Chapter 2
#2 of Started with a Rock: Arc 1 - The Return
Mental speech key:
{Marlow}
/everyone locally/
/EVERYONE WITHIN A 50yrd RADIUS/
<|Kyn and Tensa|>
|Tensa|
[Lacu]
~Vendetta & Jasmine~
-Heji-
Mature content. Next chapter, definitely adult.
Serena slipped through after Kyn. She didn't get the reference, since the term wasn't from her world, but she did do her best to equate it. She nearly shivered even stepping foot near this place, and she kept her head tucked back into her shell.
"This is all fine and dandy but... um... does her shop share the traits of this place and look like her? Also, please lead me to her shop, and then if you don't mind I'll go in first, if that's alright with you?" Kyn asked, thinking that it would probably be beneficial to get his HANDS on a map.
Instead of answering him, she moved up behind him and purposely would have knocked him off balance so that he would end up on her shell in a seated position. She'd let him adjust. "May as well just stay up there and let me get some more practice in with a heavier weight than just my own...Heji had been helping me with this earlier." she mused, this would at least take her mind off of where she was, as now each step, while normal speed of placement, would then take more concentration. Of course stopping just to the side of Anana's hut would tell him that they were indeed at the end of the journey, she lowered herself to the ground with a snort.
Kyn was surprised at first that she suddenly and forcibly seated him but afterward he quickly adapted. "Well, I hate to say this Serena, but normally this would make me feel like I was using you as a mount. But you in essence 'forced' me to. Though I doubt my extra 175 pounds is really going to be burden for you."
"Better phrasing than most would have used." She answered, licking her claws. "You can go ahead, I'm in little hurry to see the 'gilded golden lily of the bay'. She looked up at him. "It brings my total weight to about 400lbs, for the record."
"That's not even double your own weight. I bet you could carry me AND Heji at the same time!" Kyn said, looking around while he was being transported.
"Probably." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and then tipped him forward in front of a hut that looked like a surf shack. "Ride's over, Anana's probably waiting on you." she nudged at him, there would be no more putting off the meeting with the golden Kec sister.
"That was interesting. I wonder if.... the Dragon-Masters' children ride Shelgon like that. It would make sense, wouldn't it?" He said, asking rhetorically, since he after he got off, he walked into the place without turning back to Serena.
Serena took the chance to lay down, she would wait until she was called, or otherwise needed to enter.
It had been a slow day, even for her busy shop, few people had come, and gone, but she really hadn't needed help, even choosing to let Fabian go home, leaving her alone in the store. Any normal Pokémon would have been afraid to be alone in the bay, given what sort of things happened there. She thought she heard voices, but she wasn't going to bother herself with it, if they came in, then she would worry about it, and not until. Of course, Kyn did eventually enter the shop, much to her surprise when she turned to face him, one hand into the other. "Good Afternoon, how can I help yo---Ah, hello there Kyn <3~ Didn't expect to see you here."
"Well, howdy Anana. How you doing this fine day?" Once again, he tipped an invisible hat to her. He approached the counter, and knelt down, planning to talk to her at a somewhat closer to eye level.
"Ah, it's been a little slow today. So I've been finding ways to entertain myself~" She waited for him to adjust. "I got Serena's letter asking me to hold any orders for you here, did something happen?" The false sincerity of her voice might have given away the fact she didn't actually care if something had happened.
"Hmm, I don't know. I was gone for a month. Plus I think it also has to do with her evolving a bit. But, uh... so, do you HAVE an order for me to fulfill at this time? Or is everything squared away for a bit?" He said, quickly glancing back to see if Serena had entered yet or if she was even still near them.
"Oh she evolved~ She didn't even tell me. Is she here? I thought that you two had had a fight or something.~" She said offhandedly. "I think I might have something for you~ If you're feeling up to it of course.~" The lizard fingers reached and her head disappeared behind the counter for a moment, then came back up with a sealed letter.
Serena was listening, just out of eyesight to most at the door, except for two claws, strategically placed so that they would only be visible to Kyn. She was giving him time to do whatever he was going to do, before she bothered to walk in on him.
"She's probably in the area. I think I'm up to the task. But before I do... there's something that I have to confess to you, if we're going to maintain an honest business. First of all... I'm not sure but, have you heard rumors about things called humans?" Kyn asked. He figured that Anana would probably be well versed in gossip. Or rather he HOPED that she'd be rather well versed in gossip.
Serena took this as her cue, she may as well reveal exactly that she WAS there, and pulled the rolled up door, down behind her, merely needing to snort at the open sign to turn it to closed, and pushed the window shutters closed with the side of her shell, and then she laid in front of the door, much like a guard dog would.
Anana regarded his question curiously. "Oh...oh~ Okay, sure~ Yes, I think everyone's heard about humans at one point or another, but they're just myths, stories that hatchlings are told."
Kyn decided that more time could be used to lead up to it. "Well, would you be willing to... tell me about what you think a human might look like if they were real?" He noticed the shutters close, and wondered what Serena was doing...
Admittedly, this was an odd topic for Anana to even think about, but there was Serena, and Kyn, and the shop was now (Unofficially) closed. She swallowed and focused on the topic at hand. "Ah well...I don't know really~ all the ones in the stories were rather the bad guys, but then, some of us like /bad guys/~ I suppose that it would depend on them more than on me...Why do you ask?"
"Hm, well I guess it makes sense." He then whispered super low.
"From... a Pokémon's perspective..."
"Well, uh... I've got a bit of a confession to make..." He said, trying to leave Anana in suspense.
Suspense wasn't the word. "So what, you're a Ditto? A Zoroark? A Smeargle that knows how to transform?" She went through her list of Pokemon that she knew could change their shape. Clearly she wasn't putting two and two together, and in the background they could hear Serena chuckle, but she didn't interrupt.
"Well, actually, none of the above. Of course when I say it you won't believe it at first but... I actually AM a human." He said, folding his arms.
That did the trick, it got her to stop talking, in fact, stopped her in her tracks. Finally, when the words did come back to her, things clicked into place about WHY Serena had closed down the shop, not correctly, of course, but they clicked.
"Y-you're joking. Humans don't exist Kyn." She had dealt with some odd things in her day, for sure, but a Pokémon that believed it was human? Her eyes flicked back to Serena, and the wide eyed fear came back. Crazy, they were both crazy!
"Oh, but it's true, and don't look so scared." Serena, of course, picked up on things that Kyn couldn't see, as well as what he could, the scent of fear was strong. "I'm just here to guard...well, I suppose this IS the only way out, isn't it...hm..."
"Maybe not here at this current time but... Well, if you don't believe me, then try to touch my tail. It'd be as simple as that in some cases." Kyn said, pointing at what he couldn't see, but figured was the general area.
Anana narrowed her eyes, counting her steps as she walked around Kyn, to where SHE could see his tail at being, and of course, her fingers passed right through his tail, and the illusion faded for her, at least, for a couple moments, and she staggered backwards, eventually falling over Serena's claws. "Not...Possible."
"Looks like that took the sunshine out of her ass, it's about time honestly." Serena snorted. "Seriously, lay off the Enigma berries." Just as predictable, Serena wrapped one of the clawed limbs around her belly so that she couldn't get away, even as she scrambled to try to run. "This is why I said keeping it a secret was important, and she's taking it MILD compared to the others would."
"Hm, yeah, I could figure that. From what I can tell... based on what Anana said about humans are on par with uh... let's see... I dunno, uh... the Boogeyman?" Kyn said, looking at Anana's 'OMGWTFBBQ' reaction.
At some point, the conversation caught up with the little yellow lizard, and she looked at Serena in disbelief. "You KNEW? YOU brought a HUMAN into my EMPLOYMENT?!" To her credit, she didn't scream. "Give me that contract, I'm going to rip it up!" She squirmed.
Serena rolled her eyes and snorted, then laughed. "You're going to rip it up, really now? Hm, that would be submitting yourself to a month alone with him, to see if things can't be...worked out, in your own words, Anana." She pushed the filthy lizard from her, back towards the counter, rather carelessly. "Go ahead then, and while you're at it, proclaim yourself to be crazy, institutionalize yourself, leave ROYCE to collect all of the debts that you've covered, I'm sure he'd love the chance at Terra, just like he had with me." Serena snapped at her. "Get a hold of yourself."
She looked at Kyn. "Boogeyman? Hm...don't know. Only stories about you that I bothered to read had a Duskull in them, and the Duskull was portrayed as being WORSE than the human, in fact, I think the human was the victim?"
"Anana, wait a moment or two would you? This doesn't need to get out of hand..." He backed away from her slightly, and let Serena do more of the directing. He also didn't block the exit either.
Anana had curled after being thrown, but they weren't coming after her, not beating her, the reminders were what made her tremble and start to cry, her hands over her eyes. "Don't...you wouldn't let little Terra...Serena...?" she wiped the corners of her eyes, trying to, as Serena said, get a hold on herself. "...O-ok-kay..." She hiccuped. "I'll do..anything...just...keep...the others sa-afe."
Serena snorted at her. "Me, keep them safe? Are you confusing me with a rescuer? No, that's your job, put back on your big girl face and deal through it. You're a merchant for fuck's sake." She snorted again. "You will do as I say though: No more short changing Kyn, and no more of this sexual favors to get favors from you, using Pokémon's honor against themselves to get off, it's shameful." She paused. "And...You'll tell anyone you see that Royce is going on a week long trip, starting this evening...for the record, Anana...? I would have thought it better of you than to judge by appearances."
"Serena, I didn't want the meeting to go like this... but, if this is what it took... then I suppose it had to be done." Kyn said, not necessarily 'pitying' Anana, but feeling a strange aura in the air. Perhaps Serena needed this, just like what her plans for Royce were. "Now, Anana... there are... a few things that I need to tell you about the non-mythical aspects of a human. When you've regained your composure completely that is."
Serena didn't answer Kyn, going back to near the door. "One shock will counter out the other." She answered, laying her head back down on her claws. "Give her about five minutes, and she'll bounce back." She closed her eyes, still listening to the conversation.
Deep breaths, wiping away her tears, calm the heart, one by one they fell back into place, until she was standing on her own two feet again, her tail coiled about them like a spiral, it would make one hope that she didn't trip when she stepped out. "O...K." she cleared her throat. "Okay." The cheer was gone from her voice, she was backed into a corner, but while in that corner she may as well learn what was...well, going around her.
Kyn hadn't really seen someone go into a breakdown, which to him is what it was, since he had first revealed to someone that Tensa could speak English. "So, are we ready to continue now?" He asked in a cautious voice.
There was a look of apprehension in her eyes as she moved back around behind the counter, and resumed her seat on the stool. "Yeah, sure. May as well, killed the buzz I had going." She pushed the envelope towards him with the job on it as well.
"Well... for starters... I'm different than most humans, and not like the ones in those stories. Though I'm not completely surprised by this, even though there are currently no humans here except me, there must have been some here... I just don't know at which point in time." Kyn said, looking down at the envelope briefly and then taking it.
Anana listened to Kyn while rubbing her temples. "You've never read the stories, how would you know you're nothing like them?" She looked at Serena. "IS he?" She was skeptic to even ask for her confirmation, after what she had just done to her. (Which if Anana was being honest with herself would be 'nothing' )
"He's not." She completely left out the bondage fetish, for good reason; the last thing she would do was compare him to Royce, even if her dreams kept trying to account the two to being equals.
"Next thing... Uh... well. Let's see... how should I put this... I'm not from this world. That's best way I can put it plain and simple. I'm a visitor here, and Serena has... done her best to be accommodating." Kyn was slowly easing into another sort of transition, taking the steps slowly one at a time though.
"Translation: I've done my best not to be a thorn in his side." She snorted, her eyes were still closed.
"Another world? Oh, you mean like, metaphysical stuff...Prosphora talks about that all the time, how many times he's been reincarnated and stuff...Hm...."
"Reincarnation... what... my... Well, Anana... Serena's actually been to my world before. She might be able to describe from a Pokémon's perspective better than I can obviously." Kyn said, wracking his brain around an actual case of a being that was reincarnated more than once and still in the same form.
Serena snorted at Kyn, then addressed Anana. "It's not really that different...from what I've seen..." 'In his memories...' she added to herself so that she wouldn't twitch with the lie. "Just that there are humans and Pokémon that work together, they've even developed a sort of...sport, dedicated to seeing who are to be the alpha of any given species." <Well...I suppose? I don't know, it's a mockery of what I stand for, but what she stands for? probably not.> This was the first time that she had bothered to use the link since he'd come back, the first time that she'd allowed him any insight into her mind since she essentially pinned him to the wall in her rage.
"....Is there anything else you'd like to share?" She sounded tired, as amazing as that was for the lizard to even do, since she was known for being perky all the time.
"Well, besides actually telling you that Tensa happens to be my mate, " he muttered under his breath, "though you probably could have deduced that yourself...," resuming normally speaking again, "unless YOU have any questions, I can't really think of much else at this current point," he said, sitting down on the ground this time, like he did for Serena when she was a Bagon.
"WHAT? Oh, right, I'm supposed to be all 'well that's alright then, you did tell me that you liked males better than females', but come on." She shook her head. "How would I have known that? Oh, wait, you're going by <I>her</i> nose, aren't you?" She pointed a finger accusingly at Serena. "Look, look at me. Lizard." She touched her own chest. "Dragon." She pointed at Serena again, and made the gesture appropriately again. "Not the same thing. My nose isn't as good as hers...jeez, and even I can smell the enigma berries on me....huh, must be sobering up."
"You think your nose isn't good eh? Well... my nose, and most other humans' noses... wouldn't even be able to pick up the Enigma berries, as a matter of fact. Hell, I don't even know what an Enigma Berry even smells like in the FIRST place." Kyn retorted.
The rapping on the door brought Serena to her feet, and she sniffed at the slit at the bottom of the door. "Kyn, I do believe that it's time to slip out...we do have...other things to do." She said quietly.
"Oh dear...well that won't do at all~ I suppose they're getting suspicious, normally the shop's only closed for short periods of time...pity really, but...you know, most of them are in a hurry to leave and don't like being watched...I assume then you can be reached at the King's Rock Casino?" She stood up and walked around him towards the door. "I'll just tell them that we were doing a private deal, I suppose that's not a total lie."
"I think we'll be able to be. Anana... I will visit you again though. Of course, now you know about my little 'condition' as I like to covertly call it in public. So, you're in a trusted circle." He said, moving over to her and then kneeling. "So, talk to you later then Anana?" Kyn offered his hand in a handshake, though he still wasn't sure if they even did that here, since he'd never even offered <I>SERENA</I> a handshake before when she was a Bagon.
"When you get back with the items, at least." Anana answered, then looked at his hand, now that she could see it for what it truly was, the overlap was still a little creepy, and she wasn't sure she envied Serena for being able to see through it this whole time. Eventually she did take his hand in hers, shook it, and then went about reopening the windows, and the door, motioning them out of the way as the stream of customers flooded in, and she found herself behind the counter again.
<Trusted in the sense that she'd be called crazy and everything she's worked for would fall apart...> Serena said, easily making a path out for them as most didn't want to rub against the rough edges of her shell.
<Better try this out. Hello? Is this thing on? Tap tap.> Kyn followed Serena, and figured that as she said their next stop was to the Casino to.... confront Royce.
<Open the letter.> She mentally snorted at his antics. <You act like you thought that I couldn't get back in after I evolved, or vice versa.> Of course, sarcasm, but she was indeed headed towards the place that she feared the most right now, made evident in her posture. <Sorry...> She added a bit after.
Kyn used his fingernails to open the top, and then he pulled it out. Examining it closely he read out, "FOUR Tauros? My god, this is gonna be one helluva haul. Alright so that's a relatively easy amount of Krabby, about fifteen. I should be able to get those in a couple of months. I see here... WHAT in the hell...? Serena... Sharpedo. Seriously? Sharpedo!" Kyn said, hanging up on that, and trying to get her assessment.
She probably reacted totally opposite to what he would have thought. "Mmm, those should be fun...probably threw that in as a challenge, considering everything else that you've managed to bring in when all others couldn't...well, couldn't do it 'in time' I should say...It's too bad YOU'RE not the one doing the hunting, that might be fun to watch." The conversation helped keep her mind off of what they were about to do, she didn't think she'd EVER have stooped to his level before, but it wasn't like she was doing it to an innocent--that was probably what made it alright in her eyes. She stopped and turned to look at him outside the doors, and nosed the outside of his hip with a soft sigh.
"Oh Serena.. you wouldn't call it hunting in the sense of what you do, but we do, and I WILL be. Of course, the end result is still the same. You won't enjoy it. Also, technically I'm cheating since I have more than a month to get these things. Now, I'm assuming that Anana's going to give me a bit more for my and my Pokémon's efforts then?" He folded up the letter and placed it in his pocket.
"You'll already be getting more for your efforts, since she's increasing your rate anyway...but yes, Sharpedo....well, due to their danger--there have been cases of Pokémon that have been taken out by them even attempting it-- do fetch a price. But remember, all of that is optional, anything you don't want to do, you don't have to." She pulled herself away from his hip and looked him in the eye. "Kyn...do me a favor...it should be an easy one...pet me."
"Alright, but where?" He said, reaching out his hand.
She extended her head, and even some of her neck to his touch, the darkened hide a sharp contrast against the bright gold and silver of the shell, she even retracted her fangs back into her mouth so there would be no danger of him raking his skin against them. "The shell I can't feel, in most areas..." she wouldn't tell him that this was the first time she'd ever allowed herself to actually BE petted, but then, he probably already knew that.
Kyn took no time afterward, and he began moving his hand across he exposed skin in a single direction, front to back, then front to back again. He wondered if the texture of her scales would change once she became a Salamence.
Serena let her eyes close, and relaxed a bit against his hand. The sensation was odd, and she let him continue a few times, then licked up his sleeve, and pulled away. "Thank you..." She turned, walking inside the casino. <So, you wanted to try your new toy then? I doubt that we'll need a room, considering the fact that we'll have the whole...heh, HQ to ourselves.>
<Uhm... Serena... If this device doesn't work, then I'll have to not use the machine since it's unlikely that I'll win normally. Though of course, since you told me about a procedure... I doubt it'll really matter much.> "You're welcome," He said aloud, figuring it'd be odd if he didn't.
<Haven't you learned to use the mental relays yet? If it doesn't work, just flirt with Vendetta a bit and be sure to mention that we're going to make Royce REALLY mad at us.> She headed through the lobby and into the card tables. <'course you could just come with me to the card tables, it's not like we can't get his attention that way too.>
<Mental relays...? I'm not sure what you're talking about. And... flirting with a Porygon2... I'm not sure I know how to do that Serena. We can do the card tables first then.> He scoped out the area, and looked around for the tables that he remembered as being higher risk.
Serena knew her way around the Casino well enough. <I still haven't taught you to do that? Sorry, oversight on my part I suppose. You can reach for Lacu though? Also, choose your poison, and I'll pick a position where I can see your table.>
<Uh... I haven't really done so in a while. That table with only two people... I mean 'mon, looks like there are only two playing for a reason. What's the situation on that table?> Kyn asked, heading towards it.
<Two Pokémon visibly stressed, I'd say they've just been shut down from a good run, and are annoyed at that fact, Riko, the Clefable will be one that will need to be taken out after he goes to his room. Oh, sorry, you were asking about the stakes? 500?> She did a bit of wandering, just to make it look like they weren't together.
<Oh hell! That's... that's way more than the 200 Poké one! That will.... attract attention in a hurry. Can I join it?> Kyn continued wandering around as well, passing some of the high stakes tables, but mostly retaining his focus on the one that was 500.
<If you wish.> She mused. <Yes, it will, but that's the idea...get your fill today, Kyn...you DO know that we'll be escorted out after this week and never allowed back in again, right? Well, I wont, but I can't exactly shift my form like you can.>
<Just what exactly are you planning on doing here Serena..., that is so bad that you'll be forever banished from the Casino...?> His mind shifted back to Royce but he couldn't really form any conclusions there... other than... bad ones that he didn't think Serena would actively want him to be a part of.
<Are you sure that you want the answer to that question?> She eventually sat down at a different table from him, and pulled coins from within her shell. Of course, she hadn't chosen Poker this time, but she did quickly rake in money, keeping everything but her eyes hidden in the dark. It didn't help that she was almost always slipping coins back into her shell so it made her look like she was still broke when she would walk away from the table...well, it did help her that she was able to do it, but it didn't help the 'mon that was hosting the table. The fact that the host no longer knew how much she had won and what she had lost, would draw attention to her just as well as a winning streak would.
<Um... is it going to be violent...?> Kyn migrated to one of the lower stakes tables and began accumulating things there, and followed Serena's advice about the neck thing.
<Not in the bloody sense.> She stepped away from the table, taking a break to get a drink from the bar, which since she was playing, was of course free, and drew out her head to encircle the straw with her tongue. <I wont use anything that he doesn't have available to be used Kyn, you DO remember what exactly was in the rooms that I spent my time in, yes?>
<I... do, yes. How are you faring at the tables then...?> He then took some of his coins and started counting them on the table IN PLAAAAAAAIN sight, but not aloud.
<Well enough to attract attention, See the Clefairy talking to the Machop on the north wall? Was just at his table a little while ago, he's not sure how much I won from him, and the Machop is going to watch me now. If I do the same thing again then he's going for the boss. Oh hey, a Pickpocket, Sneasel, two tables to your left, natural little thieves they are.> She looked like she was in her element here, even if her voice, even her mental voice, marked her as nervous.
<Uh... I'm deliberately counting money on the table. Though that doesn't necessarily mean much with this amount I think.> "I'm feeling a bit lucky tonight. I think I'll keep on." Kyn said, putting some of the Poké back in it's proper place.
<You've got Riiko's eyes on you, at least, from what I can see, you'll probably get picked up before I do at that rate.> She finished her drink, and chose a different table with a much higher rate, once more putting the excess gold from the hands into her shell a little at a time, until finally a Machamp seemed very interested in her, and when she dropped off that table after winning (by his count) 8 hands in a row, he followed her as she walked around, giving Kyn time to catch up in 'popularity'. She didn't have to wait long. <...Ready?>
<Weeelll I believe I am. My only question is... Are you ready to see Inferno's Fists of Fury?> "Well... I think it's about time for me to go for a bit." He said, looking back up to the dealer.
She snerked at his question. <What, really? That's got to be some sort of obscure movie reference that I won't get. Just wait until we're in the dark hall and the doors are closed to let them out.> Two things happened at once, the first was that, knowing that she was going to be cornered by the Machamp, she turned around to face him. "Let me guess, Royce would like to see me." She said sweetly.
The second was that Kyn would start to be followed. <Come over to me, may as well just enter the darkness together.> She kept the Machamp talking, mostly about nonsense, until her human--where had THAT thought come from?--had joined her with his tail behind him, and then the two of the guards would look at each other, then at them. "Well? Open the panel already." Of course anyone with half a brain would know this smelled rank of a setup...thankfully they probably had maybe a half of a brain between them.
Kyn figured that the best course of action would be to directly go to Serena, and so he picked up his final coinage, and headed towards her. <Would they still recognize you due to the color of your armor?>
<Scent, coloration, behavior patterns.> She relayed to him, and soon after they were sandwiched between the two fighting types in the dark tunnel, and about half way down, the panel clicked shut behind them. <Whenever you're ready.>
Bad memories...still she stepped forward, and rose up onto her hind legs to face the one in front of her, pushing her full weight on the one before whacking it upside the head. She didn't pull the blow, and the Machamp crumpled, still from the smell of it, the gash on his head would be the most of his worries, if not remembering it's own name.
"Alright Inferno, Nero, Striker, Heji, come on out..." Kyn said, then he pushed the buttons for each of them. They all emerged and formed a sort of static quadrant.
The other guard, a Machoke, was, of course, surprised by the situation, he would be an easy target. "Clear the place out, meet back in this hall when all the guards are out." she licked the blood from her claws. "If you get lost, follow the colors on the wall. Blue will be the furthest from this hall, purple is in the middle, and Red, well, IS this hall All halls lead to this one eventually. Oh...and this SHOULD go without saying, but -enjoy- your stay."
"Serena... I'm going to continue following you. Not sure why you're telling me to ENJOY my stay here. The few things that I enjoy here are going to be ripped away for a while." Kyn did remember the colors to follow on the walls, even though he said he was going to follow her, due to the fact that if at considering that they'd have plenty of time. Serena DID say a week, for explaining Royce's soon to be absence.
"Sarcasm...." she crept down the hall, her claws left marks in the carpets, and of course there was the faint echo of the jingle within her shell, loose coins not the best for stealth, but what attention she did attract was knocked out either with the energy of a shadow claw, or a dragon pulse--she didn't dare use her fire down in these lush, carpeted floors. <I'm sorry...> She said again. <You're likely not going to like this side of me...Life under Anana was...unpleasant...but life with Royce was...> She trailed off. <By the time I'm through, he'll have nightmares about me for the rest of his life.>
<We all have our dark sides Serena. You've been in my head so you know what I am referring to.> Kyn then moved his hand down to his Katana sheaths, confirming that he still had them with him.
Serena gave what was, of course, an exaggerated sigh, confirming that they were alone on the last set of halls, that which he would remember as the entry to Royce's room. she stared at the door; then picked and opened it, expecting to see Royce alone, and instead finding him with a not so lucky patron of the casino, who didn't look at all happy to be there.
The Charmander was just being forcefully fitted for his gag around the time they walked in, held by two Machoke just as she had been, it was enough to make her twitch, and she reacted without thinking too much about it. The shadow claw that impacted one of the two drew the others attention to her, and the voice rang with something of a false calmness.
"Hello boys."