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Their efforts combined, with the striking up of the ensnaring PETAL BLIZZARD, now encaging the Gyarados in a further net. Between the PARALYSIS, the FLORAL NET, and the STEALTH ROCK trap, the girlies had effectively trapped the big water snake, unable to break free. Wiggling as hard as they could, screaming as loud as they could. Slowly, ever so slowly, calming down by themselves.[break][break]

No amount of wiggling was going to free that till they were calm.[break][break]

"We did it, Desi!" That hug was returned in full, as Genny had been holding her breath the hold time, but with the big hug, the girlies were absolutely going to take that victory! And with it, the redhead hears cake.[break][break]

And that sweet tooth activates.[break][break]

Some ice cream cake, with strawberry and vanilla layers? Covering her mouth as best she could, she hides the obvious drool she had.[break][break]

"My treat then!" Grabbing at her hand, and practically bouncing with excitement, she chimes back. "For all your help, let me front the bill! All you can eat, on me!" That Senior Ranger salary would one-hundred percent let them indulge.[break][break]

Yeah... they'll need to do some cardio to work it off, but that's a-okay! A little workout goes a long, long way. Unbeknownst to Genny, this would be the start of a hopefully, long, long, long-lasting friendship.

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Mission accomplished![break][break]

With the Oranguru taken care of, despite the little shot at Primeapes, the redhead makes a sigh of relief, a slight giggle. Then the fridge horror of an actual Planet of Primeapes. Repressing that one for later...[break][break]

With a Pokeball on hand, and poking it down at the big Oranguru, making sure to keep it in a ball for now, she shrinks the Pokeball, and slides it into her breast pocket, as Zagreus sits on his bottom, the dog staring happily forward, tongue out.[break][break]

"Don't worry! It's just a drink." She grins ear-to-ear. Doesn't matter all too much, just as long as it gets done. "Once we finish up, I'll take them in!" Can't argue with those results!

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When did his shirt come off again? Oh to hell with it, she's already kissing every bit of his chest, every bit of liplock they can manage. How is he so hot to the touch? She barely feels cold anymore. She can't catch her breath, it's like he's taking it from her. It's like she's breathing harder because of him. Not enough that she's this way now.[break][break]

Then...[break][break]

Then he says it.[break][break]

Fingers locked so much into his. Her face is hot. Nothing else between them, fabric, cloth, or anything. She just has him. He said it so easily. Though sheepish, he loved her. He loves her. He loves her he loves her he loves her. Her heart explodes immediately with happiness, and she pushes his chest with a hand. How warm he is.[break][break]

Half-lidded eyes gaze at him.[break][break]

"I love you too, Isaac. For so long." She says it. She says it, she finally says it. No more giggly schoolgirl routine, no more need to twirl a finger in her hair, no more vying for his attention. She has his attention. She has his heart. And her chest is pounding.[break][break]

Curtains close, with a wave of his arm. And she leans down closer. Orange-red hair framing her face, glossy lips coming in close.[break][break]

"I'm all yours." An echo back. A verbal dare back. "Take me." The kiss cementing it finally. Finally.[break][break]

Maybe she'll keep vying for attention. In a much more suitable way. No more need for truth or dare.[break][break]

[break][break]

Exhaustion.[break][break]

That's the first thing Genny feels, underneath an abundant amount of blankets, next to him. Orange-red hair every which way on a pillow, flowing away from her head. Heavy breathing with a mixture of sweat and satisfaction. She can feel herself wanting to fan herself, but too cold to get out from under the covers in her current state. In fact, she was too cold in general.[break][break]

A quick roll over to him, and she's warm again. A head on his shoulder, and two problems that weren't really hers, and she feels a hand graze to his chest, clawing its way there.[break][break]

"You... awake, Izzy?" She leans her head up slightly. To get his attention.[break][break]

A little selfish maybe, but she doesn't want him to sleep just yet.

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Trust was all that it was for Genny and Uzi, and that trust pays off. Though it's only a slight head-start, the turns are going to be where Genny makes up time. With a grin now underwater and popping up for air, the last turn made, Genny can tell that she's ahead by a hair, but that's just it; Genny's ahead.[break][break]

The next leg of the race won't be as forgiving. Genny can immediately tell this would be the hardest part of Lap 2 and 3 for her. As before, she wants to test the waters.[break][break]

Speed isn't Uzi's department, but he's not the slowest one in the water either. But the drop ahead, Genny could see there was no choice but to speed-up. With a quick lean down, she calls out. "Full speed ahead, Uzi!" With a mew, the Vaporeon slaps his tail into the water, and goes as fast as he can. A test of how fast they can go together.[break][break]

All that was left... was a leap of faith. She feels the air below her, her whole wetsuit flying in the air, as she holds on tight.[break][break]

Next lap, that's where they'd need to use speed-based moves. This was their weakest point. She just hopes she's learned from the one mission with Josh to have some level of control. But... who was to say.[break][break]

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Maybe it's just Genny. But she feels like she may have just stepped on a land mine. Maybe this isn't the best choice imaginable. But it is one done selflessly enough. Helping Dr. Morales. Unfortunately...[break][break]

Eva Morales talks about MATIAS SILPH sweater and hat, and she feels as if her efforts were immediately squandered. Well, can't blame a girl for trying to help. Releasing her breath, she turns towards Eva's question. Which one she was? Genny blinks. "Late July is... Dragonair, I believe! They seem to be more artistic, which... I'm not really?" she says more excitedly. A little fake bonk on her head, Genny wants to help distract her from this situation that she seemed to not mind so much, or at least, didn't appear to be mind.[break][break]

All of that, and then @remiel appears. She feels like she remembers him... he seems familiar! "Oh... luka chêne ?" That name sounded familiar... her hazel eyes roll slowly, a deep thought coming on. That familiarity... last year, around this time, the masquera-[break][break]

Lightbulb SHATTERS. "Oh! The masquerade, I remember you!" She calls out, hazel eyes fluttering. "You tried to dance with her and I said no, right?" Rejection... that may not have been the best memory to call on. She feels awful about that whole night. But when he mentions the fortune teller, NIOLA TOLSTOY, Genny smiles.[break][break]

She does have one reading she wanted done. She'd want to before long. Personal aspirations, if she could make it to be a champion. Or... the other thing. "I'll be over there real soon, don't you worry!", she remarks, holding a hand out finally. "Genevieve Cromwell. Call me Genny... and you?"

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It's over. With a shred of space left, now and gone, Genny can see that this wasn't the same blonde she knew from before. He was far more handsome than she had ever gotten to see. And he smelled just like that shirt he left her. He was intoxicating. He was making her mind go blank, so when he gives his dare for her...[break][break]

Well. That was exactly what she needed to hear.[break][break]

Genny accepts the trail of kisses, and her breathing gets faster, her hazel eyes half-lidded, she finds his lips. He's done it now, and when he goes to kiss her, she pulls him closer, hands digging into his hair, deep, deep kisses. She pushes him onto the bed, now atop of him, her eyes closed. All that she knew was that her heart was taking full control.[break][break]

'I want you,' she thinks to herself, every kiss raising the temperature in here, sweat pushing through the icy cold air. 'I want you so much,' she thinks at him, as her pajamas litter the floor, her heart banging so hard in her chest she can't think straight anymore. 'Love me,' she screams in her head, when his shirt is thrown to the floor.[break][break]

As he so carefully demonstrated, he really didn't need it.[break][break]

For a night there, thinking back to the holiday party, to Route 105, and every time that came before, she was glad they had met. Because now she knew it for sure. With fingers interlacing her own, with her lips glossy and eyes happily looking into his...[break][break]

"Say it."[break][break]

She loved him.[break][break]

And she didn't care who knew anymore.[break][break]

Looks like those blankets are going to come in clutch.

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His words are left in the air, and it's quiet. All aside from the pounding in her chest. The beating of a drum, wildly unsteady. Arrhythmic. He had a single thing he wanted right now. To make her smile.[break][break]

She lets go, gets up, moving around the bed. To look at him, face-to-face.[break][break]

Thought doesn't stop her any more. She climbs into his lap, a leg to each side, and dead in the eye, she gazes. She could at least do this right. Right? She could at least give him a smile. But it's more than that, isn't it? This is the only way she can smile right now.[break][break]

For truth, that was pretty daring.[break][break]

"Hi," she's not shaking any more. A small smile... she wants to give him that much. She doesn't know if it would fix this. Maybe it wouldn't. Hell, it wasn't going to make the last few months go away. But in that moment, the world outside was blank. All that mattered was this. How close they were. The sound of her heart, pushing her here.[break][break]

"Dare." She lets it leave her lips. Her face is hot. Her breath is hot. His breath is hot. If she wasn't straddling him right now, she'd probably be rubbing her legs together right now.[break][break]

Dare me to, she thinks. Her eyes moving down to his lips over and over.

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With the theater empty, it left just them. The snow falls outside, the cold wind blows, and as he continues to run his thumb over her thumb... she feels that sappy happiness in her chest. That warmth he made her feel.[break][break]

On Route 105, she knew it. She knew what it was, from the moment he helped her fight that Iron Valiant. Confronting every trauma that the dog mission compiled on. When he decided, in an act of kindness, to give up his shirt. Sure, he didn't get cold like someone else, due to something else... but it only made it more obvious.[break][break]

She wanted him.[break][break]

Truth, huh?[break][break]

Bangs cover her eyes, her breathing uneven, feverish. She feels it right on her tongue. Tell her what he really thought. But she pulls back. She's not in the best place for this... but she wants it, how can that be okay? It isn't...[break][break]

"What... are you thinking right now?" Face beet red, her grip tightens. She pushes her back into his, and her head tilts to the side. If he looks... he can see the pleading look in her eye. The tear pushing its way down her face. Her heart is beating so fast, she can't breathe right.

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For a moment, Genevieve squeaks. freya morningstar's irritation flashed for a moment, and suddenly, she feels like she's interrupting. A third wheel? Shaking quietly, the redhead feels like she's interrupting... when Eva Morales tells her she's welcome tonight. The brightness on Genny's face demonstrates how happy she is. "Thank you!" she almost shouts out, reeling it back in. Soon after, even Freya comes around to it, and she feels accepted. Warm.[break][break]

And with the invitation to go look at some stone tablets, Genny nods with a big smile on her face. "I'd love to!" Glossy lips turn up as she follows behind. She may be short, but she keeps up with the professor of the region and her... date? Was the other pretty woman her date?[break][break]

The thought makes Genny think she is third wheeling again, but she's able to pass it off because-[break][break]

They're interrupted by MATIAS SILPH, who makes his presence known. The redhead moves over. He was over there with Navy, Izzy, and the one other hottie, right? Genny doesn't know the full extent or context of deeds done, she doesn't hold any animosity.[break][break]

Finding out that Freya is a councilwoman from a distance, Genny's mouth hangs agape for a moment, but it seems she's more focused on Eva. And Matias, standing between him and Eva. Something isn't adding up.[break][break]

"Dragonair... nurturing and empathetic. Deeply caring and attuned to the emotions around them..." she mutters to herself, steps between Freya and Matias both, and shoots a smile to the ladies.[break][break]

"Hello there!" She tries to distract Matias. If nothing else, maybe she can keep them apart? If Freya is acting like this... there must be a reason.

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Almost like clockwork, her fingers nestle their way into his. It has her hold her breath for a moment. He can't see the way she's smiling. He can't tell that her face is like a strawberry, enough heat that no blanket will ever compare. He can't see it at the moment...[break][break]

But her fingers lace inbetween. And she holds tighter. When his thumb strokes over top to ease her nerves, she stops.[break][break]

His question paralyzes her.[break][break]

"No."[break][break]

That's as much as she was going to say. That's as much as she wanted to say, but the way she buckles into herself... he takes a breath in, but it's so hard to breathe.[break][break]

"Truth or dare." Her red hair covers her face a little. She still doesn't let him go.

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It's been a short time since she'd been ice skating. Last time was in Circhester on a vacation with a special someone. But this time, it was friends. An old friend. Elise Calcifet. When given the invite out, and seeing as this was a time to really embrace the holiday cheer, Genny accepted.[break][break]

She was used to it by now. Enough so that she could skate absent-mindedly.[break][break]

Elise's story mattered more at the moment though. How things had gone for her against Rocket. It brings back Route 105, and shakes her to her core. But... she takes a breath. She remembers paxton concordas's words, put into practice against the foes of Rocket.[break][break]

"Hey-" she tries to cheer Elise up best she can, and leans back, skating backwards into a circle before stopping. "-Elise. No result is guaranteed. You can only plan for it... and plan for that plan to fail." She smiles, as best she can. Improvisation was important to that end. To be able to adapt to the scenario. She was still learning how to do that.[break][break]

With a sigh, she eventually skates to the edge, leaning against it.[break][break]

"How are you holding up?"

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If he couldn't hear her heartbeat... maybe that would be for the best. Sitting like this. Back-to-back. Just talking to each other, not seeing the other's face. It added a layer of protection. Because if he turned around, and saw what she had become, she'd fall apart.[break][break]

He chooses dare.[break][break]

"Okay." Her voice got even quieter, even mousier. He can't see it, but her back pulls away slightly. She could just say kiss me, and he'd have to follow the rules. But she chickens out. She doesn't know if he's single, and that'd break things. Of course, she could go further than just a kiss, but...[break][break]

That's something else.[break][break]

"Hold my hand... you're not allowed to let go." Her own hand reaches down. A short tremble, but one ever so present. Even if they were back-to-back, she can still hold his hand.[break][break]

"Your turn. Truth."

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Everything freezes. The moment it does, there's relief on Genny's face, sweat trickling down her face. For a moment, it's nothing... then, a ROAR OF TIME rips everything, forcing it forward, rewinding, and Genny and the Cyclizar beneath blip out of space time...[break][break]

Then, the rocky outcropping, and Genny shakes, interrupted by the coming deity Dialga, the time deity with a much different look than Genny is used to.[break][break]

And it charges them both.[break][break]

"HOLY-" Her lips open wide, her mouth agape, when the deity of time itself moves to attack the other redhead. Genny thinks as quickly on the fly as she possibly can, as Regina and Fishie are knocked backwards by the OUTRAGE. "Gordo, make a dust storm. Hey! We need to obscure its vision. Use the storm as cover!" Gordo began to tear into the rocky outcropping to cause a SANDSTORM, hopefully allowing both Regina and Fishie a momentary reprieve.[break][break]

This may only give them moments of time, but it's better than letting the big temporal deity annihilate all of them. Minimize casualties.[break][break]

Adapt. Overcome. Thinking that paxton concordas would be proud to hear from Genny... she could hope, anyways.

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