Claire rested standing on top of a sturdy branch, feeling her body fully recovering from her and Justice’s extremes ‘dives’ through the air nearly two hours ago. Suddenly, Justice swooped down from the sky, a large rabbit in his talons.
“Hungry?” he inquired of her from the other side of the branch.
“Very,” she said with a chuckle as she eyed the freshly killed meal. “After emptying myself, I found my stomach growling at me to replace the energy spent in our flight.”
“Thought you might be,” Justice replied, chuckling as he brought it closer to the Swellow and easily sliced off a piece and offering it to her. “I remember once I and a Tropius took a flight, poor girl almost ate her own fruit she was so spent.”
Claire scarfed down the slice of meat easily. “Not very surprising... Tropius are not very agile in the air, so you must’ve drained her from first go.”
“True, but she was very sweet so I didn’t mind slowing down just a little,” Justice said, chuckling. “Though, the first dive was a bit more nerve wracking for her than for most others I’ve been with.”
“Mostly because have you ever heard of a Tropius doing a vertical dive before you met her?” the Swellow inquired before reaching down to pick up another slice of meat.
“Well yes, apparently they usually mate on the ground,” Justice replied, shrugging his wings. “But she made it and we had a good guilt free time of ourselves, didn’t even have to think about possible children.”
Claire paused in her eating and glanced up at the Braviery. “...I see...” she said slowly.
Justice frowned ever so faintly. “Claire, you’ve known about me for quite some time, as well as knowing the fact that there are probably dozens of my children out there somewhere... if you have a problem with that, then you and I aren’t going to be together for long.”
The Swellow shook her head. “Right... right... I’m still getting used to the fact we are together and... trying to not let my buoyant fantasies cloud my thoughts.”
“It’s fine,” he told her simply as he cut another slice off and held it out to her. “I’m just making sure you understand.”
“I do... I truly do... we can’t just rush this,” Claire said as she accepted the meat.
“Exactly,” Justice agreed, nodding his noble head. “And please forgive me if I’m awful at this as well, I’ve never been what someone could consider monogamous.”
“Oh I know,” she replied with a small chuckle. “It’s just something I will have to keep in mind... you’re used of doing things a different way. There’s also ways I want things to happen... so I do hope you keep that in mind too. Hopefully we can find a middle ground for us to work with.”
“Well, we’re both reasonably intelligent considerate Pokemon, I’m sure that Justice will prevail,” Justice said, smirking ever so slightly.
The Swellow chuckled good heartedly. “I’m sure you will, you always seem to find a way out of everything,” she said, with an amused expression in her eyes.
“Not quite,” Justice answered, a bit of his smirk dying as a dark memory sprang up. “But for the most part, yes I do.”
Claire smiled as she leaned down to tear out one last chunk of meat for herself and scraffed it down. “Well... I’m full. Thank you for the meal.”
“It was the least I could do,” Justice replied before he lowered his beak and tore off a much bigger haunch of the rabbit, cracking the bones in his beak several times before he tossed it down his gullet. “I might as well get used to it right? You’re going to be heavy with eggs in a month or two and I’ll be the one getting all your food.”
“True I supposed... think we should start building a nest for the both of us?” Claire inquired. “Who knows when or if Abby or Scarlet will find us right?”
“I think we might want to wait a few more days, knowing Abby she’s gotten herself caught up in some kind of situation and been hurt in some way,” Justice said, shaking his head. “But if she’s not here by tomorrow night, then yes, we should build a nest.”
Claire nodded her head. “Sounds reasonable enough for me.”
Justice nodded his head and finished the rabbit before he walked over to her and brought a wing down around Claire, pulling her closer to his side. The Swellow nestled into his huge chest, letting out a relax sigh. “Thanks for the wonderful flight Justice...”
“Thank you for the same my little bird,” he replied with a smile, moving his head down to give her a short nuzzle. She returned the nuzzle and closed her eyes, letting out a short sigh before her mind drifted off to sleep. Justice smiled again and bowed his head, closing his eyes as well, so what if it was the middle of the afternoon? There was nothing wrong with a nap.
Luke sat cross legged on his bed, his eyes shut, his mind elsewhere though the door to his room was wide open. The faintest sound of scales slithering whispered through the doorway as Scarlet’s voice spoke up.
“Hey Luke, mind if we talk a bit?” the Serperior asked from underneath the doorway.
Luke’s eyes opened and he turned to her, a small smile on his lips. Of course... we can Scarlet. It’s... good to see you. What... is on your mind?
Scarlet returned the smile as she slithered into the room and move in front of him, keep a respectful distance away from him. “It’s good to see you too... and can’t you already sense what’s on my mind?”
I... try and avoid doing that to friends, Luke answered with a small mental chuckle. It... unnerves them.
“I can understand that,” Scarlet said with a small nod of her head. “Anyways... what’s on my mind is wondering how much you know about dissociative personality disorder.”
The mental state brought on by severe trauma which causes those who experience said trauma to create new ‘identities’ to deal with the stress? Luke inquired, his pauses disappearing. I know some, not a huge amount, I confess to having never met someone with the problem.
“That’s okay... I’m mostly trying to find who to help someone deal with it,” Scarlet said with a frown. “You wouldn’t know anything about treatments for dealing with DID?”
I believe the best, non psychic method involved lots of therapy so that the sufferer knew that they were there... then you would facilitate conversation between them, Luke replied with a deep frown. Though... I do not know if that is what Xerox has... in most cases, the other has no real idea of what the other ‘self’ has done... I think. I’m sorry, I have never actually studied the subject very closely.
“Hmmm... well, that’s okay, we’re both shooting in the dark really,” Scarlet said with a shrug like nature. “Though that does bring up another subject I would like to speak of. This ‘inner Ninetails’ voice in Abby’s head.”
Ah yes, that, Luke said, nodding his head faintly. Do not worry about that, it’s her new body’s way of controlling its curse powers along with keeping her from being drowned by her instincts. It should pass once she fully comes to grasp with what’s happened to her and her new body.
“Well, I would like for you to still keep an ‘eye’ on it,” Scarlet said, her tone becoming a bit more serious. “If you would be so kindly.”
I always keep an eye on her, Luke answered, his tone sharpening ever so slightly.
“Good... well thanks for your help; you help cleared a lot of my worries away,” Scarlet said, a soft smile forming on her face as her tone became very casual.
Anything I can do to help, Luke replied, closing his eyes. Was... there anything else Scarlet?
“Only for you to keep an eye out for either Claire or Vivi if you can, I’m still searching for them even after these two weeks,” she replied.
I will gladly do it, Luke answered with a nod of his head.
“Thanks,” Scarlet said with another smile before turning to the doorway. “Well I better not waste anymore of your time, see you later Luke.” Her body uncoiled and she made her way over to the exit.
Scarlet... I apologize for snapping at you. Luke called after her.
The Serperior stopped at the door and glanced back at him, shrugging slightly. “It just tells me you won’t let Abby down if that ‘voice’ becomes more trouble than you think it will, so it’s okay.”
Luke simply nodded his head and returned to his meditation. Scarlet watched him for a brief moment before turning her head around and resumed slithering her way out. She had some numbers to crunch and a list to write down. Luke for his part let out a small sigh, he really should not have snapped, but the very idea of his not doing his best to protect Abby just... irked him.
He let out a long breath and returned to building his mental walls.
Abby was laid up on the bed, a frown on her face as her stomach growled loudly. “Kasai, I’m hungry,” Abby said, nudging him. The Arcanine snored softly as he muttered something about Magikarp under his breath. Abby scowled and nudged him harder. “Kasai, I’m hungryyyy.” The great dog just snored some more as he rolled over onto his side, facing away from Abby.
Well, she wasn’t having that, her stomach was really starting to hurt now. So in order to wake him, she did the obvious thing, leaning over so that her muzzle was inside of one of his ears she quietly said.
“I’m buttering you some Magikarp, extra butter.”
“Mmmmm.... buttered Magikarp,” he said with a warm smile as his eyes slowly open... only for a frown of disappointment from the lack of any sizzling Magikarp smell.
“Kasai... I’m hungry...” Abby whined piteously in his ear.
“Then get something to eat... you have legs,” he murmured, a bit grumpy from being awoken from his sleep, shifting his body around a bit before closing his eyes once more.
“But I’m too weak too,” Abby moaned as she slumped down against him. “And I really want some fish right now, you’re faster than me Kasai, can you please go get me some fish? Oh, and put peanut butter on them!”
Kasai remained on his side for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “Fine... I’ll be back,” he said as he turned up onto his feet and walked off the bed and out of the room.
Abby smiled and collapsed into the bed, her tails going awry around her lower half as her stomach growled loudly. It seemed like hours before Kasai came back with a plate of unidentifiable fish flesh coated in creamy peanut butter carried in his jaws.
He set it down in front of her and Abby all but dove head first into it, her golden muzzle snapping up it up left and right while occasionally taking time to lick peanut butter off of her lips. When she’d finished the meal itself, she attacked the plate, scouring it of every drop of oil or grease.
“Mmmm, now I’m hungry for some kind of fruit... find me the closest thing you can too the fruit that a Tropius grows on it’s neck,” Abby instructed. “And put peanut butter on it too!”
The Arcanine blinked blankly at her... surprised she was still hungry after scarfing down two whole fish. “Right... I’ll see what I can do...” he said before he turned around and headed back out.
Abby’s stomach rumbled loudly and she pushed the platter off to the side of the bed and curled up in a half open ball as her tails danced energetically behind her. Come on, come on, come on, come on! she thought to herself as she waited impatiently for her mate to return. I’m SO hungry!
Kasai returned with a bundle of yellow curved fruit in his mouth and placed it down in front of her. “Here, these bananas look similar too-”
Abby didn’t give him time to finish speaking, instead she grabbed one of them in her mouth, let a small column of flame dance over it, and then squished the fruit down, peel and all. She did this to every one of the others too until she was sated, for the moment.
“Mmm...” Abby murmured with a content smile.
“Satisfied now?” Kasai asked, thinking his mate was full to the brim right now.
“I’d like some bacon or something close to it actually,” Abby replied with a grin as her stomach rumbled loudly. “Think you can find that my love?”
Kasai stared at her in disbelief. “....I’ll go ask around....” he turned and head off, the shocked expression still on his face.
Abby let out a mewl of hunger and fell face first back to the bed, she didn’t know why she was so hungry but she really, really, really, was! It was an unbearably long wait until Kasai returned, this time with a plate of strips of what was clearly bacon in his mouth.
Abby’s mouth visually watered as he put it down in front of her and without hesitation, she launched herself down upon it like an avenging missile. Little bits of bacon and grease smeared her muzzle and hung down from her chin, her tongue reaching out in a futile attempt to reach it all.
The Arcanine watched in shock as he saw Abby eat like some sort of... wild Pokemon. “Here... let me help you clean that up,” he offered as he walked up to her.
The Ninetales froze where she was and her eyes darted over to him and for a moment they were rimmed with blue energy before that dissipated leaving her looking... rather confused. “What happened to the bacon?”
Kasai looked at her as she was really serious. “You ate it... there’s some hanging on your chin,” he said, gesturing to her lower jaw.
Abby blinked twice and then glanced down at her jaw. “Oh. It seems I have...” she looked up at him and burped. “Yes, yes I definitely did.”
The Arcanine gave her a queer look. “Are you okay Abby? Besides the hunger cravings?”
“I think so...” Abby said with a frown. “Why?”
“Because there was an eerie blue glow to your eyes... and after it faded away you didn’t remember eating the bacon I just bought you,” he explained.
“Oh... I see,” Abby replied, blinking twice. “It must have been my inner Ninetales again... stupid bitch.” She thought she heard a silent, amused laugh within her mind at that pronouncement.
Kasai grimaced slightly. “You know Abby... that kind of worries me about that ‘voice’ in your head.”
“Yeah... but Luke said that it was fine,” Abby replied, frowning deeply. “So I believe him, he’s never lied to me before and I don’t think he’d start now.”
“Well maybe he needs to take an extra, closer look... because having a voice in your head is not good in general,” Kasai stated firmly. “Especially when it seems it can take control of your body and make you black out temporally.”
“I should... you’re right,” Abby agreed, frowning deeply. She let out a sigh and glanced down at her belly, or more specifically at her nipples that were leaking milk again. “That’s annoying...”
Kasai glanced down slightly before looking back up at her face. “Want me to get a towel or something?”
Abby frowned before her eyes lidded slightly. “I was thinking something different actually,” she said with a sly smile.
Kasai blinked blankly. “Kind-of early for that... don’t you think?”
“I’m probably going to give birth in a week right?” Abby replied. “I mean, I got pregnant during our first week here and now we’re into the second right? Besides... it feels like there’s a lot of it.”
“Yeah... I mean, on the terms of birth, but really I don’t think I should be the one helping you with that,” Kasai said, his ears tilting back a bit. “I’m kind-of... too old for that you know?”
Abby blinked twice. “Oh... I know that humans do that... or at least I thought they did, thought it would be the same for you,” she said, a puzzled frown on her muzzle.
“I... really wouldn’t know...” Kasai replied slowly. “I only licked around that area when you were a human because you seemed to like it.”
“Oh,” Abby blinked again. “Huh... well I appreciated it,” she said before she gave him a nuzzle. “As for whether or not you’re supposed to... I don’t know.”
“Again... I really don’t know... and I would still think it’s kind-of early for anything... extreme. Plus I would like to get myself some food too,” Kasai said, his own stomach growling in conformation.
“Right, right, go get yourself something to eat my mate,” Abby said, smiling softly at him and giving him a lick on the cheek. “I’m so sorry for all of this trouble I’ve caused you this morning.”
“Apology accepted... though now you do owe me some buttered fish,” he said with a smile, giving her a lick across her cheeks.
“I’ll do my best to find you some,” Abby replied with an amused yip. “Now, go get yourself some breakfast Kasai.”
“Will do,” he turned around and head out of the room one more time. Abby lay her head down on the pillow and let out a yawn, all that eating had tired her out, a nap was in order. With another quiet yawn, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep once more.