I Want To Lay the Very Best!

Reena had stepped outside to thank them for handling the deliveries and, perhaps more importantly, to see if she could coax any information from Brandy about who might be showing up. There was a lingering sense that she'd been treated like a booty call. Still, considering the table that had been trashed by Brandy's team, it seemed only fair Reena got to have a little fun at their expense. As an added bonus, Reena had offered them the use of the spare rooms upstairs, letting them stay in comfort until it was time to leave Spikemuth.

Lilith had shown them up to their rooms. The climb up the narrow staircase was made all the more theatrical by her exaggerated sighs and the dramatic sway of her hips as though each step was a personal affront.

"Welcome to the penthouse," she said dryly, waving a hand at the immaculately polished hallway lined with warm lighting and freshly varnished doors. "Where the ghosts leave mints on your pillows and the sheets judge you silently."

She paused by one of the doors, then pushed it open with a theatrical sweep of her arm. Inside was a surprisingly spacious room, dimly lit by iron-wrought sconces and a chandelier that hung like a spider from the ceiling. The centerpiece was a massive four-poster bed, dressed with a deep crimson duvet and black velvet sheets, with matching heavy curtains that could be drawn for complete darkness. Because goths could hardly be expected to fuck in the light. Brandy had to give them points for committing to the theme.

Brandy walked in, the rug beneath her feet a tapestry of curling roses and twisting vines that looked surprisingly soft. Reena clearly didn't do anything in half-measures. Their spare rooms looked like a dark romance fan's wet dream.

She carried Dani gently, the Magikarp girl already dozing, her limbs limp, and a contented little hum vibrating in her throat. Brandy laid her down on the enormous bed like she was placing a treasure back on its velvet pedestal. Dani barely stirred, only shifting slightly to curl into the plush duvet, her cheek nuzzling against the soft sheets.

Brandy brushed Dani's pigtails back from her face. There was something sweet about seeing her like this, so peaceful after all her energy had been so thoroughly wrung out by Brandy's thighs. Brandy kissed the Magikarp's forehead and turned back to Lilith, who was still showing off the room to Sparky and Calcine.

"Best part of this room? Barely any mold," Lilith said with a smirk. She then rolled her eyes when Calcine squinted at her. "I'm kidding, it's spotless. Reena runs this place like a tyrant with a feather duster."

"Try not to set anything on fire. Or do. Reena keeps this place pristine and if you fuck it up, I get to see her be mean to you."

At the mere suggestion, Lilith's entire demeanor lit up. She clutched her chest dramatically, her corset straining under the sudden inhale as if she were overcome by the thrill of chaos.

"Ohhh, Arceus, can you even imagine? That woman goes full ice queen when she's mad. Arctic frostbite with a side of psychological warfare." Her eyes sparkled. "It's delicious. So please, be messy. Make my day."

Sparky, never one to waste a good opportunity, wandered over to a nearby side table where a bedside lamp stood. Its base was wrought from blackened metal, twisted into curling vine-like patterns that gave it the look of something salvaged from a cathedral crypt. The shade above it was made of stained glass, pieced together in warm reds and bruised purples, casting eerie shapes across the wall when lit. With the most exaggerated look of innocence imaginable, she reached out. She hooked a single finger beneath the edge of the lamp, tilting it just enough that the glass began to jingle.

Lilith's head snapped toward her like a predator-catching movement in the brush.

"Don't," she said, voice low and sharp.

Sparky froze, fingers still outstretched and tilted a fraction more, Lilith staring her down with a glare so intense the air should have been hazing. Her entire posture had changed, shoulders squared, chin slightly tilted, eyes honed to kill. Genuinely terrified, Brandy felt her mouth going dry.

"Put that back," Lilith said, slow and quiet. "Or I won't be playing anymore."

For once in her life, Sparky backed off, putting the lamp down, huffing her sleeve, and using the fur to shine the side of it. Calcine had stepped behind Lilith, just looming, ready to grab her, but she relaxed when things de-escalated.

"Damn," the bug muttered, grinning despite the danger. "You really do love Reena."

Lilith stood taller, a hand on her expansive chest over her heart. "I'd burn down a town for that woman."

Then, with a sudden shift in tone, she looked toward the window at the end of the hall, her smirk softening just enough to suggest a flicker of something else. "Speaking of things we love and can't quite keep hold of. Where's your blackbird?"

Calcine was right back to looking tense again.

"Coming," Brandy said, "I hate to shoo you out, but can you give us some time alone? We got things planned still."

Lilith raised an eyebrow, then turned on her heel just enough to face Brandy properly. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart," she purred, lips curling in that wicked smile again. "Reena and I are going to crack you open like a ripe peach, wring out every pretty sound you've got, and leave you chasing your own thoughts through a fog of orgasms until your brain starts leaking out your ears. It'll be art. I'll have it commissioned and hung on the wall."

She said it like a promise, not a threat, head high, eyes gleaming, as if she were already picturing the masterpiece.

Brandy opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure whether she should be flattered, alarmed, or both.

Lilith laughed, a rich, unapologetic sound that echoed off the fancy walls and gave a little wave. "Enjoy the room. It's the best we've got, and you're not the worst I've had to tolerate."

And just like that, she sauntered out, boots thudding cheerfully down the hall, leaving behind an awkward silence.

"She'll be here," Brandy said, touching Calcine's arm. "No way Morgan misses your date."

Calcine didn't answer right away. She stood with her arms folded, calm and steady, her eyes fixed on the window as though expecting to see Morgan come flitting around the corner at any moment. There was no panic in her stance, no fidgeting. Just a simmering worry she kept tucked beneath her usual solid exterior.

"She's been through a lot lately," Calcine said after a long silence, her voice edged with just a tinge of worry. "What if this is too much? She's competitive, but I think she knows she can't beat me."

Sparky stepped in quickly, looping an arm around Calcine's back and squeezing her with surprising gentleness. Her other hands didn't waste the opportunity to trace along the hard lines of Calcine's arm, fingers gliding over the chiseled texture of dark stone warmed by body heat. She gave a low whistle, more impressed than teasing.

"Honestly, she's a fool if she doesn't show. You're like some divine punishment for thirsty ladies, cut from the finest stone. If you weren't taken tonight, I'd scale you like the Crown Shrine and hope any legendaries watching were too flustered to smite me."

Calcine arched an eyebrow, lips twitching into the faintest ghost of a smile. Without a word, she shifted slightly under Sparky's touch, a subtle, deliberate flex that made her dark stone skin ripple with quiet strength. She didn't speak, but there was an unmistakable pride in her as she let Sparky's fingers trace out her muscles.

The pair of them were so fucking cute together.

Wanting to offer support, even if it felt like an intrusion on the pair, Brandy gave Calcine's arm another soft pat. "She's a little threatened by you. You're a lot."

"Kind of a big deal," Calcine murmured.

"Absolutely, but I think she respects you. Morgan loves a challenge, and you are a big one for her. Give her some time to work her courage up."

Brandy didn't know for sure that Morgan was nervous, but she'd seen Morgan declare her love, and it hadn't been easy. Intimacy didn't come easily for the Murkrow, who preferred to make everything a game with stakes instead. Playing into that had made it easy to hang out with Morgan, but Brandy did worry, and it also stopped her from really gelling with the team.

"Where are you taking her anyway?"

"Illegal fight club," Sparky said, pushing her way into space between Brandy and Calcine, getting squashed by both ladies.

"Where are you really taking her?" Brandy asked Calcine.

Calcine hesitated for a beat, then raised her arms and gave Brandy a guilty smile. "An illegal fight club?"

Brandy blinked. "You're serious?"

"It's a good one," Calcine said, almost defensively. "We met a searingly hot lady and her Hawlucha partner. They invited us to come take part in an exhibition match? We couldn't say no; they kind of bulldozed right over us. Morgan and I are going to come up with secret identities and a team name together."

"She's going to absolutely love that," Brandy said.

"Sparky promised she'd go. You and Dani could too?"

"Would it be intruding on the date?"

Calcine shook her head. "I want you watching us and cheering. I'll steal Morgan away for a few drinks and a private talk afterward."

"She's going to show Morgan her butt," Sparky whispered, "And Morgan's going to die."

"That's not the plan," Calcine sighed, flicking Sparky's nose. "Well, maybe it'll happen, but I can aim higher than pandering to her."

"If you want to use the Fire Stone to go all Coalossal for your show, I'm totally down," Brandy said, already perking up at the thought. "I think Morgan deserves to get a hold of that Coalossal butt."

"You haven't had a go with it yet," Calcine said. "You're going to miss out again?"

"I'll get my turn eventually. I'm not special because I'm the Trainer," Brandy said, a finger to Calcine's mouth to stop her from objecting. "Not on this team; you've led it, and so have I. Together. That's how we do things. No arguing."

"I should be allowed to argue if we're equals," Calcine smiled, then just pushed past the point. "Won't we need the Fire Stone charged for the gym?"

Brandy shook her head. "We'll scout it out tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we can handle it without leaning on the advantage. If we start relying on boosts, we'll never grow past them."

"You just want a good show," Sparky snorted. "Shameless."

"Maybe," Brandy smirked, "But Dani's sleeping right now, so it'll be a surprise for her. I don't think she even knows you can do that. Don't you want to surprise the Magikarp with it?"

Calcine looked at Dani sleeping on the bed and licked her lips hungrily.

"Don't be greedy," Brandy said with a slap to Calcine's bicep. "You want to fuck tonight, you show Morgan a good time."

Calcine growled, the rumble in her voice low and molten. "I plan to."

Brandy grinned, catching Sparky's eyes as she did. "Then let's get you dressed up for a date. You should look good for it."

"I don't have any nice clothes."

"You always steal mine, and I have nice clothes." Brandy laughed. "Let's put you in some of them."

Outside, the wind stirred faintly through the narrow alleys of Spikemuth as a Murkrow drifted down from the tallest towers, her mind set right by an aggressively sexy fox lady.

She had no idea what was waiting for her below, but if she had, she'd have rushed a bit quicker to get there.