98 – Step Three: Bargaining

98 – Step Three: Bargaining

Knowing what a Pokémon's Moves were was a big deal; there was a reason Mercury had wanted to keep hers hidden. Morgan could have been a lightning-fast brawler or a Pokémon that got inside your head and made you lose your senses. Both a set of Moves that needed utterly different approaches to what she actually was, a rather nasty ambusher.

"Pick up the pace, Calcine. We got to rush her down!" Sparky said, bouncing excitedly behind her.

The metal shards on pieces of string Morgan had hung all along the stairwell wrapped up Calcine's arms. The idea had impressed Brandy because it wasn't just a creepy thing to do. It forced people to come at her more slowly, and they'd only be able to pin her down if they gave her nowhere to run to. Every delay she forced on them gave her some wiggle room. Though Sparky's eagerness to pick up the pace could just be her natural impatience rather than any tactical planning, she was excitable after all.

"I don't want to snag something," Calcine said patiently, "Unless you want to stop and burn all this off, I'm going as fast as I can. Just keep the way lit."

Calcine was being a little snippy there, and Brandy put a hand on Sparky's shoulders, squeezed her, and gave her an excited smile to share some of her enthusiasm. Brandy was lucky enough that the two of them got along really well, but she could hear the frustration in Calcine's voice at having her arms slowly bound up, and Sparky pushing her buttons wouldn't help right now.

As Calcine went to sweep her arms into the next set of hanging metal shards, a gust of wind roared and tossed them out of her grasp, they swung back to cut at her raised arms. However, Calcine's skin was far too tough for them to get any purchase on. She took a few swipes at the string as she tried to get it under control, but it was yet more delays and frustration. What they needed to get this really moving was Calcine's fire, and that was up to Brandy to tease out.

"At least they look good on your arms," Brandy said as Calcine waited for Sparky to burn the end off so she could move. "Tearing your shirt up like that, I get to see your muscles."Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

"I know you're just trying to get me worked up," Calcine gave Brandy a sidelong glare, her pure orange eyes thin slits, and the glow of them intensified by the tightness. "You see my muscles plenty."

"And I like seeing them every time," Brandy said, reaching around Sparky to tug at the torn fabric of Calcine's shirt. It took a few gentle rips to get the sleeves off, Calcine fussing the whole time about Brandy being careful not to cut herself. Brandy wasn't sure if she was getting stronger or the cuts were so thorough a slight tug was all it took to make the fabric part, but it felt good to rip clothes off her Partner.

"That's your shirt." Calcine's tone was admonishing, but she smiled as she said it, so Brandy knew she was getting to her.

"My muscles too, and I like them," Brandy said, running a finger over the line of one. Calcine wasn't as incredibly toned as a Fighting type, but it was enough to notice, and there was a simple pleasure in tracing the outline of her Partner's strength. The metal shards didn't bother Brandy, they weren't very sharp, and her skin was tougher these days. The jagged bits of metal felt like caressing a butter knife. Not something Brandy wanted to do, but hardly a danger. "I'm becoming tough like you, and I know you like firm."

The cheap string on Calcine smoked, and Brandy sealed the deal with a lick, carefully picking a spot where she could lick at Calcine's skin without slicing her tongue. The thrill of the little bit of danger made her press in all the firmer. That spot of wetness and fondness all mixed together did the trick. The strings burned up in one superheated flash, metal shards clattering to the ground in a noisy rain as they slipped through the stairs gaps.

It was time to move, but Calcine had other ideas, grabbing Brandy and pressing her against the staircase wall. "I know you like firm too." Calcine purred, and Brandy just melted inside. The tight press of her body, the heat spilling from her skin, and the sudden shift to not just wanting Brandy but taking her? Her thoughts were all mush, and her breath caught in her throat.

A shock of electricity rolled through Brandy and into Calcine with a sharp snap, making her whole body shiver. "Ow! Sparky!"

"Much as I want to see Calcine pound a Brandy-shaped hole into the wall, I want to get that bird! Focus!"

Right, Morgan. Oops.

Calcine gave Brandy a long stare and then let her go with a cheeky squeeze to her butt. Her arms blazed with flames as she swept away the obstacles, and they took the stairs at a light run. Black Feathers poured up from the center and tried to keep on going past them. "Sparky, Electroweb trapdoor!"

"That is the point, yes," Morgan said proudly, leaning on the railing. Her relaxing was a good sign. As much as Morgan said she wanted to be left alone, Brandy could see her hunger for the talk as she leaned in to listen to them all. Morgan had been hiding away for a long time from Cassidy. The loneliness of it had left the bird-woman starved for even something as simple as a conversation. "I wanted blood to pour on people, but I couldn't think how to get ahold of any."

"My fur is thankful," Sparky huffed. "You want to invite us into your horrible murder tower if we're talking? Calcine can cook."

"Is she good at it?"

"Unforgettable." Sparky nodded. "You've never tasted anything like it."

Sparky wasn't wrong, and if Calcine still had that bottle of Typhlosion hot sauce she'd bought, it'd likely be the last meal Morgan ever tasted. Brandy would have to find a way to steal cooking duty away because melting off Morgan's tongue would make talking impossible.

"You may entertain me." Morgan gave them a sweeping bow. "And I will play the host until you are no longer entertaining. That's the deal I offer."

Dramatic, but Brandy nodded. She could work with that.

"Then find me below. In the heart of my Murder Tower," Morgan stepped off the rail and dropped into the darkness, a swish of wind following her.

"It's not a Murder Tower," Calcine said, "Right?"

"Depends on how much of your cooking she eats." Sparky snorted and looked down into the darkness. "Not sure about her, though. She's weird."

"Weird?" Brandy raised an eyebrow. "You've done plenty of weird things too. What's wrong with weird?"

Sparky shrugged. "I like tricks, but spooky tricks are a whole other thing. I don't get her whole deal. Why not just fly off or hide? Why all this theatrical stuff?"

"Well, we're here to find out. Morgan broke her bond and hasn't made new ones. That probably makes you act a little odd." Brandy gave Sparky a nudge. "Come on, we have to entertain her, and you're good at that. It's your chance to shine."

Sparky puffed herself up, smoothing out her fur proudly. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll charm the pants off her."

"She wasn't wearing any," Calcine said.

"That's how good I am. She's already lost them in anticipation."

An argument so stupid it was hard not to laugh at it. Sparky's excitement at having a key role in the plan was something Brandy had noticed a few times. She was willing to make an incredible fool of herself to make herself useful, and Brandy hadn't been joking. They were going to need her to help keep Morgan entertained here because breaching the subject of her broken bond would get them all kicked out unless she'd really warmed to them.

It felt like they were going into a capture fight, but a strange one where the rules were even more confusing than Lea's Gym Challenge. Strange suited Morgan, so maybe that's just how it has to be.