Pokemon Umbral Intermission: The Ensnaring Conspiracies

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Jeremy

"Eh?" Pierce exclaimed, turning to face the man who was addressing him. "Oh, Thanks. I'm Pierce." He said, shaking the man's hand.

Actually, he remembered Jeremy had come in after him. Wasn't he with...

"Wait, didn't I see you come in with Charlotte?"

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

Renny, Elizabeth, Leprihare, Shannon and Alphonsine

"Oh right, the photo shoot!" Liz exclaimed, exaggeratedly bonking herself on the head. "I wonder which swimsuit I should wear?"
"What about the one you tried out yesterday? That one that's just band-aids over your privates?" Leprihare proposed.
"Don't be silly, I'll get arrested."

Both of them looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can't decide, there's just too many options." Leprihare finally said.
"Yeah, same here."
"Oh! I know! What if we get Renny to help us?"

Liz smiled widely. "That's a great idea. How about it, handsome? Will you help us pick out our swimsuits?"
"C'mon, it'll be fun." Leprihare and Liz both pushed up against Renny again as they spoke.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Jeremy and Pierce

"Wait, didn't I see you come in with Charlotte?"

There was no dodging that. He distinctly recalled the name 'Pierce' from one of Charlotte's rants. There was also a nasty scar on his eye. Charlotte couldn't have... had she?

"Yeah I drove here with her, I'm also acting as her enforcer for a while," he said, trying to keep a smile up, but absently scratching at his forehead underneath his gray stripe of hair. "I'm probably going to be the one driving back as well."

He lowered his voice a little before continuing. "I'd apologize on her behalf, but I don't think it'd mean anything. Lord knows she wouldn't mean it."

Jeremy does the best he can

"Hey, you're Renny right?" Jeremy approached the boy and tapped him on the shoulder. God, the kid was young. He thought Charlotte was exaggerating, he wasn't actually expecting a teenager. He'd try his best to hold back surprise.

"I'm Jeremy, just transferred a few weeks back. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, but I've heard good things." None of these things were from Charlotte of course.

[Astral Harmony]

Party - Pierce & Chizuru

"We know it's a big deal. Hell, that's why we do it."

Chizuru turned her head to face nowhere in particular. "There's a lot of selfish people in just about every world the Hungry World can or does connect to. I felt obligated to be one of those who is a lot more selfless. When Mizuno-sama saved my soul from being devoured or bartered amongst other demons, I kind of expected her to just use me for her own whims. But she didn't. She gave me power, told me I was free to stay or free to experience the life I had lost and forgotten. Even though I returned to the world that I know I had come from, I could never find any link to my past, but Mizuno-sama saw to it that I had a present and, if I nurtured it, a future. Which is why I fight and why I wear the black kimono."

-----
Party - Sophia & Tsubasa

"I don't know why the Hungry World only takes in the souls of those from the root world of Sengoku Era Japan, but I can only assume that it doesn't eat from other worlds because it can't. It's not large enough to accomodate souls from all the worlds it can connect to."

"Demons have all kinds of powers, and through the gift of Magatama, half demons can wield some powers themselves," Tsubasa said. "There's a lot of different powers, from fire magic to telekinesis to strange powers like the ability to kill anyone who is looking at their reflection in a mirror or a pool of water or on some other reflective surface. Apparently whenever something new exists, especially a new way to kill someone, there's a demon to represent it."

Sophia asked her if there were Pokemon there. "Most likely not yet. The Hungry World takes a while to emulate something. And the times differ as well. There may be Pokemon there already or it could take a couple more months. Once a world is emulated, the gateway usually closes so that's a strong sign that there will be Pokemon, including possible emulations of people like you in there. We call 'em Dopplegangers, but don't freak out about the myths. They don't kill you if you see them. It's a lot like meeting your twin sister who is exactly like you in every way. As for the closed gate, us Kimonos have some talent in finding ways to return. If the gate closes here, it'd be our eleventh time being temporarily trapped outside the Hungry World, but if a gateway has opened before, one might find a way to open it again. It isn't easy, though. It usually involves violence."

-----
Party - Pierce & Shizuka

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd take my words to sound accusatory," Shizuka said. "Violet's right. You do tend to be rather self-conscious."

Then Pierce asked a rather weird question. "Chizuru? Attack Elizabeth? Heh, that would be very funny, y'know? Half the time, Chizuru doesn't know when Rio's proposing naughty things or cracking an innuendo. I swear, for all the time that woman hopes for encountering true love, she's a little too naive to know when it's talking directly to her. I guess in that respect, you two make a pretty solid pair. No wonder you two can fight side by side without getting in each other's way."

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

"I can't work my brain forever, Granger," Jeanette said. "If I think too much, I end up binging on cookies and ice cream and watching shitty television to bring my brain back down and then I have to use the lab's gym to burn those calories off and then I just feel all kinds of tired."
Darcelle nodded. "Ha! Darcelle is getting along well with everybodyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh, but Darcelle has to go soon!"

Huh? Where exactly was the fire?

Jeanette facepalmed. "She's talking about Darkrai's ability to cause nightmares in sleeping people, and I already told her to just switch her form."
Darcelle shrugged. "Ha! But Darcelle's other forms are Kyo-Kyo and Grou-Grou! If Darcelle switches, it would be a total mess when a rainstorm or a lot of blinding sunshine comes down right here in the party!"
Jeanette tried to retort, blinked, then hung her head in defeat. "Granger, I need more alcohol. Darcelle's made an arguement that I can't counter and I don't want to accept that I lost to a woman is only three and a half weeks old."

Darcelle placed her fists on her hips and turned up her nose with a righteous smirk.

-----
Party - Pierce & Irene

"Sure, Pierce. Sure." Irene said, then struck her left fist into her right palm as a realization came over her. "Whenever you've had enough of the party, you should come talk to me. I'd like to celebrate your birthday in a special way, wink wink nudge nudge know what I mean?"

Yep. She really said that last bit. For a woman over the hill, Irene still had a childish streak to her.

-----
Party - Pierce & Alphonsine

"Aw, don't be so modest. Evangaleen, can't you see this guy modeling an Arcanine-stripe thong?"
Evangaleen's face turned partly away so no one could see her wry smirk. "Or even less," she said.
"But it is nice to get away from all those stupid celebrity parties. You can't imagine how stuffy those stupid things can get," Alphonsine said, her expression like one who just ate a Sour Warhead. "So many people want me to come to their parties where only their friends are invited, and their friends aren't even really the people I'd want to hook up with. Why can't all my famous friends have normal friends like my nonfamous friends do?"
"Maybe they have those friends because they share something that you haven't seen in your famous friends?" Bretton offered.
Alphonsine was frozen solid for a moment. "Oh," she said. "I that case, I think that one male actor is kinda...'that way'."
"Extremely well dressed?" Bretton suggested.
"There y'go."

-----
Party - Pierce, Fujiko & Nyoka

"Well, not counting Dinner because we usually don't get the opportunity to fight alongside her ourselves, Nyoka's our heaviest hitter. I'd say about forty percent of all Honmyr Prideguard casualties inflicted by us Kimonos are her doing alone. She looks as adorable as that Renny boy, but she packs a whallop that could turn a mountain inside-out."

"As for me...well, y'know the physical difference between a Glameow and a Purugly? Well, I have two sides to me and this is my Glameow side and I don't get to live in this form often. Believe me, you don't want to see my Purugly side if you can avoid doing so. It's not a pretty sight and I'm not proud of it. So they tend to keep me from going anywhere except for the battlefield. It's probably for the best. When my demon form takes over, I develop a hunger for flesh in spades. Plenty of flesh out there, for sure."

-----
Pokemon Center - Renny & Lola

"Sure. I hope the test isn't that hard. But I consider myself a bright girl."

They hit up the Pokemon Center to find a few more policemen than one would normally see there, and all of them looked more alert than they really should.

"Odd," Lola observed, then hailed the nearest officer. She quickly returned and saluted Renny for no reason than just to be silly. "They just got out of a very scary situation here, Renny. It seems like someone tried to hack the PC Storage System. Chief Jenny and Nurse Joy guess they were trying to find some way to release every box from there, but that's impossible and the police weren't able to trace the hacker."

Hack the PC Storage System?

"No end of security measures are taken to make sure the PC Storage System is nigh-impossible to tamper with," Lola explained, though this was something Renny would know about. "If someone could break into it, they could assign every Pokemon in the database to themselves or anyone else who was an officially licensed trainer, or even force a mass release, unleashing tens of thousands of Pokemon back out into the world. Can you possibly imagine-"

And then true horror set in.

"All the bird poop?" Lola shuddered.

...

Renny's mind telepathically picked up the distinct sound of a slide whistle.

"Oh, but it looks like this center is running normally, so no problems getting me licensed and partnered up with some Pokemon."

One of the police officers, who Renny and Lola recognized as Chief Jenny herself, walked up to them. "Ah, you're a couple of those Watchmen agents, right? Could you do me a favor? I was going to report to PATCA later about Watchman Granger's sister, but maybe you can do it for me while I handle some other pressing matters. We've been digging at Millenium House for several weeks now, but we haven't actually found any bodies except for some poor crushed souls sporting Prideguard uniforms, but forensics suggest they were killed via other means before the facility came down on them."
"Guilty," Lola said, raising her hand with some hesitation.
Jenny smiled. "I wasn't blaming you guys and I'm not going to arrest you. Anyways, if you see Granger, could you tell him that we haven't found any signs of his sister? It might bring him some comfort to know that at the very least his sister wasn't killed in what transpired that awful night?"
"We'll be certain to let him know when we see him next," Lola promised.

-----
Ricewood Masterworks - Renny, Jeanette & Darcelle

"Oh, yes, Darcelle is doing very well. So well, in fact, that it kind of pissed me off," Jeanette said.
"Ha! Jay-Jay is angry because Darcelle is so speciaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!"
Jeanette laughed once. "I hated Faynoc, but I have to admit that he knew what he was doing. Darcelle is nothing short of incredible, and a machine that can create her is certainly not something I can duplicate for a good, long time."
"Ha! Only because Jay-Jay is bogged down with other, more necessary projects!"
"I know you mean well, but for some reason I can't draw comfort from your words."

"People are like Mareep, Renny. Many of them would be lost out in the world without someone to tell them that they are in control of their own lives and their own world. The reason that the Rezonscape is never usually brought up is because it's not really something that we can control. We can't say that we have everything under control when we don't. That just doesn't inspire confidence in the people who shell out millions of dollars to us when the promises we made turned out to be false. If the Rezonscape was talked about in schools and discussed on talk shows, a lot of people would probably end up leaving Honmyr for safer locales. People are always willing to trade off the wonderous things Honmyr offers for the safety brought about by the stagnant years that pass by in other regions. Though, that brought up a different problem entirely, the Fear Vanguard."

Jeanette stood up and stretched. "The Fear Vanguard knows what the Rezonscape is and its effects on us and our environment, and they're frightened. Frightened to the point of wanting to fight us. It has strong and mysterious powers that few people understand and even fewer could possibly control. That kind of power frightens even me, which is why I do stupid things like try to enter it using all this silly equipment."

-----
Party - Renny & Bretton

"Well, I still kind of am a personal trainer. I just do it a lot less. It was probably for the better. I'll let you in on something. You know Evangaleen, yeah? Well, she and I have been dating for a long time, like, ever since we were sixteen. We never really thought about getting serious with each other but I'm starting to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take things a step in the serious direction."

Bretton frowned. "As a personal trainer, I meet babes all the time. Actually, don't tell no one but that's how I met Jeanette. And gave her that little bundle of sweetness. If you look at Myrie, you'll see the resemblance, but that's a story for perhaps another time. Some of them don't even come to learn how to lose weight or build endurance, they just come to see me. And I played around with them, too. But I just don't feel like doing it so much these days. Sometimes us men need to get our focus together, y'know? It's silly, man. I'm still way in my prime but I already feel like I should be acting a lot older or something. Or maybe I just get sentimental when I've put a few beers away, I dunno."

And he was kind of deep, too. Guess you can't judge all guys by their biceps.

-----
Party - Renny's in a Fiveway

"Yeah, you can go kick my manager in the nads for that," Alphonsine noted sourly.
"Popular Association of Titties, Curves and Ass," Bretton butted in.

Uhhh...what?

"He's making fun of our agency's acronym," Shannon observed.
"And he's right, crude though his joke may be," Alphonsine concurred. "I don't know what kind of magic is involved or holy blessings or what, but suddenly PATCA is the place to find some of the most beautiful women in Honmyr, even in the entire world."
"Lola Phelps. Chizuru Suzuki. Shizuka Mizuno. Takano Uchimura. Catherine Shevenston. Rayleen Crosswald and her mother. Evangaleen Harris. Milsha Mathers. Melanie Crosswald. Muon Harper. Wilhelmina. Calisto Bellmond. Whitney Calnein..." Shannon droned on and on. "Let me know when I come across a female agent's name that belongs to a remotely ugly woman."

Alphonsine nodded again and again. "So my manager gets dollar signs in his eyes, or maybe I took some and stabbed them in there when he suggested doing a swimsuit spread entitled...ahem...'Angels of the Agency'."
"Why, was 'PATCA Poontang' already taken?" Bretton asked innocently.
"Butt out, Bretton. Go flex and kiss your muscles for stupid women elsewhere."
"Geez, just trying to lighten the mood," Bretton said and then wondered off to, perhaps not surprisingly, do exactly as Alphonsine suggested.

-----
One Random Night - Harliette & Whitney

"I just don't know what I'm doing or how I feel or anything," Whitney said after emptying her second mug of frothy beer. "It's like I know what I want, but there's too many paths for me to take to get it and I can't choose the best one."
Harliette paused in the middle of her third mug. "I know what you do."
Whitney looked at her. "You go to Renny and you fuck that little asshole's brains out."

Whitney smirked like she wasn't taking Harliette seriously, then she looked at her empty mug. "That would certainly help clear my head, but what about the consequences?"
"Well, maybe you just need time," Harliette suggested.
Whitney ordered a refill. "I don't need time, I need work. Something that I can just lose my mind into."
"Which is why I suggested fucking Renny in the first place," Harliette sighed as she drained her mug. Then she frowned. Aw hell, why not?

"Hey, Whitney. Feel like joining a cult?"

"I dunno, I kind of just got out of a bad relationship with one a short while ago. I'm not ready for a commited relationship yet," Whitney said jokingly.

...

Whitney lifted her heavy head and glanced at a smirking Harliette. "Wait, are you serious?"
Harliette nodded. "It's not so much a cult as it is a paramilitary task force. Irene's the founder if you can believe it. Seems like whatever she wants done, it involves the future of Honmyr and the Rezonscape."
Whitney leaned back. "...Count me in."
"Y'sure?"
"Aside from PATCA, I don't really have any plans. And I kind of idolize Irene. It's like no matter what happens, she has her shit together."
"That she does," Harliette said. "It surprised the hell out of me, too. Well, welcome aboard."
"What do you...ergh, we call ourselves?"

Harliette raised her mug from the bar, prompting Whitney to do the same. "Welcome, Whitney Calnein, to the Black Page Society," Harliette said as their mugs clinked together.

-----
Party - Impact & Sakuya

Armored Bishoujo: "Tonight's role of Impact will be played by Armored Bishoujo."

"So, what price is there on your silence about this?" Sakuya asked Impact.
Impact chuckled. "Ironically, if you wish to buy my silence, then all I ask is that you listen to what I have to say and consider my proposal."
Sakuya pulled out a cigarette. "Listen to you, I can do," she said, lighting it. "To consider it involves getting me interested in your proposal. You have one cigarette. And go."

Impact shrugged. "Fine. I can do that. What if I told you that the Hiroshiho Empire can be restored to the power it used to hold-"
Sakuya laughed. "I don't need you to help me-"
"...Without so much as losing a single soldier or being forced from the throne in less than a month after you conquer it?" Impact finished.

Sakuya's gaze sharpened. "Two cigarettes."

Impact smiled. "Actually, I'm already done."
Sakuya frowned. "That doesn't really help me any, Impact. You didn't tell me how you could do it or why."
"All I told you that I was going to do was give you my proposal."
Sakuya sighed as she finished her first cigarette and put it out. "Look, I'm going to start by assuming that you're serious about the question. Yes, I would be very interested in hearing about how you can make it possible."

Impact shook his head. "That's not how I work, Empress. All I'm telling you is that I can in time make it possible. But I don't want you to assume that I'm serious when I say I do. Honestly, all I want you to do is pay attention to me."
Sakuya coughed. "Pay attention to you? What are you talking about?"
"Think about what I just offered," Impact pressed. "And consider the gravity of that possibility. Would anyone think I can possibly do something like that? No, it's obviously as absurd as Charlotte in a wedding dress. It's clear even to me that I would need to actually prove myself to you. But I can't do even that if you're not paying attention enough to see that proof."

"I think I've caught up now," Sakuya said, lighting up her next one. "So, I think about what you just offered and I keep my eye on you for a while to see if you actually have the potential to pull it off. And then I come to you when I'm sure of your proposal and give you my answer."
Impact nodded.
"And that's all I needed to hear to buy your silence?"
Impact nodded again.
Sakuya looked off towards the other wall. "You've got yourself a deal, Impact. But I'm difficult to impress so you'd better make with some convincing proof."
Impact nodded once more and left Sakuya alone. Sakuya finished her second cigarette and stomped it out. "Impact...at the very least, I can appreciate his bluntness and honesty. Qualities you just don't find in most men these days."

[Dracorion]

Party - Pierce and Chizuru

Pierce listened to Chizuru explain her reasons for fighting. Then it came to him that she had ended up in the Hungry World because she had died.

... Yeah, probably should try not to bring that up.

Instead he just smiled at her. "You're really amazing, you know. I really admire you." He said simply, with something of a wistful look.

Then immediately blushed and tried to look away embarassed when he realized what he just blurted out. "Ah... err... gwuh..." He stammered.

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

Party - Sophia and Tsubasa

"I see..." Sophia took a moment to process what Tsubasa had explained and any possible implications... No, not much. "Th- thank you so much for indulging me, Tsubasa-san." She said with another bow.

"Just one last question. What determines how half-demons get their powers? Is it random, or are they automatically tailored to the individual, or does it take a conscious choice?"

From what she had heard, ingesting a Magatama was supposed to be an excruciating affair. On the other hand, if it made one as pretty as the Kimonos...

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

Party - Pierce and Shizuka

Pierce felt more than a little embarassed at Shizuka's comment about him being self-conscious. What she said next didn't help.

He turned beet-red when Shizuka pointed out his mistake, to the point where he had to bury his face in his hands and take a deep breath. "Oh God... oh God, I feel so stupid." He mumbled.

He removed his hands from his face, still quite ashamed, and addressed Shizuka. "Ahem... w- well, like I said, I don't think Liz would attack Chizuru. She's aggressive with her flirting, but not violent."

He pondered for a moment. "... Although I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to take advantage of Chizuru's naivete. We should probably watch out for that."

Then something Shizuka said finally caught up with him. "... Wait, did you just call me clueless?"

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

Party - Pierce, Jeanette and Darcelle

Pierce chuckled at Darcy and Jeanette's conversation, especially when Darcy outsmarted the Professor. "Granger, I need more alcohol. Darcelle's made an arguement that I can't counter and I don't want to accept that I lost to a woman is only three and a half weeks old."

"Sure thing." Pierce walked off for a moment to fetch a bottle of Mollesk wine and quickly returned. He chuckled as he filled his own glass and Jeanette's. "Well, to be fair, she's your clone."

Then he turned to Darcy. "You know, Darcy, if your Darkrai ability is the reason you can't stay longer, there are ways to suppress it temporarily." He thought for a moment. "I don't think anyone owns a Cofagrigus, and we can rule out Worry Seed because of Insomnia... that still leaves Entrainment, Simple Beam and Gastro Acid. I'm sure someone around here can help you with that. How about it?" He suggested as he took a sip of wine.

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

Party - Pierce and Irene

Pierce blinked at Irene's proposal. Somehow, the party seemed much less important. However... "Tempting as it is to just ditch everything..." He looked up and down Irene's smoking body, taking in all of her amazing assets. "Believe me... I think I'll stick around a little longer."

He should get a medal for that. He was pretty buzzed by now.

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

Party - Pierce and Alphonsine

An Arcanine thong or less? ... Yeah, not if all other garments in the world disintegrated.

... At least she wasn't suggesting he participate in a 'Hunks of the Agency' photoshoot. Which reminded him... he should probably stop ignoring Aria in the background trying to tell him something. Her overexcited gestures and pointing at Alphonsine made it pretty clear what it was.

"Actually, Miss Dione, I was wondering..." Pierce tensed up, shuffling awkwardly on the spot. "Could I have your autograph?" Aw crap. He couldn't have seemed more like a pathetic fanboy. "I- it's not for me. A friend of mine is a huge fan of yours." Yeah, she was going to buy that.

Aria was going to owe him big for this. He thought Alphonsine was pretty hot and great and stuff, but he wasn't crushing on her. Unlike Aria, who dragged him to all of her movies and every event and made him wait in hellish lines for hours on end.

And she still couldn't muster up the courage to approach her idol.

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

Party - Pierce, Fujiko and Nyoka

Pierce gave Fujiko a curious look. "I see... I'm sorry about that. If you don't mind my asking, why is that? To my knowledge none of the other Kimonos turn into Puruglys." He remembered Shizuka's transformation in Millenium House. "You know, involuntarily."

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

Party - Pierce and Jeremy

He gave Jeremy a confused look. "Err... are you apologizing for Charlotte drinking? She can't be that bad, can she?" He asked. Apparently he had no idea what Jeremy was referring to.

[Menarker]

Renny - Lola
----------------

"Sure. I hope the test isn't that hard. But I consider myself a bright girl."

Renny smiled pleasantly, not at all worried.

"I'm sure you'll do great. These tests are made keeping trainers as young as 10 years old in mind. You already work with pokemon on a regular basis, so you should be just fine. Just be calm and take your time. I'll be waiting for you."

They hit up the Pokemon Center to find a few more policemen than one would normally see there, and all of them looked more alert than they really should. Renny looked concerned as they both approached.

"Odd," Lola observed, then hailed the nearest officer. She quickly returned and saluted Renny which mildly amused him. "They just got out of a very scary situation here, Renny. It seems like someone tried to hack the PC Storage System. Chief Jenny and Nurse Joy guess they were trying to find some way to release every box from there, but that's impossible and the police weren't able to trace the hacker."

"Oh no! It's a good thing I'm giving you the few pokemon I have in my box, in case they try again!"


Lola went on to explain the sheer difficulty of such a break in which Renny stoically acknowledged, wondering who had such skill and ill intent to do such a thing. Officer Jenny then approached them and filled them in on some of the details of the Millennium House.

"I wasn't blaming you guys and I'm not going to arrest you. Anyways, if you see Granger, could you tell him that we haven't found any signs of his sister? It might bring him some comfort to know that at the very least his sister wasn't killed in what transpired that awful night?"


"I will. Thank you Officer Jenny." Renny waved farewell as he looked toward Lola.

"Well, I'll be right here rooting for you. Good luck with the test. I know you can do it!"


-----------------------------
Renny - Darcelle/Jeanette
-----------------------------

Renny listened intently to Jeanette's explanation seriously, understanding it although feeling the entire thing was more or less out of his hand.

"I understand. Thank you kindly for your explanation."

Renny then slowly stood up as he started getting ready to dismiss himself.

"Thank you both so much for your time. It is good to see you both and I learned quite a bit. But I guess I should be going now so you can get your rest."

Renny then recalled all his pokemon and started to show himself out.

"I guess I'll see you both soon, at the very least at the beach! We can have some fun! You both have a good evening!"

------------------
Renny - Bretton
------------------

The Gallade regarded Bretton curiously. He was surprisingly good natured and straight forward, although his casualness with women left him wondering. He especially wondered why he didn't stick with Jeanette when she had a child from him. But Renny decided at the very least that this line of conversation was not suited for the party.

"I see... Yeah, focusing on what really matters to us. Bretton, would it be possible at all if you could give me some serious personal training in the near future? I really want to improve my physical strength and endurance overall. I don't need to look muscular, but if I'm going to be fighting directly, especially without weapons, I'd think I need to develop my overall strength."

----------------------------------
Renny - Fiveway AND Jeremy
----------------------------------

"Oh right, the photo shoot!" Liz exclaimed, exaggeratedly bonking herself on the head. "I wonder which swimsuit I should wear?"
"What about the one you tried out yesterday? That one that's just band-aids over your privates?" Leprihare proposed.
"Don't be silly, I'll get arrested."

Renny couldn't imagine someone deliberately wearing such a lewd and potentially painful "swimsuit", especially in public. Maybe it was just him though? No one else seem to have batted an eye at the suggestion.

Both of them looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can't decide, there's just too many options." Leprihare finally said.
"Yeah, same here."
"Oh! I know! What if we get Renny to help us?"

Liz smiled widely. "That's a great idea. How about it, handsome? Will you help us pick out our swimsuits?"
"C'mon, it'll be fun." Leprihare and Liz both pushed up against Renny again as they spoke.

Renny was burning up as they pushed their bodies against him, the tension inside him increasing to a stressful level as he tried to make sense of it all and get himself out somehow...

"Errr, I don't know if I should be... hold on, you two brought several swimsuits to a birthday party?"

Then the situation was interrupted as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Renny turned and looked at the well dressed gentleman.

"Hey, you're Renny right?"

"Yes, I am Renny. Is there something you need sir?"
I'm Jeremy, just transferred a few weeks back. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, but I've heard good things."

"THANK YOU!"

Renny freed his arms from Liz and Leprihare's grip as he gave Jeremy a handshake and included him in the gathering, very much happy to have someone help bail him out, although accidently.

"Why thank you! I'm touched you to took the time to see me. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Jeremy. I hope you're enjoying the party. So what position are you filling in in PATCA? Do you have a special reason why you chose to transfer here?"



"I don't know what kind of magic is involved or holy blessings or what, but suddenly PATCA is the place to find some of the most beautiful women in Honmyr, even in the entire world."
"Lola Phelps. Chizuru Suzuki. Shizuka Mizuno. Takano Uchimura. Catherine Shevenston. Rayleen Crosswald and her mother. Evangaleen Harris. Milsha Mathers. Melanie Crosswald. Muon Harper. Wilhelmina. Calisto Bellmond. Whitney Calnein..." Shannon droned on and on. "Let me know when I come across a female agent's name that belongs to a remotely ugly woman."

Renny actually had an interesting expression on his face from Alphonsine's mention of "holy blessing" especially when Shannon started listing them. He accidently chuckled a bit.

"Forgive me. I just thought for a moment that maybe it was indeed some sort of "holy blessing" like Alphonsine said. When I first joined with the other Watchmen, the only ladies in PATCA I saw was Rayleen and Rachel. But from the very first mission onwards, the numbers jumped! One of my leader pokemon is my lifelong friend Togekiss, a pokemon that is basically the living embodiment of holiness, blessings and good fortune. I don't think he really did all that, but when I see the number of wonderful people, including the attractive women, here in PATCA I sometimes find it hard to believe we could have all gathered just out of coincidence."


Mentioning Togekiss then reminded him of something else as he asked with curiousity and amazement.

"Alphosine, if I remember correctly what Shannon told me, you specialize in the flying type, am I right? Forgive me for asking, but I have an eevee evolution myself, Umbreon, and I have two flying pokemon in my team... well, the second one is flying type half the time..." Renny then corrected himself before he went off on a tangent "It's complicated but not important. But as you can see, I have a bit of interest in both. But I never heard of a flying type evolution for Eevee before. How did you manage to find the way to evolve it like that?"

[Dracorion]

Party - Fivesome

"Errr, I don't know if I should be... hold on, you two brought several swimsuits to a birthday party?"

Liz and Leprihare giggled innocently. "Of course not, silly."
"You'll come home with us and we'll try out swimsuits for you there." Liz explained with a wink.

Unfortunately, Renny had to detach himself from them to deal with a newcomer. "Awww..."

That didn't take long, though, and soon he was talking to Alphonsine and Shannon about Togekiss' fortune, which of course prompted them to jump back in, grabbing hold of him again. "How fortunate do you think Togekiss makes you, Renny?"
"Lucky, or reeeaaally lucky?" Leprihare whispered playfully into his ear.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Jeremy and Impact

At this time in the party, Jeremy had a seat at an empty table, nursing a glass of water pretending it was alchohol. 'God I have a problem,' he mocked himself mentally as he drained the glass. He glanced over at Charlotte briefly, a small amount of resentment in his eyes. Alas, his gambling habits had gotten in the way of his drinking habits. What a cruel hand of irony fate had dealt him.

Aaaand there he was. Impact had been apprehensive about his little commission from Garus, and now his apprehension seemed justified. He had not thought that Garus would leave that sort of thing lying around. Especially not when friends of Charlotte were liable to pop in unannounced. But it had happened, and, from the drafts he'd seen, it'd probably still be worth it. At least it would if Jeremy could keep his mouth shut. He approached the man now, a fresh tumbler of fragrant whiskey in his hand, and slid into the seat opposite of him. "Good evening. I don't think we've met. Is this seat free?"

"Uh, hey there," Jeremy greeted Impact, a curious look on his face as Impact approached, "Sure, no one's sitting here. I'm Jeremy, nice to meet you." He took a second to straighten his vest beofre extending a hand to the guy.

Impact smiled, shaking Jeremy's hand, holding Jeremy's gaze, eyes friendly.
"Ray Green. Impact, on the battlefield. Good to meet you as well. Always nice to get some extra help. I understand you're a friend of Charlotte's?"

There was no escape from the name Charlotte. "Yeah, Charlotte and I have a history one might say. We play poker on friday's and all that. I'm signing on as her enforcer."

Impact raised an eyebrow, his tone amused. "Oh? I'm not sure whether to express my congratulations or my condolences. Probably a bit of both. I think you'll do well here." He paused for a moment. "But back to your, ah, history. You and Charlotte... you're close?"

"Well," he said, in thought, "its difficult to explain. Sometimes I question it, but Charlotte and I are friends. She doesn't need consistency, so I guess I don't either."

"Convenient, I guess. But enough of Charlotte, for now. What of yourself? I like to learn a bit about... new friends, prefferably before our first mission together."

"Err," he seemed a bit antsy, apprehension on his face. "There are some things I guess I don't like to talk about, but since you're interested, I'll go into a bit of detail. I'm from this city called Silverholm. Rough place in the northeast. Abridged version is that I may have been in some unsavory groups and may have been involved in a game corner or casino or two."

Impact thought for a moment, noting the apprehension. "Well, if you're on the run from the law, I think you've come to the wrong place." He took a demonstrative look around at the police badges on view throughout the room "If it's just the unsavory groups that worry you... I don't think they'll trouble you here. We watch out for our own, particularly since Sheveston was killed."

"I'm not worried about the law or anyone coming to get me," he said narrowing his eyes. "All that stuff has been sorted out and put behind me. I just don't want to talk about it because there are some things I'm just uncomfortable speaking of."
Impact shrugged.

"Fair enough. We all have secrets, I suppose. As long as they don't come back to haunt us." He met Jeremy's eyes again, his gaze a lot less kind all of a sudden. "I trust yours won't? I'm no longer responsible for the Watchmen, at least not officially, but we just had one unwelcome surprise. I'd hate to have another."

"I don't think that will be a problem Mr. Impact," Jeremy said in response, a hint of disdain, "anything else before we conclude this discussion. Any questions, comments, concerns?"

Impact frowned at the use of the honorific. Jeremy was either overrespectful or not very good at subtle mockery. Probably the latter. But best to let it go for now. "Speaking of secrets that might haunt us, Jeremy. I believe you've laid eye on a certain piece of art, featuring a mutual friend. It would be best all around if you forgot you'd ever seen that."

"Oh, you requested that? Your secret is safe enough. Just don't give me a reason to recall it and we are squared away, good pals and all of that. Cheers." He raised his glass of water in a mock gesture.

Yep, definitely the latter. He disliked him already. Impact cocked his head curiously, smile still friendly, but with something predatory around the edges. "Reason to recall it? My friend, I said 'best all around'. I do believe forgetfullness is in your interest. And I am an excellent judge of these things"

"That a threat?" He looked on the edge of laughter. "Man dude, you're pretty serious about your porn. If it means that much to you, don't worry, I'll let you keep it under the bed. Just don't have a cow man, geeze."

Impact chuckled briefly, trying to keep his annoyance at Jeremy's antics hidden. Insolent. And remarkably unwise. "A threat? Oh, no. Not for something like this. But if Charlotte finds out, she goes ballistic. Seeing as she's currently team leader, I think we'd all suffer." He sighed. "In any case, there's things to do. It's been... interesting, talking to you." He stood, leaving the Whiskey on the table. "I don't... usually drink, but I overheard you ordering water. I thought some alcohol might aid your forgetfullness. Enjoy." He turned to leave.

"Mmhmm, I'll be sure to," he said as he eyed Impact as he sauntered off. Jeremy briefly eyed the whiskey, and rolled his eyes. He wanted it, but he was better than that. The good gambler played the cards he was dealt. The hand he was dealt on this day was that of the designated driver.

Impact threw a glance over his shoulder as he made his way through the crowd. The air was smoky, but he could see that the whiskey was untouched. Either Jeremy wasn't a drinker, or he had more self-control than Impact had credited him with. He guessed the latter, but that didn't disturb him. You couldn't rely on first impressions. You could instruct Garus to make a background check, and hope that Jeremy had enough sense to keep his mouth shut. Impact intended to do just that.

Jeremy, Renny, and others

"Why thank you! I'm touched you to took the time to see me. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Jeremy. I hope you're enjoying the party. So what position are you filling in in PATCA? Do you have a special reason why you chose to transfer here?"

Jeremy was a bit worried that he was intruding at firts, but if anything Renny seemed grateful, so that was positive. "I'm taking a position as Charlotte's enforcer," he replied casually. "In truth, I was trying to get in this division a bit sooner, but it wasn't until now I got the go-ahead." The kid seemed to be holding quite a conversation with a couple lady friends. Playboy in the making for sure. Jeremy wouldn't hold him up for too long.

Jeremy and Pierce

"Err... are you apologizing for Charlotte drinking? She can't be that bad, can she?"

A look of relief briefly flashed across Jeremy's face. It seemed the scar was from something else. He supposed that he should give the girl more credit? "Just a misunderstanding then. No worries. And unless the drinks are spiked or something silly like that, I doubt she'll get that drunk by the parties end. But enough about her for now, how about you? Enjoying the festivities?"

[Menarker]

Renny - Jeremy
--------------------------

"I'm taking a position as Charlotte's enforcer," he replied casually. "In truth, I was trying to get in this division a bit sooner, but it wasn't until now I got the go-ahead."

Renny reaction was a surprised expression that spoke of his curiousity.

"Oh, that's neat! Forgive me if I'm wrong, but do you personally know Charlotte? Most of the other enforcers do not tend to be assigned to any specific agent, so your position strikes me as pretty special. Also, I actually meant what was your motivation for joining PATCA... like was it the pay that interested you? Helping people? Eagerness to prove yourself? As dangerous as this job is, our agents have joined for many reasons."

Renny noticed Jeremy sticking to a glass of water instead of any of the alcoholic drinks.
"Have you had the chance to try any of the wine? The ones I brought in, I and my pokemon made it out of berries. I can't speak for everyone, but so far it seemed to be well received. I made a few in individual bottles for those who are designated drivers or couldn't make it to the party so they can have some at a moment more convenient for them."

Renny then added something with a more serious expression.

"Look, err, Jeremy...I don't know how much you know Charlotte, but from my experience, I understand that sometimes she can be a little abrasive. I don't really see eye to eye with her, although she is very strong in dealing with the everything that has happened so far. But lately, missions in PATCA have been getting increasingly more dangerous. You just transfered, so you might be at more risk than many of us who have gotten used to things here already or know what is going on. So if there is anything that you really need to know or talk about and Charlotte isn't able or willing to help you out for some reason, you can talk to me. If it is possible, I'll try to help so you aren't caught unprepared when things get rough. After all, you're on our side now."
Renny then smiled openly offering a handshake. "Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck here."


---------------------
Renny - Liz/Leprihare
---------------------

His ears burned as Leprihare whispered in his ear. He had no wish of going with them for examining swimsuits, which he quickly believed was not their only intention, although the thought of what indeed made him flinch for a moment.


"...Lucky enough. Your offer is generous, but I can't come with you two. There are still people I personally need to talk with. I'm sure whatever swimsuit you two choose will be a wonderful surprise when the photoshoot comes."

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Jeremy

"Well, I wouldn't put it past a certain someone I know to spike Charlotte's drinks..." Pierce said thoughtfully. "But maybe fear of Charlotte's reprisal will keep her in check. Let's hope."

"Anyway, yeah, I'm enjoying myself. Honestly, I haven't had a proper birthday party in a while. So yeah, this is a nice change." Pierce said, looking around happily. "How about you?"

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

Renny, Liz and Leprihare

Both of them giggled again. "Of course not tonight, dummy."
"We wouldn't want you to miss out on the party."
"But when the time comes, soon, you're definitely going to help us pick out our swimsuits." Liz said, with something of a malicious glint in her eye.

It seemed these two weren't going to let up.

[Astral Harmony]

Party - Pierce & Chizuru

Chizuru couldn't help but pump out her already considerable chest with pride. "Aw, don't worry so much about it, Pierce. One day you'll be amazing. I mean, you already are. Not many people could possibly have survived what you did that awful night. And I can tell right now that you'll go on to survive many further hardships. I'm sure all the things I did will pale in comparison."

-----
Party - Sophia & Tsubasa

"It's all in the Magatama," Tsubasa said. "They're kind of limited. Some of them give you only physical power, some give you ice magic, some give you no powers whatsoever and just bolster your normal abilities. Gaining really incredible powers from those babies will usually require you to mix and match. You can't ingest multiple Magatama at the same time, but you can swap out one for another. Unfortunately, once you get one inside you, you're not going to be able to get it out of you."

A few nearby faces turned towards the conversation. Tsubasa sighed. "I hate accidental innuendos. Anyways, becoming a half-demon is a one way track. Once you make that jump, you're not going to able to climb back up the cliff."

-----
Party - Pierce & Shizuka

Shizuka folded her arms. "Well, if you managed to read into what I said, then maybe Chizuru has a chance."

Then she thought about it. "Or just about any woman, probably," she corrected herself. "You do tend to make it hard for a woman to hold onto her inhibitions."

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

"Sounds good. Would you like that, Darcelle?"
Darcelle nodded. "Ha! Darcelle likes the idea. Still, we shouldn't be staying so long anyways, right Jay-Jay?"
"True. I hate to break your heart, Granger, but parties aren't really my kind of thing. I can't really afford to distance myself away from research these days, what with the Rezonscape and Nosferatu and all. So many mysteries for science to solve and-"

"And Honmyr is going to sink between the tides if we let you stay away from your precious research," Darcelle sighed. "Ha! Jay-Jay forgot how to have fun when she was Myrie's age!"
"Do you need a time out, Darcy?"
"Waaaaaah! Darcelle is so sorry!"

-----
Party - Pierce & Alphonsine

Alphonsine had an impish smile. "Sure. For this friend of yours."

Alphonsine's autograph was extremely quick, with one little addition that set it apart from most autographs. Alphonsine kissed it, placing a lipstick mark in the "o". "Unfortunately ever since I started doing that, I felt obligated to do it everytime I do autographs. Oh well, the fans love it, and I love my fans. I owe my crazy fun life to them."

-----
Party - Pierce & Fujiko

"There's a lesson to be learned in what I've done, Pierce," Fujiko said. "One can indeed achieve his desires, but hard work and effort does not circumvent the price one must pay to obtain said desires. Not even the Hungry World offers shortcuts in the path of power."

-----
Party - Kimono Talent Band

"Heh. Looks like the other ninja girls are going to be doing a group talent," Fujiko said to Pierce while looking at a corner of the room. She sighed. "Well, I guess it's true that some of them just don't have the kind of talents they can broadcast or make interesting."

This was true. Chizuru's main talent was cooking, and she already did plenty of that today. Fujiko herself was able to hit the bullseye of a dart board with her shuriken each and every time. Rio lifted Kurika above her head. Kiyomi showed off some kind of remote control aircraft...complete with miniguns and rockets that made a small mess out of the couch, promising to pay for it.

Shizuka took up a guitar while Chizuru picked the bass guitar.
"Ready when you are, Takano," Rio said, whirling her drumsticks.
"Then let us begin," Takano breathed, and took a deep breath as Tsubasa started opening with the rhythm guitar.

It was And Love Said No by H.I.M., and Takano's voice rang out like an angel.

"Kill me,
I begged and love said no,
Leave me,
For dead and let me go,
Kill me,
I cried and love said no,
Kill me,
I cried and love said no."

This clearly wasn't the first time they did a rock band thing. Not with their skills and coordination. But since even the youngest Kimono was a couple centuries old at least, they obviously had a number of as-of-yet undiscovered activities.

-----
Pokemon Center - Renny & Lola

Lola had a silly expression on her face, like she had just gotten out of a situation that she still couldn't believe despite her involvement.

"That had to be the dumbest test I've ever taken since medical school," Lola said.
"Obviously," Nurse Joy said, cheerful smirk on her face. "It is a test made for ten-year olds, after all."
"So when do I get my license?"
"Just as soon as you stand right here and smile your most beautiful smile ever."
"Can't. I'm saving that for my wedding day. So you'll have to settle with this. Cheese!"

After perhaps two minutes, Lola was admiring her shiny red Pokedex. "I guess I have to have one, even though our Inquiry Visors are far more advanced," she said, referring to the official name of the scouters.

-----
Party - Renny & Bretton

"Serious personal training, eh? Well, sure, li'l bro. Building muscle and endurance is easier than it sounds. All it really takes...is motivation, and soon you'll be able to do this kind of stuff."

Here, Bretton reaches over to his right, snatches Evangaleen, and starts lifting her life a dumbell.
"Hey, Bretton, put me down, ha ha ha ha! That tickles, don't touch there, ha ha ha ha ha!"
Bretton releases her on his next lift and catches her like a princess, then gently releases her back with the others. "Actually, I could do that with just one arm, but I didn't wanna risk hurting her."

He most likely wasn't joking. Bretton didn't pack as much muscle as Kurika did, but he was nearly bursting out of his tank top. And he didn't seem winded by using Evangaleen like a dumbell.

-----
Crosswald Resident - Rayleen & Lilma

"Some kind of sordid deeds by President Andricksen, eh?" Rayleen said, turning off her laptop and setting it aside, then leaning back in bed. "Can you elaborate, please?"
"Of course, my Lady," Lilma straightened her round-rimmed glasses. "We know that during a lull in the action during the later half of the Second Succession War, Lady Irene, Mister Darrell, and Mister Lucifer were all tasked for a top secret mission."
"Right, to find the White Catseye Gem," Rayleen said. "The president is a philanthropist. I'm sure all he wanted was for them to discover a way to end the battle more peacefully."
Lilma shook her head, causing her long dark green braided hair to softly sway around her maid uniform. "Shortly after the three return from this mission, two of them wind up dead and another winds up in a coma."
"And I say that was an accident. A horrible accident."

"Forgive me for saying so, but that accident was a conveniently selective one," Lilma shrugged. "And consider the timing. This happens right after the three return from their 'reportedly' unsuccessful search for the Shrine of Facades deep the Miasma Mountain Range."
Rayleen's eyes gained a keen edge. "So what are you saying, Lilma? You're saying my mother somehow arranged the death of her own husband and my fiancee after she actually found this gemstone and interacted with it?"
"There's no evidence to suggest that to be true, nor point out a motive," Lilma said, looking thoughtful. "Speculating is all well and good, but we should not jump to any kind of conclusion until we've beheld this artifact for ourselves."

Rayleen recalled the map. It pointed to something not on the map called the Shrine of Facades, apparently located deep within the Miasma Mountain Range. "This seems to suggest that you're right and she actually did find it, but it's also true that she didn't find it and is just going off of all the rumors and hearsay. There's any number of rumor sites of the internet that points out this Shrine of Facades and most of them say it's in the same place mom does. What I really don't understand is why mom wants me to do this mission."
"Because you're her precious daughter, my Lady."
Rayleen looked up. Lilma nodded. "Out of everything, even this world, you are her most precious treasure. If she found the gemstone and took action based on whatever it predicted, then the reason she's sending you to find it yourself is so that you'd see the truth. Your mother loves you, and she cannot bring herself to keep the unclouded truth from you."
"She could just tell me."
Lilma stared at her sketically. Rayleen lowered her head. "Okay, I guess you make a good point. It'd be very hard for me to believe my mom if she told me she killed Darrell and Lucifer."