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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 3:55:09 GMT

From the sound of it, her compound was either co-owed with others, or she'd afforded it on donations and funding gathered on the strength of her reputation. It was still quite the feat either way. Although something in her phrasing caused the tossing of a red flag.

It was a small thing, in that she said she cultivated relations rather than relationships.

By and large the two words were interchangeable in some contexts. In some other contexts however, one had an implicit leaning into the explicit, while the other did not. He wasn't one to judge but it was a dangerous and frankly dumbassed move to let his heart or at least his 'feelings' and his honest intentions fall into the hands of someone who themselves were in the back pocket of the "widely influential".

If favors were done for her to get and have this place, what favors did she do in return. What favors did she still owe?

All of it screamed out for the two of them to have a frank conversation about what they were doing and what they wanted from each other but his desire to trust wouldn't let him be so demanding just yet. Everything he thought to second-guess, a third thought told him to be patient and let the truths reveal themselves.

There were 'known knowns'; the things you had an awareness of knowing, like the color of the sky and which girl you had the most desire for.

There were 'known unknowns'; the things you didn't know but were still aware that you didn't know, like whether or not she felt about you the way you felt about her.

Lastly there were 'unknown unknowns'; things you didn't know, and had no awareness to even consider or question in the first place.

There were a lot of known unknowns about Cait which lead Sénon to consider and even suspect the unknown unknowns. It was foolish to put it out of his mind like he did, but he wanted to be foolish for this. It felt worth the trouble.

So lost in the paradox of what he was or wasn't getting himself into he didn't the mounts stop until Cait looked away from him.

Following her gaze he saw something his mind couldn't quite grasp and so, his mind tried to break it down as best he could. It looked at him with disapproval, or perhaps disdain or maybe it was warning. Just as fast as he'd noticed it, it disappeared.

Dismounting as Cait did, hairs on the back of his neck stood on alert. Her lack of a similar reaction to his meant she knew more than him about what they'd just seen.

Her known knowns were his known unknowns and maybe unknown unknowns. Entering the cabin he sat down a bit unnerved returning the waiting Flareon and baby Bulbasaur to their pokéballs. Only the Riolu at his side.

". . ." Brows furrowed he wasn't sure of what he wanted to say, but he sure as hell knew what he wanted to hear.

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cai

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 5:57:21 GMT

cait prepared a plate of sliced fruit and sweetened tea, a wholly uncomfortable silence descending around the pair. her mind was abuzz as she worked, a hint of a tremble present within her hands as she mulled over her options.

'do what needs to be done.'

she mentally jabbed at the connection she shared with her god, but her subtle aggression was met with easy dismissal. a faint hint of amusement originating from the creature, celebi ultimately aware of what they had done.

"if you're hungry," she said, placing the small spread upon the table and within his reach. "you're welcome to a bite."

it was likely to be left untouched by the pair, though she indulged in a sip of tea to calm her nerves before she spoke. .

"okay - so..."

cait clicked her tongue, searching for the correct words.

"it's one thing to have sex. but it's another thing to commit to a relationship," she began, her shoulders sagging slightly. "so i'm going to be honest with you."

she offered her hand, her smile growing achingly tender and hopeful.

"if you have questions, i want you to ask them. just so you're sure... about me, i mean."

sénon was correct to be wary of celebi, but his presumption that it disliked him was incorrect. the legend shared in her own feelings, though their feelings widely veered toward the desire to possess - to protect - to keep. it had revealed itself for the sole purpose of ensuring it became a lasting presence within his own mind.

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 6:41:41 GMT

Just as soon as he'd sat down he'd stood again and begun pacing.

From the door to the table to the door again and back.

His brow never relaxed and he only on occasion stopped staring off in the middle distance just long enough to look over at Cait again before he was right back staring into 'space', pacing all the while.

She opted for transparency but rather than say what needed to be said she put it on him to ask the right questions. What if he was a moron who didn't know the right questions to ask? Would she go out of her way to tell him about those unknown unknowns? Or she would only give him the answers to the questions he asked.

Worse yet, she seemed to have everything well enough in hand, if they were in any danger she probably wouldn't have been cutting fruit and trying to soothe his anxiety. Was he better off just trusting that she had everything in hand?

Their connection was too new to face such uncertainties. Challenges of these caliber were icebergs thick enough to sink their 'ship. That was why the frank and honest conversation was the only way to alleviate the budding tension.

Stopping in pacing so suddenly, Sénon with his back turned came to a decision.

It started with letting his hair down, and then it came to taking off his shirt and jacket. When he turned to her finally he was undoing the buckle on his pants. Speaking with an awareness that stretched out into the future his voice carried the authority of a life partner, not a love interest.

She was far from out of the woods; she would talk. She would shed her secrets and answer all of his questions, he would accept nothing less. If the truths were hers to reveal... "We're going to bed Cait."

SPOILER: Click to show

The style of interrogation was his to decide.

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 9:25:40 GMT

"oh?"

she appeared genuinely surprised by his proposed method, mulling over the reality of their dynamic. from an outsider's perspective, she by far could be considered leagues above him in power. and cait could easily refuse his advances - his demands - but no small part of her was thrilled by his boldness. he was in her territory - surrounded by her pokemon - protected by her god; but he was utterly undaunted by her show of power.

"so soon?"

cait suddenly decided that she'd partake in the fruit she had offered, popping a grape into her mouth as she leaned back and peered at him. she was suddenly reminded of an aged philosophy, of how men and women carried themselves in years past. so she tentatively undid her ponytail, allowing her hair to fall over her shoulders.

"okay," she said, indulgently.

her gaze twinkled with a delight she refused to suppress, her smile utterly brilliant.

"whatever you want, sénon"

- fade to black -

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 17:15:45 GMT

.unfade from black.

It would have been nice if sex solved all problems in a relationship. Yet the truth of it was, when the relationship was still developing; a green growth only just beginning to break through its own seed walls. That was when sex could be the most destructive.

He'd been powerless to resist Cait that first night; his brain floated in a constant cocktail of 'spread and proper' and when she offered the former, he reaped the latter.

He tried to playback the memory in a neutral light that didn't confirm his own bias' but the facts were the facts. He'd seized that first kiss but from there there their roles as cat mouse reversed with him barely noticing, or noticing but not caring given the endgame benefits.

In that carnal arena he'd been putty in her hands. He came when she called and he engaged at her discretion. For a man to be insistent in that way was frowned upon, even shamed. For a woman to be insistent in that way was celebrated and accepted. He never felt as though he were behaving monstrously or taking advantage of her; because it was her making all the decisions. Perhaps making him blind that he was the one being taken advantage of; his need for love making him more prey than predator to a beast more evolved than he was.

It came to him like a punch in the nose the way she agreed to his old-fashioned needlessly machismo demand. Submission in her voice but no guilt or perhaps regret over her being withholding. As if she were still quite in control in ways he could not see. That, was the last red flag.

Before she'd join him in the bedroom, he walked out it.

In an athletic rotation he grabbed hold of his shoes, most of his clothes and the grape vine she'd offered before.

He said nothing as he went. Not to be cruel, but because he didn't know what to say. He only knew where he was going; his little Orchard Volcanica being tucked away on the other side of Fortree. He wanted to kiss her goodbye or at least thank her for the good parts of the day but all that felt so final and he was still quite in the raw of it all.

So, literally ass'd out he left her cabin, his own guilt and righteousness following him out the door one much louder in his ears than the other.

Jūken fronting the march away with his aura senses to lead them and Jakka, spawned from his pokéball to give a little light from his tail. Sénon's shirt and bandana the only things he'd managed to not grab on his way out.

● tags: cait alfric
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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 18:09:01 GMT

and like that he was gone.

she was so willing to tell him everything - and yet he had the strength to deny her lure.

there was potent silence following his retreat, a shaking sigh escaping her as she leaned back into the couch. cait had hoped that he'd stay - that she'd succeed at having him again.

'all to myself.'

"what a mess."

she ran fingers through her hair, deeply disappointed as that damnable loneliness seeped back in in a rush. that feeling of failure returned- a silent curse cast heavenwards as she forced herself to stand.

"i need a drink," she murmured.

cait very rarely indulged in her wine - but she felt like another night by her lonesome called for the alcoholic beverage. and she'd drink deeply and happily from the cup once it was within her grasp and filled with liquid crimson.

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 18:12:47 GMT

What started as a safe bet to free himself from potential manipulation turned into a contentious trek through the dark. Stumbling along the way he'd managed to put his clothes back on one article at a time. He told himself he was right, to remove himself from a circumstance he couldn't control.

Yet, for all his mental assurances he'd made the right choice, his heart flooded him with anger. An emotional punishment for having done something he couldn't take back. Something he so often did when given enough room to do so; showing his ass.

Everyone had secrets some more worth keeping than others but everyone had them all the same.

He'd made it to the Orchard in one piece, Excadrill delighted to see him going as far as to hop in his arms careful where he aims those sharp claws and the sharper one on his head. He rubbed at the moles back offering it reassurance and love only feeling worse that he didn't offer her the same thing.

Proud to show off his work as Sénon had taught him to be, Excadrill showed his trainer the finished product; three Kebia Berries ripe and ready; special treats for a lucky three on the team, grown in the half the expected time. He pat the proud mole on the head but he couldn't return its smile.

After swapping out Pokémon on the PC installed on the grounds, he went on with his ritual. Hidden about the Volcanica was a special plant whose broken yields he wrapped in a mundane leaf. Once ablaze he tucked the wrap in the corner of his mouth grabbing a shovel and stabbing into the earth. Under the moonlight he'd dig three new holes for the seeds in his back pocket not allowing the Excadrill to help.

Hoping with the salac seeds, he could also bury his own frustrations.

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 19:08:04 GMT

her hypno appeared utterly exasperated at the sight of her mistress, the woman barely able to handle more than a few sips of alcohol at a time.

- you've known this man for barely a month. -

the creatures voice reverberated throughout her skull, her deep drawl clearly heard as she caught her mistress's bleary gaze with her own.

- there's no point in weeping over it. another male will take his place, surely. -

cait's lips merely wobbled at the suggestion, the girl hanging off the arm of her couch and making for a pitiful sight indeed. feelings of disappointment were soon joined by guilt - and worry that he was simply gone. she resisted the urge to grab hold of her phone, to tap on his contact and make a call - or send a text message that would likely go unanswered.

"but ah - ," she mumbled. "it's my fault. ah did everythin' wrong. ah just - "

she sucked in a breath, her southern accent deepening severely as a slur entered her voice.

" - wanted to impress him. wanted him ta like me is all - wanted ta keep things simple fer a lil' while. what's wrong with me? why in arceus's name can't ah do anythin' right? it ain't fair, hypno."

there was legitimate anger that presented itself within her tone, cait's eyes squeezing shut as she pressed her face into the couch. hypno confiscated the bottle and glass from the green-haired avatar, deciding to put them away and keep them entirely out of the woman's reach.

- let's get you to bed now. -

cait refused and fussed, mumbling that she'd rather be left where she lay. she'd be damned if she'd go to bed alone - especially when her mood was so utterly foul and directed at herself. so hypno left her be, picking up the shirt and bandanna the man had left behind. uncertain if he'd return for it, the psychic-type opted to fold it neatly and place it near the door.

her own mistress would be given a blanket to keep her warm in the night and a pillow to cushion her head, the lights of their home flicking out one by one as cait inevitably entered a deep slumber.

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slowe

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 19:19:44 GMT

Disembodied and mentally rested from the physical exertion, his mind didn't have to grasp for answers.

He was left in a state somber and concise. Kneeling down to Excadrill's level he embraced it in a hug, promising not to wait until the next harvest to come back and visit. It didn't go off on adventures with him anymore like the rest of the team did, because it had a duty that kept him bound to the Orchard instead. It wasn't a perfect existence but it was something he enjoyed far more than the endless cold and eternal darkness of the tunnel it called home as a Drillbur.

With Sénon taking his leave, open jacket flapping in the winds, Excadrill returned to tending the garden a bit before getting ready to sleep in the face of the eventual rising sun.

Taking to the skies Sénon the lived the moment without reaction to the instantaneous goosebumps forming on his chest and arms and back. His body's reaction to the frigid air just below the clouds. The sky was far more beautiful at night than in the day and twice as frightening. He didn't mind the fear or the cold breezes; he'd learned to love to fly making himself quite adjusted to the cold for an 'Island Boy' raised under an active volcano.

On Salamance's back the world was his.

The dragon wanting nothing in this world but to fly until its very wings gave out the two of them could have flown back to Cinnabar, right now. Only... Cinnabar wasn't where he was supposed to be. The echo in his gut told him so.

After a modest time drifting the skies and some soul searching the dragon was directed to land and as if their bond was finally becoming one of mutual respect; it did so gently. Landing on the earth like a drifting leaf landing softly in a hot cup of tea. With a hand on its snout Sénon offered it a silent 'Thank You' before returning it to its pokéball.

Approaching the now-familiar door to the wooden abode he went to make a disturbing knock only to stop short and instead softly try for for the door; unlocked.

Nearby through the twilight breaking through the windows he saw her sleeping, then saw a Hypno, seeing him.

Acknowledging it but paying no further mind he took off his shoes and jacket, leaving on the pants before sliding in the space between her and the couch, wrapping her torso in his arms.

All that time gone he still didn't know what he wanted to say but he at least knew, where he wanted to be.

● tags: cait alfric
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cai

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 19:56:52 GMT

hypno said nothing as the man made his entrance, though her pinprick gaze tracked his movements closely. it was her primary duty, after all, to ensure that lord celebi's avatar was safe. but no amount of threat or aggression could be detected from the male, and she watched as he made himself fit on the couch. he curled around the woman almost protectively, seemingly apathetic toward the limit space that was shared.

cait merely mumbled, shifting slightly to adjust herself before releasing a contented sigh.

'i see,' the psychic-type thought. 'i suppose i was wrong. for now, at least.'

she took her leave of the scene and of the home, careful to generate as little noise as possible as she did so. hypno was certain her mistress was safe, leaving the ghosts whom occupied her property to keep watch over the home's exterior.

- - -

there was bemusement that was swiftly followed by a wash of relief when she regained consciousness. her mind felt heavy from the aftereffects of the alcohol, but she ignored the discomfort in favor of relishing the feeling of being held. cait's eyes grew wet with relief, the girl having been certain the night prior that she'd be alone when she awoke.

"sénon."

she'd turn to press her forehead against his chest, taking him in and relishing his presence. he smelled like the earth; likely freshly turned soil combined with his own natural signature.

"you're here."

her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, not entirely certain if she wanted him to stir.

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POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 20:38:19 GMT

He was off into a dream before he knew it, only slightly worried about the Kantonian myth from his childhood of Hypno and Drowzee eating people's dreams.

If that was to be his fate tonight, so be it.

It reassured him to feel her back on his torso. Her 'backside' against his 'front'. As she moved it shifted his senses from dreaming to a light hazed state. She spoke his name and it sounded sweeter than it ever had before. Her tone seemed pulled in the directions of relieved, reassured and happy.

He kissed her on the top of her on scalp, through her lush green locks; gentle and sweet. What smelled like a citrus scented shampoo made a new memory he would carry on into forever.

Even now all the words eluded him; it wasn't easy to articulate why he left the way he did but little to no filter between his heart and his mouth meant it was just that natural to put his honest feelings to words.

"I thought it best to go home." His voice was a strange bass making love to a whisper as he told her his truths in the dark. "Following that feeling.." He pulled her in tighter, possessive. "It brought me back here."

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cai

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Sept 29, 2020 22:08:43 GMT

she takes care to mull over his words, a warmth spreading throughout that could easily be identified as affection. he placed a kiss upon her forehead and she's responded with one of her own, her smaller size only allowing her to reach his cheek.

"you're welcome here," she said. "for as long as you can stand it."

there was a hint of amusement there, cait allowing him the freedom to do as he pleased. but she hoped he stayed for a while yet, despite duty likely expecting them to take leave of their respective safe haven's before long.

'enjoy the time you have while you have it.'

"i'd suggest breakfast. but i honestly reek of sweat and alcohol. shower?"

Sénon Game

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POSTED ON Sept 30, 2020 7:57:40 GMT

"I'll be around, wherever you are. . ." Fighting off the inputs forcing him to awaken he returned her offer with some soft reassurance and another honest truth. "-but I can't live under someone else's provisions." He was from Cinnabar Island, where ingenuity and self-sufficiency made a remote little rock a technological marvel of the region, all before the Volcano reclaimed the land as its own.

He'd also grown up through adolescence and his teens sleeping in the woods, under bridges, on rooftops; anywhere he could be relatively safe for enough time for himself and his team to rest before waking up to continue his journey to the Indigo League, and shower (if he found one).

He'd never call a place home that he himself didn't own; he's sleep in the wilderness again before he let his pride falter so. "You weren't asking me to move in anyway." If she was, he didn't take it seriously.

He groaned in exaggerated annoyance when she slipped from his grasp. He turned over into the couch to simulate having something in front of himself to hold.

He probably should have joined her in the shower but his temperament wasn't a carnal one at the moment. If she were implying separate showers, he'd missed that implication entirely. No, more than anything else he wanted in the world was to sleep and so he did, deep and long.

Eventually when they were both upright that conversation would have to happen and he was in no rush to revisit those suspicions.

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cai

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POSTED ON Sept 30, 2020 10:11:44 GMT

she gave a snort.

"no, i wasn't."

perhaps in the future she would, when she prepped the space and shifted things just so to properly accommodate two. cait left him be, making sure the blanket was settled over the length of slumbering male before retreating to her bedroom. there she'd commit to her morning ritual, giving herself a thorough wash and tending to her textured mane with great care. her culture viewed hair - no matter how long or short - as metaphorical crowns, after all.

her mother had made sure she learned how to encourage her hair's health and maintain whatever length appealed to her personal tastes. her upbringing was likely what drew cait to sénon's lengthy strands of crimson, the girl eager to admire it whenever granted the opportunity.

"let's see how clear my schedule is today," she murmured.

there was nothing work-related that required her attention, nor were her pokemon in need of her attention. and the eggs within her care weren't due for observation for a few more hours. so she decided on donning comfy pajamas and fluffy slippers after taking her daily medications and supplements, slipping out of her room to quietly make her way to the kitchens.

'coffee will do me wonders.'

the girl prepped a single piece of toast that was smeared in a light coating of butter. she wasn't particularly hungry, merely chewing and taking a sip of freshly prepared coffee as she sat at the kitchen's table. she's check social media through her phone as she did so, scrolling and checking her personal email before eyeing its business counterpart.

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Thirty One

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Cinnabar Island

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