"You did what?!" Leilani exclaimed. "Girl, I told you to talk to him about it, not try and see how quickly you could get him into bed with you."
Solana played with the straw in her drink. The two of them had completed their missions for the morning and decided to have lunch together in Fall City before Leilani headed back to Summerland. Of course there was no way Solana could keep what happened last night between her and Lunick to herself. Leilani may be a wildfire at times but she also had moments of clarity, wisdom and insight. Who else could she go to with questions about sex? Leilani may have been a virgin as well but she clearly knew a lot more about it than she did when it came to intimacy.
"I couldn't help it. When Lunick and I are alone, that's all I can think about." Solana stopped playing with her straw. "It doesn't matter. Lunick wasn't interested anyway. He just wanted to finish his report."
"Can you blame him? You probably scared the living daylights out of him. Lunick is a sweet guy, Solana. And a gentleman. He would never take advantage of you."
"Of course not. But I was willing? I practically screamed at him I was ready but he still didn't take the bait."
"Perhaps that's a good thing, Solana. I mean, yesterday you were talking about how special you wanted your first time to be on your wedding night."
"You're the one who said nobody waits till marriage anymore."
"But I wasn't green-lighting you to seduce the boy!" Leilani countered.
Solana rested her hand on the table. "Leilani, it's like I told you before, and what Lunick nearly blurted out that time at the concert. We do do more than kissing. We haven't gone all the way but we've gotten pretty close. I can't help it. Every time I see Lunick I just want to be in his arms, pressed up against his chest, and feel his hands all over me. I mean, I thought this was every guy's fantasy. Why wouldn't he want to do it?"
"Look, Solana. This is exactly why I said you two need to talk about this. It may not even be that he doesn't want to do it. It may just be that he's trying to be respectful of you. Of course Lunick thinks about it. He's a guy. They have wet dreams for crying out loud. But Lunick is not just some guy. He's a good guy. A really good guy who is so in love with you. I can almost guarantee you he did not really want to focus on writing his report and would've much rather preferred to be up with you in your bedroom. But if he had the presence of mind to turn you down, I think that's a pretty good sign of where his head is. He loves you, Solana. And he doesn't want to hurt you. You told me waiting was something you both wanted to do. Why are you trying to rush it?"
"I'm not trying to rush it," she replied. "I don't know what's going on. All I know is whenever I'm alone with Lunick, that's all I think about. And it's driving me crazy."
"I cannot stress enough how much you two need to talk about this, Solana."
"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to do it."
"That's the problem. You want to hurry up and jump into something because of your feelings. In fact, it's not even your feelings. It's your carnal human instinct. But we're not pokémon, Solana. We don't just go and mate with someone just because we're in heat. That's the problem. You're in heat. Your body wants Lunick but I'm not sure your mind does. Be thankful that Lunick has the willpower to fight off his carnal desires, because somehow, I don't think you would've been happy with him if he actually relented into doing that last night. He knows you."
Solana sighed. She held her head. "You're right. I have no idea what's wrong with me."
Leilani got up from the chair and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Nothing is wrong with you. You're just letting your flesh control your actions and not your head." She grasped her chin and turned her face so she could look at her. "Talk to him, Solana. Let him know where you're at. Let him know what you want. And see what he says."
Leilani's styler suddenly started vibrating.
"Leilani here…Uh Huh…Fall City…Okay, tell Leader I'm on my way."
Leilani disconnected the call and put her styler back in its holder.
"I gotta jet, Sole. Cameron has a mission for me in the Olive Jungle."
Solana stood up. "That's okay. I gotta be getting back to the base anyway. Our lunch break's nearly over."
Leilani nodded. She once again placed a hand on Solana's shoulder.
"Please talk to him, Solana. I know it's hard. Conversations like this are embarrassing and Lunick is very tempting but please talk to him first."
"I'll try."
"Call me if you need to talk?"
"Most definitely."
Leilani brought her in for a hug before letting her go and starting outside of the mall.
Solana watched her go before picking up her half-drunken smoothie and throwing it into the trash can. She then exited the mall as well and headed for Ringtown.
Solana and Plusle entered the Ringtown Ranger Base. She was surprised to see Lunick seated behind Spenser's desk, typing on his computer. Minun was standing on top of the desk, handing various papers to Lunick.
Solana walked up to him.
"Hey, Lunick," Solana said quietly.
"Hey, Babe," he replied casually as he continued to type on the computer.
Solana leaned over the desk and started tracing circles.
"What's wrong?" Lunick asked without looking up.
"Why do you think something is wrong?"
"You're just standing there, circling the table with your finger. You don't usually do that unless you're lost in thought. What's on your mind?"
Solana stopped rubbing her finger against the metal work desk and folded her arms on the table.
"Lunick, we need to talk."
Lunick immediately stopped typing and looked at Solana with worrisome eyes.
Solana nearly slapped herself for using that overly used break-up line.
"No, Lunick. I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry. I should have worded it better. I meant we need to talk about something important."
Lunick seemed to relax just a little bit at hearing that. He went back to typing on Spenser's computer.
"Okay. What did you want to talk about?"
Solana bit her lower lip. How was she supposed to breech this conversation? Was she supposed to just outright tell Lunick she wanted to sleep with him? Was there a more subtle way to approach the topic? Was this even the right place to talk about such a touchy subject?
"Solana?" she heard him call.
"Yeah?"
"What did you want to talk about?"
Solana sat up from the table. "Oh, uh…it can wait."
"Are you sure? You said it was important?"
Solana nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's not that important to interrupt what you're doing."
She decided now was not the best time. She walked around the desk to join Lunick on the other side.
"What is it you're doing anyway?"
"Leader asked me to man the front desk while he was out on a mission. I'm just entering these files in for him and logging all the reports we've gotten so far for the morning."
"He's out on a mission? Spenser doesn't usually go out on missions himself unless it's an expedition or some huge dangerous adventure."
"Yeah, apparently it's a high priority mission. A Legendary is involved. Deoxys was spotted near the new Jungle Relic in Summerland. He, Joel, and Elita all went to investigate."
Solana looked back at the base's entrance. "I sure hope they're all okay."
"Finished," Lunick said. He saved his spreadsheets and sent them to print. Once the documents finished printing, Lunick picked them up from printer and secured them in a manila folder in Spenser's file cabinet.
Lunick took up a pen and paper.
"Now I can start on Iyori's résumé."
Solana turned back around. "Résumé?"
"Yeah. Your plan was to get her to stay here at the base, right? Well, we gotta fill this out first before approaching Spenser about it. Everyone is out on missions now, so it's the perfect time to try and complete this."
Just then, Iyori stepped out of the base's storage room. She was wearing the baby blue blouse and cuffed knee-length jeans Solana had bought for her the other day. She was also wearing a pair of white tennis shoes. Her hair was still done up to the side of her head in a high ponytail.
Lunick smiled. "You look great, Iyori. Awesome job, Solana."
"Thank you, Lunick."
Iyori walked up them. "I do not normally wear pants like this. It will take some getting used to. But I do like the combination." She looked up at Solana. "Thank you for buying me this, Miss Solana."
"Oh, don't worry about it. It was no problem at all."
Lunick tapped the desk with is pen. "Iyori, are you ready to fill this out?"
Iyori was confused. "Fill what out?"
Solana quickly put her hand around Iyori's shoulder.
"Hey, Iyori. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Certainly."
Solana guided her back to the base's storage room.
"You just continue filling out what you know, Lunick. I'll bring her back in a second."
Lunick scratched his head. "O…Kay…"
Stepping into the storage room, Solana closed the door behind her.
"What did you wish to talk about?" Iyori asked.
Solana sighed before turning around to face the young girl.
"Iyori, I owe you an apology."
"You do?"
"Yes, I do. The way I spoke to you back when you came to the base looking for Lunick after you had been discharged from the hospital?…I was way out of line and I'm sorry."
Iyori's confused expression turned into a small smile.
"Oh, you do not need to apologize for that, Miss Solana."
"Yes, I do. I was wrong to speak to you like that. I know you've gone through a lot and that you've lost a lot in that fire. That was no way to address you, even if I did suspect you were going after Lunick."
"I assure you, you have no need to worry. I would not do anything to disrespect Lunick-san or you. Lunick-san cherishes you. Whenever we are alone, all he does is talk about how lucky he is to have you in his life."
"He does?" Solana cracked open the door and saw Lunick playing 3D Pinball: Space Cadet on Spenser's computer.
"He cares an awful lot about you. Lunick-san has a level of devotion and zeal for you I've not seen before. Whenever he talks about you, his features just come alive. His heart is on full display whenever you come to his mind."
Solana smiled as she continued to watch Lunick play his game.
"Thank you, Iyori." She said as she turned back around.
"Why are you thanking me?"
"For telling me this. You may have just helped me make an important decision I wasn't sure I knew the answer to."
Iyori smiled. "Oh. Well, I'm glad I could help you with your decision-making."
Solana nodded. "Mhm. And now it's my turn to help you."
"What do you mean?"
Solana crossed her arms slightly, not out of irritation but moreso because she was trying to figure out how to approach the youth about her situation.
"Iyori, you do know you can't stay at Lunick's house forever?"
Iyori's eyes fell to the floor and she grasped her left arm with her right hand.
Solana was careful to watch her movements. "Iyori, Lunick and I want to help you but you're going to have to start allowing us to help you the way we need to, even if it may not be exactly what you want."
"There is no place I can stay where I am safe from that man. He will track me down and kill me, I am sure."
"We're not gonna let that happen, Iyori. We're going to keep you safe. But you cannot keep staying at Lunick's house and follow him everywhere he goes. He has a job that requires him to go out on dangerous missions on a daily basis. We can't risk your safety."
Iyori started to dig her nails into her skin. Solana saw this and tried to be a little gentler with her words.
"Iyori, you can't stay with Lunick. But we think we may have come up with another solution where you can still feel safe."
Iyori looked up at Solana.
Solana smiled softly. "Iyori, how do you feel about staying here, in the Ringtown Ranger Base?"
Iyori gasped. "Here? By myself? With all these strange people walking in?"
Solana could see the panic in her eyes and immediately tried to see if she could help calm her down.
"It wouldn't be strange people, Iyori. It would be Pokémon Rangers. My Area Leader, my coworkers. Lunick and me."
"But I do not know these people! They could hurt me!"
"No, they won't hurt you, Iyori. Do you remember what Lunick told you about Pokémon Rangers?"
Iyori sniffled. "That…You work to protect nature…And keep our world safe…"
"And who inhabits this world?"
"…Humans and pokémon?"
Solana exhaled. "There you go. Pokémon Rangers work to protect people and pokémon and keep them safe. Nobody here is going to hurt you. We're here to help guide and protect you, okay?"
Iyori sniffled again and nodded her head slowly.
Solana walked into the storage room's adjoined bathroom and came back out with several sheets of tissue paper.
She handed them to Iyori.
"Here."
Iyori took the tissue paper and blew her nose in one.
"Do you think you'd be willing to try it out? Can you do that?"
Iyori barely nodded her head yes.
"Okay. Come on."
Solana opened the storage room door and led Iyori back into the lobby. Lunick was still playing Space Cadet on Spenser's computer.
"Are you both done?" he asked without looking away from the monitor.
"Yeah, we're done. Is Professor Hastings here?"
"He's at his lab in Fall City."
"Lunick, why don't you and Iyori fill out the application together. I'm gonna go talk to Professor Hastings to see if he'd be willing to take Iyori as his new assistant."
"Application? Assistant?" Iyori asked.
"Yes, Iyori. In order for you to stay here, you have to work here."
"What?" she cried.
Lunick pulled up a chair beside him. "Don't worry. I'll be right here with you filling it out."
Iyori looked between Solana and Lunick before timidly walking over to the chair and sitting down beside him.
"I'll be back, Baby. Oh, and after you finish here with Spenser, I have something very special planned for us tonight."
"Oh really? What is that?"
Solana shook her head. "No spoilers. But you may want to wear something nice and comfortable. Nothing fancy, casual attire will do."
"Are you taking me out to dinner?"
"You could say that. It's a new place I have in mind. We don't usually eat there. But it's my hope you'll enjoy the food."
"Hey, so long as food's involved, I'm in. What time do you want me to pick you up?"
"Come around nine. We may not get off till late this evening."
"Nine? You sure the place will still be open by then?"
"Mhmm." She nodded.
"Okay. See you at nine, love."
"See you then."
Professor Hastings' lab was a complete mess. Books laid everywhere on the floor, papers were scattered, test tubes and flasks were all over, and mechanical parts were sprawled out in every direction. It was all Solana could do not to step on anything that would puncture her shoes.
"Professor?" she called as she tried her best to step around the dangerous matter. "Professor?"
She heard a kerplunk! and a Boom! coming from upstairs. After several moments, Professor Hastings could be seen walking down the stairs, rubbing his head. He tripped over a wooden crate and fell to the floor.
"Professor!"
Solana and Plusle quickly hopped around all the obstructions. She knelt down and held onto his arm when she reached him.
"Professor, are you okay?"
"Pla Plah?"
Professor Hastings continued to rub his sore head.
"Oooh…What a tumble that was…My, my."
He shook his head and blinked several times. Everything was a blur.
"Confound it, I've lost my glasses," he cried.
Solana looked around them. She saw his red horn-rimmed a couple feet away.
"Plusle, can you get that for me please?"
"Plah Pla!"
Plusle ran over to Professor Hastings' glasses, picked them up and ran back to Solana.
"Pla Pla!"
"Thank you, Plusle. Here Professor," Solana said as she took the glasses from Plusle and handed them to Professor Hastings.
"Thank you," the old man put on the glasses on and suddenly everything became clear again.
"Ah, much better," he turned to face Solana. "Solana, lass. What a pleasure it is to see you."
"Professor, how did your lab get in such a terrible state? It's downright dangerous in here. How can you even work?" Solana asked as she helped the Pokémon Professor to his feet.
Professor Hastings sighed. "Well, between my research work, scientific studies and the many alterations and adjustments I have to make to the Union shipments, my workspace has become a cluttered mess. I've been meaning to fix it up but I just haven't had the time."
"Professor, this is too hazardous for you to be working in. You can seriously get injured. Or anyone else for that matter. Why don't you have someone come and clean the place?"
Professor Hastings dusted off his lab coat. "Nonsense. I don't want some stranger touching my stuff. I can tidy this place up myself."
"But you haven't. Honestly, if I'd known how bad it was in here I would've called someone myself to help out, even if I wasn't already going to tell you to hire an assistant."
"Come again?"
Solana handed Professor Hastings his cane.
"You're in dire need of an assistant, Professor Hastings. This lab is a wreck. You need someone to help you organize your stuff and manage the lab when you're not around."
"Bah! I need no such thing."
Solana put her hands on her hips.
"Professor, be reasonable. You can't take care of this stuff all by yourself. That's the reason you hired Crysta in the first place."
"And she moved on to other things. I decided I shall never hire another person again after that Go-Rock Squad diabolist used my research against me!"
"Professor, Natasha did no such thing. There was a listening device planted in one of your textbooks. Natasha left because she couldn't take your suspicions and constant criticisms anymore. She had nothing to do with the Go-Rock Squad."
Professor Hastings's eyes hardened.
"Hooey and hogwash, I know what I saw!"
"Okay, Professor Hastings. Even if that was true, you're gonna let yourself get swamped in all this drudgery and work in a junkyard of a laboratory because you can't bring yourself to trust another person?"
"I don't appreciate your sass, Miss Tsuki."
"I'm not trying to sass you, Professor. I just don't understand why you're so adamantly refusing help when you clearly need it."
"I don't need some hooligan coming into my workspace, messing with my things. Moreover, I already have someone assisting me with my affairs."
"Who's that?"
There was another Thud! and a Smash!,followed by a resounding Crash! coming from the lab's upper level. Loud footfalls could be heard on the stairs.
"Professor?…I…I don't know if I can…Whoa! –"
A person suddenly fell from the stairs. Several books flew in the air as they nearly fell and hit the floor. Luckily, they were saved by a psychic field of purple energy.
"Murph?" Solana wondered as she saw her colleague floating upside down in the air. His Slowing appeared behind him from the stairs.
"Oh, h-hello, Solana," Murph replied nervously.
Slowking turned his human back around and placed him gently on the ground. He then stacked the many thick textbooks and continued to carry them with his Psychic.
"Slowking."
"Thanks, buddy."
Solana was still confused. "What are you doing here, Murph?"
Before Murph could answer, Professor Hastings interjected.
"Murph is studying to become the Ranger Union's Chief Representative."
Solana's eyes went wide.
"Really?" she said as she looked back over to her friend.
Murph bit his lower lip and nervously looked away.
"Indeed he is," Professor Hastings said proudly. "He's shadowing me. I had all these textbooks on Union rules, policies and regulations and Ranger certification, so Murph agreed to come pick them up and study. He will be taking over the PR position for me."
Solana smiled widely. "Wow, Murph. That's great. I'm so proud of you. Congratulations."
"Aheheh…Erm…Thanks Solana."
Professor Hastings started walking towards the lab's entrance.
"We must be getting back to the base post-haste. The Union has a conference scheduled in half an hour and there is still much work to do. Move those feet, Murph."
Professor Hastings suddenly slipped on a liquid chemical that was on floor seeping from one of the broken flasks and he started to fall.
"Professor!" Solana and Murph cried in unison. Solana quickly sprinted to his side and caught him before he hit the floor.
"Oho! Much obliged, Solana."
Solana helped him up. "Professor, I'm serious. You are in desperate need of an assistant. I'm likely to call Leader and tell him that you've been working in such a disgusting state."
"That is not necessary, lass. Spenser tends to overreact when it comes to me and my health and safety. Surely, he would blow this out of proportion."
"Professor, at least meet the girl I have in mind. She's very sweet and she really is interested in the Pokémon Ranger profession. She can help you get this place organized and clean up all this mess, though, I still think calling a maintenance worker will be the best option."
Professor looked around his lab and grumbled. It was in a shabby state.
He looked back at Solana. "You trust this young lady you're speaking of?"
"I do."
"Hmm," Professor tugged on his beard. "Alright. I'll give her shot. But I am doing this solely on your judgment, Solana."
Solana smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Professor. I promise you won't be disappointed. Iyori will not let you down."
"Iyori?" Murph cried. "Iyori wants to work for Professor Hastings?"
"You know this young lady, Murph?"
"She's a young girl Lunick –"
"Met on a mission," Solana finished for him. "Lunick helped her out and since then she's been wanting to know more about what Pokémon Rangers are and how she could help."
Murph gave her a strange look.
Professor Hastings nodded. "Well, seeing as you three seem to know this young lady quite well and vouch for her, I look forward to meeting her."
He once again started for the lab's entrance, careful not to trip or slip on any more of the items on the floor.
"Come along, Murph. The Union needs their stenographer."
Murph sighed. He watched Professor Hastings walk out the door.
"That's quite the accomplishment, Murph." Solana said as she approached him.
"Yeah, but I don't think I've really earned it. Professor Hastings just asked me on a whim. I don't know what he was thinking asking me to do this."
"Maybe because he sees your potential?" Solana encouraged as she crossed her arms.
Murph sighed again. "The only thing I'm good for is changing light bulbs and eating."
"Murph!"
"Sorry. It slipped out."
"You gotta stop talking down to yourself. You're better than that. Much better than that."
"I guess," he shrugged. "Hey, why'd you lie to the Professor about Iyori?"
"I didn't lie."
"You didn't tell the whole truth?"
Solana uncrossed her arms. "Look, Lunick and I are trying to help Iyori to get back on her feet. She won't go anywhere else but Lunick's house. I barely got her to agree to stay at the base."
"But only rangers, PR techs, and PR nurses can stay at the base?"
"Hence, why I'm getting her a job as Professor Hastings' assistant and the base's receptionist."
Murph frowned. "Solana, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, Iyori's still very delicate."
"This is the only way I can think to help her. Allowing her to stay at the base will rebuild her confidence and trust in others. And she won't constantly be bothering Lunick when we have to work."
"Maybe, but it can get pretty hectic at the base, especially when distressed citizens come in begging for help, like Larry. I don't think that's something she should witness in her current state."
Solana reached into her pocket and pulled out her styler.
"She'll be fine. Lunick and I will be looking after her. And once Professor Hastings takes her in as his assistant, I'm gonna ask him to do the same."
Professor Hastings called from outside. "Murph! What're you doing, lad? Move your caboose and put some speed on those feet! The Union waits for no one!"
Murph sighed. "I gotta go, Solana. Can you tell Leader I'll be back late tonight to submit my log book?"
"He's out on a mission right now but I'll pass the message along."
"Thanks. Let's go, Slowking."
Murph walked sadly to the lab's entrance. Solana frowned. She hated to see her friend so down.
Her styler started vibrating in her hand.
"Solana."
"You messaged me, girl?"
"Yeah, I need your help with something tonight. Are you still on your mission?"
"No, Percy and I are just wrapping up. What's up? You need to talk?"
"I'll tell you more about it when you come over. Meet me at my house as soon as possible, kay?"
"Alright. See you then."
"See you."
Solana disconnected the call. She put her styler back on its holder on her hip and looked around the lab one more time. She cringed, then turned around to exit.
"Come on, Plusle."
"Plah Pla!"
"You're not seriously considering wearing that, are you?" Leilani asked with crossed arms as she sat on her girlfriend's bed.
Solana looked the cream-colored dress up and down. "What's wrong with it?"
"Are you on your way to church, or are you going on a date?"
Solana rolled her eyes and put the lacy dress back in her closet.
"Well, what about this?" she held up a pair of black slacks and a thin yellow blouse.
"Uh uh. You are so not wearing pants on your date."
"I don't want to be too dressy. I told Lunick to dress casually." She hung the black slacks back up.
"Well, let's see what we've got to work with." Leilani got up from the bed and went to Solana's closet.
"Dang girl, you don't have that many girly-girly things in here."
Solana pulled out a light pink shirt with a purple heart on it, eyeing her friend dubiously.
"Oh sure, that's girly…For a ten year old." She pulled out multiple dresses from Solana's closet and threw them on the bed.
"LBD? No. Lavender one? No, too 'first date'. Blue one? No, too southern belle. Uk!" Leilani held out a long leaf green dress at arm's length. "What is this monstrosity?"
"Hey, my Dad gave me that."
"So that's what it is? Daddy's Little Girl? No way." She threw the dress back on the bed. "Girl, all those times we've gone shopping and you didn't once tell me the tragedy that befell your wardrobe."
Solana crossed her arms in annoyance.
"We're gonna have to do some serious damage control after this."
"I didn't want to wear a dress anyway."
"Well, let's take a look at your skirts." Leilani went back to rummaging through Solana's closet. She pulled out a willowy white miniskirt.
"Now this is what I'm talking about. Girly, with a touch of sexy." She passed the skirt to Solana. "Here, combine it with your yellow peasant blouse and you're all set."
"Thank you," Solana rested the outfit on her bed and went to putting back up the pile of clothes Leilani expelled from her closet.
"So what exactly are you planning for Lover Boy?"
"Since we finished our work early today and Iyori's staying with you tonight, Lunick and I have the whole evening to ourselves. So, I decided to treat him to dinner tonight."
"And the name of this happening new place is?"
Solana smiled as she closed her closet door. "Home."
Leilani arched her eyebrows. "House to yourself, treating him to a home-cooked meal…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Everything's under control, Leilani. Lunick's taught me a lot over the years. I think I can handle homemade nachos."
Leilani looked as if she had been shot. Her eyes grew as big as saucers and her eyes dilated as her hand flew to her chest.
"No…way!"
"Chill, Leil. There's nothing to worry about."
"There is so something to worry about. Tell me again who was it that nearly set the Ringtown Ranger Base on fire? Who was it that got dragged all the way down the hall by an electric mixer? Who was it that proved you could burn water?"
Solana narrowed her eyes at her slightly. "That last quip is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"Hardly. Solana, nachos look real simple but it's not some pre-fab food-style glop like the kind you order from the fast food joints. You still gotta make a lot of the actual stuff yourself."
"Got it all under control. You'll see. That's why I asked for you to come over tonight."
"You bet I'm gonna see. I'm not leaving until I'm sure we don't have to call the hazmat team.
"Green looks good on you, Leil," Solana said with a sheepish grin.
Leilani was just about ready to admit defeat and throw in the towel. The whole kitchen was filled with a slight haze where the ground beef had started smoking. Solana thought the instructions had been clear. Season meat, brown meat, and simmer. She'd done just that, not realizing she had to actually drain the meat, put oil in the frying pan, and reduce the heat to medium, not leave it on high. It wasn't quite a fire, but it still filled the room with smoke. The meat was most definitely going to be on the crispy side. Ground meat could be crispy, right?
Trying to prevent the smoky mess from turning into a grease fire, Leilani failed to notice the jar of salsa verde Solana left on the stove until it was too late. There was a slight popping sound, followed by a horrified squeal. Solana turned from the table and the cheese she was trying to grate to see her friend covered in bright green spicy sauce.
"Girl, if I did not love you like a sister…" she growled as the mess started to drip from her face to Solana's tiled kitchen floor.
Solana took a dish towel and started moping the mess out of Leilani hair.
"Eww…better go upstairs and wash this stuff off before it gets in your eyes.
Leilani grumbled as she made her way to Solana's staircase and walked upstairs, putting the shower on to run.
"Sorry," Solana yelled from the bottom of the staircase. She walked back into the kitchen and heated the grated cheese in her microwave. When it beeped, she opened it up to see the cheese burnt in the plastic bowl.
Scowling, Solana slammed the microwave door and went to throwing the bowl in the sink. She unfortunately slipped on the salsa that had fallen on the floor from Leilani's face and fell on her butt, the bowl of melted cheese falling straight on her head and splattering all over her face.
Wiping the gooey brown cheese from her eyes, Solana gave a frustrated cry before getting up and stomping into her downstairs bathroom, hoping to get the gloppy mess out of her hair.
Lunick rang the doorbell to Solana's house, holding a bouquet of red roses for Solana. He had never quite gotten out of his habit of giving Solana flowers whenever he came to pick her up for a date but he knew she didn't mind. Lunick was clad in a simple red sports jersey and white Bermuda shorts. It wasn't often Solana allowed him to dress down for their date nights but seeing as he didn't have to wear anything formal, he said "Screw it' and just threw on the most comfortable thing he could find. If she didn't want him to be homey she shouldn't have told him to dress down.
Lunick could smell a twinge of smoke. Slowly, the gears in his head started to click into place. Solana wanted to go out to dinner at an apparently new place. But there was no new place.
Solana was cooking him dinner!
Lunick reached into his pocket and pulled out the spare keys to her house that Solana had given him to use only in case of emergencies. He couldn't get the door opened fast enough.
There was still a haze in the air of burnt meat and cheese. Green salsa covered most of the electric stove, some of it having formed a crust over the edge of the burner. Fortunately the meat swimming in undrained grease was off of the heat.
Lunick surveyed the damage, wondering how the salsa managed to explode. He knew all too well what that kind of salsa could do if it got in your eyes. His worry only intensified when he heard the shower running upstairs. He quickly sprinted up her staircase, managing to clear it in three bounds. He covered his eyes as he pushed opened her bathroom door.
"Solana? Babe, are you alright?"
Not hearing an answer, he tentatively peeked through his fingers…
…just in time to see Leilani snap out of her 'Deerling-in-headlights trance as she snatched a towel from the rack.
"You better run!"
Solana was just coming out of the downstairs bathroom, patting her hair dry with a towel when a streak of dark green and teal hair in a red jersey came flying down the stairs, a towel wrapped and intensely infuriated Leilani just a few steps behind.
"YOU BETTER RUN!" she screamed again, leaving a thoroughly shocked Solana in her wake.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lunick repeated over and over as Leilani headed for Solana's front door. Despite much apologizing, hiding, groveling, and Lunick swearing on Minun's life that all he had seen were her wide open eyes, he didn't feel like being too close to her right now. He caught her glaring at him multiple times as they helped Solana clean up her kitchen.
Leilani glared back at him one more time before opening Solana's front door.
"Thanks for helping me clean up, Leil."
"Yeah, girl. I think it's safe to say you need to stay away from electrical appliances for the rest of your life," she said as she stepped outside.
Solana started nervously rubbing the back of her neck.
"I'll take that into consideration."
Leilani looked past Solana at Lunick cowering in the corner of Solana's living room.
"You better keep that boy on a tight leash for a couple days."
Solana glanced back at him. "I'll take that under advisement. Not that I'm in support of what happened at all, but I'd say turnabout's fair play. All those years of teasing Lunick about what you may or may not have seen at the derby and you give him quite a show in my own house."
Leilani pointed her finger at her. "You need to teach that boy how to knock. He shouldn't be barging into bathrooms unannounced."
"Well, maybe you should've locked the door?" Solana asked as she raised her eyebrow questionably at her.
Leilani made a rude sound. "I shouldn't have to lock the door with the fear or expectation that some guy is gonna come knocking it down."
"Well, maybe now you will."
Leilani rolled her eyes. "Whatever, girl. What I really wanted to ask you before that catastrophe took place in the kitchen, was if you had finally spoken to dude boy about your…desires?"
Solana glanced back at Lunick. He was still shaking in the corner.
She looked back at Leilani. "No, I haven't told him yet. I had planned to tell him tonight."
"Well, make sure you do tell him. You know how you get once you guys get intimate."
"I promise you I'll try."
"I don't know if I like the sound of that. Try isn't exactly a guarantee it will happen."
"Try means I'm going to do my very best."
Leilani shook her head. "Okay, Sole. I told Iyori I'd be back by ten. I don't want her freaking out on me. I'll talk to you tomorrow, but call me if something happens, alright?"
"That I can most definitely promise you."
She gave her girlfriend a hug and watched her get in her car and drive away.
Closing the door, Solana walked into her living room. Lunick was still curled up in a ball on the floor in the corner of the room.
"Hey?" Solana said as she knelt down beside him.
"Is she gone?" Lunick asked fearfully without looking up.
"Yes, she's gone, Baby."
Lunick quickly unfolded and grabbed Solana by her hands.
"Babe, I swear to you, I didn't see anything! Honest!"
"It's okay, Lunick," Solana said calmly as she tried to still his shaking hands. "I know it was an accident."
Lunick stared at her with uncertainty. "You're not mad?"
Solana shook her head. "I mean, shocked would be putting it mildly, but as far as mad, no. I know it wasn't intentional. Leilani's still mad but I'm not."
Lunick sighed and covered his face. "She's gonna kill me."
"No she won't. She knows I love you too much."
"I don't think I can look her in the eyes ever again. She'll burn me to a crisp."
"Please, let's not talk about anything burning right now."
Lunick sat up. There was still a slight smell of smoke in the air.
"Solana, what were you doing? Why were you cooking?"
"I wanted to do something special for you tonight. We never did have our celebratory date."
"Solana, you don't have to do anything for me. I love you and I'll continue to love you no matter what. Burnt food and all."
Solana giggled slightly at that despite her insistence that they not talk about it.
"Well, I may not have been able to cook but there is something else I can do to make you feel special. But first…"
She stood up and extended her hands toward Lunick. He took them and stood to his feet.
Solana walked over to her stereo system. "I think I'm up for a little dancing."
She pressed a button on the player and Better When I'm Dancing started playing.
She extended her hand once more to Lunick.
He smiled and walked up to her, putting his left arm around her waist and holding her left hand in his right.
As the music started to play they started to do an upbeat salsa dance. They both swayed their hips quickly to the rhythm of the music as they continued the partnered dance to the soca song. Lunick spun Solana around several times, even bending her over to the ground like in the tango. He pulled her up smoothly and they went back to doing the salsa, laughing and giggling with each other.
Getting an idea, Minun stood up on his hind legs and bowed to Plusle.
"Mai Mai?"
Smiling, Plusle took Minun's paws and together, the two pokémon starting mirroring their humans' dance moves.
Lunick then lifted Solana in the air and swung her on either side of him, passing her through his legs the third time before lifting her up in the air once more. Solana then wrapped her legs around him as he spun around with her.
Lunick stopped twirling and they both shared a tender kiss as the song came to a close. What started off as a simple kiss slowly turned into an intense makeout session. Lunick carried Solana over to the couch and gently placed her down, crawling on top of her moments afterwards, not once breaking the kiss.
Once again seeing where this was going, Plusle stopped dancing and nudged Minun to tell him they should leave. Rolling his eyes, Minun and Plusle scurried out the room and ran through the pet door in Solana's kitchen that led to her backyard.
Solana and Lunick continued to kiss intensely. Grasping the bottom of his red jersey, Solana pulled it up over his head and dropped it on the floor. Lunick planted several quick kisses on Solana's neck, sucking the base of her neck, envoking a light squeal from her before they resumed kissing. His hands glided smoothly over her legs, traveling from her thighs, to her ankles, back to her inner thighs again. Solana then peeled out of her peasant blouse, revealing the bright pink bra she was wearing that was partially visible through the thin yellow fabric. Their lips locked again as Lunick's hands slipped under Solana's white skirt, feeling her toned buttocks through her panties.
Solana wrapped her legs around Lunick once more, bringing him down closer to her and pressing her body further into his.
Lunick suddenly broke the kiss and sat up.
"What's wrong?" Solana breathed out.
Lunick was also trying to catch his breath. "I think…I think we may need to slow down…"
Solana sat up as well. "Why?"
"I think…we may be moving too fast."
Solana's heart sank a little. But she wasn't going to push him any further than she already had. "Okay. There are other things we can do."
"What'd you have in mind?"
"Why don't we just lay down here on the couch, order some Thai, and watch Plusle and Minun's Great Adventure?"
Lunick smiled and chuckled, his dimples popping out and making Solana's heart flutter.
"Yeah, okay. We can do that." Lunick got up off the sofa and reached for his red jersey.
"Hold on. I didn't say we had to put anything back on?"
Lunick looked back at Solana, smiled, then dropped his jersey back on the floor. He plopped back down on the sofa chair and enveloped Solana in his arms.
"Whatever my lady wants."
Solana smiled as she leaned back on his chest. She tilted her head and gave him another kiss on the lips, bringing him down with her on the couch. Lunick wrapped his arms around her waist and together they watched the animated movie about their two favorite pokémon. Shirtless and all.
