Chapter: And Tested
Lemon about 1/2 of the down
XXXXX
I had never been over to any of my girlfriends' houses for family dinners. For some reasons, it never happened in my earlier years and I feared both the eventual meeting and actually wanted to keep up the streak. I can guarantee though, it could never have been as naturally awkward as it was in the Doctor's house. Way too much hung in the air, it wasn't like seeing your little girl go on her first date. Nor was it like seeing her bring home a nice boy who happened to be her fiancé and who you had never heard of before. There was so much more being implied, maybe it was like seeing your nine-year-old's new forty year old husband?
Didn't want that thought.
I was sitting on an expensive leather couch in a nice living room flanked by my two team members. The couches were off to the side of the living room with her family blocking the exit. The second story was accessible by the stairs on the other wall with the railing provided an ample viewpoint of everything. Such was the atmosphere of the room that I would occasionally glance up there just to make sure there wasn't someone training a gun on me. Behind me, a wide window displayed the darkened lawn outside; my last resort escape route.
The Doctor was across from me, staring me down flanked by the black haired nurse and the scantily clad chain woman. The nurse was scowling at me, The Doctor staring silently and Chains was occasionally glancing between the three of us with a lecherous grin. She looked vaguely proud as if she was attending a debauched bat mitzvah. Behind him stood two almost identical twins with dark green hair. One had a short pixie cut with a noticeable definition to her arms and the other had an extremely long ponytail and a bigger bust. The two of them were smiling at us in an aww-look-at-them-all-grown-up kind of way that didn't cross the same boundary as Chains. It was a nice contrast to the way The Doctor and, apparently, Savanna's mother were glaring holes in me. I could actually feel the four beams of light stinging my face.
Perhaps it wasn't in my benefit that Ruri and I were huddled together while Savanna seemed to be just outside my personal bubble. Ruri, unfortunately, was still stuck in grey baggy sweats but she smelled faintly of lavender. I had my 'uniform' on, having changed my bloody shirt, but somehow I did not smell like lavender. In fact, I could still smell blood from my earlier broken nose. She and I were obviously nervous and shrinking into ourselves while Savanna, who had changed out of her modest nurse's outfit and was now wearing a light green summer dress that smelled of lavender apparently expected it and resigned herself to it. I don't think any of them were bothered by the fact that she looked like she had just been put into an arranged marriage while Ruri and I had a more natural - if fearful - chemistry.
Still, it was something bothering me as The Doctor glared. Another thing bothering me was that I barely knew this man and yet I was already seeking his approval. I glanced up at his impassive facade and then immediately at Savanna and Ruri, unable to hold his gaze. Ruri stole glances at the opposite couch between inspecting the room, fidgeting in her nervous ennui. Savanna noticed my gaze on her and gave me a reassuring smile; I returned it with genuine passion. It felt nice to see she was okay with this.
The swing of the double doors caught my attention and the damsel from earlier appeared.
"Dinner is served!" She said, wiping her hands on an apron. I didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified.
We all managed to shuffle into the dining room and sit down. Once again, I was flanked by my team but this time The Doctor was at the head of the table with Savanna on his left and her Mother on his right. I faced Chains, Ruri faced the bustier twin and the damsel faced the other. At the foot of the table sat a bonze skinned woman with a ridge on her forehead. The Klingon woman was the only one who managed to not stare at me the entire time.
The table was covered in every home cooked food I could imagine. None of it looked foreign though, it was all very American. Which only became strange if I really thought about it. Green beans, mashed potatoes, casseroles, steaks and even a turkey were all over the table sitting on ornate plates. Even the people who lived in the house were looking at them at the intricate designs in wonder. Savanna was getting an impressive send off.
"As I said earlier, this will be the last night Savanna is with us. She's decided to try and find her place in the world. And this." The Doctor had risen and demanded all of our attention. He directed his glass at me, battling to find the right word for me. "Man has passed my expectations to be her steward. To luck on your journey, Mr. Iscariot, Savanna and Ruri."
Everyone but Ruri raised their glass and saluted me. Even Savanna, who was just as much the recipient. I smiled at her, but when I glanced over at Ruri she was looking down and clenching her fists repeatedly. The look on her face showed enough resentment to sour the atmosphere even further. I couldn't stop myself, I touched for her hand. Suddenly, her blue eyes were searching mine. We stared at each other. Caught in her gaze, I scrambled to think of something to make her feel better. Nothing came to me so I just smiled as consolingly as possible. With a huff, she looked away.
When I looked back and accepted the toast, the female population of the room looked close to saying 'awwww' at the same time, even Savanna's mother. I smiled at the attention but desperately danced my gaze over the food spread. My eyes found Savanna, who had the same look but with relief coloring her eyes. My mood soared higher. I still couldn't openly stare at her parents but I felt like I had actually passed the test. The Doctor sat back down and the scramble for food began. He didn't move but Savanna's Mother grabbed his plate and filled it up as he directed her around the table. The rest of it gingerly avoided fighting with her over the food.
After The Doctor had his plate, it was Savanna's Mother's turn. She was the alpha predator and while Chain's would antagonize her. She never actually stopped her from grabbing the food she wanted. The Twins bantered while Dragon-woman snuck grabs between their forays across the table. Jackie the damsel was always the last to grab food, letting everyone cut in front of her. Savanna grabbed my plate.
"What would you like?" She chirped.
My eyes popped open like a deer's in headlights and I sat up. "Uh, thank you."
"Yep." she was ecstatic to serve, looking at me with a U-shaped smile.
The table held its breath. I glanced over at Ruri's empty plate and then to Savanna's equally empty one. The long-haired twin stole a glance at her mother, who was staring at her own plate full of food. I cursed again and tried to work through it. Could I turn her down? Would that be rude? What was Ruri going to do? She hadn't grabbed anything and was glaring at the plate barely keeping a sneer off her face. Then again Savanna hadn't grabbed a plate either. I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder. I stumbled over my words and rambled until I could stop myself. "Thank you, but you don't have to do that. I can grab my own food. This is your last chance to eat home cooking. I know it was hard for me when I left home."
Finally, I stopped myself and grabbed the plate from her with the best smile I could muster. She glanced down, sadness and confusion coloring her features as she debated with herself. A twinge of anger swelled in my chest, all she had to do was take it as the compliment I intended. Suddenly, she nodded and let go. Her nodding picked up pace as she looked surer of my intentions and eventually, she gave me a genuine smile and picked up her silverware.
Her Mother's mouth was cut into a slim line and her aquiline features sharply judged me. I tried to meet her gaze but couldn't for very long. I wondered if that was what every meal was going to be. I couldn't even stand eating at high class restaurants because of how proactive the waiters were. And I was expected to be waited on hand and foot here? That actually sounded annoying.
A silence reigned over the table as the fallout washed over us. I decided to set things straight.
"It's just -" It was harder than it should've be. Could I say I didn't want a slave? Would that insult them? "Can you pass the potatoes?"
That was real smooth.
Savanna grabbed the white, shiny pot and held it out for me without looking me in the eyes. The Doctor had steepled his hands, watching me as I scooped out the lumps of food onto my plate. Ruri then declined to take any, as if I was toxic. The Mother narrowed her eyes further and Chains slowly mulled over her mouthful of food. Silence reigned until she eventually began my interrogation after I had quietly filled up my plate.
"So-" she said, still chewing and motioning for to insert my name.
"Sean Weston Iscariot," I said proudly. I couldn't help but feel that at least Chains was nominally on my side. I continued to pilfer the table for food as we talked. I offered some of it to Ruri with a smile so she would confirm my story. My momentary curse had passed and she accepted a few offers of food without a word.
"Where are you from, what kind of ancestry do you have?" she asked.
Think. Think. I didn't falter in collecting a few marinara-drenched meatballs from a bowl. "I'm from Pallet town."
Nice. Was my name Red too, I berated myself. Ruri looked over at me from a small bite of ranch-dressing drenched salad. She had one eyebrow raised, artfully asking what-the-hell I was on about.
The Bustier twin looked confused. "Never heard of it."
"The town part is actually a misnomer, it's more three houses next to each other."
The table laughed politely, banishing the uneasiness. We had all elected to ignore the previous uneasiness for the time being. "But what's your ancestry though? Your mom's at least a normal though right?"
Uh.
"Actually I'm an orphan. You know I never, um, had any powers or anything," I said in a conversational tone and concentrated on the pile of mashed potatoes I was holding with my spoon.
Savanna's mother spoke next. She had summoned her black gauntlets, using them to cut into her steak. Talk about mundane utility. "Your blood tests confirmed you as a full blood human. But that must have been tough, not many will take in orphans these days, especially when they might manifest strange blood gifts."
The table all looked impressed, except for the dragon woman who continued to eat her meal without looking up. Savanna hadn't said a word the entire time either. She was content to stare at me and absorb every word out of my mouth. The uneasiness from before faded away.
"Well I don't have any - obviously - and it was a very close community, apparently I was left on the door step. That's the nice thing about a small town, they're very accepting if they raise you. Heh. And you don't inadvertently get it razed to the ground," I said.
Another round of polite laughter that wasn't because I actually tickled their funny bone. The short haired twin waved her fork. "Well, who raised you?"
"Mom. She ran an inn." I really sold that Red/Ash thing hard.
The Doctor continued to size me up without a single word. He had gotten his licks in and was content to let his family interrogate me but he still asked. "So you've recovered from your amnesia? Professor Wanc was sure you would have a harder time of it."
I had the perfect response. "Medicine is a fickle art."
Smile and hide your hands, maintain eye contact and play off any lack of it as addressing others; I kept repeating that mantra in my head. The table was sucking up all of my responses and why not? I wasn't really lying, I was just telling a story.
"Have you contacted your mother yet?" One of the twins asked, they sounded a lot alike. "She must be worried."
"I called her and Wank explained what had happened. She wanted to come but, uh, she couldn't get away from the Inn. I work for Wank for now," I said.
The table sympathized politely and the air lightened up. The rest of the dinner was full of small talk that never left me for long. It was the real fourth test, a family interview of sorts.
When it was sufficiently wrapped up, Savanna and her mother stood up with only a look between them. The table broke up as soon as the door closed behind them; another unspoken agreement being carried out. Lecherous grins coated Chains and the Twins' faces as they mobbed Ruri. She flailed uselessly as the three of them carried her off giggling like schoolgirls about to give her a make-over. The klingon excused herself silently and the damsel collected as many plates as she could before disappearing into the kitchen.
Staring at the rapidly drying food, I was alone before I realized. Trapped and my only slim chance at escape had been captured with everything Wank had given me gone as well. I moved a steak knife back into my sleeve and smiled at The Doctor.
"So," I started and began studying the room for escape routes. He kept his mouth hidden behind his hands simply staring at the scraps of his food. The front door was a sprint over the dining table and through a large living room. I could have, maybe, stopped The Doctor in time to get out but that would've left Ruri alone. Savanna was probably in on it.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to betray you. However, be more careful next time. Put my knife back too," The Doctor ordered in a tone that did nothing to assuage me.
I complied but kept my hand hovering over it. Despite the smile on my face, my internal panic didn't subside. A model of the house continued to play through my head. How would The Doctor would move? Would he actually stand or just attack? He held me in a stern gaze that I couldn't decipher. I did my best to read every subtle movement he made and keep our little game of 'don't blink.' He didn't offer much in response only a constant unblinking stare.
His eyes moved to the right. "I've always loved my little girl."
I stopped searching his body language. I hadn't expected that. He looked down at his lap and sighed.
"Even when the tests confirmed she was a nurse joy and not human, I held her for the first time and I felt more like more of a father then those men who had human girls." He was clutching his head in his hands but his voice wasn't wavering so he wasn't crying. "Maybe it was easier for me because I always knew what would happen. But even if Olivia's child is a human girl, I won't write her off when she goes through threshold. I can't have a funeral and forget about a little girl I've raised for fifteen years, just because she isn't human."
"Give her away?" I asked. He locked eyes with me, he wasn't crying but they were red and he was getting close to letting the first tears out.
"That's what happens here, pokégirls or pokéwomen don't have basic rights and when our little girls go through threshold - and they always do now - we just have a funeral and forget." The Doctor spaced out slightly. "A level five and they forget too."
I stared back at him with a blank expression. He stood up abruptly, towering over me and the light above obscuring his face. "Savanna is still my daughter. I am not giving her away. She wants to see if there is something more out there and you are helping her with that. If you hurt her or treat her like property, I will know and I will break you, Pure-blood."
That was a guarantee I knew he'd keep and had no intention of testing. A single tear escaped down his cheek and more were no doubt going to follow, but his red eyes only made him scarier. "You'll stay the night and then leave tomorrow. Don't tame in my house, either. Savanna's room is on the second floor with a name tag. Go there now; I'll see you in the morning."
I stood up and shook his hand, I damn near wanted to salute him but I also respected that he didn't need me to see him cry. I left quickly.
XXX
The second story was just a long hallway with a grand pair of doors on one side and three bedrooms on the other. A green placard with Savanna's name in pink lettering was my only option. I knocked, unsure if I could just barge in.
Immediately, the door ripped open and I was pulled in. Ruri searched the hall for threats and shut the door behind me. Savanna's room was painted dark purple and all of her clothes were piled outside of her closet like they had just fallen down in an avalanche. All of them. Ruri leaned back against the door and took a deep breath.
"What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned. She shook her head dismissively and sat down on the bed in the corner. The room was divided in three: the bed corner, the clothes avalanche and a reading corner dominated by a bookcase full of medical textbooks and a neon-green beanbag chair. Ruri and I looked at each other.
"Can you speak yet? It's been almost two days," I asked.
Ruri considered that point and gave a hesitant. "Yes, I can. Finally!"
She brightened, jumping up quicker than I thought possible. She couldn't have looked happier, until she locked eyes with me. "You're not from here."
I nodded my head and walked over to examine the book case. Much less complicated and smaller books were dotted between the medical texts. They had such engaging titles as, The Lusty Lamia Maid and The Redemption of a Dronza. I sunk into the chair and stared up at her.
"Nope, where I'm from there aren't any pokégirls." That thought gave me pause, what if they were present in my universe? I blinked in an exaggerated manner and chased the thought away. "From what I can gather from the history books of this world, we were the same except for some minor differences that obliviously got a lot bigger."
Ruri cupped her head in her hands. "I don't know where to start with my questions."
"Okay. I'll ask one and then you ask one. So first off, what happened that's got you so spooked?" I asked.
"Nothing," she murmured in a faraway voice curling herself over her legs. "Nothing,"
"Something I might fantasize about?" I asked inflection dancing throughout the question. I didn't feel guilty because she hadn't really answered my first question.
Her lips morphed into a distasteful grimace as if she had just smelled something foul and looked away. "Probably."
She said it in such an exaggerated way I was tempted to laugh. I stopped myself that would be crass. "Ok, I won't pry but I might think up some alternatives."
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye playfully. She was looking away disgusted and I tried not to smile. "Your turn."
She didn't move from her defensive position but her eyes darted back to stare at me. "How'd you get here?"
"Wank has a machine that pulled me here. Apparently, it's broke, so here we are." I leaned back studying the ceiling, stretching out my hands and reached for the wrinkles above. My shoulders popped and I groaned as they crash back to earth. The silence dragged until I decided on my next question. "Is Norman your father?"
"Yes, I used to be the daughter of Norman and Caroline Lane." She fell back on the bed staring at the ceiling with me. The past tense referred to when she went through threshold. "Though apparently I was to be given to Brendan."
"Piggy?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's a little pudgy. My, The Lanes always said that his family was beneath, theirs." She laughed softly and her tone backed up her sentiments. "That must have been their last hurrah to ruin my life. I never liked Brendan; he was such a suck up to my Dad. I hated him."
I returned my gaze to the ceiling; it felt good to have the cool pleather supporting my head. "Fuck them; I chased them all out for a reason."
"How did you manage that?" she asked, her interest shone through her voice.
The memory made me smile. "The Doctor actually. They were adversely affecting our ability to heal because you had a fever. I think that chain woman actually enjoyed fraying them. Of course, judging by their giant glasses and hats I assumed they didn't want any attention. I just banked on that."
She took a moment then looked at me over her chest. "Nice."
"Thank you."
She sat up on her elbows. "So now that we've established that you're from an alternate dimension, what do you know about pokégirls?"
She broke the rules.
"What I read last night. Which seems to have given me just a bit of primer but I think I have a handle on the battling part. But there are holes; my strategy might be a little-" I paused, searching for the right word. Dated? Slow? After all, I had practice with turn based combat and that probably wasn't how they fought. I settled on. "Rough. Wank told me that I'd be more liberal then they usually tolerate. What did he mean?"
"Yes, generally Tamer's are given a wider berth in how they can treat their pokégirls." Nodding her head, she immediately she jumped off the subject. "This goal of being the champion. It's not going to be easy. Luckily for you, I attended The Academy in Rustboro, and I beat Roxanne in the finals too."
I decided not to push the pokégirl thing. Based on her prideful expression I guessed that this 'Academy' was prodigious. "Roxanne?"
Ruri smirked. "Roxanne is the first gym leader of this league."
"Let's kick some ass then," I joined in her confidence.
We smiled at each other and she stalked over to me swinging her hips and tail sensually. The grey sweater was thrown away and she sat on my lap revealing her black bra that contrasted nicely with her red skin. Her stomach was counter shaded orange spreading over her ribs then stopping suddenly. The line between red and orange was almost perfectly straight and left her breasts a vaguely human color. She cupped her hands around my neck and pulled me into a deep kiss. Her tongue danced over my lips and I wrapped my arms around her, our kiss deepening. She was just as desperate as the night before; even now sitting over me and pulling my hair back so that she could tower over me.
My arm moved to push her off; once again I was countered. She threw her body weight into pinning my wrist above me. I stared up at her and tried to search what was going through her head. Her eyes were blank, staring down at me with a strange want in them.
The visions of that night ran through my head like a reel of horrors. The tension in my shoulders and jaw continued to build as we kissed.
She returned it with a new look of respect in her deep blue eyes. Still, I glanced at the Doctor and his girl. Perhaps it was hypocritical but what Ruri had done was excessive. That was just cruel and pointless. She dug her chin into my chest and smirked. She was daring me to kiss her. I wrapped my arms around her haphazardly; this was quite the switch from even an hour ago. Just how strong was this pokégirl taming stuff? We barely knew each other but it felt nice to be nuzzled into.
Christ, something was wrong with me. I liked it when she acted domineering but the feel of her skin bulging around my fingers felt good too. What was it about her? Should I really have let her take control like that? She just had a je ne sais quoi about her. Those books said that she had to follow my orders; that it was genetic. And yet, she didn't act like it. Even when she had embraced me on the roof it felt there had been something else going on. I reached up and put my hand on her shoulders so that the inside of my palm was brushing up against her neck. I put my thumb over her throat in a replay of the night before.
As her own hands grasped at my back and her claws raked at my skin, I wrapped my hands around her throat and started squeezing. The bitch was too lost in it though, she didn't respond. I dug my fingers in deeper, savoring every layer of skin that passed under my fingers. The vein on her forehead started to show, her eyes bulged.
She pulled back and we stared at each other. Her blue eyes didn't change at all, clouded with lust and confidence. Blindly, I reached behind her back and felt between her shoulder blades to find the contraption that fastened her bra. It opened more easily than I thought. She pulled out of the kiss and threw it somewhere. I glanced up at her and cupped them in front of me. I caught one of her red nipples in my mouth and enjoyed the small hitch in her breath. Watching the expressions that filtered through her face, her bare skin felt different under my tongue. Not like skin, not exactly now that I was more conscious, it was rougher but not unpleasant. Words failed me.
"You know, this is really sudden," I whispered.
She pulled on my hair and pushed away. I smiled up at her and pleaded for her to keep fighting me. Her lips crashed against mine. "So?"
I pulled my shirt over my head and Ruri threw it behind me. A sudden sense of haste struck me, spurring me to rush forward. Every second I wasn't touching Ruri was a second wasted, a chance lost. My zipper proved an obstacle despite my ability to open it in an eye blink under normal circumstances. While I fumbled with it, I didn't notice her bringing her hand up between us until she started tracing my chest with her claw leaving a pink scratch. Her eyes were sultry, inviting as she sat there almost bare-naked without an inkling of shame. She scanned me calmly, almost calculatingly. Her eyes were a lot different from last night, there was that edge to them, sizing me up. Damn. Her eyes were so blue it almost hurt.
Her fingers dragged down my chest until it found the lip of my pants. She looked down and then back at me, a coy look in her eyes. She pushed herself up slightly allowing me to pull my shorts further off and giving me plenty of room to maneuver. Without a moment's hesitation she pulled her pants, underwear and all, off herself and kicked them into that oblivion that all of our clothes went. I lowered my hands down her back and then around the curve of her tight ass. I pulled her up and rocked forward, spilling us on to the carpet so that I was now in the perfect position.
She smirked at me and caressed my cheek while I kicked my shorts off completely. Her claw hovered around the orbit of my skull, gingerly twitching in the corner of my vision like a monolith. I leaned down and kissed her again, this time it was a lot gentler and she gripped the back of my neck to pull me closer. She smiled and interlocked our hands. Suddenly, her elbow popped out my supporting arm and she rolled over on top of me. Her smile turned into a victorious grin, she kissed me passionately then straightened her back. I leaned back on the carpet and gave her an expectant look. No doubt she could feel the raging member she was subtly massaging with every swish of her tail.
She glanced down and licked her lips. She didn't speak, only gave me a conniving smile. I stretched my legs out and kicked the bean bag out of the way. Ruri ground her hips into mine as she did a sensual belly dance motion, teasing me, looping her arms over her head and continuing to look me in the eyes as her body glided over mine. She ran a teasing hand over my boxers and then cupped my balls gently. My dick was ramrod straight as Ruri used both her hands to play with it. She was almost cruel in the way she played with my member like it was some kind of gear shifter.
I slammed the floor. "Dammit, hurry up."
Ruri undid the button on the front of my boxers and the rush of air to my member was almost heavenly.
"Closer?" she teased.
There was only one way to be any closer than this. Every muscle in Ruri's body stiffened at the same time as her warm folds enveloped me. She threw her head back, her hands raking across my chest and then she moved. Her movements melted together into one continuous string of back and forth, in and out. All sensations became sharper, amplified tenfold. Desperately rocking back and forth, drawing closer so I could fill all of her, she moved against me, around me. She took it slowly, excruciatingly slowly, as if we had all the time in the world even though we only had that moment. Her pace quickened, faster, faster. My sweat mixing with hers, glistening on her skin like rubies. She moved faster, grinding herself against me in the throes of our desire.
As those feelings grew, Ruri made no sign of stopping. I drove myself inside her as deep as physically possible, each millimeter sending waves through my spine. My mind blacked out as the world erupts into a flash of climax, Ruri's scream of final pleasure followed. She fell forward and held herself up only by leaning on my chest. I lulled my head on the carpet and studied Ruri's bangs. She wasn't looking at me just staring blankly at my chest and panting, shaking, with a smile in her ragged breathing. I grabbed her supporting arm and guided her down to face me. Her face was flushed and her hair sticking to her face. We gave each other just a moment of studying the others eyes and then kissed passionately.
"Wow." A foreign voice broke our high.
Ruri's surprise caused her to clench up, shooting a new wave of pleasure rocketing up my spine. While I savored that amazing sensation Ruri pulled herself off me and dug her hand in my chest showing possession. I glanced up at the door with a cocky smirk that was bolstered by the way Ruri was giving off a 'mine' vibe. It felt nice being wanted. Savanna was leaning on the doorway, a smirk on her lips but a blush on her cheeks. She tried to be cocky but she was desperate not to stammer like a school girl.
I gave Ruri an amused glance. She still looked a little blank.
"Enjoying the sights?" I asked Savanna.
"Y-Yes," Savanna's deceptive smirk did a poor job of disproving my earlier observation.
Ruri's hand slowly dragged off my chest, her fingers lingering just a fraction longer then they should have. With a deep breath, she smirked at me before walking towards Savanna. I couldn't see her eyes but her body language was empty.
She swayed over to Savanna; BAM!
She slammed her hand just beside where Savanna was leaning. We both jumped at the sudden impact though Savanna got the worst of it. She had bounced off the wall cowering in a defensive posture on the opposite wall. Ruri's neck craned slowly, zombie like, and locked eyes with Savanna. Seeing them, blank sapphire blue; no wonder Savanna was curling into herself. Those were predatory eyes. Intimidating. Sexy. There was just something about a woman taking charge especially when you had just finished being intimate. Ruri cleared her throat.
"Listen here, Savanna," she spat the name out like it was beneath her. "I am the Alpha here. You obey me. You don't get tamed unless I sa-"
I blocked her out slightly after hearing that. I was the tamer here. I was in charge. If this were reality, if this were some random person on the street, yeah; I'd have meekly followed along. That was always my problem. I didn't like to rock the boat or burn bridges. Better to just appease people but this was different.
Her claws dug into my neck while she shoved her tongue down my throat. All I could do was stare at her closed eyes inhaling lavender and sweat and trying to think of something to get her off me. My arms shook in a mocking attempt to free my hands and all I got was more pressure on my wrists, crushing them until the thin bed wasn't enough padding to mask the frame.
Memories of that night flashed in my mind again. I still couldn't shake the feeling that she was a schemer. That even as she had sat on my lap just moment ago and kissed me, that she was chasing some ulterior motive. No. I was in charge and I had to be more cautious. That look on her face wasn't as sexy now. I couldn't let her boss me around so much. I looked back up at them with a hard stare. It stopped now before she got her talons in Savanna.
"-ow ask me to let you have Sean." Ruri finished. Savanna wasn't even looking at me for reassurance. She had her hands in front of her, her body language screamed for some kind of barrier between her and the overbearing Ruri but there was resignation in her eyes. Ruri had completely taken control of her. Memories of that night in the hospital bed continued to haunt me. The images of myself as some cowed husband filled my head. It wasn't some random person on the street, I had nothing to lose by taking charge here. Pokégirls were dangerous and I had to take authority to stop her.
"I-" Savanna's response came slowly with an air of uncertainty.
I stayed there for a moment just glaring at the wall. Let her have me? No. I took a deep breath as Savanna continued her meek stammering request. Ruri kept her expression minimal but she was clearly drunk on the little display of submissiveness. I pulled my shorts back on and readied the pokéballs on the side of my belt. Ruri was not in charge here.
"Ruri!" I barked. Both of them jumped though for different reasons. For Savanna, it was another intimidating voice being thrown around. For Ruri, it was a hammer to her little world. She turned to face me and the briefest hint of annoyance hit her before it disappeared behind a blank expression. I walked towards her and she turned to face me straight on. Defiance and embarrassment burned on her face. "I didn't give you permission to intimidate Savanna. I also don't like that you think you can decide for me."
I brought my voice even and low, no use in drawing more attention to this room. Her expression was blank but hostile, like a recruit who had to face a drill-sergeant. I didn't stop until I was towering over her. "You are my subordinate. You do not decide for me."
She wasn't really looking at me just staring at my chest intently. Not in a sexual way but in a blank, I-just-have-to-get-through-this-ass-chewing way. "Ruri, you assumed too much. You are not the boss here."
She didn't respond; her jaw was clenched shut.
"Don't assume what I want. You don't know me well enough yet," I said.
"Is that all?" Her voice cracked. A pang of guilt hit me in the chest. That hurt. Dammit, that was why I sucked at being a leader. I was too soft. Maybe I did have something to lose here? I looked over at the clothes pile spilling out of the closet.
"Yeah," I finished weakly. The way she said it had taken all the wind out of my argument. So much for the 'I'm the Master' pep-talk.
We stood there for a second; I couldn't look back at her even though her breath was still burning against my chest. I sighed and took a step back. What a weak ending, so much for showing my authority. Her arm wrapped around me and for a moment, she let no space between us. I felt her other hand brush past my stomach and reach for the pokéballs still on my forgotten belt. I caught it and pinned her other arm to my side. To the oblivious, it might seem like we were getting ready to dance. Ruri gazed up at me and it really did seem as though we might both take a step.
Her gaze gained a medusa quality. "Move, Sean."
"No. You don't get to just stomp off. I won't let you." She made a show of struggling but we both knew if she wanted to she could have broken my hold. Her gaze was darkening. I continued in a low voice. "You acted out of line, no matter how you look at it."
Ruri bared her teeth. "You have no idea how this works. I was helping you."
"I don't need someone trying to undermine me. I don't need a tyrant," I said, not believing her.
She broke my grip on her arm and put it between us. She tried to grab her pokéball but I put my hand over the button and dug my fingers into the belt. Her claws tried to get around mine but I was using muscles developed over years of video games. Her hand became a fist in the middle of my chest and her eyes narrowed, she was practically growling at me.
"That's how you do it! You can't just treat them like people!" she screamed.
"Like you?" I asked.
You'd think I'd have stuck a gun in her gut and pulled the trigger. Immediately, her eyes disappeared under her bangs and she stopped trying to fight me over the pokéball. I refused to take back my words despite how deep the pit in my stomach was growing. She mumbled something. I leaned down slightly and concentrated.
"You don't get it," she repeated under her breath.
"What?" I asked. I hadn't heard what she had said.
"I am special! I was a-" She trailed off.
A what? A human? A noble? A gifted academic? A master in the making? I considered telling her exactly that but I kept my tongue.
"Ruri, I won't treat you less than human. But you don't get to push that onto others," I said, gentler then I meant to.
Her head shot back up, almost pleadingly. "That's what you're supposed to do. I was trying to help dammit!"
"Um." A small voice broke our dramatic moment. Both of us threw glares at her. Savanna was still leaning against the wall watching us. Shit, I'd almost forgotten about her. "She's right. But it's nice that you are rather kind about it."
She said it with such a meek voice, not timid but unobtrusive. Perhaps, she was feeling left out of our little confrontation. Though, I wished she hadn't spoken. Now I had to actually concede the point to Ruri; I couldn't defend someone who wouldn't defend themselves. I should've apologized but then I glanced down at Ruri's smug grin. I was constantly pushing myself to man up and apologize when I should but with her eager face gloating at me, it was proving difficult to muster the willpower. I also had a precarious choice in front of me, I had to find the middle road between stopping her plan and not alienating her. She would be useful. No matter how shallow it was, I also kind of liked the girl in a hey-your-an-angry -bitch-I'm-a-manipulative-asshole-let's-be-psychos-together kind of way. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry, Ruri. But I stand by my point. You jumped to conclusions that I wouldn't know how to lead people."
"You can't treat a feral like a person. They are animals who only want to fuck and eat you!" she said.
Yeah, that was mentioned in the books last night.
"Fine!" I'll be the first to admit that my tone clearly indicated I was in-fact not-fine. Ruri wasn't impressed either and her hand still tried to grab her ball off of my belt. But then I remembered a small detail. "Savanna isn't a feral; I'm still right."
Immediately, I regretted my phrasing but I was right. Ruri's expression ran through a gamut of negative emotions before finally settling on an angry glare. Her pull became even stronger. I had to physically plant my foot to keep from being pulled. After a few fruitless tugs, she stopped and pulled out of my hold fumbling with a response. "I, I. Urgh!"
She threw her arms down and suddenly charged forward. I had the sense to stumble back but she still slammed into me. The wooden floor gave a tired groan. Ruri sat down on my stomach, her hand planted on my chest. It was a sick twist on our earlier position. I grabbed her wrist and lightly pressed her elbow. She raised her fist. I sucked in a breath. Would she hit me? I watched her fist tremble and searched beyond the curtain of bangs hiding her eyes. They were darting around wildly as she tried to figure out what she'd do herself.
"Dammit!" She screamed and her arm started to move back.
I twisted her wrist and pressed her elbow. Ruri toppled to the side and I wormed myself out from underneath her. She caught herself on her fist and stopped in a crawling position. Suddenly, she screamed again and punched the ground. Over and over again.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck -" She continued to beat the ground. "Fuck! I hate this! I hate this so much!"
It was hard to decipher what she had said. I looked over at Savanna for an answer. Her expression didn't give me much except for a sad look at Ruri. I used the steep pile of clothes and stood up. Ruri finally stopped punching the carpet and buried herself in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks.
I had been too hard on her; perhaps losing your humanity was a bit of a life changing event. It sounded more obvious when I thought about it. I had misjudged her. A stray tear hit the ground and it took a few more punches before Ruri just stopped, her voice cracked. "I just wanna go back! When I wasn't getting mobbed by a bunch of pokégirl bitches! When I didn't want to fuck you all the time! I don't want this!"
I winced despite myself. That hurt. But…
"Okay. I'll ask one and then you ask one. So first off, what happened that's got you so spooked?"
"Nothing," she murmured in a faraway voice curling herself over her legs. "Nothing."
"Something I might fantasize about?" I asked, inflection dancing throughout the question.
Her lips morphed into a distasteful grimace as if she had just smelled something foul and looked away. "Probably."
She said it in such an exaggerated way I was tempted to laugh. I stopped myself that would be crass. "Ok, I won't pry but I might think up some alternatives."
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye playfully. She was looking away disgusted; I tried not to smile. "Your turn."
That was it. When Savanna's aunts took her back, they must've done something to tease her or something indecent. I hung my head; then I just piled onto it with my teasing. Ruri gave a broken laugh that competed with a hiccup. "And now you don't want me to at the very least be alpha! To actually have some control! I'm not gonna be a fuck toy for you bastard!"
Her tirade finished with an explosion of anger directed at me. Her eyes were red and she was glaring a hole through me. I studied her, my face settling into a blank stare. She didn't want to be a fuck toy but wanted everyone around her to be one? I sat there and studied an errant tear trail down her cheek. She was breathing heavily and trying to choke down her sobs. I took a deep breath and gave Savanna a side glance.
"I might be a bastard, Ruri. But that means that I'm not gonna make you into a fuck toy. You don't get to walk all over me like you just did!" I finished with a roar.
"But I know what I'm doing! What do you know! I've trained for this!" she screamed.
"I know what I'm doing!" I yelled over her.
"How!" she screamed back. "How can you possibly know what to do cherry boy!"
What a fucking bitch! Bringing that up! "You didn't complain!"
"How could I! Everything feels different! I'm not even human anymore! A fucking limp dick could get a pokégirl off!" she said.
I was seeing red, the adrenaline was flowing. Relax, relax. She was just lashing out. I still wanted to choke her until the fucking spark in her eyes dimmed though. We stared at each other breathing heavily. Ruri was waiting for me to retort. I controlled my breathing and tried to think it through. What did I want out of this situation?
"Hah! Can't even fucking think can you cherry boy!" she said. "You don't even know how to control me! How are you going to react to a feral?"
Inhal 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4 exhal 4. I repeated the breathing exercises in my head. "You aren't a feral. I'm not going to beat you like some fuck head from here. Which is probably what you want, huh? So I'll fly off into a rage and start beating on you? Vindicate you? Well fuck you! As for what I'd do to a feral? I'll do this."
I unclipped her pokéball and held it up between us. She continued to glare. "I hate-"
A red light interrupted her.
"Fuck. You." I caught the ball as it rebounded and clipped it back on. Savanna sighed. I ignored her and sat on the bed. It was silent for a moment.
Finally, she said. "That was a little rash."
"I know, but at this point we're just yelling at each other."
She walked over to the bed and stood in front of me with her arms in front of her. "Is this the first time you've had to deal with a threshold girl?"
"That obvious?" I grumbled and studied the carpet between my feet. It was light blue or maybe grey.
"Perhaps you're just different, most tamers just wipe a threshold's memories if they get too belligerent." She said it as if she was talking about replacing a broken faucet! I looked up at her and tried not to act too shocked despite the subject manner.
"You're kind of up front about the whole wipe a person's memories thing." I sounded like I had just been in a fight and was holding an ice pack up to a black eye.
She made a dismissive sound. "You just have to come to terms with it. Pokégirls are property to do with as our master's please."
She said it with a genuine smile. I almost laughed in disbelief. How could someone be so upfront about that? Was she trying to be ingratiating?
I closed my eyes and shook my head. Memories, huh. That was terrifying, losing everything about yourself, to suddenly be without a past and to have no direction. Would it be freeing? I was in a strange place but I had direction. Nothing in the past few days was life-shattering. As strange as it sounded, I had an end goal and a plan. That was enough for me. I knew who I was and only my environment had changed. Ruri didn't have that. If this place was as anti-pokégirl as it advertised than a former human would have to rethink her place in the world. But there was something about Ruri; at the very least, she would be useful to my own goals. Or was I simply rationalizing my own feelings?
But what feelings did I have? Was I just being sentimental? What was stopping me from level five-ing her? It sounded like a simple thing to do, like pressing a button. Hell, it was logical. She'd become a tabula rasa to write whatever I wanted on her. But something was stopping me. Perhaps, this justified how I was acting. Having amnesia and being lost was a good excuse for why I wouldn't level five Ruri. I was constantly thinking of how to keep up a charade I didn't actually need to and justifying my actions to do it.
Savanna ran a soothing hand through my hair. I froze.
"You're kind of weird, Sean Weston Iscariot," she whispered, trying out my name. I froze, should I touch her? Could I do that? I closed my hands on her hips. She didn't react at all and just continued to stand there, intimately close, massaging my scalp. Finally, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my head into the front of her dress. She smelled like lavender and had an incredibly toned stomach.
Savanna chuckled softly and didn't fight me in the slightest. "I guess you are from out of this league."
I was out of my league. Her hands guided down my neck and she dropped deftly down into a squat to study my eyes. "You really don't act like a normal tamer, though."
All I could really do was stare back at her and her brown eyes. "And what should a normal tamer be like?"
She smiled, winked and leaned up, our lips brushed together lightly. I didn't react at first, feeling a little numb. It was a lot different from Ruri, kissing her was like fighting a fire, she was constantly pushing deeper and deeper. Savanna was more gentle and submissive; she didn't take after her father at all.
I scrambled to my feet, wiped the blood off my face and shook the pain out of my head. He still had his back turned, that was my chance. I charged at him, intent on grabbing him in a lock from behind. I got just in range to lunge when he suddenly twisted his hips. I realized I was doomed; just too late to do anything about it.
Then came the vision from the table.
A single tear went down his cheek and more were no doubt going to follow, but his red eyes only made him scarier. "You'll stay the night and then leave tomorrow. Don't tame in my house, either. Savanna's room is on the second floor with a name tag. Go there now; I'll see you in the morning."
The rooftop returned.
My last view was The Doctor, in perfect form, pulling his foot back as I went careening to my left. Okay, fuck what I said about Ruri's punch, that man hit like a Mac truck. I tripped over my own awkward recovery and then hit the railing of the edge. Pain spiked up my spine and I was bounced off before I could get a grip. My head hit the concrete like a basketball. Concussed, I rolled over to look at the sky and at least get a warning about his next attack. I couldn't breathe, maybe even had broken ribs.
I had fucked up.
Savanna noticed that I was kissing like a dead fish and pulled back. Concern was written over her face as I started recounting every single sound that could've escaped from the room, especially all the yelling and the sex. I closed my eyes and pulled out of her grip to throw myself on the bed. "Your Dad is going to kill me."
She popped back into a standing position and crossed her arms under her chest. She had some noticeable biceps, for a girl, which only helped accentuate her chest.
I laid my arms over my forehead to block out the light of the fan and sighed.
The bed rocked as she sat down on it somewhere. "Sean, I don't think he'll be able to distinguish anything over all the yelling."
"Yeah. But I think he'll notice if you can't speak correctly in the morning," I said.
She settled right next to me. Why she didn't decide to actually crawl on top of me and continue our kiss was beyond me but at least she was considerate of my position. Just staring at her was eroding my self-control. Savanna was a lot more toned then her scrubs had suggested. It was actually kind of intimidating. But the weights had done amazing things to her shapely ass. She looked at me with a small smile and kicked her feet absent mindedly. "To bad, I kind of wanted you to fuck me until I couldn't walk anymore."
I glanced over at her and ran my eyes over her shapely body. I had been here for three days and met at least two different women who both wanted to have or had sex with me. Not to mention that I had my mind read; got into, basically, a pokémon battle in real time, twice; saw a catgirl give a blowjob to some Bond villain, been batted around a roof by an angry Doctor, been dragged to a mansion to have dinner and sent on a mission to explore the hotter and sexier version of the pokémon world with said Doctor's daughter.
I smiled at the ceiling. "This world is so backwards."
"You mean this league?" she asked.
I was an idiot.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry it's like a-" I stopped mid-sentence and looked over at her skeptical expression. I should at least told her I reasoned. She was my teammate, lover, would-be, will-be teammate, lover. I sighed. "No, I mean this world. Professor Wank, heard of him? Talks in some strange accent?"
She nodded, sarcastically sincere. "He's a little famous."
I gave her an annoyed glance to show that I got the jab. "Well, he has this thing that pulls you to this world from other places."
Her skepticism was obvious. "Really?"
I sighed and gave her my best incredulous expression. "You seriously don't believe me?"
She returned a sad, pitying stare. "Is this how you're coping? You're blocking your memories and now you're trying to fill in the blanks?"
I sighed, so defeated by arguing with Ruri that even contemplating arguing with Savanna as well was too much for me. "Yeah, I guess I am. So, we should talk about stuff and you know learn about each other or something."
"I kind of just want you to fuck me," she laughed.
So did I. Of course, I also didn't want to wake up tied to an operating table by chains with The Doctor hovering over me scalpel in hand. 'You disappoint me Mr. Iscariot' he would say and I would stare straight forward trying not to scream as the tiny blade started cutting into my arm.
"I'm a vegetarian," Savanna started.
I chased away those thoughts. "Uh, Omnivore, why a vegetarian? Is it the chemicals?"
I never got why people complained about meat. I mean the pink sludge was disgusting but food was food and almost anything was edible. The whole killing thing was over rated too; we had incisors for a reason. She stretched out and touched the wall, chasing away some fatigue. "Well think about it, we have pokégirls and KATTLE. I'm a pokégirl and KATTLE have pokégirl DNA in them too. So any meat is like cannibalism."
"There's a cow pokégirl?" I asked and enjoyed the vision of a busty woman in a cow bikini. It was a nice image, especially when she untied her bikini and bared her exceptionally large breasts suggestively. I refocused on Savanna's catty grin.
"Funny," she said, completely missing my point.
I didn't bother to ask her why it was funny and a silence fell over us until I asked. "Hey, what's up with this huge house? Is your Dad the only doctor here?"
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling with me. "No, but he's like the unofficial guardian of this town. So we got this huge house after Professor Birch was reassigned."
I suddenly yawned and tried to stretch out a sore feeling in my neck. Whoever Birch was, I didn't care. Settling back into place, my hand landed close to Savanna's. I wondered if I should have grabbed her hand or done something affectionate. But in the end I didn't, it didn't feel right. "I guess we leave tomorrow. You ready?"
She smiled eagerly and caught my hand in hers. "I've wanted this since before I could walk."
Was that her dream? To throw herself into slavery? Did she know what she was getting herself into? For that matter, did I? The bookshelf lay beyond her with the numerous romance novels being crushed by thick textbooks. I wondered what was in those romance novels, did they romanticize the entire idea? Perhaps that was Savanna's dream. To find a master and then be absolutely useful to him? That was, yeah. A yawn escaped. It was late, it had been almost dark when we had trudged up to this mansion and now it was pitch black outside.
"Tired?" Savanna asked with a little compassionate smile.
"Yeah and I'm a little sore from when your Dad tested me," I said.
"What were the tests?" she asked.
"Nothing important," I assuaged her. There was no need to tell any more people that I had been batted around a roof. Especially not to the man's daughter and my new subordinate. I was still trying to find a good word to describe the two of them.
"He beat the shit out of you didn't he?" she asked. An impish grin graced her features, as if I had done something endearing.
"Yeah, basically," I said.
"Mom told me. You apparently convinced him of something though and I like you, you're a bit of a wimp though," she teased.
"Hey! Your Dad is a bit huge though." I murmured, a feint pain suddenly hit my cheek. "And quick too."
"Yeah, I know. Let's go to bed then. Tomorrow, we start our adventure." Her body shook with giddy anticipation at the word. It was a strange contrast to her parents who seemed to be more experienced and legitimately concerned. My eyes went back to the bookshelf. I was more inclined to trust The Doctor than Savanna's bubbliness.
"So, where should I sleep? The beanbag looks kind of comfy?" I said suddenly.
"In my bed obviously." she latched onto my arm and pressed against me, making sure I couldn't escape. I kept my eyes on her face and ignored the soft flesh encircling my arm.
Blood still rose to singe my cheeks. "I, um, I mean."
Dammit, now I was stuttering. She laughed again.
"Oh my god you're blushing! How are you still a virgin anyway?" She asked with her eyes lit up.
"I am most definitely not a virgin," I said.
"For guys, it's a state of mind," she purred. I stared, feeling offended. For the briefest of moments, a tense silence hung between us. Her eyes widened slightly in panic but then she broke into a fit of giggles. "You should lighten up. I'm messing with you."
Deciding not to palliate her, I got off the bed. It was a cheap shot on my part and I was acting just as Ruri had, but I wanted to see her reaction. My mind kept going back to that bookcase and the romance novels interspersed between textbooks.
"Sorry, I'm just a little excited," she finally said and continued to play it cool, but her mask had cracked. She was a good actor, not exceptional, but she had probably imagined and rehearsed this moment a few times. I nodded apprehensively, turned off the lights, and plopped down on the beanbag chair. It wasn't too bad and the warm breeze of Hoenn League made sure I didn't need a blanket.
Savanna watched the entire way with a clouded expression. I settled and studied the moon through the window above me. She was doing something but I wasn't really watching her. I became acutely aware of the pokéballs when I tried to roll over and stared down at my belt. It didn't loop through my pants which made it easier to remove by unclipping the front belt buckle thing. I put it next to the bookcase and rolled over. Suddenly, Savanna crashed next to me and curled under my arm. She stared up at me having changed into an oversize white tee shirt that did nothing to hide her black bra and panties. Her eyes pleaded with me. "I just want to be near you, Master."
I sighed for the effect, but her response did confirm my theory. "I'm not your master Savanna. I'm just a guy who's kind of lost."
"I want you to be."
I didn't say anything; there really wasn't much to say but a lot to occupy my thoughts. Was there more to her then a naively romantic view of the world she had grown up in? Did she have an ulterior motive too? What was it? Staring into those sparkling red eyes – and the black band over her shoulder - I decided it would be, at the very least, a pleasure finding out.
XXXXX