Pokemon Umbral Intermission: The Ensnaring Conspiracies

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

"Ah, well. Maybe my Pokemon will thrash my apartment too badly one of these days and I'll have to move out. God knows my landlord would be glad to see me go." Pierce joked.

Yeah, way to tempt fate, dumbass.

"Still, there's no reason I can't stop by the dojo every now and then." He proposed. "I could even take a couple of classes."

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

Pierce and Shizuka

Pierce laughed. It wasn't nervous or embarassed, just an honest to God laugh. "Sorry, I'm not really familiar with that kinda stuff. I suppose I could always take Kiyomi's class at the dojo, though."

He laughed again when Shizuka scolded him. "Fair enough. I'll stop acting like an excited little kid." He neglected to remind her that she was the one that rubbed up against his back the time they got together.

"So, uh, do you get everyone katanas and other mystery gifts for their birthday, or is it just me?" He asked playfully.

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

Pierce, Jeanette and Darcelle

Pierce didn't miss the innuendo in Jeanette's comment, but he was more concerned about the obvious meaning of a paycheck. He wouldn't mind the money, but he wasn't sure he wanted to take it when he was the one who approached her because he needed company.

But he put that aside for the moment. "Awesome. Just call me up whenever and we'll dive right in." Of course, he still had no idea what they were supposed to do. "Although, what does going into the Rezonscape entail?"

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

Pierce and Irene

After watching Rachel, Mirror and Mio's performance, Pierce decided it was time to take Irene up on her offer. He handed an excited Aria Alphonsine's autograph and sent her off on her way, and began looking for his boss/girlfriend/fuck buddy.

"Hey." He greeted with a smile when he finally found her. "I think I'm finally at that point where I won't feel too guilty about ditching my own party." The alcohol had certainly helped. He wasn't drunk drunk, but he had a decent buzz going on.

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

Liz does something naughty

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Leprihare inquired, crossing her eyes and wearing a knowing smile when Elizabeth came back from the table with all the alcoholic drinks.
"Oh, you know. Just livening up this party." Liz replied gleefully, showing Leprihare the empty bottle and the syringe with a long, thin needle she had.
"Well, that'll end lovely."
"Oh, don't worry. I didn't spike them too much. Just enough to get people to let their hair down already."
"Right. Is that why you're keeping an eye on Charlotte?"
"Hey, I'm curious. There's no way I'm going to miss seeing what she's like drunk."
"Well, cheers." Leprihare said smiling, handing her partner in crime a glass. They clinked their cups and drank.

Still, maybe they'd need a push to really get going, Elizabeth thought. Maybe she'd propose a wet t-shirt contest or spin the bottle soon. Or hell, maybe both.

"What about you?" She asked, taking another sip.
"I think I'll start looking for my victim for the night."

[Menarker]

--------------------------------
Before Party - Renny & Lola
--------------------------------
"Gosh, I dunno, I'm really terrible with spicy stuff," Lola said, but at Renny's urging, gave it a shot, regardless. "Hmm, it's pretty good."

Renny smiled, not knowing she didn't really mean it.
"I'm glad you like it. I'm not good with spicy things either, but this one is one of the few I can handle. It's really mild and actually has a little sweetness to it."

Lola spared a glance around the restaurant, then returned with a blushing face. "Do you think we came at a bad time?"

Renny looked around discretly and also noticed the myriad of eyes pointed their way, the guys toward Lola and the girls toward himself. Their attention left him a little defensive, especially the ones eying Lola.

"It's like they're observing a couple of Rattata trying to find some cheese in a maze, huh?"

"I guess so. I'm alright with it if you are."

Renny also looked embarressed by the attention of the other patrons, missing out on the innuendo implied with the cheese in her metaphor. His fish and chips were gradually disappearing as they ate and he frequently nursed at his coconut mikshake as he tried to think of a topic...

"So Lola. I was thinking back on to when we promised to watch over each other. You said that your greatest desire couldn't replace me. I can't help but be curious what your greatest desire is."

-------------------------
Party - Renny & Mika
-------------------------

"I've got time now if you want," Mika shrugged. "I don't really care for the alcohol or the noise or the lesbians."

Renny shook his head. "I can't really talk about it right now, especially with so many people around. I'll chat with you soon when I get the chance. Or rather, you should probably talk with Aster. I found out about it from him and he might be more able to answer any questions you might have. Tell him it is about the conversation I had with him about a jewel."

Renny then tried his best to smile as he bid her farewell. "Well, it was a pleasure to see you again. I hope you will all have the best of luck here."

---------------------------
Party - Renny & Rachel
---------------------------

Renny listened on as he became more understanding about the Rachel's past, the entire beatification part being a lot easier to swallow and more pleasant too.

"Ah, ok. That does make a bit more sense. But that's still really awesome."

But before he could say much more...


"Oh, hey, it's our turn!" Rachel said, pulling herself away from Renny. "Be back in a moment, Ren."

Renny smiled and waved as she departed for a short while.

----------------------------------------
*Just before Liz spiked the drinks*
----------------------------------------

Renny walked around some more as he put his own non-alcoholic drink down on the alcoholic table nearby for a moment, his hands occupied filling up a small plate. Then Rachel's dance team commenced and he wandered closer to watch unknowing that Liz spiked all the drinks on that particular table, including his own drink.

After the dance was over, he wandered back to the table, snagged his own drink and washed off the taste of sweets...

[Bard The 5th LW]

Charlotte's Just Sayin'

"Ah, well. Maybe my Pokemon will thrash my apartment too badly one of these days and I'll have to move out. God knows my landlord would be glad to see me go."

Charlotte couldn't help but over here some of this conversation from her position not far off, glass in hand. The bit about Pierce's pokemon apparently being rowdy and loose in his home. She might not have been in complete control of her mental faculties what with the drinking, but her voice didn't sound very drunk.

"Well Granger, if the bird is giving you problems, just lock it up in its pokeball," she said as she withdrew one from her once again clean coat, "thats how I handle Hammond. I can guarantee he isn't breaking a couch while locked up in here." Clearly, carrying a screeching hellbeast to a party was nothing new for her.

Jeremy's about to lose another

"I shit you not. The Hungry World is supposed to be connected to, like, a lot of different worlds. The Kimonos go around helping worlds in trouble, and now it's our turn." What? No really, what?

"Believe me, that's not even close to the craziest thing you'll see when you're with the Watchmen."

Jeremy couldn't help but laugh. "C'mon man, I'm the new guy here, but I'm also 38, not a naive newbie." He turned around to take another look at the oddly dressed women. Demon's from another world? Thats just ridic.

"Alright man, I'll take you up on this. I'll go over to one of them, ask 'em the question, and if I get the same answer, I'll give you this." He reached into his vest pocket, which had a small string hanging from it. From it he produced a necklace with a bright silver charm on the end, not unlike the one on a meowth's forehead. "This is my lucky amulet coin. More lucky than the normal amulet coin! Seen me through many a bet, and I haven't lost yet. Now, once those lovely ladies are done with the song, I'll pop the question."

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Charlotte

Pierce seemed more than a little annoyed that Charlotte decided to butt in. He put his hand on his chin, pretending to think about what she said. "Hmmmm... yeah, no."

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

Pierce and Jeremy

Smiling, Pierce looked at the amulet. "Nice bling." Then he nodded. "All right, you're on. But don't come crying to me when you lose. And you will lose."

[Astral Harmony]

Party - Pierce & Chizuru

"It could certainly help your confidence, or lack thereof," Chizuru said. "I like it when you're confident."

Then Chizuru turned away from Pierce, too embarrassed to let him see her face.

-----
Party - Pierce & Shizuka

"I dunno. You're special so I feel like doing special stuff for you," Shizuka said, her eyes drifting away from his face.

And then she gave him a playful punch in the shoulder...apparently forgetting that as a demon she packs a bit more power. Pierce was going to feel that for about fifteen minutes. "Now stop making me say embarrassing things. And you can hold onto that if you want, I'm done with that part. I'll need it back once I'm done with the blade, though."

-----
Party - Pierce, Jeanette & Darcelle

Jeanette cleared her throat. "First, you're going to change into a special suit that helps the equipment better get at you and you'll climb into a special machine. You'll be sedated into a coma and will be intravenously fed rage fuel, the substance used in Rage Rockets. At about a certain point, you'll become mesmerized and enter a state called Trance. Technically, you'll be considered a Madsoldier. And that's how your consciousness will enter the Rezonscape. In the meantime, the sedative will keep your body from going berserk and trying to kill everyone you can sense. Once a certain amount of time passes, a special chemical called Fallout will be injected into you and you will crash. Your mind will return to your body and you'll have no rage at all until the chemical wears off. You'll probably have trouble just trying to stand for a while, but it passes."

"The Rezonscape is...really very pretty. Flowers. Waterfalls. Rainbows. That kind of thing. I imagine it only looks like that to Madsoldiers. It's probably not nearly as beautiful if you were to enter some other way. Research dictates that a legendary Pokemon resides there, called Rezonark. The Rezonscape should collapse if Rezonark can be found and slain. Not captured. Slain. But the work I'm doing right now is not about fighting Rezonark yet. I highly doubt one single person can do that. Just finding it or discovering how to find it is the primary and only objective of it."

-----
Party - Pierce & Irene

Irene chuckled. "You certainly smell ready, if anything. Alrighty, you big dope, follow me."

Irene lead Pierce to one of the unoccupied bedrooms and tugged him inside. Then she released his hand and picked up Sulphyr, the smaller of her two signature swords.

Before Pierce's eyes, Irene slowly unzipped her dress and then dramatically flung it away, revealing Pierce's present.

Irene was wearing nothing but a large gift ribbon over her awesome bits. "You made me work for it last time, so you get to work for it this time," Irene said, setting her combat stance. "See the longer ribbon? Give it a good tug and you get the prize underneath. Consider this training. One of the most important skills one can learn for combat is to get inside their opponent's defenses. My only defense is Sulphyr here. Now, let's see if you can comprehend what I just taught you. Try me."

Irene looked pretty out of it herself, but not so out of it that she was only going to hurt herself wielding her sword. Her stance was still solid and threatening. Even though this was Irene's birthday present to him and he'd most likely get it anyways, it could only be so much better when you gotta put forth some effort and earn it.

-----
Before Party - Renny & Lola

Lola closed her eyes and placed her hands together, fingers interlaced, as though in prayer. And it seemed like the light coming down on her from the window intensified. God, she was so beautiful.

"To protect life is one of the greatest gifts we could have ever been given. But us women have a gift even more powerful, even more pure. And that is the gift to create life."

Lola's eyes slowly opened. "A family. I suppose I've always wanted a wonderful husband and darling children ever since I myself was a little girl. But my desire for this seems to have only grown since my family was shattered by what my mother had done, although my half-sister Harliette was born from that, so I don't mind this as much as I feel like I really should."

While it was expected that this was Lola's one strongest desire, it did kind of suck a lot of the intrusive noise out of the room. In a way, Renny could feel like he and Lola were the only ones there, perhaps the only ones in the world.

-----
Party - Aster & Mika

Mika nodded occasionally as Aster told Mika about his ability, Irene, and the White Catseye Gem.

"And that is all I can say for certain on the matter," Aster finished.
Mika looked thoughtful for a moment. "There's one in every world, I guess."
"Pardon?"
"There are those who won't accept when something is to succumb to the throes of natural selection," Mika said. "Irene is one of those people."
Aster blinked. "That's...all you have to say?"
"I can't say much without seeing this gemstone for myself," Mika shrugged. "I guess is that Irene saw what was going to happen to this world, thought about a possible way of saving it, and the gemstone actually showed her how to do so."
"Really?"
"This isn't the first time we encountered such a thing," Mika said, referring to herself and her fellow mini-yukata clad kunoichi. "My guess is, from what you said, that this White Catseye shows people the most possible and likely future, then that person can experiment with it. Basically, she probably thinks 'what if...' a lot, and the Catseye shows her the results of that scenario. If she's not using the gemstone anymore, then she found what she was looking for, and all actions she takes will usually always be a direct result of this series of choices she must make to procure the future she desires."

Aster frowned. "That would mean...that she let Antonio Shevenston die."
"Possibly, but this isn't concrete."
"Right. Just because you know the future and know what you need to do, doesn't mean you can be everywhere at once and save everyone you care about. Knowing the future doesn't mean you have the opportunity to right every wrong just because you know about it in advance."
"So, banking on the chance that she couldn't prevent his death, she may have thought about a way in which she might be able to use it."
"How exactly?"
"How, indeed."

-----
Party - Can't Get It Out of My Head

"Oh, hey! I know this song! It's one of my favorites!" Lola shouted.
Muon shrugged. "Oh, that catchy song? It's not really my favorite, but I can't get it out of my head after I've heard it once."
"Even us Kimonos know this song," Rio said.

Irene hopped on stage and took the mic down. "Then shall we sing it together?"
Moon grabbed a guitar to join in. "Sure. Mind if I go first?"
"Ha! Time to act stupid!" Darcelle cheered.

It was like Pierce's birthday party because a fuckin' musical or something.

Moon: "Bow Chicka bow wow!"
Shannon: "That's what my baby says!"
Nyoka: "Maow maow maow!"
Whitney: "And my heart stops pumpin'!"
Mio: "Chicka chicka choo whop!"
Silk: "Never gonna stop!"
Miracle: "Gitchee gitchee goo-!"
Catherine: "Means that I love you!"

Bretton: "My baby's got her own way of talkin',"
Evangaleen: "Whenever she says something sweet."
Harliette: "And she knows it's my world she's a rockin',"
Mouse: "Although my vocabulary's incomplete!"
Mirror: "I know it may sound confusing,"
Cecilia: "Sometimes I wish you'd give it to me straight."
Calisto: "But I never feel like I'm losin',"
Wilhelmina: ("losing")
Garus: "When I take the time to translate!"
Rachel: ("Here's what I'm talking 'bout")

Irene: "Bow chicka bow wow!"
Melanie: "That's what my baby says!"
Rio: "Maow maow maow!"
Alphonsine: "And my heart starts pumpin'!"
Muon: "Chicka chicka choo wop!"
Kiyomi: "Never gonna stop!"
Lola: "Gitchee gitchee goo-!"
Chizuru: "Means that I love you!"

Kurika: "Well I don't know what to do,"
Shizuka: ("I don't know what to do")
Takano: "But I think I'm getting through!"
Angelo: ("I think I'm getting through")
Heidi: "'Cause when I say I love you,"
Aster: ("When I say I love you")
Jeanette: "She says 'I gitchee gitchee goo you too!'"
Darcelle: ("Gitchee gitchee goo you too")
Milsha: "Gitchee gitchee goo you too!"
Laurith: ("Gitchee gitchee goo you too")

Moon: "Don't need a dictionary!"

Moon/Shannon: "Bow chicka bow wow!"
Whitney/Muon: "That's what my baby says!"
Bretton/Evangaleen: "Maow maow maow!"
Rio/Kiyomi: "And my heart starts pumpin'!"
Irene/Melanie: "Chicka chicka choo whop!"
Lola/Chizuru: "Never gonna stop!"
Silk/Mio: "Gitchee gitchee goo-!"
Miracle/Catherine: "Means that I love you!"

Moon: "Now everybody!"

Everybody: "I said uh bow chicka bow wow!
That's what my baby says!
Maow maow maow!
And my heart starts pumpin'!
Chicka chicka choo whop!
Never gonna stop!
Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!
Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!
Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you baby! Baby! Baby!"

Lexhur: "Baby, baby, baby, baby."

Everybody: "Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!"
Armored Bishoujo: "Whoo!"

[Menarker]

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

As Lola closed her eyes and placed her hands together, fingers interlaced, as though in prayer, Renny watched as if she embodied all the presence of a celestial angel, made all the more stunning as light shone down on her from the window intensified as if on cue. She was breath-taking as he ignored her food entirely, hanging on her words which might very well be the answer to his question.

"To protect life is one of the greatest gifts we could have ever been given. But us women have a gift even more powerful, even more pure. And that is the gift to create life."

Lola's eyes slowly opened. "A family. I suppose I've always wanted a wonderful husband and darling children ever since I myself was a little girl. But my desire for this seems to have only grown since my family was shattered by what my mother had done, although my half-sister Harliette was born from that, so I don't mind this as much as I feel like I really should."

Her dream was a delightful one, but the story behind it made him increasingly curious about her childhood. Renny recalled scarcely hours ago when he asked about her family and she told him...
"Well, I've got a dad. We don't really talk as much as we should anymore. It's...complicated."

Under the table, his hands were clenched as he silently debated to himself whether he should ask a little more about her family or leave the sordid past buried.

"A happy family of your own? That is a wonderful dream to have... I'm sorry that your family became broken... Lola, can I ask what your childhood was like?" He hastened to reassure her, "You don't have to if you don't want to. But I was thinking that your family was probably a happy one for a while since you still want to have a happy family of your own, instead of giving up on it when it didn't last. I would be happy to hear more about what your family was like then. What your parents did for a living, the places you lived in, the things you saw and experienced, the times you shared with Harliette... I would be interested to hear those stories, if you are ok with that."

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

Pierce crossed his arms and looked away from Chizuru, his face red, as she turned away. "Uh... y- yeah, I think I definitely will."

"But..." He was definitely going to embarrass himself a lot now. "you're one of the people who's helped me the most with my confidence issues, Chizuru. Just with your support and by... being there, amazing. I can't thank you enough."

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

Pierce and Shizuka

Pierce only flinched a little from Shizuka's punch, though he felt it a lot more than he gave away. "Thanks so much again." He said, holding the katana handle.

Then he was struck with a sudden impulse. "Um... Shizuka, d'you think, you'd like to..." Wait, what was he saying? "... uh, nevermind" He said, turning away embarrassed.

What was he thinking? He was with Irene. Their relationship may not have been entirely serious, but she was the only one he had strong feelings for, right?

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

Pierce, Jeanette and Darcelle

"Okay, I think I get it." Pierce replied, nodding. "Sounds simple enough. Though, figuring it out was nothing short of brilliant, Professor."

He looked thoughtful. "Though, I gotta wonder. Why do Madsoldiers see the Rezonscape like that? I would've thought it'd be more, y'know, chaotic."

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

Pierce and Irene

"Oh come on that's so not fair." Pierce complained when Irene tore off her dress, revealing the ribbon hiding all the loveliest parts. He was standing next to a cabinet on which a lamp and vase and other useless decorative hotel thingies were placed. His hands were outstretched horizontally in exasperation as he tried to ignore the tantalizing image and focus on Irene's challenge.

"How am I supposed to fight when you look so hot? And you know, I think you forgot to lock the door. What if someone walk-" With a strong swipe of his hand, a vase went flying at Irene. Pierce dashed forward right behind it, one hand stretching forward to tug the ribbon and the other ready to block Irene's sword arm. If he succeeded, his momentum should crash them both into the wall.

Of course, even if she was drunk, he wasn't taking any chances with a badass like Irene. He was ready to stop his charge at any moment. He also opened up his dash a little toward the more open side of the room, hopefully blocking that avenue of escape. That way, if she dodged, she'd be forced to move closer to the corner.

He tried to push the dirty, dirty thoughts out of his mind and channel his libido into being productive for once.

[Astral Harmony]

Before Party - Renny & Lola

"It was a happy one," Lola said, looking towards the ceiling. "Certainly a lot more tranquil than the one I live now. My father was a scientist. My mother, too, but in a different career field. I was just a growing girl living it up in a healthy environment, carefree and ignorant. It pretty much remained so for the first fifteen years of my life when Samantha returned from her Pokemon journey. Samantha was always kind of reclusive, and she never had a good relationship with our mother or me. Our mother treated me a lot better than her, was more concerned about when something happened to me than when something happened to her. And because of this, my relationship with Samantha was always strained. Still, Samantha didn't seem too happy about the idea of telling my father that her father wasn't him, too. But she did it anyways, and if you ask me, I think that was the best decision. It did break our family, caused that incident to happen, but living a lie is much worse. I feel bad for what Samantha went through, but apparently she hates me for feeling sympathy towards her."

"As for the incident, it happened one awful and calm night. Our mother silently entered the room...and...and she tried to kill Samantha by strangulation. I woke up to the sound of Samantha striking our mom with a desk lamp in defense. Everything is all a blur. Our mother fled the house in a panic. Samantha did the same, but I don't think to hunt her down or anything. The police and my dad say that our mother supposedly died or commited suicide, though they never found a body, just scraps of clothing, the pearls of her favorite necklace, and blood. The amount of blood suggests that she had suffered a serious wound and had to have bled out while fleeing, then ended up either be washed away by a river that she stumbled into or was dragged away by a Pokemon. It was ten years before I saw Samantha again in that mansion."

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."

Tragic would be an understatement. How could Lola's mother just do that kind of thing?

-----
Party - Pierce & Chizuru

"Oh, uhhh, sure," Chizuru said, blushing and scratching the back of her head. "Glad I could pick you off the ground."

-----
Party - Pierce & Shizuka

Shizuka tilted her head curiously as Pierce turned away.

-----
Party - Pierce, Jeanette & Darcelle

Jeanette shrugged. "I've never physically seen a real Madsoldier before. I don't even have physical evidence that proves there are two sides to the Rezonscape. I'm just making an educated guess based on the fact that it's clearly not what I expected in something that drives people insane."

-----
Party - Pierce & Irene

Irene let him tackle her, careful not to try and injure him. Then, when slammed against the wall, she shoved back with her shoulder, throwing Pierce back. As Pierce regained his footing, Irene ran back into a corner.

Pierce watched in awe as Irene leapt up and used both walls to turn herself around in midair and unleash a diagonal slash to force him back.

But it was too late. Pierce was already holding Irene's last remaining clothes in his hands.

Irene looked at her naked body. "Umm...best two out of three?"

Irene tossed the sword away, already having decided the answer herself. "Happy Birthday, Agent Granger. You've caught the villainous Red Ribbon Warrioress who seduces handsome guys in order to feel like a young woman again. How shall you punish her for her misdeeds?"

Roleplaying? Well, maybe if Irene was actually trying to act.

[Dracorion]

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS IMPLICIT FURRY ON HUMAN BONDAGE. AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH. THAT MEANS YOU BARD.

SUMMARY AT THE BOTTOM.

FAIRLY BE YE WARNED.
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Impact stood at the bar... waiting. Waiting for many things. Waiting for an opportunity to benefit from the social turmoil around him. Waiting for a chance to strike, to make gains. Waiting for the room to stop swaying. Waiting for another drink. He paused for a moment. Had he ordered one? Probably. He caught his mind drifting, realized that something was wrong. This was not smart. This was not how he normally thought. He shook his head, trying to clear the buzzing in his head. It wasn't terribly effective. This wasn't entirely awful, though he mused a moment later. He still felt... kinda smart. Sorta. And it was nice, not having to worry all the time. He could relax. Hell, he didn't even remember what he'd been worrying about!

Looking around the room, Leprihare searched for her next victim. She found him leaning against the bar, surveying the room. From what she heard, Impact was calm, composed, very professional.

Perfect.

She approached him slowly, wobbling with every step because she was more than a little drunk. "Hey there stud." She greeted, but he could see her cheeks were flushed. "Havin' fun?"

He was chuckling to himself when he heard a cute voice and turned towards its source, grinning. A... bunny? Oh, right. That one bunny. The sapien. The one belonging to the slutty one. He'd read up on her post-battle. But meeting her was much more informative. His gaze was drawn to her definitely not human eyes. The purple irises seemed to suck him in, promising him sweet pleasures. With a bit more effort than it should've taken, he pried his eyes away and instead took in her very human curves. She certainly looked very... nice. "Why yes. Yes I am, thank you for asking!" He responded, far more brightly than normal. "Yourself?"

"Oh, I don't know..." She replied,moving closer to him. "I think I could be having a little bit more fun..." She was pressed against him now, her hands resting on his chest as her seductive voice reached his ears.

Impact swallowed at Leprihare's sudden proximity. Not that he didn't appreciate it. Her warmth, her slender hands on his chest, her aroma. All very... pleasant. But there was, of course, the voice in his head. Dampened by the pleasant buzz of alcohol, but still there. The one screaming about half-breeds and monsters.

His relationship with that voice had changed, though. Ever since he'd recognized control, ever since he'd realized what power meant. Especially ever since he'd made his deal with Charlotte, and been approached by Irene a mission later. Ever since then, the voice has been raging more quietly. It hadn't weakened. But it had been subued by other matters. A new ideal had arisen, and, drunk as he was, Impact realized that this new ideal, the ideal of power, was what he had to hitch his carriage to. And in that moment, as Leprihare pressed herself against him, he stood on an edge. On the one had was the comfort of his old grudge, familiar and comfortable and utterly unproductive. On the other hand was power. And with visions of a glorious future blazing before his mind's eye, with the pleasant buzz of drunkenness, with Leprihare's warmth against him, it was not a difficult decision. He'd never like them. But there was an aknowlegment, now. An aknowlegment that they didn't have to be monsters. That he had been... wrong. And that some of them... Impact smiled down at Leprihare, placing a hand on her waist, enjoying the softness of her fur. And that some of them could be quite sexy. "Is that so? Awful. Might I help.. entertain you?"

The bunny sapien leaned in even closer now, until her lips were just inches away from his. "Mmmm... I think you could." She teased, waiting for him to make the first move.

Impact felt a familiar rush of adrenaline and endorphines and plain desire flow through him. It had been a while, certainly. But you never really forgot, did you?

He leaned in, pressing his lips to Leprihare's, letting himself get lost in the moment as he tasted the sweetness of her lips, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer.

Leprihare smiled into the kiss. She placed a hand on the back of his head, holding it steady, and pushed into him, so he was pressed against the bar.
Then she pulled back, using her grip to keep him from leaning forward, as her other hand ran down his chest, toward his thigh. "Would you like to take this... elsewhere?" She inquired in a sultry voice, giggling.

Impact tried to pull Leprihare back towards him, but, noting her resistance, relaxed, leaning back against the bar, just enjoying her touch on his body, feeling her hand run down towards his thigh. You never really forgot. But the sapien clearly had experience, so why not enjoy the ride? 'sides, he liked forward girls.

He grinned at her, stroked her cheek with one hand, the other still on her waist, her coy gaze, her aroma, her proximity, all of it more intoxicating than the alcohol had been. He held those coy eyes, his gaze piercing. "Certainly. I'm all yours. Where did you have in mind?"

"There's a bunch of rooms already paid for so people can spend the night if necessary." She explained. She pulled away, taking Impact's hand in hers, leading him toward a rack on the wall where several keycards were placed. To Impact, it would seem like she just grabbed one at random, but the card she grabbed was to the room where she stored her toys. Then, she led him outside the party room and to the elevators.

As soon as she hit the button, she pulled him close again, locking her lips with his, and pushed him against the wall of the elevator.

Impact pulled Leprihare to his chest again as the doors closed behind him, her proximity overpowering. He had no idea where they were going, but that was allright. Though, as he traced the curve of her spine with one hand, he realized that the elevator itself was already quite cozy. His hands itched to hit the emergency stop and spend the night here, but perhaps his unlikely partner had something better planned... he decided he'd follow her lead, grinning into their deep kiss.

She naughtily gripped his buttocks quite firmly as they made out, and kept it that way until the elevator doors binged open. She giggled and grabbed his hand again, leading him into the hallway, toward the room she picked out. She swiped the card in the slot and the door opened. Then she pulled him in again, much more roughly this time.

She moaned into the harsh kiss, pushing him into the room and toward the bed, but they were both too intoxicated, with alcohol and each other, to move in a straight line. They banged harshly against the walls and furniture, and knocked down a lamp, which promptly shattered. "Whoops." She giggled, until they eventually reached the bed and fell down on it, her on top. Then she separated again, placing a finger on his lips to stop him. "Let me just step into the bathroom to... freshen up." She said with a wink. "You'd better be undressed when I get back." She got up slowly, making sure Impact felt each of her curves as she rose, and strutted into the bathroom, feeling his eyes on her ass.

Things suddenly went quickly, kisses, groans, Leprihare's wonderful body beneath his hands. And then Impact found himself on the bed, propped on his elbows, watching said body sway its way towards the bathroom, eagerly anticipating her return.

When Leprihare emerged from the bathroom, she was out of her skirt and halter top, leaving her only in sexy lingerie. "You bad boy..." She whispered sultrily as she approached the bed. "I told you to undress. Someone's asking for punishment." She crawled on top of Impact, pinning him to the headboard as she kissed him deeply, holding his face in her hands and locking eyes with him.

Impact's eyes widened as Leprihare emerged, clad scantily, from the bathroom and straddled him, pinning him to the matress, her weight soft but unyielding. He propped himself up on his elbows as she pushed him against the backboard, his lips again pressed to hers, feeling her hands, firm on either side of his head. Once again he was taken into her eyes, and his expression changed to one of impish enjoyment. He hadn't done anything even remotely like this in... a while. But he'd always meant to take it up again. "And what might this... punishment entail?" he mumbled.

Leprihare broke the kiss and brought her face next to his, nibbling his earlobe. "Oh, you know..." Her hands ran down his toned chest, into his pants, and pulled his shirt off. "This kind of fun."

Before he knew it, Impact felt cold metal on his wrists as Leprihare cuffed his hands to the headboard with lightning speed. She giggled once more as she crawled off him and reached under the bed. When she emerged, she was holding a riding crop in one hand. "You're about to have the time of your life."

Impact felt the chill of cold metal and relexively tried to struggle, then caught himself. This was probably an awful idea, but hell. He deserved some fun. And for all the benefits of power, giving it up once in a while could be... enjoyable. It would hardly cost him anything in the long run. Besides, he doubted he'd get hurt. Not unpleasantly, anyway.

Impact laid back as he grinned up at her, still holding her gaze. "Oh, I hope so. Bring it on..."

...

It had been brought on. Thoroughly. Vigorously too. Impact woke up slowly, tired, but still relaxed. had... only vague memories of what had happened exactly, though he had no doubt he'd recall later. But for now, he was left only with fragments of last night... Memories of leather, cold metal, and... stimulating activities. And, of course, he'd been left with a variety of bruises and aches. He arched his back, felt cold wax crumble off, tried to stretch. The zipcuffs around his wrists and ankles made that difficult, but it loosened some of the kinks in his joints. However much fun this sort of thing was, it was rarely comfortable. He rolled over onto his back, eyes still closed, not quite happy, and certainly not at ease, but... content. Traces of alcohol, exhaustion and latent arousal mingled, and let him shut out the world again. Just a few more hours. Then he'd go back to plots and power. He'd have to. But for now... for now he could lie here, and rest from the night, and maybe Leprihare had some new ideas. Impact stretched again, smiling. Whatever else it had been, it had been fun.

His moving around caused his partner to stir, though it hadn't exactly been an equitative partnership. Leprihare rose slowly, rubbing her eyes and groaning softly. "Mmmm... I slept like a baby." She whispered pleasantly, reaching over to Impact and crawling on top of him. She kissed him deeply once more, not caring where either of their mouths had been. "I think I want another round."

Impact arched his back again, pressing his body against hers, loving the feel or her warmth, her tounge entwining with his. "It would be my pleasure..."

And it was, for a few more hours. But then the alcohol wore off a bit more, and the bruises started acting up, and Impact realized that, however much he had needed that, the world was calling. He had plans to make and alliances to form. Plus, he didn't want to risk the cleaning lady barging in on them. So, as they there, Leprihare curled up against Impact, Impact tied to the bedposts, he cleared his throat. "Uhm... Lep, this has been great. But there's some things that require my attention."

At this, Leprihare tsk-ed, crawling on top of Impact once again. "Maybe I want to keep you here a little longer..." She pleasantly ran her hands over his toned chest as she whispered seductively into his ear. "What're you going to do about it?" She teased him, giggling.

Impact nuzzled her cheeks, limbs still immobilized, chuckling as well. "Lep, you can't possibly suggesting you'd hold me here against my will!" He half-exclaimed in mock shock.

She chuckled. "No, that would be terrible, Ray-Ray." She replied with a smile. She spanked him one last time as she rose and reached under the bed once more and pulled out the suitcase which used to contain all the toys and reached inside, pulling out a small key. She placed the key in Impact's left hand. "I'll see you around." She said playfully, kissing him on the cheek before gathering all her clothes, putting the toys back in the suitcase and giving him one final view of her fantastic ass as she left the room.

Impact unlocked his shackles as Leprihare cleaned up, stared at her ass as she left the room, then hurriedly threw on his clothes and left the room at a run, hurrying after Lep. He caught a glimpse of her, finishing putting on her clothes as she stepped into the elevator, calling out. "Wait up!"

She silently placed her hand in front of the elevator doors, keeping them from closing and letting Impact catch up. "Oh? Did you change your mind?" She said as Impact stepped inside and she pulled her arm back, letting the doors close. Her hand hovered close to the emergency stop. "We could see how much I can do to you before they come to check on us." She suggested playfully, smiling.

Impact grinned as Leprihare held the doors. "Thanks." He said as he stepped in, leaned against a wall. He seriously considered Leprihare's suggestion -the real world suddenly seemed a lot less urgent again- but he was a realist. There was work to be done. "I'm afraid not. The floor here's filthy anyway. Not that I mind filth, but when it's unhygenic..."

He realized he was babbling, gave his head a quick shake. His mind was blurry and started to hurt. Was this what a hangover felt like? "Anyway..." He continued after an awkward pause. "I just wanted to say... Well, thanks. I kinda needed that, and it was fun. I'd certainly be open to meeting again. I need a break once in a while, you know?"

Leprihare stared at him with wide eyes. Then she broke into laughter. "You... heheh... You want to hook up again? I didn't think I broke you so thoroughly." She teased. Then she took a moment to seriously consider it, though she still chuckled. "Well, sure. I'll play with you all you want." She said finally.

Impact's chuckles mingled with hers. "It takes more than that to break me, my dear. But you certainly tried. Nah, I used to be part of the scene a while ago, kinda regret getting out. I mean, why the hell not? We both enjoy it, I like your style, you seem to enjoy my company. And you know what they say. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but... chains and whips excite me. Or something like that. Now, are you gonna do the proper thing and buy me breakfast?"

Leprihare laughed some more. "Sorry, I'm still just a Pokesapien, you know. So you're going to buy me breakfast." She responded with an evil smile. Impact sighed in mock exasperation and started digging for his wallet as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the lobby, leaving behind a wild night.







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SUMMARY: IMPACT AND LEPRIHARE ENGAGE IN HOT S&M. THEN HE PROPOSES MAKING IT A REGULAR OCCURENCE. I SHIT YOU NOT.
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[Dracorion]

Party - Pierce and Irene

Pierce smiled a wolfish grin when Irene submitted. He discarded the ribbon and approached her slowly, deliberately. "You see... we really shouldn't mix training with sex. That's because I get super-serious with the training. Now I've got all this aggression built up, and nowhere to vent it on." He finally closed the distance and pushed her rather forcefully against the wall, pinning her with his own body.

"Now..." He said as he kissed her neck more roughly than usual, his hands invasively feeling up every inch of her body. "I'm going to punish the warrioress by doing her every which way up and down this room. And I'm not going to stop until she's a drooling vegetable, or maybe not even then." The wolfish grin widened as he spoke in a husky voice. He was almost certainly being fueled by the alcohol. Pierce wasn't usually this... uninhibited. Which wasn't to say he was tame and docile. But the booze made him more willing to indulge in the naughty ideas he came up with. "And by the way. Since all I did was ask you a simple math question, whereas you decided to have me square off against one of the most accomplished fighters in the world, next time you owe me a schoolgirl outfit."

Pierce picked her up by the buttocks and slammed her onto and against a nearby cabinet, smashing all the knick-knacks sitting on it, and immediately went to town. At least they weren't the ones who would end up having to pay for the damage.

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

Day after - Pierce and Irene

When Irene awoke in the hotel room bed the next day, she was greeted by the sight of the room being thoroughly thrashed. The bed was even lopsided, seemingly because one of the legs broke. Pierce was nowhere to be around, though she could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

A couple of minutes later, the water stopped and Pierce emerged. Seeing she was awake, he smiled and climbed atop her, further lopsiding the bed with his weight. "G'morning." He greeted her with a kiss. They didn't cuddle for long, though, as Pierce suddenly picked her up in his arms, wedding style. "Come on. I made us a bath." He took her into the bathroom where she saw the rather large tub covered in bubbles.

He climbed into the bath and lay down, placing Irene stop himself. Contact with the water and the smell of bath fragrances seemed to soothe last night's soreness for both of them. Pierce groaned relaxedly as they both slid in comfortably. Irene could feel his 'excitement' growing against her, preparing for another go just from her body making contact with his. But, as Pierce wrapped his arms softly around her, it seemed he just wanted to enjoy the bath.

"Last night was fun." Was all he said, as he began to kiss her neck and shoulders. A long while, maybe minutes, maybe days passed before he spoke again. "You still sure about us? Not having second thoughts?" His voice didn't give away any worry. He spoke in a perfectly casual, curious manner.

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

Day after - Sophia and Tsubasa

Sophia awoke the next morning to a screaming headache pulsing in her head. "Owwwww..." she mumbled, blinking to clear her vision as her eyes tried to get used to whatever she was seeing. After a few moment of doing nothing but blinking, it dawned on her that she was lying on something soft, probably a bed. There also seemed to be a warm something cuddled up in front of her, that was slowly coming into focus. Another few moments and she realized that her body felt naked, warm and... thoroughly pleased.

Finally, the thing next to her came into focus and was revealed to be... Tsubasa. "Eeeep!" She squealed like in sheer terror, her hands rising quickly to cover her mouth. She was pressed closely to Tsubasa, their bodies entangled with each other. And she had no idea what to do or even think, as hazy memories started popping into her head.

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

Some other day - Pierce and Chizuru

"What about this?" Pierce asked, holding up a pair of camo shorts and an orange tank top.

... Yeah, no.

Pierce asked Chizuru if she was busy today and they had agreed to drive down to the mall and pick up a new wardrobe for Pierce. Pierce's lack of fashion sense for himself really showed as he only suggested terrible choices. Which begged the question of how he had ended up with his current outfit of a white t-shirt under an open blue shirt and jeans. He explained that Liz picked it out for him a long time ago.

"Um, you know..." He began, busying himself with browsing clothes so that Chizuru couldn't see his blush. "If you see anything you like for yourself you should pick it up. I owe you at least that much for helping me." Somehow, though, he wasn't sure Chizuru would accept, to he brought up the next argument. "At the very least, don't you need a swimsuit for the next mission?"