Hello, it's me again! Sorry for not updating in... what, a month? I'm sure many of you were worried about this all, and I truly am sorry. Life got heavily in the way, and I'm sure it will again, so I can no longer promise consistent updates. I'm probably going to reduce the update ratio to once every two weeks. Now, I know that sucks ass, but I have some good news to go with it. As compensation for the wait, and as a way to keep the community from falling apart, I have started a Discord server! Feel free to join and get involved; I'd love to have you all around. Now, due to Fanfiction's lovely link-cancelling system, you won't find the link here. It'll instead be posted in ArchiveOfOurOwn's version, in the description of the story and in the A/N of this chapter. So yeah! Please consider joining! And of course, thank you so much for your continued support in this story. We'll see each other soon, yeah? Enjoy!
Don't forget the million warnings from past chapters.
"Seventy-two hours; that's your time. Think about it long and hard. You know the kind of person I am, I'm sure you've at least heard. Either you stay where you are or you take a leap," Wilhelm said, a ragged old voice full of wisdom.
"Right, yeah. I appreciate the offer, but I can't just flip-flop sides more than once, aight? This is a big deal. So just… Give me some patience," Soze replied, flapping her arms about so dramatically. It was all a hard move for her.
A pat on the back made her growl. "Try to relax, 'S'. The big man might be big, but he's not a God. I thought dogs were good at scampering off," Zed teased, earning a lung punch from the lass to which he wheezed a 'worth it!'.
The car door shut with a thud. "Of course, lassie, but we've all got lives to lead, eh? I best be home before too dark." Wilhelm turned to Zed, who took the seat next to him. "You should come along too, young man. The fine folks at that Pokécenter will probably ask you not to disturb, so you're better off with me either way. We'll keep you warm," the elder asked so tentatively.
Zed leaned back, hiding his contemplation with a tease. "Don't say it like that, it sounds horrible."
"Alright! Arceus, don't put that fuckin' image in my head!" Soze complained, grasping her head and turning toward the nightclub nearby. "I'll go report the news. Maybe Daddy'll be slightly more convinced you're not entirely fucking useless."
"Hear that, old man? She just loves leaving a good conversation with a cuss."
"Ooh, is that right? Take that shit and shove it back up under!"
"Unsanitary?"
"Agh! Gross!" Soze screetched again, walking away from the conversation entirely.
Zed chuckled to himself for a bit, but the laughter soon dwindled. The hum of the car was still going. One never felt comfortable staying parked here; not with Lorenzo's cot next door.
Wilhelm gave the young man a pat on the shoulder. "You alright there, kiddo?"
"I'm thinking."
The Chevy began its move. "About the girl?"
"I can't get her out of my mind. But no, about the… Nevermind."
"You know, I'm an old geezer perhaps, but I'm not ignorant. I know the nature of what you two did in that little place," Wilhelm accused.
Zed didn't have the nerve nor heart to deny that claim. "It sucks."
"Imagine how they feel."
"You're really gonna guilt-trip me like that…?" Zed complained.
"Of course I am," he affirmed. "Surviving is a plenty selfish thing, is it not?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we have to eat to live. And to eat proper we have to end life. To live is to allow the Arbok to bite its own tail. The very nature of survival is greedy, and so, aren't we all doomed to be sinners?"
The lad put his head on the window, feeling the vibration of the glass tickle his nose. "Pretty philosophical."
"Sure it is. Eheh, the missy always lived that way. Likes to keep thinkin' about silly old things."
"Missy…? You have a woman?"
"Something like that, aye."
The car bumped and jumped a bit from a pothole as the road came away from the city and into the more rural areas Wilhelm lived in. The light became so dim that only that the one inside the vehicle felt comforting and warm; the sight alone driving one delirious with the shivers.
"You know," Zed opened, "you're pretty damn suspicious when you want to be. I mean, shit, I don't even know why you're helping me out in the first place. Feels contrived. Convenient."
"I've a good eye for decent men."
"You picked a sinful man, sir."
"Dearie me. Didn't I just say that we're all sinners, young'un?"
Zed put his head back on the glass and sighed. "If you say so."
"I'm helping you because you've a woman yourself, don't you, sonny?" Wilhelm asked, though he seemed to already know the answer.
"What?"
"That Braixen."
"Arceus, you're jumping to conclusions a bit, aren't you? She's a Pokémon—"
"No use lyin' to me kid. I've a good set of ears and a keen set of eyes. I always lied when I was a pupper. Now I just can't seem to get tricked meself."
The man in leathers was left speechless for a moment, his throat tightening around his words. "N-Now hold on, hold on. That may be right, but uh… We just… We…"
The senior behind the wheel sniggered to himself. "Look at ye, all flustered up. You're a funny man, mister 'Zee'. Why didn't you stick to comedy?"
"Yeah, well, be thankful I'm not a different kind of entertainment."
"You'd be a bloody good dancer, I'd bet."
"Enough with the creepy comments!"
All his protests lead to were more laughs from the older gent, and Zed had to keep himself quiet lest they crash through the thickets. Soon enough, the silhouette of the fairly sized cottage came into view; it all looked so eerie and quiet here at night. Of course, the lack of proper lampposts could be the main cause, but the constant extra cold chill that permeated too also worsened the atmosphere. It could almost be called a haunted house. Zed was forced to empty his mind of such childish thoughts as the Chevy came to a gravel-grinding stop near the front of the place.
"Young'un, are you the squeamish type, by chance?" Wilhelm asked yet another suspicious question, popping his door open and slipping out of his seat into the night air.
"Depends on the kind, I guess."
"Well, listen, I don't fancy a screamin' fest. Try to cover your mouth if you see something you don't expect."
"Cockroaches…?" Zed asked. "Please let it be cockroaches…"
"Hehe, a few of those, too."
The pair strolled up the creaky steps to the old wooden door, and while Wilhelm fiddled with a light and his key, 'Zee' couldn't help but feel a venom churn in his stomach at the thought of how Cinder might feel to have been left alone. Wilhelm had a point. Even if he had stuck around, odds are, he wouldn't have been allowed to stay in the Pokécenter when even the staff wasn't on duty. Those places weren't like human hospitals. Humans need constant surveillance due to their laughably weak vitalities, but Pokémon were wonders of nature who could survive having their heart stabbed at times without too much intervention. Over-monitoring just wasn't an effective use of expensive wages.
"You comin' in, or do you fancy living the freezer experience out there?"
Zed snapped out of it. "Sure, yeah. I don't really want to know what being fridged is like."
"You know, if I didn't hit my head, I could've sworn something scared me off this morning while I was leaving the house—"
"Arceus, can you get in before my house before it turns to a snowdome?!"
Light shimmered in and out of being in the void of Cinder's eyesight. A flicker of a light would make the nothingness of her eyelids somewhat warmer, but it would eventually be replaced with complete darkness once more. Debating what had transpired in the last few days, she felt happiness, sadness, calmness and anger all in one instance. It was enough to make her weep of joy or misery, and it drove her sick. Many times she considered abandoning sleep in favour of standing up, but the last time a doctor had spoken to her directly, she was specifically instructed to minimize movement during this time of healing.
The shrapnel and traces of the bullet had been surgically removed. She was just to repose. But after sleeping eight hours, she just couldn't sleep anymore.
Still, the thought that she could undo her healing, despite being a Pokémon, was a troublesome one. She'd rather wait it out. Stacy had already left, though, and so she had no one to entertain this smouldering soup of worrying ideas.
See, what the doctors had failed to examine, was the itchy burn that had been left behind by that sadistic guardian she had been appointed by what she can only assume to be cosmic justice for a past life.
She had no right to complain, or so Cinder thought until recently. It was a humiliating job, wearing, at times, intentionally provocative clothes while cleaning the place. It wasn't often that her likes would end up bumping around into the customers, as she often worked during day shifts, but on the few occasions she was made to, often as a punishment, she got a taste of what true indignity felt like. It still baffled her that, with so many dedicated women in that studio, some perverts still felt the need to go after the clearly uncomfortable one.
Perhaps that's where their pleasure was gained? It could be anything, especially when humans beat Pokémon attendance eight-to-one. It made her feel third-person filth.
But then again, who was she to complain, when her heart had begun to waver for a human too? Was it wrong to feel this kind of love? She did feel it was wrong when the other humans entered the studio to watch Lopunnies dance on a pole. Judging by the noises they made from behind curtains, Cinder knew they loved the lapdances, too. It all made her feel ill.
And yet, in a matter of hours, her heart began to beat faster for one of those furless monkeys. Perhaps Cinder's value wasn't as great as she herself had imagined. Perhaps, in her time of being shamed, she had lowered the bar of decency to a level no limbo dancer could get under. Was there anything appealing to Zee? Sorry, Zed. Best not make that slip-up when she returns to the studio.
"Oh God."
"I'm going back."
That thought made her eyes snap open wide. This hell wasn't over. Somehow, for some stupid reason, she had convinced herself unconsciously that, because she was sleeping somewhere that wasn't the nightclub, she was free. But that was an irrational, desperate feeling, and it was so far from true.
And then another thought peaked in her mind.
Marcy, the well-aged Lopunny with a serious temper, had shouted during a drunken spiel last month that she was soon to retire. But did that mean freedom? Was she going to be free from then on? Would Daddy—would Lorenzo—loosen his steel grip on her? It didn't feel possible, but perhaps, if that was the case, Cinder just had to work until she wasn't appealing to anyone anymore.
But what did that mean?
Even Stacy has had one occasion of being sold off for a night, and while Zed in particular didn't force her into doing anything, Cinder was almost violated that time. If it wasn't for Zed's sudden change of heart, she would have lost her innocence to him instead of…
…
"That sounds strangely better than…"
…
The fact that worsened it all was, it wasn't just some guy. It was her father figure. The person who raised her, always with a that all-fooling smile. Such tenderness he once seemed to own. He used to be her only friend.
Her paws slithered slowly down to her crotch.
She felt around for a bit, touching the skin of her thighs and her nethers. Cinder's hips stung like they were bruised. Her hips ached. Her… still burned. She didn't even notice the big fat tears fall from her slackjawed face; she made no noises. Her paw reached to her neck. It hurt so badly.
This fragile Braixen body couldn't possibly endure this for years. She may heal relatively quickly, but any human, or worse, Pokémon brute could break her dead. Would she die being violated? Was she going to allow this fate?
Did she even have a choice? Did she want to leave that vile man behind? The more the fox questioned herself, the more trapped she would become in this web of emotional nonsense. Perhaps if she just stuck around and did her job properly, the old Lorenzo whose smiles felt so calming would return. All she had to do was work until she retired.
In that place.
…
She didn't want that. Cinder didn't owe herself to anyone. But even if she did ponder leaving, how could she make it possible? It wasn't possible. It was utterly and entirely impossible. But… could he…
If her love for him was genuine, and not just the product of a temporary weakness in her heart, could she perhaps rely on Zee to help her? That's what lovers did for each other, right? She had comforted him in his time of fragility, could he too do the same? Perhaps it was much to ask, but if there was some way — any way to find freedom, then perhaps…
Perhaps the one who could open that tiny gap for her to squeeze out of was him. In a raspy voice, quiet voice, she called his name.
"Zed…"
And first thing in the morning, a man came through those doors who wasn't a doctor. A man with a disappointed, somewhat emotional frown.
"Cinder," he said, his luxurious gown strewn with poker diamonds dragging against the floor.