you get back to work." Kyn suggested. "I'm not." She confirmed. "Do what you like." The fact that she wasn't moving should have told him that she thought that her blueprint work was essentially done; if not that she wanted to watch what he had in mind. "Well... as you recall... I believe I was going to show you... certain techniques with rope." "I recall, and yes, you were." She did move away from his legs a bit, relaxing against the wall in a reclined position, subsequently exposing her underbelly, not that she seemed bothered by this at all. <Though I still say that they wouldn't be able to hold me.> she added mentally. <I see, well, once you see what I do, you might reconsider. Though definetly not in your Shelgon stage or Salamence stage... you're right about that. So, I need him to like, stay in place while I do this. I'll also be needing him to be on his knees, with his hands behind his back.> Serena tilted her head, then moved back around to Royce, and pulled him up to his knees. The leather gave, of course, though she only moderately undid the lacings, not removing the bindings completely so that he still couldn't move. <As you go, then, we'll remove the previous sheathe of leather.> She had her claws on his shoulders, standing behind him, her snout close to Roy's neck. "Behave." The word was forceful, as if that word alone could keep him from misbehaving. <Oh damn. Serena, a rather... disturbing image, even for me, came to mind. Perhaps I should send you an image of the type of rope bondage I am talking about, and then you can imagine why I shuddered after imagining what that would do, when combined with this thing. Also, that means I'm requesting that he be taken out of it for the time being.> Kyn said, sending the image over. She tilted her head. <You requested that he remain still, that he be on his knees, and this was the solution that came to mind, to remove the leather as you worked with the rope to maintain his inability to move...I wasn't going to leave it on, or strip it off with my claws, there's laces back here, remember?> She paused at the image, then sighed. <Whatever, it doesn't matter, he's going to behave or he'll make this worse for himself anyway.> It did take some time to unstring the rest of the binding from him, but when she did, it laid on the floor, and she had to grab his claws to keep him from reaching around to cover himself. Kyn started working with the rope as various parts of Royce were exposed, and then he sighed. <Ah... I see what you meant.> Serena did reach around, as her claws were no longer needed, to tease the male before her, holding him tight with the other hand so that he wouldn't squirm. "From being hung upside down and nearly passing out? Really Roy, you're a glutton." As he opened his mouth to speak, she pressed her claws to his tongue instead, letting him suck over them, but other than whimpering, he wouldn't be allowed a sound. <Someone like this...how could he possibly have ever been a dom, eh? Must have been living vicariously.> <Serena, we've all got a bit of masochism in us. Well, maybe except you. I suppose for those that have hides that are tougher to injure it wouldn't be there as much. But then again, you did mention UDON.> He now made sure that the connections binding Roy's arms were secure, then moved on to the lower area. <Hedonist.> She answered <I will put myself through almost ANYTHING once...> There was a slight amount of embarressment at the admission, but not much. <And you can't say I totally dislike pain, considering...> she didn't think she needed to finish the sentence, considering how small she had been when she first took Heji. When it was required of her to move, she did so, finally removing her claws from Roy's mouth, but keeping him upright with her other forelimb. <Well, I'll see then. After you're a Salamence.> Kyn moved down to Roy's legs and did the same thing that he did with his upper body. <But seriously though... giving Royce an OTK spanking while he's got a boner is... like, I dunno...> <Awkward?> She filled in for him, moving away a bit. <I'm guessing though, that eventually, if not now, you'll want a 'chair' so to speak?> <Well... more than likely yeah. But for now, like I said, he's goin' over my knee, and as it turns out, he's actually quite the convenient size for it.> Kyn stood up, and examined the best way of going about it, considering that Roy was already on his knees. <Collar and tail.> she suggested, moving behind Kyn and laying down in what was essentially a 'use me as a chair' situation, since it would be virtually impossible to put someone over your knee if you weren't seated.-----Roy wasn't exactly sure what was coming, squirming a bit in the rope, he gasped a bit and shivered. Kyn looked and calculated the height of what he needed, and then said to Roy, after sitting on one of Serena's lower plates, "Of course, I can't stop you from enjoying this, and I'm not even sure you've seen this done before. Now, go ahead and and lay across my lap." <But you might be able to tell me, and or do something> <In regards to Royce's level of arousal? Heh, suppose you don't want it on your shoes.> She asked, her head withdrawn into her shell just in case he misjudged with his feet before sitting. Still, she remembered how much Udon had wanted to be spanked, and fought the urge to shift.----------Royce on the other hand, bound as he was, shifted and managed (Without too much shifting of the ropes) to do as his Master wished of him, if having to move a bit like a worm to adjust after being on his lap. "You're lucky Serena saved your ass. Though I guess, technically she didn't because of what I'm about to do." Kyn was sure that the way Roy was bound would keep him from squirming off his lap, but he put his hand on Roy's back as standard procedure anyway. Serena blinked, not that it mattered what he was talking about; instead she just remained still. ------------He wasn't sure what he was talking about, he did squirm at the positioning, rubbing himself against Kyn's pantleg. "Roy, lift your tail, and keep it lifted." Kyn said, in the tone that he used, whenever he was giving a Pokémon that WASN'T trained by him an order. After he did, then Kyn said "...and, now I begin." He aimed for the left side of Roy's rear with at first, a closed palm, and tested to see how the specific flesh would react, bringing it across at a medium strength. Roy did react accordingly with a whimper, quite clear of what was going to happen now, he moved his tail up to the point that it could hook beneath his tied arms, which he did, so that just in case his instincts tried to make him pull it down, he could still obey Kyn. The first swing caused him to gasp, prepared as he was for it. Slowpoke bodies were made, it seemed, to take a beating. Kyn, was thinking about many things, like about how Roy's rear felt against his hand, as well as how much give his skin had and just about what strength he'd be able to max out at. <Now, THIS is something that I'm wondering if you've seen before.> Kyn, gave Roy two more smacks to the left side, both a bit harder than the last, to guage the reaction again. Serena snorted a little. <No, I haven't seen someone use their hands against someone elses rear before...objects yes, but we don't exactly have a way to do that without....injuring them with our claws...Show me one at full strength, and then I'll gauge how much he can take from there.> She did her best to keep emotion from her voice as he brought his hand down again.----Roy squirmed and hissed a little through his teeth at the treatment, but made no move at all to lower his tail. <Very well. You might even be able to tell simply by the change in movement.> Kyn raised his entire arm, and then with a closed palm aimed for the right side of his rear. For those that were more sensitive of hearing, the whoosh of air as his hand moved through the air could be heard. When it finally connected with his rear, the sound was like something that he hadn't heard in a long while, even with the riding crop, and he was sure that at that force level, it would instantly leave a mark on that side. Serena grunted at that one, it wasn't loud, but it WAS there. <Hmmm...well, his body will endure, but going about it like that you'll have both he AND I hazy with lust by the time you're through with him.> Royce yelped and hissed, squirming in his bonds as he tried to cover his rear, but of course, his arms bound, he could not. even get them down to half the place required. He had been marked, but had no intention of complaining. <I'd imagine this would be much worse for him if there was a dildo shoved up his tail hole while I did this. But, I'm not trying to reward him here. So, I suppose in order to make it a punishment, I have to make it sting, but not hurt.> Kyn figured. He waited for Serena's response before beginning again. <Probably would...Mmmmph, give me a moment...yes, I am going to play with the way his mind precieves these responses, both so that you don't have to restrict yourself in the way you chose to punish him, and so that we don't have to worry about him enjoying himself too much.> She answered, and without waiting for a reply to her words, she delved into his mind and essentially twisted the line so that only a tiny bit of pleasure would actually go through into the pleasure catagory, where as the other made its way into the pain catagory. When this was done, and only when this was done, did she emerge back into the area of which she could be spoken to via link. "Apparently... having hands allows me to do things a bit differently, Serena..." Kyn said. "Roy, do you know why I am punishing you?" "I...no..." He shivered, expecting another hit at any time, considering...but he did shift to look up at him when he was answering. "You are being punished for interfering with my plans." He said in a calm voice, but still not bringing his hand down again. "But...You...just got here...how...could I have interfered with anything?" he was getting braver, not cringing every other moment at least. "The fact that you're here now means that my plans were interrupted." He countered. <It's not an untruth, though he won't know exactly what I'm talking about.> <What exactly ARE you talking about? You did say you wanted to bend him over and spank him like this.> Serena took a turn countering him, Royce was silent, knowing better than to ask in his position. <It involved you. He interrupted my visit with you. I was planning on bringing Heji back for a while, so you two could work together and stuff, and then I'd come back for a bit after the orders were filled. He may not have done it personally but, it still happened.> Kyn conveyed. The emotions expressed in that split second were of gratitude, of shock, of pain and of yearning, and each one colored her words. <I....we...*Sigh* not until the situation with Marlow is resolved. I can't have him moping around because Heji is with me, nor can I deny him my company; he is my partner. It doesn't feel right to have to dance around either of them like this...These trips are the one way I can; without worry, relax and know that he wont...be angry that I'm gone...But I can't allow you to leave Heji here again. Besides, he'll start to get a complex and think you've left him here for good.> okay, she was over exaggerating, and she knew that she was, but really, she hoped he would just let it go. <I believe I should continue. The suspense is probably something I shouldn't be doing at this early point.> Kyn accentuated his point by using his arm in a horizontal sweeping motion, and using the tips of his fingers to 'whip' or as Serena put it, strike like an Arbok (though not the motion) against Royce's left side again, three times. <Probably not....> With that being said, she closed off her side of the link so that she wasn't sending anymore words or emotions, but could still hear what was sent to her. She reclused a little bit more into her shell, even as Roy tensed in shock, even though he knew that the reprieve wouldn't last--that he wouldn't be let off the hook so easily. Now knowing that Roy was able to take his full strength hits, he was going to slowly and slowly build up more and more sting, so that even a smack as light as the one he had just done, would feel like the full forced one. He began again with Royce's right side, doing three more, and then working into a pattern of doing two to each side, breaking only for three seconds in between numbering fifteen; all with the medium stingy smacks. He grit his teeth a bit, hissing with pain at first, and then as time wore on, switched to grunts as he tried to adapt to the hits; normally, his arousal would have been dulling the pain by now, but with the changes Serena had made, he didn't feel that haze that should have numbed his awareness to it. <I'm still counting. I need to keep track... for... certain reasons.> This time, he sped things up, and switch to an older tactic, of using two stinging smacks per second, for ten seconds. <A lot more can be done this way.> "Mmmmph....Mhm~" She answered verbally rather than mentally; being used as a chair, not moving around was difficult for her--was this how NORMAL Shelgon felt? Well, she was anything but normal. She, unlike her counterparts, wanted to move around. It came out as a breathy sigh, but eventually her mind drifted back to the time only a few days ago, reliving those memories, both the good and the bad, until she was able to ditch the mood that telling him not to leave Heji had gotten her into. <Well, he's getting to know what this normally feels like as well.> <...Normally feels like?> Kyn switched over to five quick full strength ones, before going back to the same pattern, but upping the number of stroke sets to five per side. <Oh yes, I did tell you I was going to ensure that he wouldn't cum all over your shoes from the mixed pleasure and pain, right now he's getting what a -normal- 'mon would feel, rather than those sparks of pleasure, so it truly IS a punishment for him.> Roy's hands twisted in the rope, trying to get out of them, and of course, only succeeded in making the ropes tighten. "Nnn...Please...Master, I didn't mean to interfere with what you wanted to do; if there's anything I can do to make it up to you...Please..." the words were of course said between blows, some of them accented within the blows themselves; and thus were sharp with strain. <Serena it hasn't even been ten minutes yet, and he's already starting to beg... I realize that the usual cover of pleasure isn't there right now but... compared to what he and well, I guess, YOU, felt... this is but a freshly hatched Joltik bite.> "Right now, there is nothing. The time for my forgiveness is not now." Kyn said with a sigh and continuted. He watched both the color that his hand was turning, as well as as his rear. <If I keep this up, his rear is going to match the rest of him.> <He's just trying to head it off before it gets worse...and lets not mention that day, hm? There was a lot that day that made us both a but uncomfortable I would think.> Of course she was talking about the rather forced kiss, as well as the lashing that Royce had taken, and she still wasn't sure what she thought about rimming yet. She did twitch at those memories, but only at her claws. <Yes well, it would be a good thing that you have a way to heal him, since eventually he WILL have to go back out in public.>

Roy whimpered at the words, his eyes closed. "As you wish, Master." submission; letting him do as he wished with him...he wasn't sure why Serena was allowing Kyn to sit on her, but since this was the gear room, there wasn't a chair here, perhaps that would be the answer. <Fair warning though, Roy will be sobbing and crying again by the time I am done, though it will not nearly be as bad. However, I DO want to allow him to cum afterwards.> Now that he had given Roy a break and reprieve he began again. For this particular set, Kyn raised his arm in the way he would for a full strength swat, but instead of using his palm, he used the tips of his fingers still. He intended to bring the total up to sixty, but if it took less than that to make Roy shed true tears of submission and defeat, then he would stop sooner. <I will do my best to keep my mind separate from his.> The reply was resolute. <You do realize that he's going to attempt to keep from crying as long as possible so as not to interrupt you, right?>

The time wore, and as each slap got more painful, he turned to breathing out through his nose, at least until he became more vocal, with grunts of pain once again, it was about forty that his first tears started falling, he had long given up trying to plead for his release, if it was his Master's will, then he would endure. At fifty, he did begin to sob, his head tilted downward to hide his tears which dripped from his snout. It was at this point that Kyn noted the tears which is what he wanted. He carefully moved Roy off his lap and onto his knees, being careful to avoid his rear, brought him into a hug. "You are forgiven now Roy. You don't have to endure anymore." Kyn also attempted to stroke Roy's back through the rope bindings. "You did well, taking your punishment like that, and I want to reward you for it." <Which is where you come in, I believe.> Serena pulled her head out of her shell as Kyn moved Roy down to his knees, she did remove most of the backed up pleasure from the line, scattering it between his emotions and hers, to which she huffed for a moment, then cleared her head.<What do you wish of me?> the phrasing alone was enough to make her make her shiver mentally. <Especially since something that comes from you, should not be shown from me.>

Roy twitched as he was put onto his knees, at the hug...his eyes were squeezed shut, he didn't dare look at the human before him; he didn't even respond. <I don't exactly want to overload him with pleasure but... I want him to react far more sensitively than normal. Can you do that?> After that, Kyn layed down on his stomach, and used his elbow to elevate himself to be level with Roy's organ. Since Roy's eyes were closed, he probably wouldn't be able to tell what he was about to do. <I can.> She mused. <That deals with the nerves, not how things are precieved by him though, since you don't want to make him overload. She rolled away from them and stood, walking around, stretching her limbs as she worked to increase the sensitivity margin to what she deemed to be 'far more' than normal. <Done.>

Roy indeed couldn't see what his Master was doing, he wasn't sure that he wanted to. Even twitching his tail hurt, and so he didn't dare put it down, leaving himself exposed completely. Kyn began sliding his tongue around the tip of Roy's member, whilst also lightly squeezing the base, in an attempt to draw out some pleasure from him. The unexpected touch nearly made him jump, it did make his eyes snap open and give him his full attention, he even squirmed in his bonds, not bothering to hide the sounds that escaped his throat.

Serena, being the little sneak that she was, nosed beneath Kyn's overcoat, probably giving him the oddest sensations as she worked upwards, sniffing, and then eventually, of course, licking at the small of his back as she nosed beneath that layer of cloth. Of course, she could be pushed back at any time, but she had no intention of staying back for long. "Oh, and by the way Roy... I give you full permission to speak freely to me during this current exchange now." Kyn said. The touch from Serena was a bit surprising, but he continued what he was doing. 42 AM] : She let her tongue lick along the lines of his muscles, aiming to make them relax beneath her touch, of course, this would look rather obscene to most of the others, probably to Roy even, with her head and upper body buried beneath the cloth, and ducked down as not to stretch out the fabric, soon he could feel the smooth surface of her shell against his back. <He's not sure what he would say, even though he can. Of all the times I've sucked him off, he was in 'Royce mode' trying to order me around.>

Roy was used to being sucked off, or at least, Royce was, but he wasn't Royce, he hadn't been given the command to go back to being Royce; and so he just gave noises, a gasp here, or a soft moan. <Oh bloody hell Serena. You know what to say... make him go back to being Royce. What do I say? Also Royce is fun to play with as well as this persona.> He sighed, and then switched to licking at the base. He couldn't wrap his tongue around Roy like Tensa or Serena could, but he imagined that the heightened sensitivity would make it so that it wouldn't really matter. She chuckled against his skin, then spoke, breathing the warm air against his back. "Roy, go back to normal for a bit." It was said with a bit of a growl, even as she bunched his shirt up just above his shoulder blades so that she could use her tongue to massage over the used muscles, her own natural warmth keeping the saliva from cooling as it dried. She moved to the opposite side and, while licking just over the top of the shoulder with her tongue, hooked her clawed limb along the seat of his pants. <So are you.>

Roy heard the words, and looked down at Kyn to see if that was what HE wanted as well, and the look that he was getting back made him close his eyes as he shifted back to being Royce. When the eyes opened again, he snarled and pressed his hips against Kyn's mouth. "What, you call that a blowjob?" "Oh no, of course not. This is a massage." He chuckled at Royce's actions, and promptly stopped afterwards. <Serena, what in the name of Arceus are you doing...?> <Oh, just whatever I feel like at the time. Off with these.> She pulled at one of his sleeves with her lips, careful not to tear anything. She gave a little space for him to work with. <Unless you want me to stop?> She pressed with the back of her knuckle against the seam, adding emphasis to her words.

"Oh good, I wouldn't care to think that you were incompetent." he snorted, his length twitching in contrast to his words. "Of course, I've got another type of massage in mind." <Serena, I'm going to ask you to keep Royce's head down on the ground, which of course, being Royce, he won't like at all.> She snorted and lipped his shoulderblade, knowing better than to use her teeth, and it was with a growling mental voice she gave her answer. <As you wish. Don't think that question's not going to come up again soon though. Towards the ceiling, floor, or on his side?> She moved off of him, looking at Royce with a rather predatory gaze, waiting for Kyn to give her his answer.

Royce looked up at Serena as she removed herself from under Kyn's overcoat. "Hey, stay away from me..." he said warningly, of course, she paid it no mind and stepped even closer to him. <The floor.> Kyn then moved behind Royce, elevating himself to be level with his rear, which also gave him another view of the damage. Whatever Royce was going to utter next was cut off by his head being pushed down as he was turned so that his face came in contact with the floor. Instead of proper words, he let off several strings of curses at her, it only made her press down on his head and shoulders a bit harder. <One would have thought you wanted a proper taste of him, considering.> <I'll get to that later. Serena... I am still human you know, and... our views on things like this are a bit different.> Kyn did something that he really, hadn't ever done before when Serena was in the same room with him. Before he even moved his tongue to touch Royce's tail hole, he breathed in deeply the scent all around it. Considering what had happened earlier, this particular scent was as enticing to him, as he imagined Heji's being to Serena. Soon after, he then began bringing his tongue up and down over the rim. <Your ideals on sexual encounters are strange. If you're going to be open with some things, why not simply all of them? Mixing and matching creates odd situations.> She clicked her tongue at Royce, who was still spouting curses at her, even as they broke with the gasp that came as Kyn started. <Because then I would become socially awkward back in my world.> Kyn had enough of teasing Royce in that way, and so he actually began the proper rimjob, circling all around, and even inserting what little he could of his limited human tongue. He also reached around, and started stoking Royce with his middle and pointer finger. The small stubs of ear that would be fullly grown earfins in her Salamence form twitched. She bit back two possible answers, one a request, and the other a slam, and they died before they could be sent, she turned her nose from Kyn so that she would not be watching him service Royce, who clearly expected something that he wasn't able to recieve from the human. She let the awkward silence drag, until she came up with a suitable reply. <In some ways, you remind me so much of one of my kin, that it's hard to remember that you are not...to the point that if you wanted to stay here, I would have no objection.> <Anana was excited at the prospect of me staying here, though probably not for the same reason as you.> Kyn stopped Royce's rimming, before licking THREE of his fingers and quickly inserting two of them, stretching Royce, before inserting the third into him. She snorted, pulling one clawed limb from Royce's shoulder and exchanging it with another. <There's no good way to phrase something like this...I could say that you already are socially awkward, but that's not exactly true; I could ask you to stay here, but that wouldn't be fair to you...would I be excited for you to stay here? Perhaps...and no, that statement is not completely about Heji. Apparently, I still have a lot to learn about you, and the others as well...I'm not sure that I can accomplish that in short visits like this.> She nipped at Royce's tail, rather looking Kyn in the eye. Kyn felt around for Royce's prostate, and when he found it he did all sorts of toying with it; pushing down on it, tickling it, and lightly scraping it with his recently trimmed and filed fingernails. <As we've already established... ability to understand and interact with Pokémon comes with sacrifices.> <And if there was a point in time when everyone who wanted to be able to, could? What kind of hell would that unleash?> She wondered idly. <However...what I was doing would have led to you needing some cleanup, eventually...> She gave him a bit of a grin, virtually ignoring Royce's moans and squirms beneath her. <After all, I'm not going to be pushing Marlow's buttons, not in this way, anyway. That would be a bit impossible.> <Well jeez Serena, at least let me remove my pants first.> Kyn gave a chuckle, which he was certain that Royce would have no proper context for and would take it in another way. 423 AM] : <I did say eventually.> One claw came up and essentially rubbed over her head, and a slight blush coated her cheeks. <However if you'd rather me NOT think about how tight your muscles must be after counting to...what was it, 53? Before hand, then I wont.> Royce did take it the other way, even as he huffed at the treatement, and tried strain against the claws holding him down, yet another string of curses leaving his mouth, this time particularly aimed at Kyn. <Tight. Muscles. Eh. Serena, with my mind in the gutter because of Royce...> "Hmph. Royce, I don't even know WHO you're targetting there, but I can quickly switch back to something else, if you'd rather I do that than actually pleasuring you back here." After that, he used his left hand, to deliever a smack to the left side of Royce's rear to illustrate his point. <And I did mean that one too.> she answered, grabbing Royce's tail before it could come down to cover his rear, and heard him hiss with the mixed pain and pleasure. <They're aimed at you, for the laugh, he doesn't know WHY it was given, only that it was given, and so he thought it at him getting off on this.> Royce quickly, as much as he hated it, shut his trap as he focused on the sensations rather than what was happening to him. There was a plus to all this too, if he had his fingers out of the ropes, he would easily be able to tease Serena's guardscales with them. "Looks like I'm not the only one getting off on your work." He muttered, of course, it could be heard, but still. "Royce, I have a rather odd question for you. Would you be too terribly offended if I decided to seat myself on your member? Of all Pokémon... I really haven't had at that many human sized ones, let alone a Slowkings." Kyn said. He also wondered, what SERENA would think about him asking that particular question. <That's what you consider an odd question?> Serena flicked her tongue out as she removed the tail from her mouth. "Untie my hands and I'll give you both a good rutting." Royce chuckled. "I doubt that I'd mind at all." he gave a little thrust of his hips to accentuate his point. <Odd for this situation at least.> "I'm not that sorry to report, that I cannot untie your hands at this time. But, the second part of your answer I believe I can work with." Kyn said, and then he started lowering his trousers. He turned his boxer shorts around so that the hole would be in the back, and then undid the button. Serena flipped Royce over with a slight, yet satisfying thud, and pinned down his shoulders with both claws, sitting on the crown to add further insult to injury. She tried not to watch, but to be honest, with this assumed positioning, there wasn't many other places FOR her to look, and as it was, it was a bit...well, stupid to be bashful for something like looking at him. Still, under the circumstances, she would have rather been a deer in headlights later, than have caught a glimpse now. "Mmph, well, it was worth a shot." He chuckled, his mood had improved knowing that he was going to get a fuck, well, even if it wasn't a female, that had never bothered him before. "Before I start... I do have a question. Where would you go, Royce, if you lost everything, this casino, and all your money? Who would you turn to?" He was wondering how someone who had the lifestyle Royce had, would adapt to being a 'mon without money, and in most cases likely without a home. Though this was a different world and he figured that homelessness wasn't AS big a problem back home for Pokémon as it would be for humans. "Anana, of course, that's how I got started here after all...Wouldn't be the greatest thing in the world, but it would be a roof over my head, and three meals a day--Plus, the rent would just be a reaming of her ass." "Ah, that's right, I haven't told him..." Serena mused, looking down at the Slowking beneath her. "Anana is no longer doing favors in return for sexual favors." <Remember how Royce reacted to me being human? How do you think he'd react to seeing an actual functioning Poké Ball?> Kyn waited for Royce's reaction to the news about Anana, before continuing with his verbal talking. <Technically he already has. You let Heji out to say goodbye with him in the room last time.> Serena answered. "Eh...then I'll probably end up with her anyway as a druggie contact, few of our members here like to get high here in their rooms, and she's the one who delivers, and I'm the only one with the contact information." <He wasn't really... fully aware I think, of what I had though.> "Ah. Well then, there's definitely no way you'd survive in my world. Since we're being nice to each other... well, nice for you at least, I figured I might show a little something. It'd be even worse for you than a collar I believe." "Nice for me, eh? I don't mind wearing the collar, the cuffs are a bit much for my tastes, but they'll make an interesting fashion statement with the rest of my 'outfit'. How're ya gonna pull that one off Serena, gonna have me walk out in a bondage tux?" He chuckled, all this talking...ah, well it was doing little for him. "Possible." She answered honestly. "Maybe I'll just find another cock ring and borrow the stage, putting you up for anyone to use..." <Perhaps, perhaps not, don't know until you show him...actually I COULD use a good rutting, considering that I haven't let him touch me, and you took Heji with you.> Kyn took out an empty regular Poké Ball from his pack, and then maximized in front of Royce. "I'm not sure but, maybe you're familiar with one of these." <Well, then maybe Heji will... oh you all and that word... rut, you.> "Seen a few reconstructed by artists, Never the smaller one though." Beneath him, his fingers touched the ground in the old bonanza rhythm,( not that they would know anything about that), and looked him in the eye. "Ain't ya gettin' a bit off topic? It's going to get a bit floppy if you don't put your actions where your mouth was." <Heh, perhaps he would be interested...as for the word rut...there's a difference, it's not equated to just fucking, but quite a few rounds...it's usually used when someone's insatiable.> She tucked her head away into her shell, and pulled out Heji's ball with a grin. (Don't tell me you didn't see that coming XD) <Seems this 'fell' into my shell when I was nosing you.> "Yeah, I'll get back down there in a minute. Besides, all I gotta do is rim you again, and it'll get back up. But the first thing is... this is an actual Poké Ball... as in, it will work, in doing what it was designed to do, catching Pokémon." <Serena! Quickly, push the button on Heji's Luxury Ball!> <You're incorrigible.> She did as she was asked, pushing the button with her tongue. Royce raised an eyeridge at him. "Catching Pokémon?" He snorted, "Don't be stupid, you can't catch Pokémon, we're not a disease." "...Well someone from THIS world, may use the word capturing... but that's a whole 'nother story." He waited for Heji to emerge from his Luxury Ball near Royce. Serena looked down at the ball that she held loosely in her mouth...then minimized it after the red light that formed into her lion occured, and while she was tempted to swallow it, she simply tucked it back inside her shell. Royce tried to roll away from the light, of course...he thought it was something other than what it was. Of course, Serena had him pinned good, he wasn't going anywhere. "What the fuck?" "What more is there to say, Royce? Heji just came from the Ball." Kyn said simply. Serena took the opportunity to nuzzle Heji, yes, lifting her claws from Royce's shoulder. /Yes, and soon he'll cum another way./ she mused. /Or four./ Her tongue snaked out to lick his cheek while she was at it. "Ball? I didn't see a ball." Royce wrinkled his nose as he thought it through, and then shook his head. "That's just not natural." Kyn took Heji's Luxury Ball and held it where Royce could see it. "This ball. Also, it ISN'T natural. You're right about that." Kyn mentally chuckled this time, instead of verbally, due to the situation. /So, is Royce gonna get a dicking from Heji or something?/ Serena turned her head as she saw Kyn's hand coming to grab the ball from within her shell. <Bah, you're no fun.> /You're just full of gay sex references today, aren't you? Here I thought you ENJOYED watching me work./ She nipped at Heji's shoulder as she circled him...if Royce needed to be pinned again she could pin his collar down. Royce snorted, unaware of the situation going on on a mental wavelength that he couldn't hear. "I'm guessing that from the way Serena's acting, that would be her current boytoy, considering how she was all over you, I wouldn't exactly call them exclusive." <I DO enjoy watching you work. Now... after I'm done with Royce... I think I'll be heading out again, to make some money.> "She was... all over me? I didn't exactly pay attention Royce... I was kinda busy with you. Also, how good is your sense of smell?" 4:053 PM] : Serena paid little mind to Royce's words, the stubs of what would be her earfins flicking to the accusation. "Heji is not a boytoy, he's my MATE." She was more forward with him than she had been with Kyn. "Get it right, if you're going to address him, because he's got the same level of control over you that I do, by that association." "Eh, with you cunts a mate is only a mate so long as he can push your buttons the way you like, and is always willing when you want it. Ergo, a boytoy, a sugamon." he looked at Kyn "You're half blind if you didn't notice that she was all over you, even if you were working on me...my sense of smell? Probably somewhere between yours and your lizard's." "Hm, I see. So then, you'd be more susceptible to Chloroform then I would... heh. Royce, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't use such foul language to refer to Serena though. Speaking of mates... I think it's about time Tensa came back." Kyn reached for Tensa's Premier Ball and released him. Serena snorted at the word he'd used. <Standing around in your boxers with them on backwards, and you want to bring the horny lizard out. Sounds like a bad innuendo. He's just getting frustrated--you did make him a promise.> She nuzzled Heji in a way that would build up static along her shell, and played with the current before nipping Heji's ear and giving it back with the slight zap that static typically gave. Royce rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, bring everyone out why don't ya? Then they can all watch you enjoy your ride and leave me with an even bigger mess to clean up." "Ugh, Royce, just be quiet and accept the fact that I'm actually WILLING to let you inside of me." Kyn went over to Royce, and then sat down beside him. He then crawled over him, and then attempted to line himself up with his member, via feel alone. "I wonder Royce... are you proud of your size, like most males are?" <Tensa is a horny lizard...?> "I am proud of my size in comparison to others of my species, though I wouldn't brag in comparison to a Charizard, or in comparison to a Dragonite...but I am of decent size..." He narrowed his eyes as Kyn tried to line himself up, until they were all the way closed. <It was supposed to be a pun, the head is angular....looks a bit like horns and such...> She stopped lavishing Heji with attention, and instead let him smell her, laying a little ways away as a Lioness would do to tempt a lion. <At least from a dragon's point of view.> "Hm, well then. I suppose I should tell you that I have more than you. But that's not the main point. Now, Royce, the reason why I mentioned losing everything earlier, is because... well, if you came to my world, you wouldn't have anything, and if left in the wild, there's a chance that other humans would try to catch you since... Slowking don't tend to be found in the wild." Kyn then started doing a rocking back and forth motion, after Royce's member found his entrance, to make it slide inside, and then he started, in essence giving Royce a lap dance, by moving back and forth and side to side. He shivered to the feeling, hissing out the words as they came to him--since he was still under the effects of the increased sensitivity, even the entry and Kyn stirring him within himself made him shudder more than he normally would have. "Who's to say that I WANT to be a part of your world, I told you that I never wanted to even step FOOT there, let alone be there for any extended period of time." "That's... the point Royce. You wouldn't have a choice, if it came to that. But I'm not that type of guy. Despite the fact that you're fun to play with, I wouldn't force to you experience a world like mine. In fact, I believe.... I should show you something... that Serena rather dislikes about my world." The pauses that he was making were caused by Royce hitting a certain sensitive spot, and it moving out of position again. <Obviously you know that I am referring to Pokémon Battles.> <Obviously.> Serena responded, back on her feet and nudging Heji to his side. If nothing else, she was going to occupy her mind with lion musk until this part of the conversation was over. <Let me know when you're done on this particular subject.> With Heji on his side, she laid down opposite him, nosing her way between his hind legs to lick at his sheath. Sure, she could have shown him her new trick, but as Kyn had once said, it was better not to show your whole hand at once. Royce twitched within him, really wishing that he had his hands free, as it was he could just barely press into the human above him, it was frustrating, definitely, and a bit humiliating as well. "Serena, dislike something about your world? That's a shocker." "Royce, you sure are an interesting Slowking... I'm rather glad I met you. I know I keep saying that, but it's true." Kyn now changed his plan of attack, so to speak, and actually wrapped his arms around Royce, so that he could literally push Royce up inside himself more. "Glad you met me, sure, I'm your equivalent of a fucktoy, fighting back only makes you send in the hounds...or the dragons..." His eyes flicked over to Serena momentarily to make his point, then back to Kyn, groaning just a bit as he pressed down further. "Damn, what the fuck? You didn't let her drug me again at some point, did you? I know I haven't cum since you got here..." "Royce, if you were just a fucktoy, then I wouldn't really care what happened to you, but I do. You were... so similar to me, yet so different, and no, you haven't been drugged. Would you prefer it if Serena and the rest weren't here, so that it was just us two?" "Serena would be in my head even if she wasn't in the room, being watched doesn't bother me, I don't get performance anxiety; That's why I know something's not as it should be." He snorted. "And that it was either YOUR idea, or hers; and since you wanted a rather enjoyable ride, or at least I would hope that you just didn't want to have cum up your ass, I'm betting on it being HER idea." He jabbed his head at Serena. "To make me not last as long." "When I said left the room, I mean exactly as it sounds, and for her to leave the room in all ways. Even out of your head. Now, if I DO untie your arms... I don't exactly know what'd you do. I was only assuming negative things." <Him knowing about you being in his head at times, does make a rather interesting... conversation point.> <Mmmph...you wouldn't be able to convince me to dislocate from him completely anyway...but it's not like I'm hiding my presence anymore, not after he's been broken.> She pulled her head away to answer. Royce feigned shock at the idea that he might do...negative things. "Oh please, give me at least more credit than that; I'm a willing participant in THIS part of it at least, the entire length of rope is unnecessary to make me behave. Although to make me assume a role, I could see it...Master." Roy bled through in a single, indignant word. It wasn't even said in the same tone as Roy might have said it, but instead with a bit of force. "I'm going to trust you on this Royce. Please don't make it so that I can't trust you..." Kyn said, in an actual voice like he would to that of a friend. "Serena... would you come help me... undo the bindings on his arms like he wished?" It took Serena a few moments to pull herself from Heji, and longer still to clean the saliva from her lips with her claws as she walked. Still, she waited until he was moderately sat up before untying the knots there, and waiting to see exactly what he would do. Royce brought one hand to his throat and loosened the rope there just a smidge, it was something that he had done to himself while he was being rimmed; he didn't want to have to ask for the human to do it for him...with his hands untied he had some sort of balance, and, of course, a little more of his authority back. He waited with a raised eyeridge, then put one hand at Kyn's hip. "Okay?" "Nother question for you though. Have you finally decided to accept my rimjobs yet? I rather particularly enjoyed the last one." He admitted. "Hmmm. I shut up when you asked, didn't I?" He tested the slackened bonds, pressing up as deep as he could, still letting Kyn have the main aspect of control, that was definitely one way to get him to respond. "I believe, that not having had anything but my own tail up there prior to, would have to say that they are a rather...pleasant experience, when not being used to keep you on the edge of things." the last jab was made at Serena, of course, and Tensa. "Mm, well, that does give you a bit more ability there. Y'know I think you have the ability to rather intimidate most Pokémon that you can look down upon. So then, I suppose that's why you protested so much when I first put that egg in you then eh? Royce, I keep telling you... that everything I do to you, has been done to me at some point." Kyn remembered the feeling of the vibrator inside of HIM, and how much he tended to enjoy it, and combined with what he and Royce were currently doing, it rather made the front of him begin to respond. Royce chuckled. "I think you've got your wires crossed, you've never told -me- that before." He figured that he could treat Kyn as a Pokémon, at least, a little bit like one. "Do try to remember though, that the submissive one, in this case, is Roy, not me. So, mind if we get this ride underway, or do you want to talk some more?" "I HAVE specifically told both of you. When I do things like this, I've been known to repeat them, no matter who I'm talking to. You probably just don't remember. I believe, that, you can begin now though, if you want." Kyn said, bracing himself against Royce again. At the okay from Kyn, Royce dug his fingers into the fabric of the boxers, and gave him some support as he pulled his hips back down to the ground. His knees were still annoyingly bound, limiting his movement to only a few inches, and even then the ropes bit into his legs, a constant reminder that he was not the one in charge here. He forced himself to ignore his own pleasure, focusing on the bite of the ropes as he moved--at least he didn't have to worry about anything up his tail as he pressed back in, pulling Kyn's hips down to meet his own. Kyn wasn't really going to talk much, since it would essentially ruin his mood for the act. Instead he rather focused on the feeling of Royce inside him, and the fact that more motions could be done, if not slightly. Despite himself, Royce couldn't deny the throb that ran through his length of want; Each thrust coming with a slight breathy moan. He put more weight on his hand holding him upright, leaning back, and though it easily tightened the rope back around his neck to the point of biting again, he earned another couple inches of movement more, grinding his hips against Kyn's for the moment. "Royce... what sexual positions do you know...?" Kyn did managed to get a small question out. He was highly enjoying their connection, and felt that it would be interesting if he would still be able to do it without Royce being bound, and him managing to restrain himself. That got his eyes to light up, and he gave a slight chuckle. "Too many too list here, some of which require one person to be bound, others are for the more willing participants..." He throbbed again, making his length slap against that special little button. "I'm guessin you would like to switch positions?" "Well, I suppose. It doesn't appear like you're getting the maximum amount of pleasure from this. Also there is a book, of course to you it's written in Unown script but, it is FILLED with sexual positions that we know." Kyn sent an image of the (Pokémon world equivalent of the Kama Sutra, which surely has more positions due to Pokémon.) to Serena and some of the positions he has seen inside. "So, what... would you currently do, that do NOT require ME to be bound?" Serena snorted, long having gone back to Heji, knowing that she would eventually have to let the lion cum, the scratches along her shell reminding her that if she didn't she would have a VERY unhappy Luxray to deal with the next time she moved away from him.<I really didn't need that image -right now.-> her voice was colored with a tinge of jealousy as well as the expected lust and wanting. Royce shifted a bit. "Well, if I had permission to remove what's left of the rope, I could let you relax on the ground with a series of different positions, one of which will give you a better view of what Serena's doing, if you want do mix your drinks, so to say." <Well too bad. Ya got it!> "I'm not exactly all to interested in what Serena's doing, actually but, I suppose I'll give you permission to take off rest of the ropes. If you do want them removed in a faster way, just... ask." Kyn wondered, what types of positions Royce had in mind still, since he wasn't very specific, and there were SO many positions available. <Not helpful.> Serena pulled back for the 10th time, 14th? she was losing count, and when Heji had finally had enough of the edging, she found herself on her stomach, offering herself much as she had for Kyn's fingers, and that pleasure flowed freely through the link. Royce proved almost an expert at unlooping and unwinding the rope on his person, and dropped them off to the side. He pushed himself up and ensured that Kyn would not hit the ground roughly on his side, turning him like on a spit, one leg up onto his shoulder, the other obviously on the floor, and then he leaned forward to cover him, an arm on either side of his body. "You should be familiar with this one, at the very least." (I believe it was referred to as splitting the bamboo, but it has been a while since I've seen even something remotely similar to that book.) "No, not really. But I suppose one learns something new everyday." Kyn thought about how well Royce might be able to thrust in this position, especially since he was no longer bound by rope. Royce gave a testing thrust, able to give his full length in a single stroke now, and with a bit of angling, he was able to stroke, press, and pound against that special place deep inside of him. "Really now? It's among one of my favorites, it works on females as well as males...with little effort, so that tampering that occurred at SOMEPOINT; will not affect my performance." Kyn gave a series of sighs, and small gasps as Royce managed to nudge his key areas. "I'm rather pleased... that you know what you're doing. Perhaps I should return the act," he was heavily gifted at not moaning during intense things like this. "Perhaps you should." Royce gave a trace over the front of Kyn's boxers, then squeezed him through the cloth. To say that he put his back into it would be an understatement. With the testing thrusts over, he went into an almost relentless pounding, His length throbbing all the while within the warm walls, and while Kyn was gifted by not moaning, of course they already knew that Royce was vocal, the grunts, hisses and moans escalated as he continued to enjoy Kyn. <Wonder.... if I can still...> As it turned out, he couldn't. He was putting most of his effort into concentrating hard enough not to moan. He did rather find Royce's vocalizing rather humorous. He definitely would be able to tell when Royce was closer or not, and due to the heightened sensitivity, that time would be approaching sooner. The scratching of the tiles highlighted the end of Serena's romp with Heji, and even as he dismounted, she rolled onto <You need more practice.> her words were coated with afterglow, and amusement. Of course the way she had flopped gave her a proper view of Kyn. <Ironic that the ending position is so similar, yet began quite differently.> Royce had his eyes slitted, and teeth gritted as of course, the sensitivity began to overload on him. He bit back a rather loud moan, and cursed Serena mentally, to which he earned a snort, of course, she would be able to hear everything he said in his head, she was still lingering. He hated being toyed with this way, even if he was pleasing his Master, to know that he wasn't going to be as good as his normal self due to this adjustment chaffed him more than his sore butt would allow. <Well, excuse me for not being rutted and FUCKED to the point to where I can!> Kyn had no reason to resist the other natural responses of his body, and so whenever Royce managed to hit those particular sensitive places, he gripped the floor roughly, and he was sure that if he had claws like Serena, they'd be making marks. She chuckled mentally at him, and closed her eyes. <You're right, I'm spoiled....to be rutted often enough that I can separate my thoughts from what my body's doing.> She got up and licked Heji clean, well aware that the presence of her tongue only made things worse. Still, she did praise Kyn a bit. <Of course, the fact that you just did, moots your point.> Much to Heji's relief, she was sure, she didn't go right back to work, and instead curled up beside him. Royce shuddered over Kyn, his arms shivering as his pace slowed, the force remaining the same, all in effort to make himself last longer. Ironically, it did the opposite. "Ah....fuck. Not gonna...last much longer..." To his credit, the words weren't very loud--not an announcement to the entire room, just to Kyn, his bit of a warning. "I never said you had to take it out," Kyn whispered back. Of course to those with the proper sense of smell, it would be apparent that he had been with Royce, which is partially another reason why he let Tensa out. "If that's what you want." He did last a bit longer than he gave himself credit for; but soon enough(...or not late enough perhaps?) he gave the characteristic 'nng' as his body went tense, and his seed pumped into Kyn; leaving his breath caught in huffs and pants. Kyn rather managed to hit his peak soon afterwards, staining the front of his tented boxers with a dark spot that grew larger as his orgasm died down. At this, he let out one last contented sigh and went slightly limp. Royce pulled out at about the time that his length started to retreat into his sheath. He set the other male's leg down carefully, and sat back on his own, rather tender rump near the wall, head leaning back a bit, reclining back. Serena laid her head down. <I suppose eventually I SHOULD turn his sensitivity back down to normal.> she mused quietly. "Ahem, thank you Royce. Now for a random fact... the average human head weights seven pounds. I'm guessing the Cloyster on your head weights even more than that." Kyn said, grinning. <Otherwise... his rear will hurt even more than it actually should be.> Her eyes closed for the moment, and to those watching this might have been considered basking in the afterglow, but mentally she was working to undo what she had done; and trying to go unnoticed by the owner...when she pulled back into her own mind, she thought she was in the clear in the latter regard. She opened her eyes just to slits watching Royce relax further, then they flicked to Kyn, who was almost a mirror image, that still made her smile. "And...your point is?" Royce sighed, rubbing the places the rope had been idly. "There's not really a point. That's why it's trivia. Now, I figured it'd be best if I healed you... since at this current point, I don't want to cause you anymore discomfort." Kyn commented. "...and I'm going to need to change my boxers." "I can live with what -little- pain that feel now, don't trouble yourself with it. It would only be troublesome should I need for some reason to go out onto the main floor. Serena's already put in a direct order for me not to do that." <You wouldn't have needed to had you just taken them off.> The yawn that came with it was rather uncharacteristic of the dragon, proving just how little she had slept while focusing on the blueprints. "Speaking of, the blueprints are as good as I can do with my planning, until Merlot gets back to me and lets me know if SHE has any ideas, my job's done." <That's not the important thing here Serena. I was rather in a hurry.> "Then I guess it's time that will do it's thing. Of course... the next question on my mind is... How was I...? I mean... I'm a little... loose, considering... things that have happened in the past few days." He turned to look at Royce. <If that's you in a hurry...> there was a slight chuckle with the message. <Then Tensa is one patient lizard.> She did force herself to her feet, back to business attitude, stretching and shaking as she pushed the afterglow from her mind, storing it for later as she had her anger a few days before, she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear this analytical side, or what Royce had to say about Kyn's...performance. "You're not loose to the point of being sloppy, I've had worse." He sounded like he was talking about food, not a person, or an event. "Hm, well... that's a bit... interesting. But, I do wonder how you'll feel. You were... able to take three of my fingers...." Kyn said, holding them up in the way he used them. <Oh you. I just meant not taking all my clothes off. There have been times where we've mated in the forest, and all I did was pull down my trousers and boxers... with me being the one on top that is.> Serena chuckled to herself, then slipped towards the door; if they didn't interrupt her, she would wander out towards the main hall and back to the back room to gather up the blueprints. <It's just a little ironic, that the only time I've seen you in the nude was in an innocent situation.> she commented. "Yes, I took three of your fingers, and two of Serena's claws, at least, if my memory's correct...actually I can take about half of my tail." He paused, rather waiting until Serena was gone to add. "You do realize that unlike you, Serena doesn't care what happens to me, correct? She might have forgiven me, but she will not forget what I did...and really, honestly, had she not imposed on me that I was not to continue...I would have. None of us really are going to be OK with the changes that she made to the way things are going to be run here now." "Then perhaps, Royce, Serena has now fallen under the category of cruel Mistress, when it comes to you. Some of these changes... I can understand. Tell me, what do you wish was left alone? I do want to give you my opinions on this." "There's no punishment for being greedy now; or for being stupid enough to lose everything and keep digging even after that. They essentially get off scott free. The other way they had a debt to pay, and they paid it, with me, with their bodies, since it was the only thing they had left to pay with. Most accepted this...now it's being turned into a game for anyone who wants to partake in it...and it's just another way to suck money from them, another addiction." "There's a few things I have to say about that. First of all, that is another issue that I will address, and will wrestle with her about changing. The point of a casino is that EVERYONE is gambling. The casino with their profits, and the players with their own money. They should not even be ALLOWED to have a debt. An example of this.... If they came in with 500 Poké, they should be allowed no more than double that, unless, at the table or whatever they show that can cover their loss, If they lose 500 Poké, it should be a break even for you, and zero for them. After which, they are no longer allowed to play any of the games. Also... while we're on the subject of breaking even, I'm proposing a new system that will have a higher chance that they will have a way of proving that they have a certain sum of money, AND that there is less risk of losing profit." He paused for a bit before continued, to see what Royce thought of his proposal so far. "Perhaps that's fine and dandy for you, but for most Pokémon, if there's NOT a chance of a debt, they wont play. Money may be our currency here, but what is it used for, do you even know? Most Pokémon don't buy houses, they just make one themselves, they don't own a true home if they live between towns, they just call home wherever they lay their hat. Those of us that do choose to have a home built personally for ourselves, to claim a section of land, then we use Poké, but it's superficial. The only use of Poké here that's not superficial, is to buy food, and even then you could easily go out and gather or hunt for food. You do NOT need Poké to survive here. I would think that someone traveling with Serena would have learned that by now. Poké changes hands like water running through ones fingers." "I do believe Serena covered something similar with me, and it's also the reason why I refused a loan from Anana. However, the way you've laid it out to me... you've yet to give me a reason why accumulating a debt is something worth... the consequences it used to have. I'm still getting used to this world, and it's differences. In fact, I could even live here if I wanted. Minus a bit of technology... my lifestyle isn't that different than most Pokémon's." "Perhaps you could." Royce said rather shortly. "If you wanted to be regarded as a legendary Pokémon, you might even be able to ditch the illusion eventually, so long as you didn't announce the word 'human' everywhere you went, people would just assume that you're the latest in a family tree of a species they've never heard of." he noted. "Of course, we do have that issue of your...tech." "What about it...? That really shouldn't be much of a problem here. You all have things similar to what I have back home. Also, there's another issue as to my clothing as well." "Well, yes and no. there are cloaks and other things that Pokémon use here to cover themselves with, some Pokémon even wear bindings on their feet to give them more traction, if they don't have claws...granted you might have to change something of the style of your pants, but other than that, you SHOULD be able to fit in here decently well." "...and how would you explain the swords...? Claws and things are natural, they are not natural. I think I may have seen swords in this world but... none of them look like mine. Of course there's also the issue of humans not having an element. Though I've given some thought to this I suppose... you might be able to if you really stretch it... kind of a limited Normal-Fighting." "You'd be a new 'species' of Pokémon, for all they know you could be a Normal-Steel type, which would allow for your swords, but things aren't always in the typing, look at Samurott." He shrugged. "Hm. Wait.... I never said what my swords were made of... and I've never shown you my swords... unless... oh you do have a good memory then." "Not directly you didn't, no." he confirmed. "But you and your...Absol were in the doorway, and you had them drawn there." "So, back to the topic of the debt now. Since my idea was obviously based in humanity... I'll try another one. Giving them an allotted time to make back what they owe, and if they cannot do it within that alloted time, THEN these two options open up to them; they play your little roulette wheel, and instead of doubling their money, you forgive the debt, OR they double their money if they win, and if they lose, they can either immediately have the option to offer themselves to you, NO drugs involved, or serve as your... night life entertainment, for a specific and controlled period of time, which you, Serena and I will work out a specific rate, that will have them being the equivalent of being an indentured servant. Oh and, it should be made plain as day, what choosing the each option will mean/imply." "It would solve the problem of having to...hire 'mon for the services...and considering that now my office is going to have a new entrance that doesn't touch that section of the casino for obvious reasons...Drugs are always involved, of one type or another, however, but since you're talking about the aphrodisiac drug...that's not something you have to worry about, Serena's got those in her shell. I suspect that she plans on training herself to the point that she can ignore her heated state as easily as she can how aroused she is even at this moment, or so I suspect. One round never WAS enough to sate her completely." "So then... I guess I might as well get out of these." Kyn said, removing his pants and stained boxers. "I wish we were doing this on a bed though. It'd be more comfortable for me." It was about that time that Serena opened the door to the room again, wider than normal since she had a tray in her mouth, loaded to the hilt with ice cream treats, waifers, chocolates--desserts and drinks of all types, and without missing a beat, kicked the door closed behind her, easing the tray onto the ground. "Thought...you might like something to eat, or drink at least, since I went out to get something for myself..." "Sounds like you've got more in mind for us then...the next room over does have...some semblance of a bed,I suppose you could say, it's just because we're in a gear room that wasn't really intended to be...used for other than dressing Pokémon in gear." "Serena, I've been discussing a few things with Royce and... I'm not completely set on some of these changes." He said, and then he looked back at Royce. "Yes I do." "Oh NOW you want to speak up? When things were being set in motion, you were fine with remaining silent, so fine with it that you left me with the task of taking care of anything, and yet NOW you're having a change of heart? No. You don't get to voice your opinion now. In FACT I even asked you if there was anything you wanted changed, or to edit what I said when it was happening." she snorted, taking an iced lemonade from the tray with her claws. Her mood had soured, clearly. "Serena, I wasn't really able to make a coherent adjustment at that time. I was still getting used to the whole bloody thing. If I don't get to voice these things, then things will rapidly get out of hand." He said, his tone changing to that of concern. "Nothing will get out of hand." She snorted, and then didn't speak again until the sour drink was gone. "You left me to take care of it, and so I took care of it, end of story. Go back to doing what you do best." She licked her fangs. "I believe I'm going to say this in a not so subtle way. What even made you THINK of doing anything beyond simply changing the policy of what happens after someone accumulates debt?" "I didn't, really, aside from coming up with a way to make money that he otherwise would have lost, and had others creating debts on PURPOSE to get their hands at, I didn't do anything other than change that policy. I bought what he was doing anyway into a light that was not as dark as it previously was, no more rape, no more of people being FORCED into the situation; they can SPEND their money rather than portraying themselves to be stupid and ignorant." She ticked the glass back and forth. "Because it's always about money..Everything else was left open ended, I never told him what he COULD do, only what he couldn't." Kyn turned to Royce and said, "...and that's the gamewinner Royce, Serena is thinking like a human." Tink...tink....tink...rollllllLLLlllllll The glass tipped over and rolled across the room, her claw still poised to bob the glass back in another direction. "What. Did. You. Just. Say....?" Confusion, unsure whether or not to be insulted, thinking like anything other than a dragon was not in her nature and both the mixture of confusion and anger flooded the link, and anger won out. "I know what I said, I gave him limits on what he couldn't do, anything ELSE he threw into the mix of the deed, which is now written into the deal and signed, things are too late to be changed. I'm not SURE what he tried to pin on me, but it's OBVIOUS that he did try something. I thought I got RID of that part of him..." She growled as her eyes narrowed to slits, the bit of green glowing in the darkness of her shell. The look on Royce's face was, if anything, a blank slate. "You did, or at least you tried to. Oh, don't worry, Roy's still got everything's under control, at least as far as it matters to you. Speaking of Roy...aside from being completely submissive, he's got no personality, you focused on building back up the things about me you hated...minus this one aspect...but you haven't given anything to him." "You're both incredible. Do you two not realize that you're trying to turn this human against the other? I took into account both sides of the story here." "I am not trying to do anything of the sort." she snorted "If I was, I would never have allowed anything of that.." she trailed off, unwilling to continue the sentence any further, and she even let her claws bite into the ground. <I never wanted you to get close to the manipulative bastard in the first place. If I was going to try to force you away from him, THAT would have been the point to do so; before the sex, before you listened to whatever lies he claimed I put in place here. Yes, he's trying to latch onto you, because he thinks that you'll protect him from me.> She closed her eyes, breaking eye contact. <That being said, Do as you wish; I just want to go home.> "I don't care what it takes Serena... but, I believe my solution will cause BOTH of you to be satisfied. I really want a new... whatever the hell, to be done." <The fact that you even said that line about him latching on to me because he believes that I'll protect him from you is concerning to me.> "Pah." She crossed her forelimbs in front of her. "I have nothing to do with the contracts that he sets up, I was only there as an overseer." <Oh please, look at the way you've got yourself set up. Sure, you beat him until he was broken, that's no where near what I did. You're set up as his guardian angel, he doesn't even realize that -I- was the one who stayed your hand from continuing to beat him that day. You're the good cop, I'm the bad cop, just as you wanted me portrayed.> She went to gather up the glass, and set it back on the tray, taking another one. "I suppose then, that you're not hungry?" <Perhaps I was wrong to go about it that way. After all, I'm not fit to be someone's Master, Serena.> "Then does that mean that Royce is the only one who can change it? I'm not exactly sure what went on in the months that I was gone." "Months? It's only been a few days...but yes and no, it means that only the Council of the Casino can change it. That's Dee and Hugh, along with Riiko, Nina and Royce himself, and they all have to agree upon the things TOGETHER. They didn't even like having me in the room while the first one was going on, something about me influencing the three of them? Well,I suppose i did to get them to bring it up..." <I could argue that point with you plenty, but for your sake, I'll stay my tongue, so to speak.> Royce had gone quiet, in fact, he wouldn't even meet Serena's eyes, even with them looking at Kyn, it was clear that she still despised everything that he was. He did crawl forward--aware of Serena's....food issues...and essentially begged for a slice of cake, until he was sure that her ignoring him included meaning that she would ignore him taking food from her as well. He took his food back over to the wall with a fork, and went back to relaxing. <I don't believe you should, for my sake. This is rather important to me.> "What exactly are these things on that tray anyway...?" "Frozen Lemonade, different flavored sorbets, Darkrai food cake, Pinap upside-down cake, Cheri Iced cream...Nanab split with assorted different Iced creams; Cheri and Pecha shakes--I remembered Tensa enjoyed the last one he had--chocolate Buneary's, chocolate moose, candy bars with nuts...My sweet tooth was acting up." <To believe that you're not fit to be a Master is important to you? you'll have to explain that to me, as with the other aspects of...things.> "My god.... a Dragon with a sweet tooth. That's... that's an odd statement." <Just that, I'm not used to having that much control over something.> <My goodness, a Pokémon trainer that isn't used to having control over something!> She tossed back at him, mixing the two conversations. <You were going to explain to me why you had to adapt to the sexual encounters to try to work for both humans and Pokémon.> "Sink is on the wall to the left, if you want to wash those before the stain sets, though with how long you've been holding them, it may have already." She pointed out, then paused. "Okay, now that was a definite bleed over..." <Having a bit of difficulty carrying on two conversations at once, Serena...?> He chuckled. "Probably. If it's set it too much, I'll have to just put it in the washing machine on heavy duty, later." He then turned back to Royce. "Now, after you're done eating... please lead me to that other room." <This was the only place that that comment would have been appropriate to have been stated in.> she raised an eyeridge at the statement about another room, and her nose twitched but she didn't ask. <But, if I was having trouble, then it would likely make me less human, wouldn't it?> she snorted, not about to let that comment go. " 'course." he answered simply. "Just that room, or one...further away from this one?" "The room to the left of this one, I believe." <Serena... I think I'm fine with not being able to do this while... doing that.> <While having your brains fucked out.> she rephrased, her thoughts colored with jealousy again, as well as a desire to be protective. She clicked her claws against the floor, and tried to mentally count how many scratches that had been added to her shell THIS night. <At least I'm going to have to teach you how to seal your mind off, the last thing I need is YOUR mental state affecting me.> <Oh I don't know Serena, I've had to deal with YOUR mental state before.> He went over to the sink and activated it, trying to see if the stain HAD set. <I can either close the link off on my side permanently or leave it open completely.> She sighed, yes, confused at her own emotions, she was in the process of sorting things out. <I'm sorry; I don't mean to be hypocritical...I'll work on that.> <Serena... this may be odd coming from me... but regardless of whether or not you felt like it... I will not allow you to watch this. This means I will be practicing closing off the link.> The thought was clear and firm. The clear disgust in her voice this time at even remembering what she had just seen was nearly overpowering. <Even if I wanted to...You think I would...Why would you...Ugh. Look, I don't know WHO you think I am, or what I'm into, but things like -that- are out of what I'm interested in. T'ch, don't do anything stupid while i can't rescue you from it. Whatever...it's your thing, you don't have to worry about me watching anything of that nature.> She answered. <Good luck; i /sincerely/ hope you succeed in this venture.> <I don't know either. You really confuse me that way. Goodbye for a bit then Serena. I do so apologize if I have offended you.> Kyn finished washing the clothing without a further word, hoping that it would be clean enough to at least pass off as just being merely wet, to those with a good nose it might not still though. She almost cut him off, almost, but held her tongue until he'd finished. <It's not you, it's not even the sex...It's Royce.> She could have used the other channel, that could be heard by anyone, but really, that exposure...she wasn't ready to live down, bad enough that she had shown -that- to Kyn, but she didn't even know if he was still listening, regardless of it, she shut off her side of the link as well, and walked over to the cake, almost curling around the tray, and proceeded to eat almost the entire thing then and there---she hadn't eaten in quite a few days, better to eat -now- rather than to go hungry and try to last for a longer period of time. Royce of course, in the meantime, finished his bit of cake, and went back over to set it on the tray, earning a growl from Serena for more than one reason, he was sure. He only smirked, then walked towards the door. "When you're ready." "I'm ready now. So then, I'll just sorta take this with me," He said, then headed for the door. There were still things about Royce that he didn't know still existed probably, but he was willing to risk it. As the door clicked behind them, Serena growled again, then walked over to the pile of silk, laying down on it. She wished for a way to escape from her emotions, and hoped that she was wrong about Royce, for Kyn's sake, not for her own. She coiled and curled on it, then forced herself to lay down and try to sleep. The trip to the other room was short, of course, it being right next door to the gear room, however, inside as he opened the door inward, the room was much cozier, a bed, chair, even a desk...of course, the drain was still present, and the floor was tile, as had been the other, but cozier was definitely the word. The lights flicked to life as the door was opened, dim as they were to ease the transition from the darkness to light, he closed the door behind the both of them as well, and of course, locked it. "Hmmm. yeah This will do. Alright... So... Royce there's something that I don't exactly admit to very many, but I'm guessing that there isn't really a set room for this fetish of mine." He didn't state what it was off the bat, and hoped Royce would still less like he was, and would be more on the curious side in this case. Royce was of course, curious. Something that he didn't share with many, that meant that Serena was out of his head, and one quick check to make sure found him pleasantly surprised. "Oh really now?" His voice didn't sound any different than it had in the other room, and he knew that Serena had probably done her best to warn him without giving anything away. "What might that be?" "Well, I suppose you could say that I have a rather major spanking fetish. Sharing this with knowledge with you is something O COURSE Serena would frown upon, but she doesn't completely understand me yet. So, would you please lay down on the bed so I can give you another rimjob to prepare you?" He said, once again, putting himself in a rather vulnerable situation on purpose. Depending on who he revealed this to, he told him differently each time. Royce watched the movements of the human in front of him, shrugging. "And you think I do? Serena would frown upon anything that has to share with me; surely you've noticed that by now." he did walk over to the bed and climb up on it, tail raised in the air invitingly. "Well no, I don't think you do. She's told me that most Pokémon here can't directly do what I do in regards to my hands. You probably could though, as well as an Infernape." He climped onto the bed with Royce and then moved towards near his raised tail. "True, most Pokémon don't have the digit structure needed for this sort of thing...and then there's the issue of claws, of course if they had something over their clawtips, they probably could get at least the basics down, but that would mean rendering themselves almost completely helpless." He added, half looking back at Kyn. "Alright well, I'm going to be occupied for a bit so... probably not gonna be able to respond to stuff." He then move closer, pressing his face up against Royce's rear, and then grasped it with two hands, followed immediately by extending his tongue to move around the rim again for the first time in a long while. A soft sigh, he was getting used to this..His tailtip flicked mildly under the stimulation, and his fingers reached back to rub and tease along his genital slit. Kyn sighed. He wondered what doing this would be like with hightned senses, and if earlier when he was doing it to Royce after their first session that he would have been affected by it even more. The current session still aroused him though, and his erection was soon returning. He speed op the speed of his licks, and eventually used a finger to occasionally tease him back there, along with his tongue. Royce gave it time, the finger did help speed along his own arousal, and his fingers teased the tip as it appeared, until finally he was sliding his fingers down his full shaft again. At that point, his tail almost flopped, and he dropped his head to the pillow. One hand held himself back in almost a straight line from his ass, showing every bit of himself to the male behind him. Kyn was rather surprised by what Royce was doing, and wondered if he would have done this type of thing, had all the events of earlier dating WAY back, not happened. He didn't know how Royce was before other than what a glimpse of what Serena showed him. He stopped using his tongue, and then licked his fingers to quickly replace it so that he would be able to prepare him that way. The Slowking breathed easily, doing only enough to keep himself aroused, though soon, that wasn't even needed as the fingers replaced the tongue teasing him, and he switched to squeezing himself around the base, a soft huff given anytime he hit something sensitive. Really, he couldn't believe that he was doing it himself, how much HAD he been programed to allow this much submission without a fight? Quite a bit, it would seem. "I don't suppose Serena used a strap-on, on you, did she?" Kyn was trying to find out some more information about what types of situations Royce... and possibly Roy had been in the days HERE that he had been gone. "Mmmph? No, she's been too busy to bother with me since the day you left, seldom wanting to even talk to me, much less touch me. Can't exactly blame her...Dragon minds don't exactly forget the past easily; and I only know that because she was not the first to put me in these sort of situations, as you did." Of course that question could only really be leading up to being mounted, and instead of straight up and over, he moved his tail off to the side a bit. "To be honest, I'm surprised that she can even do what she HAS done with me, without severely wounding me." he gave a little shudder. "Well... I'm not exactly surprised. She's been taking an incredible effor to maintain it though. So are you ready for me enter now?" He asked, figuring that if anything, the preparation he did would last for short while, and since he wasn't under the influence of the aphrodisiac, he more than likely wasn't as needy for release. "I am." Well, saying no would be out of the question, for sure, and he WAS obviously physically ready for him to return the favor...and he shouldn't have been -that- tight, but who knew, really? "Alright." Kyn took his time inserting his member into Royce, gripping both his tail and his hips, so that when the time came he'd be able to thrust. Royce had been expecting more pain, to be honest, and less of the warmth that filled him, but, as Kyn had said earlier, clearly he knew what he was doing. Of course, as with the first time Kyn had pressed his fingers into him, he did tighten when he stopped moving, adjusting to him. Complacent to be used, he wondered if Kyn even realized that by CARING about whether or not he hurt him, or about anything else, or even trusting him, that he was breaking whatever programming that Serena had put in motion; and Roy was slowly dissappearing. Kyn decided to increase his pace early, though he didn't give Royce any warning, and began moving at a moderate pace. As some of those around him would know, he wasn't very vocal, but during this, he let out small gasps and sometimes even large ones. The term 'pillow biter' soon described Royce perfectly, as to muffle the moans he was giving off, even with them being soft ones, that was exactly what he did. The lack of a warning made him gasp and tense again, relaxing soon afterward, his length bobbing against his hand occassionally, and of course he squirmed. Kyn wondered how Royce could feel this way, despite apparently never really having anything back there, despite the things he brought with him that first time, but then his thoughts quickly shifted back to what he was currently doing. After about ten minutes of casually thrusting, he sped up incredibly again, gripping Royce's tail and hips tighter, to be able to successfully thrust. This time, small moans did escape him, though he wouldn't have noticed them. Royce on the other hand, -did- notice, though he made no comment about them, getting caught with gasps and moans of his own. The statement of 'nothing' up there before wasn't exactly accurate, since even he had admitted to using his own tail to please himself. Of course, had he known Royce like Serena did, he would be able to notice the posture changing slightly, the fact that he was regaining control of himself, his moans lessening, and of course something he had no hope of seeing, the fact that he took his hand from his member. He even timed the positioning right to spin the collar around bit by bit, to get the clasp where his fingers could reach it. Oh, he would let Kyn cum, let him get off, it made no nevermind to him that his technical virginity had been taken, it was after all, only a technicality. Sometime afterwards, Kyn did manage to reach his climax, after which he removed himself from Royce. He didn't exactly understand WHY this type of thing would be happening though IF the Royce person was the forefront, but he didn't really question THAT much either. It was about then that he acted, a quick disable (Prime example of why you never give a Psychic type back his hands when he asks for them) as he turned to keep him in place as he wrapped the collar around Kyn's neck instead of his own, the cuffs had been undone at somepoint as well, and were the next object, linked together to the point that they wouldn't be able to be moved apart, and then up to the ring on the collar, both of them, not just one clipped to the collar. "So trusting, it's almost sad." That voice, back to the original, not Roy's false imitation of it. He removed the cuffs from his ankles and the one around his tail as well. "But it IS that trust I have to thank, well, that and my natural abilities." If the Disable hadn't been fought through by that time, he'd link the other two cuffs together and latch them around his ankles to FULLY immobilize him...of course, if he had to turn to face off against another Pokémon, this would be interrupted at any given point in time. "Ah, so you're back then. Completely? Well, I suppose that this is better than nothing. Trust is what prevented me from killing you. You're still a rather interesting Slowking to me Royce. Regardless of the things Serena has said you've done." He wondered, just what exactly Royce would do, considering that he was being collared, and put into a situation in which he would not be able to freely move. He gave a false and over exaggerated bow. "Everything she's said, and things that she's BOUND against telling anyone. Pesky thing that honor, isn't it? She could have warned you, you know, about any number of things from me, like how that Charmander would have quite literally, had his tail flame snuffed out by the time i was through with him. Like MOST of them end up when I'm through with them, if they don't get rescued by Anana, or...well I suppose I'm going to have to add Serena to the list now, aren't I? Don't worry, I'm sure the sushi shop and butcher will still LOVE the meat I send them, and how many of them have ever tasted human--Probably none of them since YOU don't exist." He threatened. "So it'll have to be mystery meat." "As it currently looks, Royce... it seems like Serena has used me, to get even with you. You've made a valid point here. Perhaps I am too trusting. This situation that I'm in right now... could be traced back to Serena." His voice was somewhat between calm and nervous. The term mystery meat of course, had meaning back home as well, though considering the context is was more than likely Pokémon but nobody really seemed to care much. Royce slipped off the bed and pulled out a wooden box, and with it as it opened, several different types of blades, some obviously dull and rusty--purposely made so, others in pristine conditions. "The situation you're in, listen to yourself. Serena, Serena...you sound like you're calling to her, but since you didn't want her to know, since you told her to stay out of our minds for this, there's no one that's going to be able to help you, not until it's too late." He held a series of throwing knives in one hand, in the other, a butcher's cleaver. He seemed almost joyful as he 'marked' Kyn's overcoat with the throwing knives, both pinning him with them against the wall, and marking the joints with slight cuts that, if nothing else, would sting. "It's a pity, I don't often get to use my blades, those who DO get in trouble have learned to play, and win or lose, they have to return to society.." |Haven't used this particular one in a while. It seems... I've gotten myself into a bit of a bind. Serena's obviously severed the connection with me, but not with you. Royce has me pinned in the room, and I was foolish enough to let him lock the door.| |Serena's not going to be too happy with you. But, I'll try. If not, then I'll just come out myself.| 'Damn... I haven't felt anything like this since I first trained with Striker without any protection on.' "NNg! Royce, did I ever tell you what I've been doing for Anana for the past few months?" At least they weren't TOO deep. /Serena... that room that Kyn and Royce went to... it seems that Royce has chosen to exercise his more violent side. By any chance, would you please assist me in rescuing my mate?/ Sleep fogged mind answered Tensa, but it did shake her from it. /Mmph...I suppose that that would be for the best, before he gets turned into fine meats./ She answered, standing and stretching as she walked, even nudged the door open. Of course, picking the lock was a simple matter for a rogue, she could have just taken off the doorknob as well, but really...She sidestepped backwards with a sigh, and motioned for Tensa to take the lead. /He belongs to you first, not me./ If anything, she sounded a bit hurt, not angry. /Just remember not to kill him./ Royce took his time marking spots for cutting, then licked that particular blade. "Serena did, actually. Oh, I'm sure she didn't mean to, but she tends to talk in her sleep you see, something about you smelling like a juicy Tauros at one point that made her hungry, and a big order." It was of course, about that time that the door handle jiggled with the classic idea of being handled, and unbeknownst to him, picked. It was only when the lock clicked to the unlocked position that he bothered to take notice of it. His eye twitched for a moment, and he poised to THROW the cleaver at the door when it opened, rather than use it on Kyn. Of course, he was expecting Serena to be the first one out, and so the throw would be a bit off to one side, aiming for her legs, since she would have her head withdrawn, and the shell was damn near impenetrable. "Well then... ... I suppose I'll have to pay more attention to her... when I'm on the other side that is..." Kyn said, seriously. Tensa, then took the opportunity to open the door, having charged an Energy Storm in one hand. The moment the door opened, Royce shot out with both the knife and another Disable. This of course leaving the space wide open for Serena to hook around, catch the blade in her mouth (handle, not blade) and run with it. Predictably, Royce held one of those annoying throwing knives up against Kyn's throat, making her skid to a stop. She shot Kyn an accusing glance like 'See, I told you this was a bad idea.' but didn't drop the knife, in fact, with how close she was to the box...well, she could have armed herself to the teeth with them. Kyn had several thoughts float through his head at that moment. It remind him of the games that he used to play at bars even. Certain types of bars. /Thoughts... Serena?/ Kyn and Tensa conveyed. Serena was quiet for a while, her face skewed. /You trust me...right?/ She was skeptical that even this would work, but she couldn't leave Kyn like that, and even as she spoke mentally to them, she lifted one clawed limb up into the air. /We do./ They answered. Kyn was not going to let Royce affect his views with Serena anymore. He was certain that she wouldn't ask that unless she had a definite plan. /Then this might sting, one way or another./ Quick as a flash she was up on her hind legs, and spiraling with both shadow claw and knife in motion. Another Disable stopped the spin, and the Shadow Claw, but the inertia pulled the blade from her mouth, and let it fly. /If you don't mind Tensa, there's your opening./ Royce watched in both shock and awe, he pulled the blade from kyn, slicing the skin but not any deeper; he blocked the blade with that hand, drawing it across to make the knife slide across the floor and into the desk leg. One thing about having to stand the pain, was that, he wouldn't have any scars due to his healing liquid, and so there would also not be any evidence of this particular encounter either on his body. Tensa formed an Energy Storm once more (and of course it decreasing in power a bit) and fired it at Royce. Royce barely got the Trump card up in time, giving the energy storm something to collide with; protecting himself and Kyn from the blast and making it spread out and dissipate. Serena hopped in behind the blast, and when he had just relaxed; she was there to pin him to the wall and the bed. "Bloody bastard. How DARE you." She snarled. Now she was angry. "Serena... I believe all of my questions about Royce have been answered. Though, erm... I'd prefer not to stay like this." <This is... majorly my fault. However, Fool me once, shame on him, fool me twice, shame on me. I will not be... deceived again.> Serena invaded Royce's mind and overloaded his senses until he passed out, then pulled the first of the many throwing knives out. She snorted a bit, spitting it out, then worked to free his hands. "Next time, trust me earlier." while she was at his neck, she double checked to make sure it was just the skin, and gave a lick. "I can't believe I let him lock the door without me noticing. Now... Serena. I've been given a second chance. I'm not going to waste it. Also, as for these cuts... well, let's just say... that Royce's cuts were not the same as a Scyther's blade." He sighed and looked at Royce. "Serena. Royce says I am too trusting. Do you know why I too trusting, even to ones like him...?" "Hold still." It wasn't an answer as she raked the sharp edge of her fangs against the leather, and while she may as well have only have just traced it with the tip, the leather fell to pieces. "You are TOO trusting in this place, I will agree with him there, as for why...it's because you always try to see the good in everything. Just sometimes there's no good to see...or the bad outweighs the good." Kyn sighed and waited for Serena to finish."You, and Medicham, I find it hard to believe that I actually need to utilize you two here in that way. Serena... do you think he realizes how unlucky he is that I cannot kill him for what he's done...?" "To him, the only thing that's been done is that he was denied another life to take...he would actually consider himself lucky not to be able to die for what he did here, not unlucky at all. I owe you an apology, expecting you to believe me when I could not...still can not, give you a reason as to why...and still yet, you gave more trust to someone that you had met twice, rather than someone that you would call family." There was resentment, yes, but could you really blame her? "He now has a new name to me. Royce the Butcher. Sounds like a title one would give to a human mass murderer. So then. Exactly how much explaining would it take if Royce came back with half a tail? I absolutely believe that if I go on resisting any longer, I may just have to find a random Slowpoke to evolve and then cut the tail off of. That is why I'm asking. You know, Royce the Butcher, he would be an amateur compared to me. It may make it seem like I'm just as bad as him, TO him, however there's one difference. He is not innocent. Neither am I now." "Do you see why I wanted to not give him a name, now? It's strange that you humans name people who are as good as dead to you." She pulled the rest of the knives out, dropping each one onto the bed and surveying the cuts before moving to the next. "Half a tail, no tail...hm...well I suppose it would serve him right, and he can just say that he had it caught in one of the elevator doors.. It does happen you know." She paused, collecting the knives she had just dropped, and took them off the bed, back into his box, and set them back as normal. "It's a shame really...blade play is interesting when it doesn't come with the fear of death." "What the hell is blade play? As for him.... he no longer has any protection from me other than you. When it comes to things like this... after they have exhausted their single chance, which he has, there would literally nothing stopping me from torturing him to insanity... or death, if you weren't here. This is why you do not piss off a butcher, surgeon, or doctor. Since I happen to be all three technically, that is a horrible combination. There is something about this room that I should have seen something wrong with. Why oh why didn't I investigate all of these rooms further? Actually, that's what I'm going to do in a bit. If I had known about these fucking knives being in his room, there's nothing that could have let him get me in here. Once again, stupid of me." He was trying to keep his mind occupied, so that he wouldn't literally just go over and start doing various things to Royce right then and there, and that he could actually go about this in a logical, and rational fashion. "Blade play...is the act of letting your lover cut you, with claws, or in this case, knives, knowing that you can trust them not to actually kill you. It creates a rather...hmmm, interesting balance between adrenaline and arousal." She flicked out her tongue, closing the box. "There's a set of knives in each room...the further away from the red hall you get, the more extensive the collection....that's why he asked." she pointed out. "He wanted to know just how much he would have to work with...Heh, me protect him from you...that's an interesting turnabout, isn't it?" "I believe, trying to kill me, puts the things his has done, on a whole different level. Such a grim title, Royce the Butcher. I don't know how many 'mon have lost their lives to him, but as far as I'm concerned right now, it doesn't matter. Serena, since I'm barely able to contain rational thought, tell me, is THIS one of the reasons why some of these rooms have drains in them? Because if not, then it's a good thing they do. I need something to occupy me." The last words were said with his eyes closed and his hand over his forehead. "ALL of the rooms have drains in them...but no, that's not the only reason." She looked between Royce and Kyn, and decided that she may as well say it. "Keep them...the scars I mean...at least I would...to remind you of what you of what happened today...after all, you nearly met with death there." She didn't add the silent wording of exactly HOW Tensa had known his mate was in trouble, since, most unfortunately for Royce, all of these rooms were already sound proofed. "Of all the ways for me to nearly meet death. Almost turned into an exotic meal. Eaten by a Dragon? Nah. Burned alive? Nah. Winding up in a trash compactor while the next crush cycle happens? Nah. Oh, suppose you might not exactly have those here. Sawn in half by a sawmill blade? Hell no. But, winding up in a different world, where you're sliced and diced to become an exotic treat? There's no way in hell I'd have ever considered that a way to go." Kyn said, finding a way to keep his mind occupied. Of course, most people's life would flash before their eyes at a near death experience, but no, so odd was his mind that he actually thought of MORE ways that he could have died. You could see the way she tensed each time he said one of the OTHER ways, until finally she did reach to slap him with the back of her left limb. "STOP that for fuck's sake....I already came close to losing you once today, thinking about OTHER ways to die isn't going to help my temper." She growled at him. She wouldn't tell him that she had taken a chance, knowing Royce was right hand dominant. Had he not had Kyn pinned to the wall he would have been using his left hand to hold the knife, and then...well, they would have been at a stalemate until she could have worked out a deal. "Serena, I believe it is time to take Royce to another room. Preferably somewhere away from me right now and chained. I need time to clear my head." Kyn stated. Chained....it was the first time that Kyn had ever specifically told her to CHAIN someone up, not tie him up...and it definitely put a mood to the event. Of course, it wasn't unexpected, it wasn't even slightly surprising. She took the time to lick his cheek before working to get Royce onto her shell, and walking out of the room, each step near biting a hunk out of each tile with her claws. She didn't even look back...but she did leave the door open to the room she chose, further down the same line, where she kicked the bed up against the wall, latching it in place, and took the box from it's hiding place in the floor, letting the Slowking hit his head on the way down off of her back. She was sure she would be sick by the time she had finished this event, in fact, she was amazed that she had managed to keep her cake this long--the only reason she could see that her stomach hadn't rebelled yet was because she was in adrenaline mode. Kyn took off the overcoat, and threw it on the ground, revealing his black and red cape underneath, as well as now exposing his arms to reveal the recent damage inflicted to them. "Fucking hell. At least there's a possibility that it can be repaired." He got everything situated; his swords, and his hunting knife, and then went to go find Serena. She, as previously stated, wasn't hard to find, but in the time she had chained him spread eagle between two posts, and had him in the middle of the room, she had even added weights to the 'crown' he wore to keep his head tilted back and his throat exposed. Granted, tying him up this way was milder than what she had done before, but this way he was completely exposed and at their mercy. She was just finishing pinning back his tail on a far ring when Kyn DID find her. She didn't even look at him, if she had a greeting for him, it was lost half way through...she simply kicked the box--where she had clearly gotten the supplies from--up against a wall. "So I'm guessing that's got more stuff in it then? Well, let me say, I've got to go to my world for a bit, I rather need to get something." He didn't take the time to really try to look at Serena. Now that he knew where they were, he would pop back, and get what he needed, and then return. "It does." She confirmed, then simply nodded at him as he left, sitting down between Royce and the box, unable to decide whether or not she wanted to hear him scream...she definitely wasn't going to give him anything to bite down on...except maybe his own tongue. She paused to consider it, but of course, by that time Kyn would be back. Kyn returned soon after, with heavy duty gloves on, as well as a large coil of razor wire. He then dropped the razor wire in front of her, and waited for her to react before saying anything himself. She watched the coil fall, her nose even dipping to look at it. She looked up at him, eyes rather resolute. "If you're waiting for me to tell you 'no'...you're looking at the wrong 'mon. If you want it -sharper-....I can do that." "So then, you'd be able to to make it sharper in a quick amount of time? Also, these are still already damn sharp. The sharper you make them, the cleaner and more precise the cut. Which, considering the fact that there were rusty knives in that box, wouldn't be that much of a point made. I'm wearing gloves for this but I wonder, can you actually handle this material?" His tone was neither overly excited, or monotone, but rather his normal tone, in which he would be carrying on a casual conversation. She picked up the wire in one clawed hand, just a loop, and actually squeezed an area that would have cut a huge gash into a normal hand. When she unclenched the limb, there was a slight line of blood, but no more than if she had just been scraped by a branch while running, or by a thorn. To answer the other question she brought it up to her fangs and ran it at an angle against therm, then brought the sharpened edge to her claws again, and this time when she ran a digit over it, it only took a little pressure to cut into her hand. "Yes, and yes." "Very well then. The next stage is awakening Royce, if you would. He needs to see this." Kyn said, the first being a request, and the second a direct statement. She dropped the metal coil, licking the blood from her claws, then pressing the claws to the metal post, and instead of awakening him mentally as she had before--because she wanted NO part of being in his mind at this point--she let what little static charge she had left from her training with Heji; and sent it down that arm through the post, and into the binds, a very basic jolt, but proof that she was working on learning to control more elements...that was exactly what she was showing there. Royce did, of course, wake up with a jolt, had he had any room to move at all--which he didn't--he would have jerked, as is, he grimaced and looked down over his snout at the two of them. "Ah, you two, again...most would have run away after finding out that they were about to lose their lives, yet you two keep coming back; though I don't suppose Serena has even shared that with you yet...no, simply because she -can't-." Even now, he taunted her in the only way he could, by trying to sever the trust that was growing between them. "I've brushed death many times before. However, that one was the most memorable. Now, Royce, you've exhausted your last chance with me. There will be no more trusting you. Ever. But, that's not the important part. I believe you and I are in need of spending a different type of quality time together here." It was then at this point, that he held up the razor wire, so that Royce could see, but he figured that Royce would... act like Royce and stick to what he was best at, but it was only to show him what exactly he would be feeling soon. "Oh goodie, more quality time with one another, I rather enjoyed learning that you were capable of getting off on other people's pain, It means both of you have something ELSE in common aside from brushing death with me." There was a slight twitch, either from because she was accepted her own electrical charge back, or because of the statement that Royce had made, it didn't matter, her shell crackled with the electric charge, and then she let it fade. "If you insist upon speaking, perhaps it should be more of a begging tone Royce. I'm not going to stop him as I did with the switches...not for quite a while at least." Her tone held a promise, and she responded to a look of confusion from him, with only a chuckle. "You're right though, I -AM- going to enjoy this." "I will not get off from this, Royce. There is a major difference between us there." He then took a length of the wire, used a wire cutter, and then wrapped some of it around Royce's right wrist, creating a macabre bracelet, and pulling it tight. <Unlike Royce, I make a distinction between consensual pain, and non-consensual pain. I would have to be true sadist without a conscience to be able to get off of on torturing someone.> <...I would say that you should be glad that you can make the distinction, but unlike you, I don't have that sort of concience when it comes to him.> she answered simply and watched Kyn work. Royce gave a hiss of pain as the blades bit into his skin, which soon faded as he got used to them being there; letting the blood start to ooze from the wounds. "So, you fancy yourself as a butcher, eh Royce? Well, that is not something I go by. When you started making those cuts, I knew EXACTLY what you were doing." His tone wasn't vengeful at all, despite that fact that Royce had tried to kill him. He was keeping his temper.<Serena. Do you know what happens when Nomel juice gets in a wound...?> <Even if I did not know before the first time you asked me, I would know now.> She answered.

"So you were able to admire my work then, good, so few 'mon are able to understand that sort of thing; and 'mon have to eat, they don't care WHERE the food comes from." He chuckled. "Even Anana has learned not to ask questions." "Actually, about that... as of these past few months... it's been coming from me. That's the order you apparently overheard. Now then. What's one bracelet without another to match?" He chided, before cutting another another length and wrapping it around the other wrist. "Then the fact that you've not been outed as a human yet is proof of what I've Sssaid." The hiss in the word 'said' was unmistakeable as the other 'bracelet' was added to his opposite wrist. <Overheard....What?> That had caught Serena's attention. "Unless someone decides to break the illusion, I'll still be a Sceptile, so I've been careful about that. Royce... would your tail grow back if it were cut off? That is one thing I do not know about the Slowpoke evolutionary line." <Apparently you mumbled in your sleep about me. Specifically the Tauros, and Anana's order.> 520 PM] : <....perhaps investing in a gag wouldn't be too much of a bad idea...if I can't keep my mouth shut while I sleep, that might prove problematic.> "Eventually." he chuckled. "Month or two's time. What IS it with you and my tail? It sounds like its an aphrodisiac to your kind." "I thought I've covered this before. Slowpoke tails are eaten because for some reason humans find them delicious. Nothing sexual about them. Though oh god Royce, now you've got me thinking about humans using those tails for a whole 'nother reason. But the main reason was because... you're going to lose part of your tail tonight." He said, preparing some more wire, and deciding what area to apply it to next. <I do not know. Sleeping with one of those in... unless you're REALLY good at breathing through your nose... which I'm sure Heji might like... mind in the gutter, um, then wouldn't that be a problem for you?> She gave an amused wave of emotion to him through the link in response to his train of thought, though the answer would have probably been enough. <It will not be a problem for me.> "I think I'm watching a rerun, you've made that threat before." He tried to twitch his tail in emphasis, but only managed to hurt his shoulders as there was JUST enough slack for him to pull on things, which made him hiss in pain again. "Hah, maybe I taught Serena too well when it came to the use of chains." "This isn't a threat though, Royce. I've actually got something that isn't a knife, that will go RIGHT through bone, flesh, everything." He reached into his pack, and pulled out a clay wire cutter, that was simply two pieces of wood, and the wire itself, and held it up to Royce, AND Serena. Serena tilted her head at it with an unspoken question, it reminded her of something she had seen the construction workers use, but...bone, really? They had been really careful not to get their fingers caught in it, so she supposed that it made sense. Royce, not having seen the construction people working, simply laughed at the device. "You think that THAT, is going to be able to take my tail off? It doesn't look like it would be able to cut through anything, much less anything alive." "Oh it will definitely. The fact that is... it's going to be very long and painful. I think I'll start with... three inches." He wrapped the wire around his tail, and then tightened it for emphasis. Royce couldn't pull his tail away from the device, still it wasn't for trying, and even as his bluff was called, aside from the sweat that started to trickle down the side of his face, he didn't seem nervous at all. "Go ahead, two days and it'll be back." Even as Kyn wrapped the wire around his tail, Serena walked over to, and grabbed a scrap of rather blood stained cloth, and wrapped it tightly around the base of his tail, cutting off the blood flow. "Don't want you passing out too early on us, now do we?" there was a slightly dark chuckle accompanied with the statement. <For the record Kyn, even though there are things I can't -tell- you about my time with Royce, you can easily go into my mind and look through the files yourself...when this night is over, I mean.> "Well, since you say so." The next thing he did was he went over to Royce's tail, stepped on a part that was further down the base and then increased the pressure. He pulled the wire in an up and down motion, after the point in which he felt the most tension, which if it were rope, would be generating rope burn, but it wasn't. The way he was set up, the mere action of having his tail stepped on was agony to his shoulders and hip joints, as was quite obvious from the wince and hiss, the wire on his tail made his eyes widen in shock, and earned a grunt from him. Serena walked away from the backside, and actually closed the door, if the others needed them they could get to them through mental passageways anyway, and it wasn't as if the door would be locked; but with that done, she withdrew her head back into her shell to where her green eyes would glow in the darkness, leaving just her snout outside, and drew her claws across his knee, just a touch--that was all that was needed to leave blood in their wake, to mar his hide, as that was all she was really doing, they would sting, for sure, perhaps make the pain from being pulled backwards even greater, but it was the first time since the first night that she had touched him with such open hatred. "Really, Royce? You couldn't piece together HOW exactly this type of thing would work? Oh just wait until you REALLY start to feel it." He continued moving until he saw blood, and then he waited for another response, and if it didn't come, he'd continue again, and again, applying the same amount of pressure but continuing the motions. Royce growled and grunted at the taunt, as that was what he saw it as, that this would get worse, and there was nothing that he could do about it. The fact that it had made it's way through his outer layers of skin to those that were blood fed beneath, he gave no real response, not going to give him any more fire to use against him later, and definitely not going to behave as if this was just a friendly chat. <Well, now that the formalities are over, I believe it is time to begin.> He now pulled with as much force as possible without breaking the line, and pivoted up and down. He continued like this for a while until he saw that it was actually digging pretty far into the skin. He wasn't sure how many inches it was digging in, but at this point it didn't really matter because the end result would still be that that part of his tail would be gone. Serena didn't answer him, she was idly making the occasional mark in his thigh to test how high his blood pressure was becoming, and when it immediately oozed from the wound and refilled as she wiped it away, she licked her lips, tempted to bite, but since it would take away from what Kyn was doing, she refrained, instead standing up and putting MORE pressure on his shoulders, listening to the tendons strain, her ear flicking to the sound. Being a hunter, that wasn't something unusual to her, but she wasn't sure that Kyn could even hear it, and wondered that if he could...what his reaction to it might be. Royce huffed and groaned, until finally it became ragged breathing, between the strain on his shoulders being added by the dragon in front of him, and the pain in his tail (quite literally) he was at the point of becoming even MORE intransitive than he normally was. He spit at Serena, uttering a curse at her that even for him, was a weak attempt at an insult. <Serena, what the hell ARE you doing over there?> At the current rate he was going, he judged that, within fifteen minutes of this constant motion, that part of his tail would be severed, so he knew that in the meantime it would be agony for Royce since it wasn't a clean cut like a cleaver or sword would make would be PROBABLY some of the worst pain he had felt before, though he didn't know Royce at ALL apparently, and Serena knew him WAY more. <Letting his body work against him.> She answered, and dropped back to the ground which of course, pulled on his tail to the point that the gash stretched wide open, ragged and bloody. Of course, that might make his foot slip a bit, but with all his weight on it, she doubted that seriously. She wiped the spit off of her nose, and in exchange, took a slice out of his side with her claws. Royce haa'ed at the fact that it cut deeper, but when it was stretched, he screamed and cursed her again once he found his words. Then his tail was gone, that bit, and it felt like it was on fire, his breath in a pant, he managed one long exaggerated word. "Fuuuuck...Nng..." Kyn sighed. "Now, perhaps maybe I'll see what all this fucking hype is about." He held the bit up to his mouth, avoiding the bone, and then bit into it. Serena stepped over the chains on the other side to watch Kyn questioningly. "You're sure that they didn't cook that first?" She did do Royce a 'favor', though she was sure he wouldn't see it as one, and instead of leaving it as a ragged end, she made it into a clear cut, bringing yet another scream from the slowking, who's nerve endings were still on fire as the blood was rerouted from the tail to other places instead of building up "It doesn't really matter to me at this point, but maybe they did. I'm so used to eating raw Pokémon meat, I might as well be a wild. The next bit I'll see if you can cook for me." He realized that the way he was talking, any regular Pokémon would probably be appalled. They were eating him? THEY were EATING him? Those words made his heart pound with not only pain, but fear, and he didn't dare look backwards, at least the Pokémon that he fed to people were dead first, this...this was a bit much, even for his twisted mind. "At....least have the courtesy.......to tell me....how I taste...." He worked to get out. Serena chuckled at the statement. "I remember when you preferred your meat cooked, look at you." It wasn't and admonishment, in fact it seemed to be just the opposite. She licked up the stray bits of meat that she had clipped off with her claws and resisted the temptation to lick the blood from both the floor, and likely Kyn's face as well. <Annnnnd that realization just hit him, the fact that you're actually eating his tail.> "No, I don't think you'll know. The reason why Slowpoke were targeted, was because they wouldn't feel the pain for hours. You on the other hand however... can feel it right away. It's amazing, the culture shift. From an area like Tao, where not a single shred of Pokémon meat is imported, to a place like this, where in some cases, your patrons are literally fed to others. Of course, they're usually dead before. Royce, the sensation of being eaten alive is what some predators give to their prey. Right now, YOU are MY prey. Do you understand?" The last part was said with such viciousness that Kyn believe that he may have actually growled at some point without realizing it. Serena's eyes went wide, and she looked away from Kyn, there might have been a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks, though if there was it was hidden in the darkness of her shell. <Well, that was strangely...arousing to hear from you.> Not on the same level of Heji's dominance, but definitely there, a bit like one might feel for an idol of some sort. "Oh, I understand. You think that that's going to make me give up and submit too, I bet." He snarled. "Beg for you to just kill me...It's REPLACEABLE, I've lost my tail a few times, when someone has tried to break me." "Oh no, this isn't about getting you to submit at all. I'll be right back." He left the room again, did his thing, and then returned with a whole bunch of items. Namely, something that he figured Serena and Royce would both be able to recognize. Nomel Juice, and Tamato Berry Puree. Royce looked positively horrified when he came back, before he hardened his face. He could guess what was coming, being that he had several cuts on his body. "I see..." Serena even took a step back, had it not been Royce, she might have even shuddered, as it was she managed to avoid most of it by looking at the Tamato Puree, it LOOKED interesting, and it wasn't something that they had spoken of using previously, but SHE could guess the possible uses as well. "Not a lot of Pokémon can eat raw Tamato Berries. There's a reason for that. Chemically... (blah blah blah ) ...and that has all been combined and concentrated." He actually removed the razor wire from Royce's wrists, not bothering to be careful, which did cause more cuts. Royce hissed as the wire was removed, and winced at the additional cuts that were added to them, still, more blood spilled as he tried to force his heart rate to slow, this would hurt enough without having more blood lost. Serena was of course, curious, and carefully walked around to where he was holding the puree, Spicy things weren't her -favorite- thing in the world, but they were a close second after all. Kyn switched the types of gloves that he was wearing. They were now disposable blue surgical gloves, and the first dipped his fingers into the jar filled with the Tamato Berry puree after he opened, it, took some out, and then applied it to some of Royce's wrist, making sure to actually RUB it in. To say that Royce shuddered, hissed, grimaced, or even grit his teeth to try to bear through the pain that he felt, would be to insult the words, although he did do SOME form of each of them as the pain became worse and worse, to the point that there were tears in his eyes when he finished. Serena was SURE that this was going to bite her in the ass, being the way that Royce was acting, still...she sniffed, and then licked the lid. Her tongue burned, still, not in a bad way, and she sat down even licked her fangs. "Pussy, it's not that bad." "You're a Dragon Serena. You don't count as much. You should see what this stuff does to human skin." Next step was back over to jar full of the Nomel juice, and he experimented with that by taking an eye dropper, and slowly dripping into the wounds that already had been filled, to see if he could get away with combining the two effects. The look she tossed him was a clear 'maybe later.' Which, if anything, probably would have reminded him of what she said about giving her ideas. <Heh, I don't count? Well, I suppose that since it wasn't on a cut, I really have nothing to compare it to.> Serena watched him drip the Nomel juice, and did shudder this time, even not being in Royce's mind, she could feel that one. <...Even I wouldn't be resistant to that one...> If the Tamato berry had burned, this felt like he had been submerged in a firepit, and instinctively he tried to jerk his arm away, resulting only in more pain than he was in previously. "Gaaah, Fuck you." The curse came out before he could stop it; and he knew that eventually he would pay for the remark, one way or another, but he wasn't going to be reduced to a sobbing mess by a bit of berries. "So then, that's more of your tail you say? Very well. I'll have it cooked this time." He said, and then went over and stepped on it again. He repositioned the clay wire cutter, and did the sawing again, only doing an inch this time. His claws clenched as the wire started to cut into him again, once more trying to bear the pain, and instead only managed to increase the volume of his screams, his pain tolerance was slipping, that much was obvious, each bit did drive him closer to being numb, but part of him knew that Serena wouldn't let him get that far...even not being in his head, he could see the analytical looks that she was giving him, judging how much pain he was in, how much he could take...tears streamed down his face by the time that Kyn was through this time. It might have been replaceable...but it was still his limb, his appendage...now four inches of it was gone. Serena laid down to watch, about as stoic as a guard dog, she was guarding something, of course, Royce's life--but she couldn't help admire the dominance of what was being done here, it clicked with her instincts; yes, he definitely deserved her respect to be able to adapt to her world from the human civilization, still, even this to most of her world would be cruel, unusual punishment...perhaps even to her it was on some level, but not when used like this. She did however, relay Royce's bodily status to Kyn, and the fact that with that amount of blood loss he would begin to get foggy headed as well. She suggested also that she cook the juices into the tail piece slowly, rather than a flash fry. Kyn then did what would be considered the near unthinkable, and actually took more more razor wire and wrapped it around Royce's currently being severed TAIL, and then pulled THAT tight. Kyn did all of this without saying a word, not enjoying it, but not hating it either. The mouth was open, but no sound came out, a silent scream, in the most literal sense of the words, had he had anything in his bladder, it would have drained...ironically, to the drain in the room, proving their designated use. His tail twitched under his foot, under the treatment, and he trembled in his bonds, his breath shaky at best. <So he's lost his tail before in attempts to break him? Well, what happens when he meets someone who isn't trying to fucking break him anymore?> Kyn's voice was beginning to tremble, but once again, it still wasn't from excitement. Serena took the comment and measured it carefully, and in exchange she sent a measured amount of peace to his mind set...that was something he would need amidst what she judged to be a quiet rage, and true, it was a small kernel of peace to stand up to a torrent, but where a seed was planted, it would grow. <I suppose we'll see...> She did move away from the drain, and the acrid smell; towards where he was working. <Give me the end of the razor wire, Kyn.> Royce focused on trying to catch his breath, if he had found his voice, he was choosing not to use it. <Tell me what you want it for, first.> He was wondering what she would possibly want it for, if not to do something with it. <Surely you know what happens when someone grabs the end of something and pulls it from a place that it's dug into.> She answered, bringing her head out to look at him, ever predatory eyes filled with dominance. <After all, it's only going to get in your way with it stuck there. Of course, you might want to step away too, when it comes loose...> she hoped she didn't have to finish the sentence. <Oh. Good. Though, Serena, I will step back, though for the next thing I do, I want you to heat up the length of razor wire I cut to the point in which you see it glow.> He did hand her the end of the razor wire, after switching gloves on one hand. Serena took the wire in her mouth, careful to position it so that her fangs were the ONLY thing that came in contact with it, as her mouth had next to no protection against the sharp blades, that was definitely one of her more sensitive places. <You didn't honestly think I was going to give him a reprieve from pain, even if I was giving your arms a break, did you?> When he was far enough away, she quite literally let it rip, running to the opposite end of the room, and leaving only the sickening sound of flesh tearing, and a scream in her wake. She padded back to examine the wound, and then dropped the piece with the others. She didn't respond to the request immediately, rather waiting for him to cut the wire. <And another thing you seemed to not be paying attention to... is that, you're literally playing with my toy here. In some sick strange way, I may thank you for helping later, but not now.> At this current point, Kyn wasn't even listening to Serena if she was giving him mental updates as to Royce's current status. He would stop when Royce passed out, and then ask Serena to cauterize the current wounds. <Don't accuse me of not paying attention to who's property he is. I know that very well.> There was a touch of venom to her words; of course he didn't realize it was built into her via instinct at this point. <Just because -I'm- doing what you asked me to do to begin with doesn't mean I'm going to not participate in things that YOU'VE already set in motion.> She did as she was asked, per usual, and left the Slowking hung up on the chains when she was done, then she snorted the smoke from her nose, and pulled the cloth from the base of his tail to allow blood flow back into what was left of his tail. <Now I'm wondering, what exactly Royce has gone through in his life, that would make him turn out like he did.> Kyn's mind shifted now, applying more Tamato berries puree to various areas before stopping completely and letting Royce feel every last bit. <You want to know? You'll have to wait until after this night is through, then I can find out, if you honestly want me to do so. I'm not touching his mind with a ten foot pole right now.> she answered, walking away from Royce to lay down and watch again; since he seemed to be working with a 'if i want your help I'll ask for it.' pretense. <Then, I'll wait a bit for now. Let the message sink in deeper, if it hasn't already, that I'm not messing around here. I believe that ONE of the more... fearsome things one can do to a sentient Pokémon is eating them alive.> He did go over to Royce and actually licked some of the blood that he hadn't applied Tamato to, before going back a ways and sit down, and after that, he waited; not sure how long it would take. Serena did get up and walk over to him as he waited, more for the company than to actually bother him. <One of them.> She agreed, then paused. <and once he has learned that you're not messing around, what then? I can't imagine that it will end because he learned that you mean business.> She laid her head down at his knee, forelimbs crossed beneath her chin. It was a short while later before Royce's body came back to consciousness, squirming from the feeling of his body on fire, like he had brushed up against a Typhlosion while wearing a Cottonee cloak, hot, too hot...his eyes opened and almost immediately closed in a wince, and when he lifted his heavy head he found himself looking at his captors. Even to Kyn, the fear in his body posture--what little he could manage--and in his eyes, should have been plain as day. <Then... I will continue even more. That is all I am going to say for now. He will not die, either.> After Royce awoke, Kyn spoke again. "Serena... do me a favor and cauterize every single one of his wounds would you? Even his tail, which I still have plenty to go, and of course, I've only just got started on his tail." He said, indeed noticing the fear in Royce. Royce heard the words, even saw her get up, and walk over to him, smelled the smoke as her fire built to the point that it would singe the flesh, he tilted his head down, and mouthed a word at a volume that he knew that Kyn could not perceive. 'Please....' Serena looked up at him, gave a snorting laugh, and responded at a decibel that Kyn could indeed hear. "Funny, you're beginning to sound as you made me sound, while I was in your /care/." She set to work on his wounds, searing and sealing the Tamato berry into the wounds, ignoring his cries of pain. She had taken this level of pain with NO complaints...to hear him yelping like a dog at this level of pain made her question just how strong he was. <You're not allowed to take him to the brink of insanity either, if he's not able to function as an owner of the casino, then he may as well be dead.> Finally she clamped down on the squirming tail and seared that closed too. Honestly? Had she been more in the mood, she would have let him flail a bit more and just breathed the fire over it, but since he was being such a little bitch about the pain ANYWAY, she decided to give him a taste of what the inside of her mouth was like. Aside from being almost five times hotter than the flame she had been using to cauterize things; it would also induce that fear of being eaten alive again. Of course, she didn't actually bite him, or eat him, and she did move away once she was done. <The only thing that can save him from being taken to the brink of insanity is you, Serena, and you know how.> Kyn looked closer at the way the wounds were sealed and then he switched to a new tactic. "I'm going to try something new here for a bit." Serena stared at Kyn as if he were something she could not identify, if not crazy, her mind went over what he meant twice, looking for a more complex answer, then she snorted at the OBVIOUS answer sitting right in front of her nose...it was a good thing that her mind worked on many different levels at once, or there would have been an awkward silence to answer him. "Do as you will." Royce had just caught his breath when Kyn approached him, and it caught in his throat as he looked over the human, shivering at the mere mention of his words to a degree that the chains binding him shook with him. Kyn took out his hunting knife, and then he began laying various not too deep but deep enough to hurt, more than what Royce did to him. "With surgical precision, and the knowledge of a butcher. I'd say then... for every Pokémon I believe you've killed, or had killed, one particular cut will be made. I know how to avoid arteries as well, so that you do not bleed to death." Kyn said, and then he made twenty cuts into Royce's left arm, slowly, and separate from where the wounds on his wrist were. Royce closed his eyes with a sigh, twitching at each cut. "Wouldn't matter if you know how to avoid arteries, by the time you get finished with those I'll be dead anyway. I can give you an exact number on how many, what they were, and how it was done." Fragments of his old attitude flared with the -pride- in what he had done to them. "So it's rather a lot then? I take it you've been doing it for quite a while. Why don't you go ahead and give me an exact number?" He immediately stopped. Here was yet another opportunity for him to learn MORE and more about what Royce had committed. Just adding more fuel to the fire that would be burning him to oblivion. If he WOULD still talk that is. Talking...this would be interesting, if he could drag it out, he would prolong the pain from happening. "Ah...I don't suppose telling you to take the current number of residents in the bay area and doubling that result would do you much good...40,324...You would have been the next quarter. Pity really, now my record his TWO marks on it for unsuccessful kills. Ironically they both circle around Serena." "Well then... it seems as if... I've got a long way to go. I really wish that number weren't so high though. Now I'm actually going to have to take you back to my world." Kyn then did something that he hadn't before. He dipped the razor wire IN the Nomel juice, and let it sit there for a while. After it soaked for about two minutes, he then wrapped THAT length around the twenty cuts. "Everyone wishes real numbers weren't so high." He snarled in pain, the muscles twitching. "Everyone from the parents, to the children, to Anana herself, who if you're angry at me, you should be more angry at her. She KNEW what I was, and still sent you into the Luxray's den, and I bet she didn't warn you once, never once told you to be careful, DID she?" "She may have. Royce, where I come from... there are casinos that are run the way you used to run yours. They were controlled by criminal organizations. This is not the same world, and the rules are different here. However, one thing still remains constant here. That makes you a mass murderer in my world. Though of course, I'm not even sure WHAT defines murder here. The fact that they weren't simply wild is what makes another major difference to me." He finished talking, keeping the introduction of NEW pain out, in order to make Royce feel like there was SOME level of control. <Serena, he's right you know. Anana didn't warn me. But YOU did.> "'Mon die here every day, they move on, it's a part of life, 'murder' doesn't exist here in the bay, we don't put up wanted posters for the people that we'd like killed because of who they are, and we don't seek out 'vengeance' or 'JUSTICE' as you seem to want to be the hand of. Who gave you the right to be upset over something that didn't happen to you?" <I did.> She confirmed. <And I tried to protect you from it too, three times...but you'd made up your mind, and you had to see for yourself.> She paused <Anana entrusted me with warning you, she hoped that I was capable of doing so. I'm still not sure if I've succeeded or failed at that task.> Kyn ignored Royce's question, and then changed his tone, to a tone that he'd heard, quite a long time ago, and used himself, a tone that Serena had requested that he never use again. "Then I suppose that makes you one thing. Practice." Kyn immediately took his swords, and slashed two deep gashes across Royce's face diagonally, avoiding his eyes. He didn't care if the blood stained his clothes or not. Serena twitched at the voice, not so much at the drawing of weaponry, but the fact that she now had to watch what Kyn was doing seriously, that and the fact that he had switched to that tone nearly cracked the dam on her cool head; as was obvious by the claw marks now in the tile floor where there had been a solid tile. Royce hissed in pain, it felt like his head had just been split open, and the blood that trickled down his snout and made him snort only made him angry. He sputtered curses at the human in front of him, if he was going to use swords on him then he at least should have been able to defend himself. For the first time in a long time, he cursed the fact that he had placed Dusk Stones all over this building and not just near the game floor, if he hadn't he wouldn't have been restricted as he was right now. "If there's no concept of murder here, then why should I limit myself to only non-sentients? Of course, doing it one at a time in a secluded environment away from the public eye is different than openly going on a killing spree out in a town square." His voice changed from the 'Royce' tone, he was debating on whether or not he would use his swords on, which area, skipping the whole approach, and then use them to open a direct gash from the point above his original wire cuts, all the way up to his shoulder. "So I should be upset at Anana? Did you EVER stop to think that the reason why when I first met you, the reason why I didn't play your game was because of knowledge beforehand?!" Royce winced in pain, the words made no sense. "HA! Who's been telling you to limit yourself? Certainly not me. If you're going to be around Serena and take HER word for how she sees the world, ask HER why she limits herself, why she suggested that you not kill those of us who KNOW that our reflection in the mirror, is who we are. Go on, ask." He snarled in pain again, and then his eyes widened in shock. At first, it didn't click, but when it did..."Ha...hahaha...YOU little...ha...you submitted him to the darkness of the void, submerged him, and then decided to give him a torch to light his way? Ha....that's funny." "Narrow-minded fool, it's all you ever were, Royce." She answered. "You really need to re-evaluate the times you've seen me, but I can see that you're busy, so I'll wait until Kyn's done with you, to show you your folly." Of course this was a time when he was not exactly completely in the most generous of moods, and so he decided to reveal something to Royce. "I happen to be insane, Royce. I don't know why you are the way you are, but I've been through hell and back, in a way that someone like you... someone like you could never ever survive. Serena wasn't there for that. In fact, Serena wasn't even ALIVE when it happened. I doubt even YOU were alive either." After that, he didn't use his swords, but he did something that would be rather sickening for MOST to see. He delivered a roundhouse kick to Royce's Jaw, followed immediately by a kick to his stomach, and chest. Being unable to cover himself, defend himself...and the fact that he was still staring at Serena in shock, the kicks landed perfectly, and through the pain in his chest, as he got the wind back in him, he laughed again. "Your keeping...company...with an...insane human...." "Mmmph...Perhaps he is, but then, to be able to interact and understand Pokémon completely, you have to give up a few things." She quoted, rather amused. Of course she knew what Kyn was speaking of, but she felt like there was something -wrong- with him saying that she wasn't alive back then, it just...struck her wrong. Of course she didn't make mention of it, she didn't even linger on it any more than she had to. "I am only insane by my own definition. To others I appear perfectly normal for the most part. Royce the Butcher... that is the title I gave you... while I was talking to Serena. Now, I believe the best way to transport you back to my world, would be in a Poké Ball. Oh and Serena, you should probably seal his arm before he bleeds too much. That's a pretty deep gash." Serena stood with an inward sigh, and pulled the one arm downward with the chain, balancing against the post as she built up that fire again, and this time, predictably when dealing with Royce, her anger colored the flame blue as she squeezed it and seared it shut; she purposely made it hurt worse than was necessary, until her jaws snapped shut, and the chain was returned back to its previous position. <I don't have to tell you that you gave your word that you wouldn't take him to your world only earlier this day, do I?> She stared at him until he answered. Royce winced and yelled obscenities at Serena for--essentially sealing a wound and keeping him from passing out....and then the chain was pulled back up, almost dislocating his shoulder in the process. <I also had no idea that I would brush with death either Serena. Or that I would be doing this to him.> "Royce, honestly, if you don't keep your mouth shut the next thing I will do is carve out your tongue and FEED it to you!" <I wouldn't... actually cut out his tongue since well... those don't usually grow back.> <You're better than that.> She snorted at him. <Both things, the lying and the going back on your word...> She paused. <If you must...do try to remember though, it's a pain reflex to curse what's hurting him...as you might recall, I did the same thing until I got Inferno to seal my wounds the second day.> <I may have forgotten. Now, there is a place, in which time is not an issue all, which is is not my world, yet is similar to. Though, I do believe your main point was him not leaving this world. Unless you were specifically referring to something else. Perhaps you should clarify.> "I doubt you'd be able to close the wound on his face that way. There's only two things that will fix that." He said, calm this time, having taking out a major portion of his emotion on that last gash. "I am not a seamstress." She replied, turning away from him and Royce. <I -said- if you must. Just remember that where ever you go, I'm going to follow.> "Serena, a rather odd thought just occurred to me. Because of the way a Poké Ball works... if it were used on him in this particular state, I'm not sure what would happen. Would the chains be incorporated? I don't know. Would everything that ISN'T Royce get left behind...? Well, there IS only one way to find out." Serena clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Would be an odd thing to have the parts eaten removed from your stomach if it encompasses everything that IS Royce." She answered, flicking her tongue out. <I should probably also remind you that pants would be a good idea to go anywhere that's not your house.> Royce shuddered, really? between the blood that was dripping down into his eye, and the tension in his muscles, he wasn't sure that he would even be in a state to fight being put into a ball, not that he could move anyway. "Oh, by the way Royce, I never really said this to you since I wasn't exactly sure if it was just you or not but I'll say it anyway. I think your neck frill is... very interesting. As this world is much different than mine, I'd say that... a Slowking with a frill that has your coloration is not something I've seen before. Even though it appears as though you might not go to my world... you'd be rather unique." It was said with true human to Pokémon fascination. A bit of himself returning for that brief moment of admiration. <So, Royce and I were having a discussion about the various uses of Poké in this world. I'm supposing, that based upon his understanding of the way I live, based on verbal clues I may have given him, that Poké is not necessary for a Pokémon's survival here. So then I asked him, what the big deal over accumulating a debt was if the only reason why they gamble is for the sake of gambling.> Royce reacted almost exactly the same way that Serena had when Kyn first mentioned her deformities, he snarled at him, but gave no actual words, He DID spit at Kyn, however, for the insult. <Well, if you're not able to be self sufficient you need Poké to survive, but not if you're essentially a wild...of course, now you know what the 'big deal' is about getting a debt here is.> <Hm, I suppose he was right then. I don't need it to survive. Royce's frill is as unique as your golden plate coloration it seems. And no, I don't REALLY know what the big deal is. Unless it's an opportunity for him to do his thing, if they don't pay.> "If anything, I'm surprised that you didn't do that sooner. I do so wonder though... if there is an accessory that mimics a Slowking frill. I haven't seen a showcase, so I don't know at all. If not, I think it'd look rather nice on some Pokémon." He wasn't directly implying it, but to anyone who KNEW him well enough, there was an almost subtle hint at the idea that he'd want to remove Royce's frill. <Do his thing is ONE way of looking at it...yes...though you probably haven't noticed...he actually has the same deformations as I do, his tail is longer than a normal Slowking's, and the coloration difference of course.> She went over to the wall and laid down on her side. "There's not, at least, not in Tao." She answered with a slight sigh. Yes, she caught the hint, being in his mind had that effect, she simply didn't make a further reference to it, or any move to stop him. Royce twitched at the mention of a Slowking frill accessory, and it flicked as well. Of course there was a reason that he hadn't done it earlier, he hadn't had enough blood in his mouth to do it and leave an impression--though he had spit at Serena and earned two gashes in his side for it. "So then, let me get this straight... Royce if you no longer had your frill, AND your Shellder was gone, you'd look similar to a slightly taller than MY average Slowbro?" Now Kyn was being LESS subtle about the prospect of removing his frill. Royce growled and gripped the chains, trying to get some slack in them. With part of his tail missing, he was free to move his stub around, but without the tip, those links of chain weren't moving. "So you're going to do some irreparable damage? Go ahead, the thing's never been much of a statement, thought about cutting the damn thing off myself a couple times." <But he decided against it.> Serena noted, only watching from her vantage point. Kyn, despite everything else going on, had another moment of weakness. "Lucky or Unlucky for you, Royce, that some human tailors can replicate your neck frill. Even if I DID cut it off, you'd still be able to HAVE a neck frill. But of course you just said that it wouldn't matter if I did or not." 21:22 PM] : Serena rolled back onto her feet, perhaps she wouldn't need to keep him from driving Royce to insanity, especially if he kept giving in like this. <Your claws have lost their edge.> She commented. <You're sure you still want to call him your toy?> Royce snarled at Kyn. "What does it matter? Why would I want something made by a HUMAN anyway? We've survived without you, and your own cloth has proven not to be tear resistant." Ignoring Serena temporarily he said, "It was just a suggestion. Besides, fine cotton is not meant to protect, it is meant for appearance. Now... I suppose I should get back to work. Though not here." He went over to his pack and pulled out an Ultra Ball. He didn't know exactly HOW much fight Royce had in him still, but he didn't want to take any chances, and the Ultra Ball was just the last step up from a Great Ball before... the Master Ball, which would be pretty much wasted. If anything, a Master Ball... would be used in a dire emergency situation, like... an uncontrollable rampaging Legendary, without having to resort to killing it. He then went into the stance he was taught, and then threw it at Royce at full spin, aiming for his head. Serena twitched, she didn't have to know the differences between Poké Balls to know that that wasn't one of the baselines, and almost immediately felt the urge to crush it, which came out as a rumbling growl. Of all the things NOT to approve of, this was the one that she chose. Royce felt the impact, with his face cut, the motion of it being thrown was enough to tell him that it would hurt. The characteristic red light absorbed him, and he fought tooth and nail to avoid being kept inside. The chains didn't go with him, nor did the weights that had been hung on his crown, and they dropped to the floor with a clatter of noise. Kyn waited to see if Royce had been 'caught' or not, before responding to anything that Serena might have to say to him. The growl soon died down to a whine that might have been synonymous with a 'whhhy...?' but she didn't actually vocalize herself with words, her temper was flaring behind the dam that she had been using to keep herself calm, and her claws bit into the tiles again. Characteristically, the ball DID click off as Royce resigned himself to having been caught. "Serena, it's kinda obvious that you were growling at something. I just don't know WHAT you were growling at. Perhaps you'd be willing to share?" He asked casually. He picked up the ball that contained Royce and then held it in his hand. Serena snorted at him. "You should already know why I'm growling at you using a bloody BALL on him. Let alone a stronger one than than normal balls. Consider it this way...-I- had a choice when i let you put me into a ball, the others had a CHOICE to go consensually. 'A life style choice.'" her voice held a rough texture to it, somewhere between the brink of tears and hatred. "Maybe I was wrong about you...maybe you're not better than any of the others you showed me." "Oh sure, of all the things I've done here, THIS is one of the things that causes you to reevaluate me? I guess it doesn't matter that I already broke my vow about not using any of these to put NEW Pokémon into. THIS is a situation in which I was forced to." Two steps and a leap, the growl was back in her throat as she aimed to pin him to the ground, of course, he could have just as easily avoided the action as he could have allowed it to happen, if he did, then she'd hook her claws into the ground to turn herself around to face him again. "Don't make excuses. You did not HAVE to put him in a ball, between the two of us, he could have EASILY been subdued...and don't even bother trying to reach out to the others, consider your signal jammed." Since he didn't see any reason why it would be in his best interest at the current time to avoid the obviously angered Serena, he didn't make any move to get out of the way. "Do you even know what I was planning to do? If this is so important to you, then YOU deal with it." He then let go of the Ball containing Royce. The snarl that came out was perhaps one of the more feral things he had heard from her; and he could consider himself lucky that her claws bit into tile and not flesh. She did pull her head away to minimize the ball and tuck it into her shell. "I've had enough of this Kyn, you asked me WHY this was the thing that made me re-evaluate you? This is the ONE thing that could draw my temper. I don't care if you maim him, maul him, bring him within an INCH of his life, but you're not going to mark him under your ownership, that's the ONE thing I will not allow of you." The hiss in her voice rumbled back. "I will not play with your toy any further than I have to; you made it clear that you didn't want me to, and I will not...I'm going to move; STAY, or you will be in more trouble than you already are, am -I- understood?" The scraping of tile accented her words. "I understand you. However, the purpose of these things for me is not to mark ownership." He wondered just what Serena was thinking yet again. She had him thinking about what exactly he'd had in his head earlier. The memory of the first time Serena had ever BEEN in one of the balls flooded forth, causing him to continue to wonder if she even knew about his rather conflicting ideas on the situation. "Shut up, I didn't say you could talk, until you leave this room, you will ONLY respond to what I ask; I'm sure you realize that even WITHOUT any of your torture devices, I could put you in worse pain than Royce was in previously." the rather forceful words growled out, and she stepped off of him, twisting the posts until they clattered to the ground with the other objects, nothing holding them upright, they slid to the ground; she simply kicked them aside, then pulled out the ball, pushed the button twice, once to increase its size, and again to let Royce out. The ball rolled back towards Kyn as she pinned Royce down by his neck with one claw, and chose to break his knees with a single blow to each of them. Of course he cried out, and it was only paired with more as she wrenched his arms from their sockets at the shoulders. "THAT is how you subdue someone." The statement was clearly directed at Kyn, as she walked towards the box, taking out two pieces of wood that were tied at one end like a clothespin and iron pin, waiting for an opportunity to pull out Royce's tongue, and eventually one came. The two slips of wood were placed around the muscle, tightened down at the other end as well, and then the (now heated) iron pin was inserted through the center to keep the wood in place. Kyn, as directed, remained silent. He took this time to reflect on the situation at hand. Here he was, yet again, in a situation where he had little to no control. Royce's words came back to him again, and he found himself, despite the oddness of it all, finding Royce to actually BE correct. Serena being the director. Here again, she had saved him, and Royce. He found himself viewing the situation in another way. Here he was, thrown into situational bipolarity; fits of insane rage, and fits of insane calmness. Despite everything that happened, every time he was either too trusting or too nice, he wound up in situations like this. Whenever he was 'too nice' to Royce, the situation eventually got turned around on him, and he wound up in a situation similar to this. At this point, he wasn't even sure he could really trust Serena, and especially would not even think about trusting Royce, yet here something he had said turned out to be true in the most painful way, involving Serena. He of course, paid attention to Serena's little demonstration on subjugation, and listened to her comment and figured that it didn't really matter anymore. He decided, that no matter what he seemed to do, the in-the-moment effects of a situation, were always leading to something greater that would either wind up getting him killed, or closer to death. The fact remained that for the first time in a long while, he felt like a stranger here. The only thing that he could do was watch. But everything else, his drive, his motivation, were now gone. It was a few minutes later that she walked away from Royce, and pulled the bed down from the wall, not really caring that the Slowking was now under the bed. When she next spoke, it seemed she had come back into control over her emotions, in fact, she sounded a bit tired. "Come Kyn....sit on the bed, unless you actually prefer the floor. You wanted to talk...as I recall." "There is nothing more to talk about," was Kyn's response. It came out as flat and monotone. His mind was still in a loop over what to do next. 13:06 AM] : "Fine...then you shall listen, while I talk, and try to explain what just happened to someone who doesn't understand me, as well as I understand myself." she laid down on the ground, much like he was, actually, making no move towards him. "That happened because there was no outlet for my rage, Kyn. That rage had been building for a while, and every time I tried to warn you against Royce, and you essentially told me to sit down and shut up, and I obeyed...the next time was when I found out that what I had feared would happen, had, and I had to control myself there because even though we are family...I had no right to save you, you didn't call for me, but Tensa had to be the one to reach into the link to do it...and he wanted my help for you..." she paused, closing her eyes. "How long have you had the link, which I myself will not forge? Mateship is supposed to be the one bond that doesn't NEED a link for you to understand one another...but I need one to understand you. At this moment, the hate is gone, Kyn...but I've held to my word, even in that hate. I did not hurt you....If I had, it may as well have been myself I was cutting into." "I do not know exactly, Serena. However, I can guess that it began when I was about twelve. Besides. I do not believe I could have called you anyway. But I wanted to, and at the same time, I was afraid to." He admitted. Serena crawled, quite literally, towards him, careful not to make any sudden movements--indeed, treating him as someone might a Buneary that was frightened. "In the end...I don't want to hate you, Kyn. Four months ago, after seeing something like this, I would have told you to leave and to never come back...I still would not have hurt you." She looked down at the inevitable blood on her claws. "Please....give me a reason; any reason...not to send -you- away...." "I can think of barely any reasons for you not to send me away. However, I will say some of them. The first involves the fact that, I do not believe that our permanent separation would benefit either of us. Secondly... it would mean leaving Heji forever, something that I would hate to do to you both. Third... I find it hard to believe that we are together simply because of curiosity, only to be split apart later." The tone was starting to return to his voice, but it was barely there. The first and third she nodded to, but the second...stopped her in her tracks. "Kyn...there is something you need to understand on that point. I LOVE Heji, yes, and half of me would be missing without him here...but the ache dulls after a while, becomes bearable...for the most part." She sighed. "Here's one for you...because you fit in here in this world, better than you do in your own. Where you can call yourself insane, and those around you will brush it off like a drop of water, where you can hunt, and hurt, and FEEL...and where you're not judged by what they see, but what they fail to see." She was perhaps a turn away from him, all it would take was for him to turn onto his side and reach, and he'd have his hands on her, but she didn't move any further. "Forgive a fool, for letting her emotions rage war...?" "I suppose I can... Now... I am done with Royce. I suppose when I have pent up aggression from being the way I am, I can take it out on him, since he said there will be no consequences for doing so. Tell me, what are you planning on doing with Royce now?" He rolled over onto his left side, and stretched slightly, before bring his knees back up and staring at the ceiling more. "Broken legs, dislocated shoulders...he's not going anywhere for a while...I don't know...but i don't want to see that ball, Kyn. I don't care if you keep him anymore." There was a tone of regret in her voice, noticeably. "I'd...like to dismiss any claims he might have made of me, while I was away...or even to my face....for me to actually tell you though, he'd have to release me from the vow that he made me swear to, and he wont do that even when he's about to die---but I can show you." "You did tell me about searching without you, well that is still something that I need to do. I believe you once said permission in that regard is also important." He completely ignored the issue of her and the Ultra Ball, and skipped straight to what she said afterwards. Serena nodded. "It is...yes...and you have it. Roll over and let me make sure I didn't bruise you...I'll be using that as a means to occupy my mind and leave you at the starting point." she explained, tucking her fangs back into her mouth, and waiting either for him to give a retort, or to comply. "Oh Serena... I'm not a human that bruises easily but... I will roll over for you. Oh dear, that sounded..." He didn't really finish his sentence, but rolled over as she asked and left her mind to fill something there. She chuckled. "It's nice to have you back, Kyn." She stepped over him almost tenderly, and with the cape pulled up, and the shirt bunched over his shoulders, she let the first swipe of her tongue be felt, and in it's wake, she pulled him into the recesses of her mind. to his mind's eye, it would appear a hallway, and she sat before him as a Shelgon, that soon dissolved to leave a Bagon behind, that which he had known before. She gave him a sad smile, then motioned down the hall behind herself. 'The hall of memories....all defenses have been removed...at your leisure, .' "Serena. This is one of those questions that I believe may have a bearing on the future. You have now seen me in a cape. What do you think of this particular cape?" 207 AM] : The answer came in her mind, rather than using her voice--'It's...interesting...why would something like this have bearing in the future?' As he walked down the hall, he could see doors with names on them, some with events...others with the names of people that she had interacted with, among them were 'Forest Rebirth', 'Body count' and of course 'Marlow,' 'Heji', 'Merlot', 'Royce' and 'Anana' There was even one for Kyn himself, at the end of the hall, and one for Tensa beside it. "Well... it's because I may get rid of the overcoat temporarily. This cape, technically is the mark of a Dragon Tamer. Unless you consider yourself mine... then technically I have only tamed two Dragons. I prefer the black with red inside." He moved closer toward the one that had Royce's name on it... Swipes of her warm tongue accented her words. 'I don't consider myself 'tame' per se ...but I am part of your family, as you are part of mine.' As he approached, the door opened, and he found himself with different paintings on the wall, some of them with numbers on their frames, others with actual words. Most had a scene to them, but there were some with a black canvas. Those were mostly towards the end of the first section, the second section had Kyn in them, starting with their first visit down. As with the second section, he should have been able to piece together the fact that the non black ones were the pieces that she had shown him before. "I'm rather looking forward to when you are a Salamence." Kyn stated simply. He progressed through and through, taking mental notes each time. 'If you touch them...they'll play for you.' She gave only that little tip, considering the canvas' that were black, having those play for him would be rather...well, that was what she wanted him to see after all. 'As am I...but probably not for the same reasons as you.' "There... may be some similar reasons. So then. I suppose I'll... start with the very first one I saw..." He wondered just how far back Serena and Royce went, besides that one incident he'd seen from her memories, or how much they spanned AFTER that incident. She focused on his back, using small licks, she was sure that it looked strangely to anyone who walked in on it, since she would be non-responsive, she didn't even have her eyes open. The picture began to play, first fading from black to show the still, and then from her point of view onward, showing the torture sessions she was put through at first for doing absolutely nothing wrong, in her mind at least, the fact that she was in a puddle of her own blood would have been bad enough, but the fact that she was bound and forced to look up at Royce due to a leash that pulled her head up, she was watching him from the corner of her eye as he went around and brought a knife back behind her headplates, severing them from the back of her neck, and the feeling of the warm blood being added to the puddle as it ran down her arms and shoulders. With this view alone, Kyn understood what Serena meant when she mentioned Royce's response to his own torture, and then it occurred to him that, compared to the images he was seeing, what he did to Royce seemed mild in comparison. 'Those never fused back...' she trailed off, and went back to essentially mothering him. The picture went back to being black when her arms and legs gave out, either passing out from pain or blood loss, perhaps both, and by that time she had been littered with cuts. "Makes me wonder yet again, though probably not best to wonder, if maybe, just maybe some of this might have to do with why I was allowed to do some of the things I did to Royce." He moved on to the next one and made contact there... She slipped up and nipped the flesh at the words, almost immediately going back and running her tongue over that spot several times. 'Sorry...' The next one had her blindfolded, there wasn't much to see with her normal eyes, but her mind painted a good picture, was the knife threatened her claws, and then slipped beneath, and actually removed most of the claw from it's cuticle, one at a time, until all of them had been done the same way. He made a crude remark about her rump, and tore the scales across there as the blood from her claws trickled down her hand and onto her back; she had learned to stop pleading by now, each one of the pleas that did leave her mouth earned her another gash from the blade, and when she could not plead, the O ring in her mouth spreading her jaws, he filled it with either his tail or his member, making her gag and convulse--it was clear that she hadn't been given anything to eat from the lack of sustenance in her stomach. Then the cuts that she had lit up like fire, as fire indeed seared the wounds shut. 'I'll remind you now, that for all of this, I was under the effects of that drug...' Then his fingers pressed into her, cruel and rough, they didn't go anywhere near her hymen, but scratched and drew blood just the same. She felt shame, of course, as not only the blood, but also her body's natural juices were forced into her mouth, almost down her throat, and then the blindfold came off, and he was walking away, leaving her tied there, confused as the torch that burned nearby on the floor became her only company, Riiko stood at the door, gave her one look, a cruel smile, and then he too walked away. She tested her bonds, which tore at her skin, lined with the sharp teeth--not unlike the ring that she had put on him the first night--and sighed to herself, trying to find a more...comfortable lying position, wincing each time the cuffs cut her, and she spent her time examining the locks and straps, how they worked, the latches and how she could get out of them--determined not to remain as his 'pet' for long. "I have kept that in mind. Now, I must ask. In this world... if you were prone to odd mood swings that came out of nowhere, such as being excited to the point of.... dripping, let's say, and then literally not later than a minute, ready to kill, then what would you call that?" 'If there was no reason for you to switch moods, then you would be called mentally unstable, however if there was a reason for your body to switch, say like a predator comes and interrupts the reason for your...excitement, then it would be called good survival instincts. There are species that EAT their mate right after intercourse, so it sometimes is required, but that depends on the species.' She answered as that canvas faded back to black. "Well then. That gives me quite another agree of relaxation on my mind." Of course, he was still conflicted about many things, but they were beginning to disappear more and more. Tried not to dwell on them as he was sure that being where he was.... might have various effects on that. He wasn't exactly too happy with the way these images were progressing, but he had requested it... and she had accepted it. He'd continue for as long as he could, even past the black canvasses down the line, until he reached... the end. The 'canvas' laid out her torture to the point where she had been given an offer, to learn how to cut others for her own enjoyment, and for profit, as he revealed that she would eventually die if she did not, of course, at first she had refused the deal, just having gotten out of Gambitville and swearing not to harm another sentient, and then again later on, finally accepting and being trained between her own tortures, which were still just as, if not more frequent since that point. 'hands on learning, he had called it, yet he told her that he had never felt the touch of a blade to his skin himself. She had been held in confidence then, perhaps someone he could have called friend, definitely did call a pupil, and she hated herself each day as she woke up, a pupil of this creature, and yet, she was alive; that was all she wanted. The last blackened canvas showed her escape, how he had made the mistake of leaving the cuffs in a direction where she could pick them with her opposing limb, how the blood flowed from the cuts as she took them off, and with her claws dulled to the point that she felt like a hatchling, she had--although disgusted with herself for doing so--taken up the knives that he kept in the box on display, instruments of her own torture, and that she used on others. When the guards saw her, as they had seen her before, they ran, but didn't get far, and she made her way out of the hidden section, dropping all but one blade which she concealed against her arm, she made it to the lobby when Royce himself caught up to her, and pulled her back into the darkness with his disable. Of course, he had seen the next one, where Anana came in after hearing about the escape, and rescued her, or that's what she would have called it, and then they broke off to the next time they had visited, how she had planned out his safety, so that he had very little chance of getting 'burned by the fires of hell' and the hatred that burned behind her voice as she spoke to Royce, and spoke her safeword, the fact that she had trusted Heji and Striker to take care of the guards while they were in the office, how nervous she was if they failed...and yet she hoped that they wouldn't...relying on other 'mon was something that she wasn't used to...but she was pleasantly surprised that things went off without a hitch...the rest of them were more recent (and need less depiction from me) and so, when he hit the end of the room, that blue avatar formed against the wall, leaning on it, and she dragged her claws against it, creating a frame, and then painted a canvas in it, of Kyn himself lying beneath her, even as she nuzzled his hair physically, the painting moved with it, and she pushed it up to his eye level on the wall. As it sat in it's place, it shot off a copy of itself into another room, likely that of his own name. 'And so you come to the end of this room.' she sighed. "Serena! I just wanted to say... that Royce's tail tasted just as delicious as some other things I've eaten. His tail tasted rather good both raw and cooked. That is all I will say on the matter for now." The next time he saw Anana, he was going to thank her highly. If not for something that happened way before his time here, things that happened DURING his time here as well. 'Are you ready to leave my mind, or do you wish to see some of the other doors as well?' she asked, unsure of what his answer would be. The main reason that she had brought him to her mind was to show him this door, but she wouldn't push him from her mind before he was ready, she meant what she had said, that he could go exploring without her supervising everything, but of course when he had interacted with them, they were replayed in her mind, she had no choice but to relive them. The tongue on his back stopped, that would be the most noticeable accent to his statements, and when she formed a suitable thought, she replied. 'If I could have bitten him back then, then I might agree with you now.' The reason she had stopped was probably more awkward than the question she had asked in the first place, but she didn't ask anything else. "I am ready to leave your mind... so then. I think I'm going to go get my overcoat fixed, and then going to complete the orders. Have Anana and Merlot interacted before...?" His thoughts were still focused on Anana to get his mind off of Royce. He probably felt the lurch that meant that he was back in his own head, the fact that she responded verbally marked that as well, as she looked down at him, and then eventually stepped away. "Merlot has never met Anana personally, however Magnolia, Merlot's esteemed tailor, comes here occasionally for supplies, and has interacted with her before I'm sure." "Alright. Next question, at this current time, where do you think Anana would be?" He was certain that his procedures from here on out would change. "Lets see...it's night time...probably either at the sushi bar or her home. In fact, more than likely at the sushi bar, since you said she was waiting for your order today, right? Yeah, she'd go there after her shop closed for the night." "I'm going to complete the previous order then. I will be taking Medicham and Tensa with me, leaving my overcoat here. How do leave this place without going through the entrance other than... the spacial way?" "Ah...hm..." she mused for a moment. "At the other end of the hall, take a left, then the first right, go down until the hall becomes dark, and then watch your step for the stairs, you can go up those to the guard barracks, and out that way." "I also find it amazing... how just a few dark types, could completely eradicate this entire place of Psychics. Dusk stone powered Dark attacks being 3.5 times as effective. Devastating...," was the thought he left with. He went into the other room to retrieve Tensa and Medicham, and then they headed out of the building. Kyn was rather certain that he'd have plenty to talk with Anana about this time. Serena pulled Royce from under the bed, and actually tossed him up onto it, then slammed the box closed, locking it; going as far as to remove the door knob, invert it, and reassemble it behind her before locking it so that the lock was on the outside rather than the inside. Of course, by that time Kyn was long gone...and her stomach, while uneasy; was suitable for food. She walked back to where she had left Heji, nosed him softly, and ate some ice cream and chocolate. Anana was waiting outside of the sushi bar, how she hated to be made to wait for someone, or something for that matter, but she had taken Kyn at his word, that he would be done by the end of the day....and she was hoping that he wouldn't have lied to her...if he had, well, she wasn't sure what she would think, perhaps nothing at all, she'd just apologize to Nibble, and talk to Kyn the next day...even if it meant her going to visit the King's Rock Casino. As per his usual procedure, he undid a storage Poké Ball that was set for hibernate mode if it were a Pokémon and then unpacked the meat, carrying it in refrigerated boxes with the assistance of the others. He went back behind the outside of the bar, expecting to find Anana. Anana was, indeed out back, and she was pleasantly surprised when she saw the human and his Pokémon. "Ah, there you are~ I thought perhaps you might have forgotten. Still, you could have been a bit more timely in keeping your word." "I would have, but and issue came up in which I was a bit occupied. This is the only time you will ever experience something like this. I am very punctual normally." He set the boxes down, and waited for her response. She of course checked the boxes to make sure that the full order was there, then held up a finger for him to wait, walking inside to speak to Nibble's partner, and pulled him outside (by the neck at that) to have him take the order in, her hands occupied with a bag of Poké. "It's all there~ thanks for the business..." she trailed off as the Dewott brought back out the boxes for him to accept, one way or another, and then held out the bag to him. "This is yours, I believe, mine comes when the customer is satisfied.~" "Alright. Thank you. Like I said, I'll be on time next time. This time I had an encounter with Royce," He stated, putting the bag of Poké inside of his backpack. "...." She looked at him. "You're not hurt, are you...and Serena, she's okay?" She sounded honestly worried. "Well, that depends on what you mean by hurt. Aside from bleeding," he then showed her where the blood was earlier on his arms, "and the marks that were there now, there was no permanent damage done. Serena is alright, though. The only one who nearly died... was me." The memory of it was still fresh in his mind, though he was going to leave out the details as to what he did to Royce's tail... "I...oh dear..." she put her hands up near her mouth. "Perhaps I overestimated her bond with you...She's usually so careful and protective..." she trailed off again. "I'm sorry, I should have at least hinted at it...but I can't...disclose who I get the food from, to others, I mean. As far as the Dewott knows, you were just the delivery boys..." "Well, I partially know, so that particular bit is out of the way. There's a title that I've given Royce though. Royce the Butcher. Serena did do her best to protect me. It was... a fault of mine, but, she still did save me in the end. She's on several occasions warned me about Royce... Although you may not know why I'm thanking you right now... thank you... Thank you very much Anana." Kyn said with a huge sigh. He'd wanted to hug her as well, but he felt that at this time it wouldn't be proper. Anana did give him a confused look. "Uhh...? You...re...Wel...come?" Then something seemed to click, and she shook her head. "No, don't thank me, I didn't do her any favors, she was plagued with nightmares and I couldn't get rid of them...I don't think she really even knows how long she was down there...Eventually we had to distort her memory...She's not two years old Kyn, she's about seven." She paused to let that bit of information sink in. "Of course, if she ever found out that bit, she might...well...hm...I can only guess." She shrugged. "Sometimes she can be quite violent, it's in her species you know, but other times it's like a drop of water off her back~ as the saying goes. I'm not even sure why I'm telling you all this...just...shortening her memory of that time seemed like the kindest thing that I could do..." "Well, I guess it's time to tell you a little bit more about me then, since you've decided to rather reveal that... interesting piece of information. When I first came here... I found out there was a time distortion between our worlds. In the normal span of my life now, a total of around 220 years had passed here, since I was born. Our lifespan... is far from that long. We only live an average of 75, to a great maximum of 100 years." Serena being older than she thought was more than just a bit of a shocker to him. "Eh... I don't know if I should tell you this but, if you do see Royce, he may be missing some of his tail." The news about Royce's tail barely made her wave her hand at it. "It'll grow back, he'll just wear a tailsock until then...she thought about it..."Well, your lifespan, even in the lower numbers is still greater than mine is...The average Kecleon lives anywhere from 15 to 25 years~ 30 if they're really lucky." "What... the hell is a tailsock? That sounds like it'd look really odd. I'm picturing it now, and resisting the urge to laugh." He was glad that this type of thing apparently happened to Royce before, since he doubted that he really wanted to explain that he HAD literally EATEN Royce's tail. "It's...a slip of cloth that's dyed to match a tail that has been lost while the 'mon waits for it to regrow, most lizardy types have the ability to regrow their tails, at least to a certain point...so long as it's not TOO far up the tail, it doesn't look too bad, they'd be better off going around with a stump if it's too high up though." She answered. "For example, Your Sceptile probably, when he was a Treecko, could have survived having his tail cut off, it would have just regrown, maybe frayed a bit, but it would have regrown." "Hm. Well... that's a rather interesting bit of information regarding his tail. He's told me that... he's lost it before. Has he ever COMPLETELY lost it? I'd imagine it'd also kinda cause an imbalance with him." There were very few human body parts that truly regrew when cut off. Depending on what was lost, sometimes an artificial limb could be made, but it'd take time getting used to. The only thing he could equate that to would be wearing original clothing over the false limbs. "Humans... really don't have any appendages that just grow back completely though." "Completely lost it? Ah, no, If he'd lost it to the very last tail bone, it wouldn't have grown back...It's like, well..." She curled her tail around her feet until it was unwound completely. "Can you see where the scale pattern changes here?" she pointed at it. "That's the last place a Kecleon can lose their tail from, anything shorter and it wont grow back...dragons aren't lucky like us lizards...their tails wont grow back if they're lost, they even lose the ability to fly properly if they lose their tails so they're a bit like you guys. Think Charizard are like that too, but I can't be sure, I know that Charmander can lose their tails and have them back later though." She shrugged a bit, tapping her chin, and then put her tail back behind her in it's usual curly fashion. "Hm... well, I don't think he's going to quite lose that much but, that's still a rather interesting bit of knowledge. So.... I've also been thinking about another thing some more... based on the encounter I had. There might actually be a rather interesting way for me to have some actual semblance of any form of a tail that I happen to be imitating. Costume designers... the really good ones, could probably create some stationary ones. Don't think I'd be able to really replicate tails like yours though." "Perhaps, I wouldn't know much about your technology, but why would you want to weigh yourself down when you don't have to?" She paused. "I mean, I'm sure that you wouldn't be too weighed down if they were good at their job, but if they're not..." "Well. Less easier to break the illusion that way. Now, since I haven't asked this in a while... how have you been doing lately? I haven't really been spending my time wisely lately, what with solely gathering... resources, let's say." Of course, now that he'd stored enough for quite a while, like he told Serena, he wouldn't have to do as much hunting, and could actually spend time staying in this world, visiting places. "How have I been? Well, a little jittery to be honest~ Since I agreed to Serena's deal...I haven't been...ah...well, I've been out of my usual routine...so I kind of laid off the berries...figure that I should get both sets of withdrawals out of the way at once." She curled her tail around to wring it in her hands. "That's not to say that I'm a horrid lover or anything, just...realizing that I've been spending too much time on the more frivolous things in life, and not where my focus needs to be." "Hm. Well... I do notice a bit of difference. Are you still going to keep those stylish flowers though? Next question, can I hug you? I've never hugged a Kecleon before." He wondered where her focused HAD shifted too though. It would... really be a different experience for him, now that two of what HE understood to be sexual deviants, were less likely to be so. "Of course I'm going to keep my lilies, I just won't need to have the scent so strong~." She dropped her tail "I um...I guess? would you prefer me up on my tail to be about even with you, or just...like this?" "Well, I'd just sorta... want it to be as natural as possible. I don't know if that's what would make it that way..." He kneeled down on one knee, to also decrease the distance between the two of them vertically. Anana shrugged, and stepped up into his arms, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him, her tail somewhere between it's usual curl and laid out on the ground behind her. 'as natural as possible.' He said. Kyn did have a different motive for hugging Anana, but he wasn't really sure what it was at the time. "Even if you didn't warn me with more of a hint... you still did save my life the first few times, Anana." "I'm....not sure how I did, if I did at all..." She dropped back down onto her heels, this part of the conversation again...She rubbed at her right arm. "Anana... the Butterfree effect. If you hadn't rescued Serena, and she had ended up dead, I would probably have entered this world unprepared. Even as far back as my first meeting with her. Secondly, the fact that she warned me about Royce after I learned about the Casino. Serena's given me advice on plenty of situations. I know how to survive here now, but only because of Serena. I do not think this world allows for very many second chances." Kyn finished, grimly. "She wouldn't have ended up dead, Kyn...She would have ended up as...the next generation of butchers, going by the title that you've given him...You know, Royce wasn't always like that either...I was still just a hatchling, but I remember well...the boy that just wanted to start on a casino, a place for people to have fun at...Of course, that was before he got down on his luck, had to go into the dark alleys himself to try to get out of debt, even my family couldn't help him, and that's saying something." She paused. "I don't know what happened there, but when he came out he was a different 'mon... Riiko and Nina went out of their heads trying to...well, run the place without him." Kyn sat down on the ground, giving Anana the option to not have to look up at him, like he did with Serena. "Sometimes I worry about that, myself actually. I've got both sides of the spectrum here. Serena, who's given me a reason not to kill sentient, and Royce, who *HAS* given me a reason to. I've also been given several reasons *NOT* to kill Royce as well as plenty of reasons *TO*. I just don't know what to do... I figured... maybe you'd be able to offer some advice..." Even though, due to recent events, he'd had an even greater trust of Serena, he'd also had been given plenty of reasons not to trust Serena. "Well...I can tell you why Serena chose to impose those limits upon herself, if it will help..." She coiled up her tail and sat on it like a Spoink might. "She had just had two run in's with bad situations, I don't know if she told you all the details...but she was in Gambitville before she came here, apparently had to be rescued by Mike's mother." she paused. "She had just been proven to be naive enough to be taken advantage of once, and then she came here, where she was forced back into the same lifestyle. The nightmares had her not even wanting to eat meat--as you can imagine that would be quite the problem, since she's a carnivore...It was before I had her memory altered, I think, that she swore that she would never allow herself to be put into that situation again, where she had to kill something that knew that could identify itself...When I asked her why, she replied that the nightmares would come back if she did. Even someone like Royce, dying around her, would bring back the memories that I had locked away...There might not be any...physical reasons for her not to kill, but there are other reasons...even harming them has side effects on her mental state..." she paused. "You didn't...leave her alone after whatever you did to Royce, did you?" Kyn paused gravely for a moment before answering with, "Yes... and no." "Yes...and No?" She herself shook. "No, she wouldn't revert back, she might...curl up into a ball and try to keep everyone away from her...guilt is an evil demon that will plague her for the rest of her life, for things that she has done, and will do, in order to survive. She is not a happy child, I'm afraid...but I can not tell you what to do for yourself...perhaps thinking about how these things will affect YOU will give you your answer." "What worries me the most Anana, is the fact that I think that these things will NOT affect me. Next question's gonna be rather grim, Anana. Do you think Serena would capable of making Royce eat his own tail? This is one thing that I would NOT have mentioned in front of Serena." This also made Kyn curious about ANANA's childhood. "Capable of it? Quite so, yes...and she'd also deal with the repercussions of it later, either by harming herself...or by as I mentioned before...telling others to keep away from her because she didn't deserve to be around others...the worst I've seen her was when she lashed out at someone who tried to bind the wounds she had given to herself...we had to tie her down to treat her or she would have let herself bleed out...Doing something as what you've suggested...wouldn't take her that far, I think, since he can regrow his tail...and I've not seen her react to things like this since she was a Bagon, she may deal with this better now, I don't know." "Of course, asking this question right after the last statement isn't exactly the best but, Anana, you've tasted Royce's tail before... what's it taste like to you...?" "I...." She trailed off. "What makes you think that -I've- tasted his tail before? Just because I know he's lost it?" The fact that she changed to somewhere between her usual golden yellow and a deep red showed her mood change. "Royce seemed to imply you had. You're not.... embarrassed are you...?" He hadn't really paid that much attention to the color change, but her tone to him, implied it. This time she did turn red, fire red. "I have NEVER eaten his tail, I've...sucked on it, even fucked it, but NOT eaten his tail. If he's saying that then he's a LIAR as well as a needless killer." "That second part, is what I THINK he was referring to. I should have been more specific. No, Royce has never implied that you have eaten his tail before. Though... why would that be such a big deal to you...?" THIS TIME it was impossible not to notice the color change since he looked directly at her. He didn't really know about the connection between Kecleon colorings and their mood though. "Because I don't eat meat! How could I keep my relations with everyone running so smooth if I did? It would ruin my image for something like THAT to spread around." She shuddered. "No, I wouldn't eat meat if it was the only way for me to survive, I would die first." "I can understand that.... but... heh... are you gonna tell me what it tasted like to you or not...? That's really the main thing I wanna find out." He had a different idea of what Royce's tail tasted like, since he had really at one point, licked the entire thing, and more recently EATEN a part of it, but his curious tone would have NO way of implying that he had, unless Anana was cleverer than he thought in that regard, which he hoped she wasn't and would mainly focus on the fact that he was understanding why she didn't eat meat. She kind of twitched, putting her fingers to her temple, and slowly her color faded from fire red to orange, back to her yellow. "Like flesh I guess? the same as if I was licking off my fingers, of course, this might just be because the only time I've tasted it he was quite...slick with my own juices." "Anana, I do believe that what you just said is rather arousing. Now, supposing I cut off Royce's hands... his personal butchery would technically come to a stop, right? I mean unless he goes to the areas that aren't affected by Dusk stones, right?" He wasn't sure how Anana would take if if he got an erection in front of her so he focused on things related to Royce that weren't sexual. A picture came to his mind, and he only allowed it for a second or so, as to WHY his tail would be coated with her juices, before going back to the current topic. "Well, yes and no...all he would have to do is use his tail rather than his hands...but I kinda...would think that Serena told you to leave him intact to where he could do his other job...and I'm pretty sure that that includes his hands." she pointed out, only giving a knowing giggle at his previous statement. "He can't use his tail if Serena or I cut off enough if it. I was taking that into account. Here's another bit of information I'm willing to share with you though. I... love the way Royce squirms when he's given rimjobs. Of course... I can't exactly do what lizardy tongues can but... it's still enough." He said with a grin. Anana did blush, she was almost a pink by the time she pulled her head out of the gutter. "I'm not...sure I have a response to that..." She cleared her throat. "That's okay. Most humans aren't as open as I am about this sort of thing though. So I suppose it can be a bit odd, even for Pokémon," he added, "So then... do you have any questions for me? Or have I gone off on too much of a tangent?" She shook her head at the statement that it was a bit odd. "Oh no~ it's not that, just...picturing Royce being submissive to even allow it to be done...is an oddity. He's usually so dommy..." She trailed off again, and changed to the other half of the combination. "What...have you done...? To Royce, I mean." "Are you referring to the present, or the other times when I have done things to him? Because multiple things have been done to him..." He said, with a varying tone. "The most recent...I don't need my head drifting to the dump while I'm still technically on business grounds." She answered, realizing that 'present' was a trap word, at present, he hadn't done anything to him, because he was with her. "Hmm, well, I tortured Royce a bit, for one thing. But, I also... entered him for the first time today, before that." He said, wondering how far Anana would push him into details. She sighed. "You keep going back to sex, it's like your safety zone, when you feel uncomfortable with something you jump back to something that you'll think will make the one you're talking to uncomfortable. I didn't ask about earlier, I asked about most recently." She pinned it up on a mental wall, he should be very glad that she wasn't a psychic type. She had turned back to her golden yellow a while ago, but she'd turned a little green at the mention of torture. "No, seriously...I do need to know what you've done...in specifics." "I... see. Well then... should I start with the first time I drew blood up until I left? Or should I just specifically refer to the cuts that were made?" He said, dreading the moment when it would come to WHY Royce was missing part of his tail. "Whichever you prefer." the statement was still in that tired tone. "Or I should say, whichever is easier for you to say." Kyn began explaining the gruesome details before finally ending with, "...and well, I didn't just cut it of I sort of... well, ate about four inches of Royce's tail." Anana held her questions until the end, and there was only one of them, despite everything he'd said. "...and Serena...watched, all of this?" There was no comment on him eating a portion of Royce's tail, but she turned even deeper green at the mention of it. "Yes, she did. Watched and... in some cases, participated." He had to admit. Though he wasn't sure how Anana would take that bit of knowledge. Anana held up her claws to get him to stop, and to wait, and then she got off her tail (literally) and walked into the restaurant. It was about 10 minutes later that she walked back out, popping breath mints like they were candy, but her color looked better, almost back to normal. "You left her there alone, after assisting you with this? Honestly, I'm not sure if I should scold you or just order you to get back there...ah void...I may as well go with you." "I'm not really sure... what you mean? But I'm assuming that we're going to be heading back to the Casino now, at this very moment, aren't we?" Kyn said, standing up. "We are." She confirmed. "Pick up your boxes or do whatever it is you do with them, and lets go, now. If she's better, than it'll be a relief not to have to worry about her anymore, otherwise...well, they have chains down there, and though she wont like it...keeping her from hurting herself is first priority." "Hm, well. I'd rather not... exactly reveal my trade secrets so... erm, if it's not to much to ask, would you please close your eyes for about fifteen seconds? We'll depart afterwards." Kyn said, casually working his way into his backpack, after stacking the boxes. She rolled her eyes, closed them, and then tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. "If a trade secret is more important than one of your friends, then by all means, take all the time you need, let me know when I can open my eyes again." "It's not... I just... have my reasons." He quickly put them into the Poké Ball in probably just as much time as it took for him to finish that sentence. "You can open them again." Anana sighed at him. "Look, for the record, I don't care what you're using to do your thing with, It doesn't interest me. Nothing from your world does." She opened her eyes, and almost immediately headed off towards the casino from her current point. "Well that's good. I should have just asked. Now I don't have to worry about it anymore. You're one of the few that actually doesn't." He said, and began following her closely. "You DID ask, before, and I gave you the same answer then as I did just now." She answered, and actually did take the way in through the barracks, not really wanting to be seen going into the casino--and this way was faster anyway. "Where did you leave her?" She asked Serena could, and would eventually be found where we left her, in the gear room (of course Kyn left her in the room with Royce and not where she last ended up.) she had pretty much burrowed underneath the silk in the corner, and was hiding in the dark of not only her shell, but that cloth as well. "I was last with her in one of the gear rooms, though if what you're saying is anything to go by... Serena might be more affected by it than I thought." He was hoping that Serena WOULD be alright. He didn't know what Serena would be like. "One of the gear rooms? Red, blue or purple?" almost strategically she headed down the hall that she knew would have all three on them, eventually. "It's always been red." Kyn answered, now remembering the different colored halls. "That's Royce's gear room...makes sense..." her tail was curled about itself in a twist, rather than its normal spiral, reflecting just how nervous she was. She hoped for Serena's sake, that she had gotten better...but well, she doubted it. Anana led them down the hall, until she came across the open door, and looked inside. There was the Luxray...she didn't know his name. "Uhm...Serena?" she slipped inside carefully, mindful of the fact that he was probably going to be protective of her, if Serena had taken him as a mate. Serena heard the voice, and held her breath. Lizards couldn't 'smell' blood, but they could taste it...of course Heji had dealt with her cutting before...even gotten it to stop for a period of time, but that was why she was letting the cloth dampen the smell, and it wasn't like it was anything major...she had just reopened the cuts on her nose from the Charmander...and cut into her shoulders so that essentially, she and Kyn matched. <"Serena... I'm requesting to see you..."> He said both ways. Kyn however... had noticed the familiar scent, from when he had gotten close to Serena after the Charmander incident. It was a bit difficult to identify since there so many other factors as well even taking into account his human sense of smell. "Go away." the tone was dejected, almost hostile as well, she pushed herself back towards the corner. The air she was breathing was hot and muggy, filled with the scent of her own blood, the shifting just let some of that escape. "I not going to do that, Serena... Well, you were right Anana..." Kyn sad with a sigh. He didn't approach Serena at all, considering her response to him being there. Anana put her fingers to her chin. "Serena Shelgon, you get your tail out from under that pile of cloth right now! It's silk for Arceus' sake, you'll get it all bloody and inconvenience EVERYONE." She stamped her foot on the ground. This was quite out of character for her, and she was over-exaggerating, but it was the one way to get Serena to move when she was in this mood. It did indeed work, she shrugged the cloth off of her completely. "Oh sure, the fact that it's in strips wasn't enough of an inconvenience to everyone, I just had to make it worse by getting blood on it too." disgust was in her voice, even as she took another bloodied claw and drew it across her left forelimb. "I've never really seen you do that type of thing before Serena... I wish I'd've known." Come to think of it... there was time... if he remembered right... back when she was a Bagon... and the scent was the same... 241 PM] : The Kecleon pursed her lips, she switched tactics. "Serena, darling, stop that...spilling your own blood wont change the past, we TALKED about this, remember? It's just a part of your personality dear." "Great, being able to harm others is part of my personality, I don't want to hurt ANYONE." She recoiled. "Better just to leave me here, I should have been left here to begin with...never would have troubled anyone that way." Thoughts were fragmented, self destructive...if Medicham was connected to her he would probably be staying FAR away from her mind. Kyn remained silent from this point. He hadn't dealt with her this way before like Anana had. Sure there were cases like this back at home but, this world provided a unique spin on them that he wasn't sure anything he encountered would be able to be applied here. "You're hurting yourself, you're someone, you have everyone here that know you, you can't just slip away...and he forced your hand, you were just taking out your rage at the fact that he hurt your friend, broke his trust, you remember trust, don't you Serena? You trust Kyn and I to take care of you, don't you? To know what's best for you, when you don't know yourself?" She tried, stepping closer towards the silken strips. "Come on, stop this now...we're your friends, you wouldn't hurt us, so why can't you be your own friend again?" Serena snorted, she wasn't listening, not completely, but her claws stopped before making another line...she remembered they wouldn't let her just black out like she wanted to...and the fact that Heji was there...her thoughts were her own worst enemy. Be her own friend...no, she didn't care about herself, she could give herself up to protect the others, always thought about herself last. "I've NEVER been my own friend." She snarled out. "Can't trust myself, don't expect ANYONE to trust me, don't WANT them to...just keeps happening...then I can't protect them..." 'What is she talking about? She doesn't... want to have someone to protect?' He didn't know why but... he actually felt sad at the idea. "You've protected your friends fine, you've done a GOOD job, you're a GOOD dragon, no one's dead, nothing's wrong." She tried to be soothing as she grabbed a piece of the silk, and stepped closer. "Just let me take care of you." Predictably, Serena lashed out at Anana with her mouth, and ended up with her muzzle bound for her trouble, but she didn't try to tear at her with her claws. "Honestly Serena...stop that, don't make me tie you down to take care of you, it won't take but a minute to bind your wounds anyway..." She patted the top of her shell as Serena's head withdrew back into it, glaring at her, there was barely any pupil to the Shelgon's eyes. "Come now...calm down..." "Serena... please... just, come back..." Kyn's voice was wavering for the first time in a long while. Everything they went through together... he just wanted Serena back to what apparently wasn't completely 'normal' but, better than this. "Down..." Anana gave a command, and Serena sat, closing her eyes, and then she put her front claws on the top of her shell, hiding her face and her eyes, still, it was obvious that she was crying as the mood broke, and the golden Kecleon had turned an almost blue green, the same color as Serena's dragon energy, clear that she had been ready to protect herself from it had she used it on her; still, she bound the rest of Serena's wounds with the silk. "Easy Serena...it's okay...just don't move too much, okay? Let me see your nose..." Her crying didn't cease, but she did work on making them less obvious as the Kecleon bade her to give her her nose...she just barely poked the tip out. <I.....mmph...sorry....> "Anana... I... want to give Serena something..." Kyn trailed off, trying to keep his voice. It was odd how... despite how he was near Anana, being near Serena like this, changed him again. <Serena... I know you hate it but... please.... take some of the healing liquid... just enough to heal the bleeding...> Anana had been daubing at Serena's nose with a piece of silk, but stepped away to let Kyn near Serena's head. "Hm...okay~" She might have fought it had it been any other time...as it was she just rolled over onto her back, claws on the ground in submission...and pulled the silk from around her mouth. <I never...said that I hated it...but you've never offered it before, so I didn't ask.> She tucked her fangs back, and opened, eyes closed. She was slightly uncomfortable with this. Kyn pulled the vial out and then uncorked the lid. It was half full now, and he held the vial over her open mouth, and very slowly began dripping. One. Two. Three. Four small drops, just to see how much it would take. <So... can I heal you all the way then...?> <If you wish to...but there's some things that that wont be able to heal.> She sighed through her nose, letting the drops slide down her gullet. One drop, the bleeding stopped, two, the wounds started to close, at three, they were only scratches on her body, and four they were gone completely. She rolled back over to find the tip of Anana's tail slipping out the door. She didn't mention it to Kyn, of course, instead just let her go...she was always like that. Help out and then disappear...she tugged on the silk carefully, pulling it off. "Serena... you made me cry on the inside, and... I almost cried on the outside..." Kyn stated, slightly turning away from her. Serena didn't stay on the ground, not for this...she was up on her hind feet, her nose on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his middle, She tossed him a fragment of a memory, the golden lizard Anana. 'Tears show you care, while there's a time to hide them, showing that you care about something or someone with tears is okay.'. She didn't actually say anything, the soft apologetic whimper and and nuzzle should have been enough, at least in her book. "Oh Serena... why do our meetings usually end this way...?" Kyn wanted to go back to his world for a bit, but also didn't want to leave Serena alone again yet. She sighed, dropping down to all fours for a bit, releasing him from the hug. "Ending a visit on a note that shows one another that you care...I wouldn't say it's a horrid way to end something." She simplified. "With each visit, we learn a bit more about one another, no?" "You could... say that, yes." Kyn said, being careful about the tonage of his voice. "Sorry to have worried you...Heji dealt with worse before, and honestly, I was hoping that you would have left before that portion of my psyche came out again...Did you enjoy your visit with Anana?" "You never told me about that, Serena. I think I've partially experienced it before when you were in your Bagon stage. ...is there anything else you've been keeping from me, that I would have to find out from Anana?" He said seriously. "Should I warn you every time I need to take a piss too? Kyn, understand, that's not something that even I'm Okay with about myself, I'm working on getting RID of it...Yeah, you caught the tail end of one of them when I was a Bagon, when I thought I had lost your trust, I cut into my own hide to escape from my disgust with myself." She retorted, and then rolled her eyes at him. "I could ask you the same question, except with Tensa, or Heji, in Anana's place, and see how you liked to be put on the spot with those types of questions too. Anything Anana could tell you about me now, is something that I don't know myself, and I like to think that I'm in touch with my body enough to know everything about it." "Serena. Supposing I wanted a house built about the size of ten of the gear rooms, about how much do you think I'd need if I didn't build it myself?" He quickly switched topics, wanting to avoid bringing up earlier issues. She took a moment to look around. "You've already got it, but it would take almost every Poké of it." "So then. As a rule, in my world, that I'm now taking here; three times what I already have to live, in case something happens in which, say, somehow by some miracle, some of it gets stolen. If these are life savings for some... then what I'm doing... pursuing more, may seem like too much." Kyn said, calculating totals in his head. She tilted her head back down to look at him. "Keep in mind though, that life savings vary. Oh, there's one thing, I do have a hoard, it's just not all Poké, and it requires Marlow to get to, of course, as most everything does, but I don't know if you were aware of that or not...It's not like it wont be spent one way or another, either on meals or food...that's why there's no excess with Poké. In fact you probably could barter your liquid for a...ah...'pretty penny'? to the doctors in Tao, here even." "Serena, that... will disturb that natural order more so than my being here. I don't think I can really do that. Besides, it's something rather special and I'd rather it just be used for MY Pokémon." He said, sighing. She threw the brakes on what might have been a purr even before it got started, still, it might have been a tidal wave of questioning if he realized that he had just indeed technically claimed her that was sent off through the link. "Did...you mean to do that...?" She phrased carefully. "...and extremely close Pokémon friends who are on the same level." He didn't exactly answer her question, but since she said that, he thought about the way he had just said that sentence and came up with that. "I suppose that'll do." she chuckled and nuzzled his legs and hip. "I also suppose that I've kept you too long here, how long will have gone by on your side?" "I lost track. It doesn't really matter much though. I'm don't exactly have to keep any appointments on the other side." He said. "I guess I'll see you in a few days then." "Yeah, I'm not going to be here after the 7 day mark that I told you about...looks like i get to find a way to disable Royce's Regenerator ability too...maybe then he'll be tolerable and not come back from the point of being broken like he did THIS time, and the times before." "He also implied that that was partially my fault too... that that stuff was undone..." Kyn said, bringing his exchange with Royce back up. She paused...looking up at him...she couldn't tell him that Royce was right on that part..."Royce twists words to place the blame on others, the same way he tried to make you not trust me; he tried to make you feel bad about how you treated him, and make you hate everyone from this world." "No, Serena, he only tried to convince me that you were to blame. *I* came up with the ideas, he just agreed with them. As for feeling feel bad about I treated him, I could never feel any different than normal. It's just fortunate for him, that in most cases, my normal when dealing with Pokémon happened to be enough to break him free of it." "You mean unfortunate Kyn, as I said, he gets to be broken again, and again, and again...until he learns to stay down." She let the other things slide. "Personally, here's what I do...Anything Royce says in agreement, Immediately take his agreements as a 'no'...like him saying that his tail was delicious...I doubt someone had EVER eaten his tail before tonight." "Speaking of which, he is still probably having a hard time believing I did that, and will do it again. Anana told me about something called a.... tailsock." "Yeah, those are kinda common, they look rather silly if your tail is prehensile...and most of the 'mon around here have prehensile tails." she stepped away from him a bit. "He'll probably have to have a custom frill done too..." there was a dark hint to her voice. "Serena, you didn't cut off his frill, did you?" Kyn asked, concerned since he HAD threatened Royce with that, but didn't really plan on carrying it out. "Haven't, no." She licked her claws free of her own blood. "Haven't been back in that room since you left...ah with that talent of his, he'll probably be back on his feet and out for blood, I don't know if he has what it takes to put his shoulders back in on his own, though." "Serena... what you just said. About Royce being out for blood. Who's exactly are you implying that he will be able to take besides innocents'?" Her nose twitched at him, and she was quiet for a long while. "......Mine. He's going to actually get a fighting chance...something that he never gave anyone who's been in his service before...simply because apparently I need a reason to be able to torture him without cutting into my own hide. If he can best me -now-...well, then I suppose losing another few days, opposed to five years, would not be that bad...'course unlike him, none of my abilities can be taken away because someone ties my hands behind my back, I can even blast through a stupid gag these days." "Serena did you just... say five years...? Where did that number come from?" This of course, was what he focused on mainly, and partially zoned out afterwards. "Hm? Oh, yeah, guess I did. Huh, I don't know, just something that felt right? Since you mentioned the fact that I wasn't alive when you were thrown into Palkia's realm, calling myself two years old hasn't sat well in my mind." She answered softly. "Serena... you're nowhere close to being old enough. In fact, to put it into perspective... when I was born, I don't even think MERLOT was alive." Kyn said, moving the topic away from that particular number. "I'm not even sure THAT'S accurate anymore Kyn...I don't know if Pokémon in your world can hear through their eggs, but here, I could...Ever since the rebirth of the creeping forest, I recognised the voice that was carrying me at that point...It was Jasmine. I've been brushing it off...but I think I'm going to have to have a talk with that space and time glider." "That would be odd, Serena. 220 years. What... exactly have you been brushing off?" He had only recently met Jasmine, and it was an odd meeting at that. "I'll...tell you if I ever get it confirmed, or if it's denied. Better not to set a rumor in motion and find out later that it's wrong." She answered softly. "Serena, ya just threw that out there and now this fish is biting and pulling the line. Do you catch my drift?" Serena scratched the back of her head a bit. "I've never...gone fishing like that...but if you really want to know...I don't think that I originated here in this world. I don't know what circumstances would lead her to do something like that...but I...well, I've never met another Bagon who had cravings like I did, or quite as bright of a scale hue." "There are many worlds Serena. Why... does it matter if you came from a different Pokémon world? Maybe I'm not getting the point, and you should give me some sense of direction." He said, pointing to his head "Time here has a distortion, but what If I came from a world with the same time setup AS yours? That would put me right on scale with your bit of events. Jasmine isn't good at getting time and space setup right either, so my landing here at this point in time might have been...well...skewed from the timeline there." she shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, I suppose, just a feeling that keeps slipping in...and then out again...and yes, you can make a sex joke, if you'd like, because I realize that it can be taken that way." "Well. Then I'd have to say, that Arceus had a plan for us, but I totally don't believe that. I think it's a good thing that we met, since we can get along most of the time, but not that we were specifically meant to be together. As for that distortion thing... perhaps you should find out from Jasmine. I do believe though... that my altered view of time rather allows me to see things differently." "I plan on it." She answered, then nudged him a little. "Well Kyn, you've been saying for a while now that being able to interact with Pokémon makes you give up a few things, what you're forgetting is that it also GIVES you things too. Now, either get out of here or lay down for a good tonguing, 'cause you're not getting by with 'just watching' anymore." "I... believe I'll pass this time. But I might take you up on that offer sooner than later. Also, MOST human don't mate with Pokémon, I thought that'd be obvious.... Would you like Heji to keep you company while you're being away from Royce after this?" "It is obvious." She flicked out her tongue teasingly "But you're not most humans either, and I do more than tolerate you, don't I?" She grinned a little. "Ah...probably would be a good idea to make sure that I don't actually end up here for more than two days..." "Oh, and just for the record. Royce is... going to be fully conscious the next time bits of his tail are taken. Anana told me there was a certain point in which once it was cut off it would no grow back, so I'll have to be careful. See you later, Serena." Serena nodded at him, and then let him leave. Of course what he had told her wasn't completely unknown to her, but she was thankful that he had left Heji with her this time. <See you soon.> once more, she was unable to trust her voice with saying goodbye. Kyn went back only for a bit, to check and see how long he'd been gone, since he didn't remember if he'd told Palkia or WHAT he told Palkia to do with the distortion. Time came, and went, and though Serena -did- take some of the toys home to the odd looks from Marlow--who was questioning why Heji was still there as well when Kyn had clearly come and gone a few times...She merely buried the gear in a bag, under her bed for use later, though she doubted that she really would ever use it, since Heji didn't didn't seem to be too into it. She had a slight limp from her...encounter with Royce where he slashed across the pads of her front limb, and it was annoying to try to keep the dirt from it as well. Kyn returned with extra stuff from his order, and then waited in the windswept woods in his fort. He hadn't talked to Serena at all. Serena lifted her head slightly the exact same moment Kyn came back, looked around, and snorted, not sure what to make of the sensation she just had, she was starting to get worn out, learning to control this electricity within her, the training lessons were definitely getting longer...but it helped her to forget what she had done to Royce, and for that she was thankful. Kyn went back to the Casino on the second day, and then headed into the Casino via the frontal way. He figured that he might as well try out a few games, considering that... despite everything, he planned on taking a break soon. By the time Kyn had gotten to the casino, the construction would have been complete on the backrooms, and things would have been set in motion, he might note that there were fewer number of Clefairy working as waitresses, being put to work elsewhere, still, they were going back and forth delivering drinks, getting refills; and they weren't exactly being run ragged either, if anything they seemed to be enjoying the increased pace, and the tips they were making, of course. Riiko was still running the high paying games as well. Serena, about that time, lost concentration again, and huffed at the shock she received for it, singeing her tongue for her trouble. "Ack...I don't know if I'll ever learn how to do this..." She flicked her tongue out to see the damage to her tongue, and when it was only minor, and Heji urged her to try again; she went back to the training. --Better to hurt yourself legitly, than to cut into your own hide. He'd entered the Casino as a Blaziken this time, like he did say that might eventually do, although having artificially made himself smell like the sea, having come up with a full backstory for the appearance of this character. He tried his luck at the tables first, and THEN he actually went to the machine that he knew would attract a lot of attention. He decided to finally try out that particularly new toy of his, the thing that would in essence tamper with the gears and electricity. Kyn continued in this cycle for a few more months in this world's time until he finally reached his goal; much quicker though due to taking on multiple jobs at once, and having the leisure of for the most part being able to take a bit of extra time spent due to only have to gather at least once every three cycles due to the storage. On the final set, he went to find Serena, and searched for her via their link. Serena had long mastered the technique, she was even able to stand her ground against Heji in a full fledged battle (Which they both accounted to her being a dragon and not an electric type like him.). She had curled up with her head on Heji's haunch when Kyn came to find her, the pinging alerted her more than anything else, but still she had grown used to 'feeling' him and never seeing him, she almost didn't open an eye to the sound of his boots on the dirt outside. After Kyn found Serena, he tried to stay relatively calm about the whole situation. He was going to be leaving for quite a while, due to reasons back home, and would be taking Heji back with him as well. /Serena, what is your current state of being?/ She did open one eye at him, and then nudged Heji softly. /Sated...in all meanings of the word. I suppose this time, you really ARE here to take him back? Go on then./ As calm as Kyn might have appeared on the surface, he'd used the link to find her, and that link portrayed more beneath the surface. Her own side showed SOME understanding, if not complete, since she didn't know all of what was going on. /I knew it couldn't last forever./ Kyn didn't respond to Serena's last statement, but instead merely asked, "After all this time... it still started with such a simple thing as a rock."

With that, Heji said his goodbyes to Serena, and then walked off to go with Kyn. They went back through the other side, and afterwards, Kyn figured that Serena's statement would always hold true in one way or another.

Two years had passed since that fateful day that Kyn had left Serena's world behind. He'd grown more maturer, as well as been working closely in building a network of Pokémon Breeders, as well as starting a club for Pokémon Sommeliers, that Cilan and a bunch of other A-Class Sommeliers were a part of, in preparation for his future career. Everything was set up on the path in which he would begin to travel back and forth between their worlds more frequently than ever. Eventually Kyn went back to that area in Sinnoh in which he first met Serena, and then for the first time in two years, Palkia opened a portal to Serena's world. "Heji... if anything... the first thing I want her to see of my world, is you. You do not have to take your time... I will be waiting for however long it takes." So Heji went back through the portal, and then Kyn waited, and waited. Until finally he saw the signs that the barrier was passed. Upon the barrier being passed, on of the Pokémon pointed it out to him. "Ah, then I guess that'll be someone returning. It's been a while. I've been coming back to this spot every single day now. I wonder who it is." Kyn, who at this point had let his facial hair grow out and dyed it. He walked over to the barrier, not knowing whom to expect. What he saw slightly shocked him, when he saw a Salamence emerge from the portal.