"Whoa!" I gasp, reveling in its prescence.
The castle is huge, easily a few miles long in the front, and it's towers reach almost to the heavens. It has a massive courtyard, which our plane lands neatly in.
"Please follow me, recruits." N walks out, smiling into the evening sun.
We all follow him, still in awe. He leads us from the plane, out into the sun-filled courtyard.
The courtyard is huge, and is ringed with beautiful trees that have leaves of pink, gold, and silver. There are multiple ponds around, and bridges span them effortlessly, allowing people and pokemon alike to cross. There are also multiple stone pathways swirling around, and a large stone pillar in the middle of it all.
"Welcome to my castle." He gestures wildly around.
Effie jumps into the nearest pond, before disappearing and reappearing in a farther one.
"What?" I run to the edge, but N is already explaining it.
"What you just witnessed is the wonders of the aqueducts. I made sure they were big enough for pokemon to swim through, and they connect every pond and pool in and around the castle." N smiles, grabbing my hand and leading me back to the group. Cosmo looks upset at the gesture, but I shake my head, ignoring him.
"It is getting quite late, so allow me to lead you to your rooms. We will commence the full tour of the grounds tomorrow, and then you will have a couple day's before you officially start as a member of Team Plasma." We all nod, and he leads us up a staircase, and into the castle.
We are lead down many hallways, all brimming with navy blue carpets, with designs of pokemon adorning them, and many sconces on the walls, all lit. The flames cast an eerie shadow across the halls, but it all adds to the wonder of it all. The roof is painted a bright blue, with specks of white over head... it takes me a moment to realize that the roof is glass.
"All of the hallways that are ground level have skylights along the top, helps the ambiance, I find. It's also nice in the mornings." N rambles, leading us into a large tower.
"This is the dormitories. You are not required to share, but you may if you choose to. You will all get your own room." With that, a small, petite lady with caramel skin walks out of a door to our right.
The room is the size of a large apartment, with multiple sets of couches and chairs spread out, and there is a huge pokemon sculpture, that I recognize as a Dragonite, from Kanto. It's eyes have sconces, and it's mouth is open in a roar, only darkness within.
"This is the commons room, where both men and women can converge and 'hang-out', if you will. There is a boy's side and a girl's side. Ah! Speaking of the girls side, this is Meloa. She is one of my most trusted friends." He hugs the smaller lady.
"I see we have fresh meat!" She giggles, her accent thick.
"We sure do, Mimi. Would you mind taking Miss Primrose here to her room? Forty-Seven B, please." With a quick curtsy, Mimi gently grabs Prim, and leads her off, talking with her as they disappear behind the girls door.
"Now, follow me." He leads us into the other door.
We enter, and there is a GIGANTIC spiral staircase, open down the middle where a large tree has sprouted. The branches of the tree take hold every couple feet on our way up, and I see that it doesn't break off, but goes on right to the roof, same as the staircase. The rooms are directly off of the staircase, and there are multiple stained glass windows depicting ancient battles.
"Wow..." Skylar stands over the railing as we climb, observing the drop and the beautiful green foliage surrounding us.,
"Here! You first." He points at Cosmo, and points at the room in front of us.
"Meet us downstairs in an hour for dinner, do NOT be late." He smiles sweetly, then continues up.
Effie and Cleo are in my arms now, and are leaning out to catch a glimpse of the tree, and the windows.
We climb for a bit longer, then we stop again.
"Your turn." He gesture's Sky in, and we continue up.
"One hour!" He calls behind him.
We walk right up to the top of the staircase, to the very last door.
"This is a very special room, sweet cheeks. Just for you." He opens the door, and I gasp in amazement.
The door opens up to a small boot-room, before expanding exponentially into the bedroom. The bed dominates the middle of the room, with four huge pillars of solid wood holding it off the ground a couple of feet. The bed itself is gigantic, enough for easily ten of me. To my right, there is a large window, that N swings open to reveal a large patio, complete with outside furniture and a small fire pit. I walk back inside, and to the other side of the room is a massive closet, already hung full with clothes. Beside the bed is a night table, made of a rich dark wood.
"Oh my god..." I gasp, as N shuts and latches the window.
"The other rooms dont have this feature, but look." He walks into the closet, opening a small door. Inside... is nothing. It's complete darkness.
"What is it?" I ask, and his eye's light up.
"Do you trust me?" He asks, and I nod, swallowing.
With that, he lunches himself into the darkness.
"WOOOOOoooooo..." It slowly goes quiet.
Saying a quick prayer, I grab Effie and Cleo, and jump in.
"WHOOOOOOOAA!" I shout, falling. Well, not falling, I realize, but... sliding?
"I suddenly see light ahead, and brace for impact, but I slideoff a ledge, and land gently onto a couch in the commons room.
I look up, and N is sitting on the other side.
"Fun, right?" He laughs at my shocked expression.
I turn around, searching for where I came from, and notice the Dragnoite statue behind me.
"Did we just...?" He nods.
"Out of the Dragonite's mouth. Only your room has that feature." He smiles.
"But... why.. me?" I ask, and N leans forwards, his face only inches from mine.
"Because, you are special." With that, he kisses me.
It takes me a moment, but I lean into the kiss, deepening it. The taste of him drives me up the wall, and his smell surrounds me. My body melts, like ice in a campfire, and all I can think about is right here, right now, this moment. He links one of his arms behind me, pulling me closer, and I throw both of my arms around him, trying to get as close to him as possible. He moans softly as I gently bite his lip, causing his entire body to shudder. My entire body lights up in red-hot desire as he grinds his stomach onto me, and I can't help but let a broken moan escape my lips. I also cant help but think that THIS is where I need to be, THIS is WHO I need to be.
It feels way too soon as he breaks it off, pulling away slightly.
"Meet me here in an hour for dinner." He whispers, kissing my forehead and disappearing out of the commons room.
"Car! Haha!" Effie laughs, nibbling my fingers, and Cleo licks my cheek, giggling as well.
"Shut up!" I laugh, but my mind is euphoric, still pondering on what it all meant.
We head back up to the room, and I see someone has dropped off all of my bags, so I organize them into the closet.
The closet has a large bathroom attached, and it is pre-loaded with the essentials, tooth paste, tooth brush, etc.
I look at the clothes in the closet, and realize that they are uniforms. There are long-sleeve, short-sleeve, pants and shorts. The same uniform in a thousand different variations. I pull out one at random, and it looks almost like a workout uniform. Its a light tanktop, made of a silky material with the signature P of Team Plasma on the chest, and a larger one printed on the back. The bottom is a pair of workout shorts, with the insignia on one of the butt cheeks.
I hold it up, and both Effie and Cleo jump and clap.
"Should I try it on?" I ask, and they go ballistic, so I take it to the bathroom, laughing.
I throw it on, and look in the large mirror above the sink.
The shirt is quite tight around the biceps, I feel that I could tear it if I flex to hard, but the chest and ab's area sits nice and snug. The shorts on the other hand, are very tight, and show off a lot more than I would like to.
I walk out of the bathroom.
"Well, girls! How do I look?" I twirl in spot.
"Those shorts are SO hot." I stop, spotting Cosmo out of the corner of my eye.
"Um... Thanks?" I grab the nearest thing, a shirt from my bag, and cover myself.
"Why do that? You got it, might as well show it." He laughs, walking closer.
"Nice gig you got here, huh?" He asks, running his hands along the uniforms.
"Yes. Now, why are you here?" I ask, and he smiles, now only a couple of feet away.
"Wanted to see how you were doing. Checked on Sky, he's good. He doesn't like how big his room is." He steps closer, now only inches from my face.
"What about you, darling? How are you?" His voice is so deep, so commanding, and I find myself unable to resist as he lifts my chin, kissing me gently.
It's only for a second, but it has the desired effect.
"I'll see you for dinner." He smiles, causing my heart to flutter, and disappears out the front door.
Cleo and Effie are sat on the bed, giving me an awkward look.
"I seriously can't deal with this right now!" I moan, falling onto the bed.
N or Cosmo? I could have either, but having one means not having the other! This is hopeless!
Cleo kisses my cheek, gesturing to my outfit.
"You like it?" I ask, and they both nod.
"I need thicker shorts..." I say, and they both laugh.
Me, Effie, and Cleo take the slide down again, for dinner.
We fly out of the open mouth of the Dragonite, onto the same couch as before, but I am able to land on my feet this time.
I turn to see if anyone has arrived yet, and see only Primrose, donning a very pretty sundress, with the Plasma logo on the breast, and she is wearing a pink hairband, which holds all of her wild, electric blue hair back. She has on a pair of high-heeled, dark burgundy boots, which go up until I cant see them under the dress.
Her eyes are wide, following my entrance.
"Hey." I say, and she shakes her head.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" She gasps, running over, dress billowing behind her.
"It's... um... a slide?" I say, and she jumps and claps.
"Oh! I LOVE slides! Can I try it sometime?" She asks, and giggles as I nod.
"Nice shorts." She laughs, and my face goes red.
I found a different pair of shorts, which were a bit thicker, but just as tight. I kept the silk shirt on, and grabbed a new pair of runners from the closet.
Effie slides out next, Cleo soon after.
I hear Princess from behind Prim, and she runs out to greet her fellow pokemon.
"So, how's your room?" I ask, and her eyes go wide.
"It's amazing! I grew up in the foster system, so my rooms have always been shared or-"
"Foster system?" I ask, and her expression darkens a little.
"My parents died when I was a kid, I dont really remember them." She goes to keep talking, but is cut off as Cosmo and Sky enter the room.
Cosmo gives me a wink that makes my body numb, and N walks in as well.
N does a double take as he one-ups me, taking in my shorts, but shakes his head, muttering something, before waving us to follow.
"Now, here at the castle we do offer many amenities for you guys, including post-secondary schooling, should you want it." Prim gasps, raising her hand.
"Yes, Prim?"
"Do you guys offer courses in designing clothing?" She asks, and almost faints as N nods.
"We have an absolutely phenomenal designer here at the castle. Her name is Minerva, and I am sure she would love an apprentice. Should I contact her for you? You could even meet her at dinner?" He asks, and she nods her head so hard she almost detaches it.
We come to a large door, which N throws open, revealing the dining hall.
There are about a hundred people dispersed throughout the many small tables, and the aroma is thick and sweet.
N leads us down, through rows of people and tables, and we stop every once in a while to shake hands with people of importance.
Finally, we end up at a table near the front, and the front of the dining hall is a large stage, ringed with torches and a large chandelier hanging in the middle.
We sit, N on one side of me and Cosmo on the other. An older lady kisses N's forehead, before sitting down opposite us, beside Prim.
"Everyone, this is Minerva." Prim instantly turns.
"What an honour to meet you!" Prim shakes her hand, and they instantly become friends, talking design terms, among other things.
I'm about to ask N a question, when a loud gong rings across the room.
"DINNER IS SERVED!" A small, pudgy man stands atop the stage, but his voice bellows across the entire room.
"That's Chef. He may seem small, but wait until you see his cooking!" N whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
Then, out of a large door beside the stage, people start pouring out, holding hundreds upon hundreds of plates.
A few stop by our table, unloading enough food onto our table to feed a small army.
Dinner, has in fact, been served.
After we finish our meal, which consisted of chicken, bread, salad, and so many different kinds of rice, we thank the Chef, who is actually quite nice, and N leads us back to our dorms, where everyone else is sitting in the commons room, calming down after dinner.
"Well, I will see you guys all down here tomorrow, just after dawn. Any questions before I head out?" I raise my hand, and he smiles.
"Are we allowed out after dark?" I ask, and he laughs.
"Of course! Think of this as your home. We will not stop you from going ANYWHERE on site, at any time." We nod, and he turns, heading out.
"Well, goodnight guys!" Prim hugs us all, before scooping an exhausted looking Princess up, and heading to her dorm.
"I'm going to hit the hay, to. Night guys." Skylar waves as he takes off.
"What about you?" Cosmo asks, a devilish grin in his eyes.
"Bed." I say curtly, though I make sure to wink as I pass by.
I hear him sigh behind me as I walk up the stairs.
I change quickly ready to get to bed, and Effie and Cleo are already asleep as I crawl in.
So many things fly through my head as I try to sleep.
Will I have to choose, between the muscular, charming Cosmo, or the lanky, but kind hearted N?
I groan inwardly to myself, as I ponder.
Sleep comes quickly after that.