171 – Plans Set In Stone

171 – Plans Set In Stone

"Are you absolutely sure you won't stay the night?" Aniseed said, though her tone revealed that she already knew the answer. "Or, at the very least, fly you home?"

"No," Calcine said, letting out a held-in breath of pure terror as she descended from the penthouse to the street. It was good to be back on solid ground. "If we stay, it'll just start up again in the morning, and Brandy might really end up in the Poké-center."

She gave her terribly horny Trainer a pat on the rear. She was slung over Calcine's shoulder, wrapped up in her warm cloak, and snoring away like a train engine. Calcine knew snoring came from the vibrations in a relaxed body, and Brandy had hit a point of peak relaxation long ago. It'd been so sweet to watch her drift off to sleep in the warmth of their arms.

"Well, thank you for sharing her; I hate having to feed the bond without my Partner here, but..."

"We know Joyce's by now," Sparky grinned. "Trust us, she'd want you to press every redhead you could find up to a wall."

Aniseed reached down to flick Sparky's nose, which just made her fur spark with excitement. "You're not wrong, but I miss her. Filling that gap with another woman reminds me of who should be there instead."

"You should call her," Calcine said, "Paint a scene for her. I think she'd like to hear it."

"Wouldn't she just feel left out?" Aniseed sounded genuinely worried about the possibility. Calcine tried to think of a way to soothe her, but Sparky was quicker off the mark.

"Aniseed," Sparky said, wanting to put a hand on her shoulder but having to settle for a hip. "You are ridiculously gorgeous. There's no way she's not missing an ass that good."

Morgan let out a quiet chirp. She was slung over Calcine's other shoulder, just as soundly asleep as Brandy.

"How does she know we said ass?" Calcine said.

Another chirp.

"Uncanny." Calcine snorted. "I thought she was well composed for a Dark type, but it seems she channels all that instinct into one particular lust."

"She's a good bird," Aniseed said. "Maybe Maxi would like to hear about the Murkrow who worshipped me."

"Lay it on thick," Sparky nodded. "Give her all the juicy details. You and Spitfire double-teaming Brandy. Spitfire wrecking me. Lixi and Calcine fighting to eat Brandy out."

"We didn't fight," Calcine said. "We disagreed on who should go first."

"Was a Championship tournament for her pussy. You're lucky Aniseed can repair dents in her floorboards."

"I might borrow some of this colorful phrasing," Aniseed said, a hand over her mouth to hide any polite laughs. "I'll give it a try. If it goes badly, I'll hunt you both down."

Calcine shrugged, getting a double snore out of Brandy and Morgan as the air got pushed out of their stomachs. "Sparky would love to be hunted down. Maybe do that if it goes well? You'll have to get creative if it goes badly."

"It's a deal. This is what Brandy was heading towards arranging herself, wasn't it? Before we had to calm her down about finding out, I was family adjacent."

"She's a goof," Sparky said, flicking her fingertips over the sleeping Trainer's nose and making her snuffle. "Her parents fucked so much she gets annoyed thinking about it."

"I have noticed an overabundance of passion is a Joyce trait," Aniseed said, hands over her heart. She was only in a slim black nightdress, so it was a sight that made hearts thump in sympathy. "Take care of her. I'll be part of the family someday and will be even more annoying than her parents if I have my way."

"We will," Calcine nodded. "I'll get Morgan to give you a Dex call in the morning. She'll be mortified she didn't say goodbye and thank you."

"I get what you're doing, but I mean it." Calcine rumbled. "I'll fight anyone who says you're not amazing, even you."

"You can beat my ass any day." Sparky got in a hug, which was tricky with Calcine carrying two people over her shoulders, but Sparky was nothing if not flexible. "I'm not going to do sappy speeches about how you need to believe in yourself or that you're loved. Because you're the smart one, and you know better. I do love you in my own annoying way."

"Incredibly annoying."

"And learning to be more so every day." Sparky squeezed harder. "Brandy loves you, I love you. Morgan is here too."

"You're also mean."

"I'm allowed to be mean to Morgan. She's a cheat and a scoundrel, and she loves it. She'd be preening her feathers if she could hear me."

"I enjoy her ideas. She helps liven things up."

"The coin-bouncing game was inspired." Sparky reluctantly agreed, "Fine, if you're forcing me to say I love Morgan, too, I will. But this is actually forced now. I genuinely love you. Morgan will take some work."

Calcine snorted and gently squeezed the two women in her arms. They were still snoring, thank Arceus. This would be mortifying if either of them were awake.

Something left unsaid hung in the air, something big, and Calcine needed a run-up. She was still getting used to her emotions flowing on the surface, and this one was scorching.

"I don't know how I'd go on without Brandy in my life," Calcine said as Sparky's rows of blue eyes watched her anxiously. "I always struggled to find purpose. I think I only did the gym because I wanted to be her, and she let me so I could try to find my voice. Be more confident in saying what I want."

"Which is?" Spark said with an impish smile.

"Still a hard thing to do." Calcine wished she had a free hand right now. She wanted to touch Sparky so badly. Calcine settled for leaning into the hug. "But just because it's hard, doesn't mean it isn't worth saying. I love you, Sparky. You're always there for us. I notice that. Respect the hell out of it. Adore it."

"I have four eyes. If you make me cry, it will be a mess." Sparky said, her words a little choked.

"I like making a mess of you. That's not going to stop me." Calcine said proudly. "We're going to put these two to bed, and then I'm going to practice saying what I want."

"I'd make jokes, but I think my mouth is going to be full," Sparky said, burying her face in Calcine's side. To hide a tear or sheer fondness, it was hard to say. Either way, Calcine was there for her to lean on.

After they had both walked silently for a time, enjoying the good vibes, Sparky sighed and said wistfully, "It's been a really good time here. I'm going to miss Motostoke. "

"Me too, but we can always come back someday. We can drag Lixi off and have her to ourselves while Brandy and Morgan get some couple time."

"As if Morgan won't be perched outside Aniseed's window tapping on the glass," Sparky laughed. "But it sounds like a date. In which I get spoiled the most."

"Spoiling people is fun to me," Calcine said, "That's one thing I've learned from Brandy. It's good to make other people smile. Or cry a little."

"Didn't cry."

"You will when we get into a bed. I'm going to be very thorough sending you off to sleep."

She could feel Sparky vibrate with excitement on her side. It was nice to know the right words to say. Maybe finding her purpose would take some more doing, but for now, Calcine had some clear goals she'd set herself, and she was going to see them through with a Pokémon she loved. That was a good enough start.