Pokemon Umbral Intermission: The Ensnaring Conspiracies

[Bard The 5th LW]

Charlotte and Pierce

"Hmmmm... yeah, no."

"Oh come one, its really effective, believe me!" She said, waving the pokeball above her head. She laughed a bit before continuing, "I can let him out if you want. Don't you wanna see? Trained him real nice, he won't break a thing while I'm watching him." Her thumb was frighteningly close to that button. A pokeball never seemed so much like a gun before.

Pierce and Jeremy

"Nice bling." Then he nodded.The man had good tastes. "All right, you're on. But don't come crying to me when you lose. And you will lose."

Jeremy couldn't help but notice that Pierce himself didn't place a bet. There were a few ways to interpret that, but Jeremy would take it as a positive sign. They could decide on that after the bet was over.

"Lets get to it!" Placing the good luck charm in his pocket, Jeremy waltzed on over across the room to the first Kimono that he saw was free to chat, the one in red.

"Hey there ma'am," he said genially as he closed hin. "My name's Jeremy, I'm new here. This might seem intrusive, but I have to clear something up. Just where in particular is it that you and you friend's come from?"

A recipe for disaster

'Why am I so dizzy?' Charlotte began to lurch forward. This was... bizarre. It usually took more than this for her to actually have problems walking around. She was only vaguely aware of the problem too. In any case, Charlotte Beaufort was right along the fragile line between total drunkness and drunk but still sober enough to know you're drunk, and Jeremy was nowhere in sight at the moment.

Who dares to push her across the line?

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Charlotte

Pierce didn't give the pokeball in Charlotte's hand much regard. "I really don't care what you do or what you think, Glorious Leader." He told her with dislike evident in his voice. "So why don't you just scurry off and go be a bitch somewhere else, okay?"

Them's fightin' words, Pierce.

---------------------------------

Charlotte and Elizabeth

As Charlotte wondered about her dizziness, she was approached by a certain smiling figure that happened to be carrying a couple of glasses of wine. "You okay there, leader?" Elizabeth asked. "Maybe you've had too much to drink. That's understandable. You don't look like much of a drinker."

[Menarker]

Before Party - Renny & Lola
-----------------------------

Renny listened with abated breath as the depressing story was told. He felt a lot of sympathy for Harliette and was silently horrified by the mother's attempted murder.

Lola sighed. "It's so strange, y'know? It's a tragic tale but I don't even feel bad when I talk about it. I guess I'm subconsciously accepted it as the way things had to go."

"I don't believe that."

Renny hastily clarified, looking straight at Lola.

"I don't get why your mother chose to behaved the way she did. She made a horrible choice, but I don't think that matter anymore. It's been 10 years. That's a really long time. You both had 10 years to grow to be the person you are now. I've seen in you a certain compassion for life and peace. I LOVE that about you! I... guess you can accept that things happened as they did, but I don't think you should accept that everything that your mother did needed to happen. I think your wish for a happy family is a wonderful thing...

Renny then trailed off into silence for a little while, as the little bit of food he had left got finished, hoping he hadn't gone too far on such a touchy topic or made a scene.

"Well... I'm still a little hungry, but I don't think I can handle one of those gigantic slice of cake all by myself."

[Astral Harmony]

After the Party - Pierce & Irene

"The only reason I'd have second thoughts about you, about me, about us...is that I'm scared. I've seen the future. And in order to safeguard it, I'm certain I'll end up doing any number of horrible, unspeakable things...y'know, like the stuff we do in bed except in this cause it's things I'll actually regret."

Irene bowed her head and took hold of Pierce's hands in her own. God, she was so beautiful when vulnerable. "If I even have the chance to live through all of the awful things that I'm going to do, I know I'll become an entirely different woman than the one who loves you right now. I just...I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want to make you regret the decision you made in choosing me."

-----
After the Party - Sophia & Tsubasa

Tsubasa opened her crimson eyes and then sat up. "What's wrong, did you have a nightmare?"

Holy shit, she was completely naked. Tsubasa slipped out of bed and found a nearby glass. "Bathroom's free if you would like to throw up. Need me to hold your hair for you? Otherwise, here's some refreshing cold water. I imagine right now that the inside of your mouth must taste like what I tasted from it four hours ago, but worse."

Tsubasa turned back towards Sophia finally, then tilted her head. "I...get the feeling that you are now finding yourself in a situation that makes you most uncomfortable, which makes me find myself in a situation where I injustly took advantage of you in a very vulnerable state."

...Is this really how Tsubasa talks in the morning?

-----
Mauled At the Mall - Pierce & Chizuru

"Don't you think you should just get a bottom?" Chizuru offered, picking up a pair of sky blue trunks. Man, if only she was holding them while he was wearing them! "You've got a great stack and you're just letting go to waste by hiding them under shirts."

There was something that could be said about Chizuru hiding her stack as well, but perhaps later.

Then Chizuru gasped and immediately fell silent. When Pierce turned around, Chizuru's face was entirely red, her beautiful eyes wet, and her lips hungry to touch something. "I have traveled numerous worlds and can only find wondrous creations like you in a rare few of them. You brighten my world through your simple desires. Sometimes I can't even stand living in a world when it doesn't have you in it. I am your slave eternal."

This was new. Chizuru suddenly ran towards Pierce. But before Pierce could do anything, she had already run past him.

"Rachel!" Chizuru said, pointing at the Pikachu Pokebrid. "I challenge you to a dance off!"

Dance Dance Revolution. Sigh.

Rachel placed her hand near her lips in the pose of a noblewoman's laugh. "Ha! I'll have you know I'm one of the fastest feet in Honmyr! You don't stand a chance when you challenge me to a dance!"

Apparently, it was now on like Donkey Kong. But Chizuru's steam didn't last.

"Awwww, I looooooost," Chizuru pouted pitifully, something that could literally make Pierce's heart melt.
Rachel shrugged. "Of course you lost. Whenever I play, I play to win."
She folded her arms. "But you know, you might try against me again if you can beat Discord. She's been second to me in Dance Dance Revolution for four tournaments now. She always wears a disguise and uses the alias Snakecross, but it's definitely her."

Discord likes DDR? Pierce didn't think he could find information this juicy at a mall.

-----
Before Party - Renny & Lola

Lola didn't seem to want to talk about her past anymore. In fact, something that Renny said to her made her hold her tongue. Well, more like Renny petrified her

Lola shook her head rapidly and recovered in a flash. "Sure, eat your fill of your slice and I'll help you after I'm done with my four slices."

Her four slices?! Lola must have a fuckin' portal in her stomach or something...

-----
Jeremy Meets A Kimono

Apparently, Jeremy decided to hit on one of the hardest Kimonos to get, Takano Uchimura. "We come from the Hungry World," Takano said, mindlessly stroking her platinum blonde hair with her right hand and swirling some wine in the glass she held in her left hand. "The world eats other worlds, its residents eat other residents. Hence, Hungry World, 'cause everything is always eating everything else."

[Menarker]

Renny worried a little about whether he offended her, but she seemed to perk up at the mention of cake. He looked astounded by the amount she was ready to consume. He nibbled at his own slice bit by bit as he watched her eat. Finally, he admit defeat when his portion was down to the last 3 spoonfuls.

"I don't think I can eat any more at all. That was great. Are you enjoying your cake?"


As one of the waitresses passed by, he politely motioned for the check as he pulled out his wallet.

"Don't worry about the dinner, I would like to pay for it. I'm really happy you got your new license. At the very least I can do this much."

[Dracorion]

After the Party - Pierce and Irene

Pierce just held Irene closer as she bared her soul to him. God, how he wished he could just storm in, kill all the bad guys and make everything better.

Instead, he responded with "Irene, I'm just a chump." He bowed his head, his cheek nuzzling hers. "I don't have the balls to do what's necessary. I can't even kill someone in battle."

"But... I really admire you for that. You're trying to do what's necessary to save the world. And even though it means doing terrible things, I know you care. You care a lot. That's why I believe in you. Why I'm trying to grow up and be more like you."

He had to slide himself to the side a bit and Irene in the opposite direction, just to be in a position to pull it off, but he managed it. His heart seemed to be pumping much harder, like it was about to explode, as he spoke. "I wish I could make it so you don't have to do any of that." He placed a hand softly on her cheek. "I can only be there for you, and help you any way I can. I promise you, Irene, if there's anything I can do, I'll do it." And he kissed her. It wasn't like usual, where it led to something more. This time, he was kissing her solely to convey the extent of his feelings for her.

---------------------------------

After the Party - Sophia and Tsubasa

Finding herself in bed with a beautiful woman was... not outside of Sophia's fantasies. But, it wasn't something she expected would happen. And yet, as hazy memories of her consciousness fading in and out last night told her, that was exactly what happened.

She sat up as Tsubasa did, and only regretted it as it caused her headache to double. "Oowwwww..." she groaned again, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

Tsubasa handed her a glass of water, which she accepted with a mumbled thanks and took a mouthful to wash the taste that lingered in her mouth. The beautiful white Kimono expressed regret at taking advantage of her. Sophia simply sat in silence on the bed for a while, playing with the glass of water in her hands, before finally speaking up. "I had fun last night." She said with a slight smile on her lips. And from what she remembered, it really was.

---------------------------------

Mall - Pierce and Chizuru

"These are good." Pierce told Chizuru as he took the swim trunks, hiding his embarassment at the fact that his previous choice was something he suggested for everday use, and not simply for the beach. "But, um, I was also looking for clothes for everday use."

He heard her gasp and turned to her. Her face was red, her eyes wet and lips hungry. "I have traveled numerous worlds and can only find wondrous creations like you in a rare few of them. You brighten my world through your simple desires. Sometimes I can't even stand living in a world when it doesn't have you in it. I am your slave eternal."

Wait, what? Then she ran toward him. No... straight past him. What?

He turned to see what she was heading for, and... Balls.

... Fucking Dance Dance Revolution.

He proceeded to watch Chizuru challenge Rachel, and his eyes were glued to her figure as she danced. But... "Awwww, I looooooost," Chizuru pouted pitifully, something that made his heart melt.

With his face red, Pierce approached her. "I, um, I think you did great. You dance really well, Chizuru." He complimented her, scratching his head. "I wish I learned how to dance. Then we could play."

Rachel then mentioned that Discord like DDR too, which amused him to no end. Snakecross, eh? At least now he had something to deal with her if she got uppity.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Pierce and Charlotte

Dude didn't care for what the lady was saying clearly."I really don't care what you do or what you think, Glorious Leader." There was venom in that sentence. "So why don't you just scurry off and go be a bitch somewhere else, okay?"

*click*

"Aroo!" The grey and black canine howled as it found itself unleashed in an unfamiliar place. There didn't seem to be any enemies, just people. It was more loud than he appreciated though.

"Eh?" Charlotte herself seemed a bit confuzzled at this. "Guess I grabbed the wrong one on the way out. Makin' alll sort of mistakes today." She clicked the button on the pokeball and Spitz left the party almost as fast as he entered.

"Anyways, I guess I'll have to take you up on your advice then," she said with a wave as she went off to be a bitch somewhere else.

Charlotte and Elizabeth

"You okay there, leader?" Elizabeth asked with some sort of worry in her eyes. "Maybe you've had too much to drink. That's understandable. You don't look like much of a drinker."

"Uh I dont think so," she said, hand on the table. Either she was unaware of who she was speaking with or she had forgotten the encounter from before. "Takes more then this atleast..." her voice was rather off center, shifting between tones. It had been a while since she actually got this close to being drunk.

She moved away from her support on the table, but almost sumbled a bit. "Ugh," she caught herself while stumbling for a moment. Lucidity suddenly overtook her as she asked a question to Liz, "do you know where my friend is? Jeremy, I don't think I should keep carrying these keys." She pulled her car keys from her coat pocket, glancing around the room for the gambler. He was not in her immediate line of sight though, as he was liekly busy gambling away his necklace. Who would save the drunken psychopath?

[Dracorion]

Charlotte and Elizabeth

Elizabeth blinked for a moment. Drunken Charlotte... didn't act at all like she had expected. She seemed almost... nice. It was weird.

But she smiled as she held Charlotte's shoulder to help her steady herself. "I'm sorry, I don't see your friend anywhere." She said worriedly. "But there's some rooms upstairs for people to use. You can ride out whatever this is there." She proposed. "Or if you're fine, we should drink more and really get into the party."

Someone certainly wasn't giving up.

[Menarker]

Renny walked around the floor in a mental haze. His steps was steady only on account that he was taking his damn sweet time and he was

"It's not... late, and I didn't drink alcohol. Hope it's not the food."

He then saw Milsha and walked over to her. Just as he reached her, he accidently stumbled and crashed into a hug before he stabilized himself.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Milsha... Have you been doing well lately?"

He went on to thank her again since the last time she had to leave for weapon testing.

"Listen, I REALLY appreciate your help finding a place to stay... If there is ANYTHING at all that I can possibly do for you, let me know.

Anything at all?

Renny repeated as if it needed clarification as well as to emphasize how much her generousity meant to him. "Anything!"


Oh, Renny. A son of a lawyer should know better than to make blank cheques especially when feeling incoherently light-headed.

[Astral Harmony]

Before Party - Renny & Lola

"Well that's very gentlemanly of you, Renny," Lola said with mischievous eyes. "As it turns out, I happen to know exactly how to pay you back."

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After the Party - Pierce & Irene

"There's two sides to every coin, Granger," Irene said, strangely not calling him Pierce this time. "You say not being able to kill makes you less of a man. I say not being able to kill just means you have a kind heart. If only more people in this world were like you. They take lives without considering the gravity of their actions. Back when Darrell was still alive, I had trouble interacting with him in any intimate way. I kept thinking to myself 'how could I even hug this man when my hands are soaked in the blood of so many?'. Unfortunately, like a curse, killing becomes easier and easier the more you do it. I'm scared of myself, sometimes. How the hell am I able to go to sleep at night after what I did earlier on the battlefield that day? Why is a mass murderer like me allowed to be happy? I'll just never have the answers."

Irene sighed. "But-"

Irene turned her eyes back to Pierce. "Now that I have you, maybe I can stop trying to seek the answers I need, and start working hard on redeeming myself."

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After the Party - Sophia & Tsubasa

Tsubasa nodded. "Good. That means I still got it," she said with a victory pose.

-----
Mall - Pierce & Chizuru

"Hmmm...everyday clothes, eh?" Chizuru asked herself, tilting her head. "I don't think I can help you there. I pretty much wear this mini-yukata all the time and...well, you can see the results."

There were a lot of eyes on Chizuru, but strangely it didn't seem like they were all on her because of her...ahem, bountiful harvest. It suited her well, but was very much out of place compared to the crowds in the mall. Had Pierce not known she was a demon kunoichi, he would probably agree with them all on their initial observation:

That is one hot cosplayer.

"I guess it really depends on the environment you're trying to fit into," Chizuru said. "Let's see...for living in this city, perhaps a casual suit from over there? I dunno."

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After the Party - Renny & Milsha

Milsha looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, to be honest, I could use a little brother."

Do what, now?

Milsha kept her country drawl switched off since she figured a tipsy Renny couldn't comprehend it. "My problem is that I'm still too used to being part of the huge family I left behind. I can't do certain things without someone, y'know? So I was hoping to get a little brotherin' out of you to assist me with little problems. It isn't anything hard like that or nothing."