"At least you're quick," she said with a laugh, revealing a couple of bruises on her legs and arms. "He hits hard..."

Jessie made sure her outfit was straightened and looked decent before opening the door for them to go through. "Dinos first."

"Rawr, rawr!" Kai roared in response, making little claws with his fingers as his head bounced up and down at his uncle's question.

URIAH BLACK

☉

This stranger was here, talking to her and offering her napkins, completely out of his free will. Jessie wondered to herself if there was, in fact, still good in the world, besides her son and her siblings.

"Oh. Thank you. You didn't have to," she said, a small blush tinging her cheeks as she gratefully took it. She wiped around her eyes, trying to not look like a hot mess, before wiping away any sniffles.

"He's almost a year old, at least that's what we estimate. He was... um, he was abandoned. So the doctors are guessing based on growth charts and development."

CIAN MAHER

☉

Jessie had closed her eyes, calming herself with her floating AROMATISSE, letting out soothing scents. Until a stranger happened to stop by.

"Hmm?"

Then she looked, first meeting the sight of his bouquet, then the stranger himself. Was he also here to see someone he'd lost? A loved one?

"Oh, thank you. It was my son's idea," Jessie spoke with a small laugh, wiping away the tears from her face.

CIAN MAHER

☉

The matching dinosaurs have their roaring competition, Kai squealing with glee as Uriah picks him up and swings him around. His little legs kick, his arms swinging around.

"Be careful. He may give you a black eye. He's been so excited, he hardly slept last night," Jessie said. Which meant she hardly slept last night.

"Rawr! Rawr!"

"What, you don't like it? I think it's cute. Kai picked it out!"

URIAH BLACK

☉

The path was becoming clearer and clearer still. Yet there were still a few obstacles it seemed Jessica and Killian needed to get through. Maybe, just maybe, if she brought out the big guns, it would help finish off the remaining pieces.

Tossing out her EEVEE, she initiated it's mega evolution, watching it evolve into a fluffier form of itself. It puffed up, standing perhaps a little bit taller, as it waited her command.

"DOUBLE EDGE," she ordered.

And the Pokemon barreled forth, hitting another chunk of the wall. It let out a cry, recoiling from the pain. But there was an indention in the wall.

---

- MEGA EEVEE attacked with DOUBLE EDGE (120 PP)

Killian Decker

☉

A bouquet of flowers were tied with string, held in Jessica's hand as she walked in the cemetery. She was alone, the wind sending small shivers down her spine as she walked along the worn path. Counting the rows until she came along his.

Then she deviated, walking on the grass and counting the headstones until she reached his. Then she sat down, tucking her hair back as she undid the string of the flowers. One by one, she placed them in the holder beside his grave, decorating it with bright colors and wonderful floral scents. She trailed petals across the top of the headstone and along the ground, smiling at her work gently.

"Hey. It's too dull here, you know. Thought I'd lighten it up a bit. Miss Elisabeth Fiorelli has a flower shop in Petalburg. I asked her to get me flowers for you. She's really nice. She's teaching me some new things. I think you'd be proud of me."

Jessie brushed away some dirt and moss threatening to cover his name, leaning back against the headstone like she used to lean against him.

"I changed my hair back to its normal color. I think you would've liked my red hair. Kai and I are going trick or treating with Uriah too. He wanted to be a TYRANTRUM, and he demanded that I was a princess. So, that's what we have to do. He's a very demanding kid. And he's getting better at walking."

Her smile wobbled, as small tears formed in her eyes.

"He misses you, Niko. I do too."

CIAN MAHER

☉

This would be the first year that Kai got to go Trick or Treating. When Jessica had presented different costume ideas to the child, he insisted on picking the TYRANTRUM one he had seen in the stores when they were out shopping. The material itself was dirty cheap, but...

She almost swore she'd never seen her son happier than he did in this outfit, running around roaring like the Pokemon he was dressed as. Poor Finn was given a run for his money, having to take off in opposite directions from Kai as he insisted on chasing the DELPHOX.

Jessie just wished Niko could see him. A small, sad smile rested on her lips as she watched him, hobbling on his little feet, as they waited for his uncle, URIAH BLACK, to show up.

She, on the other hand, was told by her son in garbled language to dress as a princess. So she wore a delicate dress, probably the most suiting and appropriate one she owned.

There was a knock on the door, and Jessie stood.

"I think your Uncle Uri is here," she called, coming to scoop up her little dinosaur before answering the door.

URIAH BLACK

☉

Going far from Verdanturf wasn't Jessica's favorite thing to do. After Niko's death, being separated from Kai for even a short period of time made her nervous. But she trusted that he'd be taken care of. And her phone was on vibrate should something happen.

She had requested to be taught in the art of assassination by the administrator Elisabeth Fiorelli, after all. She'd heard that she had some mastery of poison making, and when she approached the woman about training, she was surprised she agreed.

Perhaps her idea of the upper ranks of Rocket were slighty skewed, even though she herself was an executive by title. By rank, she didn't feel like one at all.

Jessie wore a flowing dress, a mask covering her face. This Halloween party was different from the many she had attended before: the dress code was strictly to wear outfits for a ball, a masquerade of sorts. Identities were hidden, and she only knew who her companion was by the color of her dress and her hair.

"This is the strangest party I've been to..."

She was an entertainer, after all. She was used to revealing clothes and loud music.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Jessie couldn't help but laugh with him, covering her mouth delicately with the hand he had kissed moments before. Well, if he wasn't afraid to admit it...

"At least you're conscious about it."

Commitment. It was always what the men Jessie encountered's worst fear, it seemed. Thaddeus was no exception to that rule. However, she wasn't looking for a love connection either. She didn't think she could find herself falling in love with someone again, settling down and getting married.

Allowing someone to get close to her again and break her heart into a million pieces after she just found them all in the biggest haystack.

"You're interesting, Thaddeus. Not to mention you've got the looks to match as well."

She thought about it for a moment, before she reached her decision. Standing, her gown definitely opening even more and showing that lacey lingerie that was hidden beneath, Jessie cocked a hip and smiled.

"Okay. Let's go and see where exactly everything takes us. Let me be somewhat decent, though, since I could be fined with public indecency for walking out like this."

With an indication of her exposed body, Jessie was not hesitant to shed her gown, revealing herself in her undergarments as she wlked to her closet. Clothes covered the material, probably much to poor Thaddeus's demise. But more clothes meant more fun showing him her skills, right?

"I'm ready when you are. Let me grab my cash from the front, and we can go."

@kane

☉

Jessie's hand was given a kiss, and it would absolutely be romantic and that of storybook wonder if Thaddeus hadn't spoken the words that had come from his mouth.

"I see I've trapped another playboy with my entrancing beauty and steps. You know, you aren't the first man to try to woo me with tales of your tirades and conquered partners."

"My husband had been just the same, before he was killed," the thought echoed in her mind, not daring to slip from her mouth.

No, Niko was gone. His ring still rested on a necklace around her neck, resting just above her cleavage. If anyone asked, it was a staple piece, something she enjoyed wearing. No one deserved to know that it belonged to the only man she would love.

"Only if I think they're worth my time and catch my interest," Jessie responded coyly, as though she was still trying to decide what category Thaddeus fell into.

"And what exactly you want me to do with you. I'm not a hooker, Mr. Thaddeus. I'm an entertainer. I don't sell myself for sex or pleasure. However, if I find that I want it, that's another story."

@kane

☉

Jessie raised her eyebrow, looking him up and down. Sure, he’d tried to hide his excitement in his pants strategically, but she noticed it bulging a certain way when her eyes traveled there. She didn’t hide an amused look, raising her gaze from the spot back to his eyes.

”Depends if you’re a creep or not. Are you?”

She leaned back on the couch, spreading her arms open and letting the robe fall open a bit. Her chest, clad in her scandalous outfit of dark lace that barely covered her intimate areas, was exposed to smallest of bits, cleavage out and tempting as she crossed her legs. She still wore the heels from the show.

”Thaddeus. I’m Jessica. Nice to meet you,” she said, offering her hand for him to take.

Also to offer to sit on the couch.

”I’m glad you did. I’ve worked on it since I had taken off a while. But I think there’s a few things to work on…”

Jessie brushed her hair to the side, letting out an audible hum.

”Familiar?”

@kane

☉

When her part of the show was over, Jessie disappeared to the back, all the money she managed to cash in that night swept up by the staff for her to collect when she was ready to get it. She read her texts, to make sure that Kai was okay, as she pulled bills from her clothes.

Or lack thereof.

It was mere moments that she had entered her dressing room that she heard the knock at her door. Jessie wondered what exactly was going on, who could be needing her now.

Pulling her robe on, she answered, listening to the bouncer with a kind smile.

”They aren’t creeps until they show that they are…”

Of course, she didn’t say this out loud. However, she couldn’t help but be curious. A friend of one of the staff, a fan? She had people try to meet her before, since Jessie had become less interactive.

She’d bite this time.

”Alright. You may let him back. Just stay around,” she said, going to the plush couch that was for breaks.

Or other things.

She sat, legs crossed as she sipped her water.

”You’re my fan I was told about?” Jessie said as she heard the door open, a smirk on her lips as she spotted him.

The man from the crowd.

@kane

☉