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Message-ID: <31798asstr$996876601@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Nikolai Mirovich" <nikolai@nergal.org>
Subject: {ASSM} Cerulean Dreams (13-14/20) (Pokemon Fanfiction, Ff, Rom, Solo, Lt.Bond)
Date: Fri,  3 Aug 2001 18:10:01 -0400
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<1st attachment, "CD 13-14.txt" begin>


Cerulean Dreams (Chapters 13-14)

By 

Nikolai Mirovich


Author's Note: This is the second story in my series of Pokemon 
based fanfics. It continues the plot from "The Courier", but for 
the record, I'm not completely happy with it. But that happens; 
all I can do is make the third story even better! Anyway, there's 
many people I'd like to thank, but mentioning their names could 
get me killed, so I won't. Oh! And I'm preparing an FAQ for this 
series which should be at my ASSTR page 
("http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich") some time soon, 
so hopefully this ride will be less confusing to some of you.

Legal Stuff: If for some reason legal reasons keep you from 
reading this story (Ie: Your age is too young in your country to 
be reading such filth), I'm obligated to tell you to go away. Not 
that I think that'll stop you. And certainly not that I care who 
reads my stories, so long as somebody does! So, with out anymore 
of my ranting, on with the show!



Chapter XIII

"I still can't believe the price," said Misty for the ninth time 
as the glass doors slid open, giving them access to the Cerulean 
City Gym.

"Well, she said it'd be cheep," Miranda replied with a shrug, 
putting the awkward cardboard box she held on the reception desk 
and checking the time on her watch, "Well, we've got about an hour 
to get ready... Mind if I make a phone call?"

"Sure," said Misty with a shrug and a hint of mirth as she headed 
on towards the main area while Miranda reached for the phone, "My 
sisters have to pay the bill, not me."

Behind her she heard Miranda's short laugh before the vid-phone 
announced that it had obtained a connection and the woman turned 
the volume down. "I'll be up stairs!" called Misty over her 
shoulder, half noting that Miranda waved an affirmative as her 
sisters came down the stairs.

As they often were, the three sisters were as done up as humanly 
possible, but this time, their attire was far more formal. Their 
dresses seemed more like ball gowns than simple formal wear, and 
Miranda was certain that the way they clung tightly at the waist 
as well as pushing up at the bosom was excruciatingly 
uncomfortable.

"What's with the fancy get-up?" inquired Misty, her intuition 
suddenly sounding an alarm.

"Oh, like I can't believe we so forgot to tell you, little 
sister!" laughed Violet, giving her best "Oh, I'm so forgetful" 
pose, "As Cerulean City's Gym Leaders, we received passes to the 
opening of that new restaurant! Isn't it, like, such a cool 
coincidence that we only got, like, three? But your friend there 
went and won you both passes? Pretty neat, eh?"

Misty twitched a little, feeling her heart sink and suddenly using 
every once of her willpower not to simply grab the three spoiled, 
manipulative brats and toss them all head first into the pool. 'At 
least then they'd be late,' she thought sullenly. "Oh, then I 
guess we'll see you there then," she replied with the false cheer 
they always ignored anyway, "have fun."

"Oh, but do you know what would be so, like, cool?" asked Lily in 
a tone that had all the subtlety of an air strike, "If we, like, 
all went together! Then we could all sit at one big table and talk 
about old times and stuff!"

Misty felt her insides clench as a sudden anger threatened to 
cause her to burst. "No..." she said quietly through gritted 
teeth, somehow containing herself as she clenched her fists and 
almost crumpled the box containing her new dress before raising 
her voice to a yell, "You are NOT ruining MY perfect evening with 
Miranda! Not now not EVER!"

"Oh, like chill out, Misty," commented Violet with a disapproving 
shake of her head that somehow didn't cause her overly styled dark 
hair to even so much as move.

"Yeah, like we were only making a suggestion," added Daisy as Lily 
gave Miranda a friendly yet pretentious smile as she entered the 
hall, a look of concern cross the courier's face.

"What's wrong?" Miranda inquired, giving the trio a glare before 
fixing on Misty who stood shaking as she continued to fume.

"Well, like bye then," commented Violet dismissively as they 
walked away, some how making the farewell seem like an accusation 
as Miranda went over and put her arms around Misty.

"Anything I can do?" she inquired as Misty breathed through her 
mouth, her teeth still clenched as her whole body shook.

Her lover shook her head, waiting a few moments after the main 
doors slid closed again before relaxing and leaning against her 
beloved. "It's okay," whispered Miranda, holding her close as 
Misty let herself cry, "Whatever it is, I'm here for you. Do you 
want me to call home and see if there's another courier in the 
area who might like our passes-?"

"No!" exclaimed Misty, dropping her package and clinging to 
Miranda almost desperately. "I'm NOT letting them ruin this!" she 
sobbed, her face pressed against Miranda's shoulder, "Even if SHE 
shows up and ruins everything, at least this will still be our 
special night! And I'm not letting my sisters interferer with 
that. Not now, not ever."

Miranda nodded, quickly piecing it all together. "Okay," she said 
softly, gently running her fingers up and down Misty's back in 
what she hoped was a soothing manner, "We have lots of time to get 
ready, let's just go upstairs and sit-down for a while."

Misty smiled the slightest bit in spite of herself as Miranda's 
fingers sought out the tense places and soothed them with a gentle 
relentlessness. "Alright," she said quietly with a nod, trying to 
keep her voice level, "Thank you. Oh, and one more thing, Miri."

"Yes?" the courier inquired as Misty took her hand, their fingers 
intertwining.

"I love you," said Misty, accentuating her words by bringing their 
joined hands to her lips and kissing Miranda's knuckles, leaving 
her beloved with a warm feeling that refused to fade even after 
they'd ventured out into the coming night nearly an hour later...


Chapter XIV

The Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue Restaurant Of 
International Cuisine had a line up that stretched around the 
block. It seemed as though more than half of Cerulean City had 
shown up for the event, and more than half of those seemed to 
simply want to wait in line with no hope of ever actually getting 
in. For the most part, just seeing those with special advanced 
reservations being quickly ushered in amongst a sea of reporters 
and blinding flashbulbs seemed to be enough for them. 

"Gee," commented Miranda, her arm linked through Misty's as they 
stepped out of their taxi and onto the long red carpet, only to 
immediately assaulted by the swarm of overly enthusiastic 
reporters, "it was just a silly contest!"

"They just want the publicity, dear," assured Misty, feeling 
better, and enjoying the sudden unexpected attention as reporters 
on their left threw questions at them above the sound of the 
chattering crowd lined up to the couple's right, "Besides, it's 
kinda fun to be a bit of celebrity now and then."

"Ms. Lilcamp!" called a small thin man at the back whose arm was 
just long enough to wedge a microphone between two other 
reporters, "Is this the lucky lady you wrote your winning ballad 
about?"

"You bet!" called Miranda over her shoulder as they walked past 
him, blushing profusely as another reporter from one of the less 
reputable newspapers found only in convenience stores used an 
aikido throw to move a smaller man out of her way.

"Is it true that you're not on speaking terms with your famous 
sisters?" she called out to Misty, practically waving her pen and 
paper, "And that's why accompanying them this evening?!"

Misty glanced over at the woman, her sea green eyes narrowing with 
fury as she glowered. "That's a family matter," she hissed without 
breaking stride or loosing the wonderfully elegant feeling she 
felt wearing something new and beautiful to an expensive 
restaurant while a hundred some odd people oohed and awed, "Ask 
Daisy."

Miranda laughed as the doorman let them in immediately. "Isn't she 
the 'quiet one'?" she inquired as a second man hurried over to 
take the jackets they'd worn about their shoulders against the 
chill that blew in off the water.

"Of course!" giggled Misty, as the maitre'd looked up expectantly, 
"They'll have her stammering for a few minutes before Violet bales 
her out with some excuse. But I don't mind wasting a trash 
reporter's time."

As the two entered the dining area of Ces Batards De L'autre Cote 
De La Rue their ears were filled with a gentle cacophony of often 
laughing voices and live piano music, supplied by a small 
orchestra. Everywhere they looked, people in fancy dresses and 
expensive suits sat at huge round tables while waiters and 
waitresses attended to their needs, clad in the uniform they'd 
seen at Irene's shop. Every table was set with crystal glasses, 
and silverware that was actually silver, and plates, bowls and 
coffee cups that were worth more than Miranda made in a year. 

Above them were three immense chandeliers, set in a perfect 
triangle and giving the room just enough light that small, slow 
burning white candles had to be set at each table. Floor was done 
over in a dark red carpet, guaranteed to hide stains, and the 
walls had been decorated with three-dimensional wall hangings of 
various pokemon in battle, although someone had painted the 
effects of their 'special' attacks directly onto the wall in a way 
that made it seem more real. 

"Excuse me, ladies," the well-dressed maitre'd with a light German 
accent said with a politeness that bordered on superhuman, "but 
your table is ready, and your other guests have already arrived."

"Other guests?" asked Miranda, her tone flattening as her stormy 
gray eyes narrowed behind her shimmering glasses.

"Ah, yes!" the man said even more apologetically, "It sees that 
the seating arrangements are not quite what we had hoped for, so 
we've had to put some of our patrons at group tables. Please 
forgive us, but it was decided that since you were all family-"

"Family?!" exclaimed Misty in a harsh whisper, somehow managing to 
keep her voice down along with her barely contained anger.

The maitre'd gave a sad smile, nodding apologetically. "Yes," he 
explained, indicating Misty, "Your sisters, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Any chance of sitting with my Uncle?" inquired Miranda hopefully 
as Misty gripped her hand a tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"The name?"

"Oh, he's with Pokeforce," she explained, "Name's Frank...?"

The man checked his reservation book and shook his head sadly. 
"No, I am very sorry, miss," he explained, no longer willing to 
make eye contact with the couple, "But that table is full. 
Although I'm pleased to say that he's sitting with both our very 
own Officer Jenny, the Festival Coordinator Todd Burke, his wife 
Nancy, Professor Myria, and the other City Councilors."

Miranda glanced over at Misty. "We could just go," she offered, 
but Misty shook her head.

"No," she said simply, brushing her bangs out of her eyes in an 
unaccustomed gesture since they'd both chosen to wear their hair 
down, "As I said, their not ruining this."

With her head held high, and her shoulders straight, Misty walked 
past the overly apologetic man and strode into the room on 
Miranda's arm as though no force on earth could stop her. With a 
quick glance at the table Frank was sitting at, she caught the 
gazes of her three sisters and put on her most sincere smile.

"So glad you could make it," she said civilly through gritted 
teeth, only half noticing as Miranda pulled her chair out for her.

"Like, I wasn't sure if you'd show or not," commented Violet 
casually, idly waving a bread stick she had no intention of 
eating.

"Gee, I guess I loose the bet then," commented Lily, not even 
flinching when both Misty and Miranda glared at her.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," replied Miranda briskly, 
sitting in one of the high-backed, and mildly uncomfortable chairs 
between Daisy and Misty as she tried to catch Frank's eye.

Across the room, and past several other crowded tables, a raised 
platform had been set up with a long table. It had been specially 
reserved for the City Councilors, which included two middle aged 
men and women Miranda didn't recognize, as well as Professor Myria 
and the Festival coordinator who had over seen the poetry contest 
and his wife. Officer's Jenny and Frank had also been given 
places, and Miranda found it odd that Misty's sister Violet hadn't 
been asked to sit at the table, seeing as she was the City's Gym 
Leader. 

It also didn't take much for her to infer that the unpleasantly 
scowling woman beside the Festival Coordinator was his wife. The 
small, disapproving woman seemed to be most upset by whatever joke 
Frank was leaning across Jenny to tell her husband, who was 
laughing almost to the point of hysteria.

Officer Jenny for her part, just shook her head at him, and 
immediately regretted it. Her one eye that hadn't been bandaged up 
snapped closed as she gritted her teeth and shuffled uncomfortably 
in her seat, adjusting her right arm in its sling.

"So," came Violet's voice, interrupting Miranda's attempts to get 
her almost-Uncle's attention, "Did you hear about what happened to 
Jenny?"

Miranda glanced over at the woman, who was balancing her chin on 
her linked fingers and smiling conspiratorially. "Yes, we were 
there," replied Miranda, suddenly regretting her lover's decision 
to stay as she felt something touch her ankle and lift the hem of 
her dress.

"Oh? That wasn't YOUR gastly that saved Officer Jenny, was it?" 
inquired Lily, glancing over at her elder sibling and smiling at 
her sudden pained expression. Miranda had slammed her feet 
together on either side of Violet's ankle.

"Yes, it was Wraith and Officer Frank's growlithe Bow," confirmed 
Misty, making a point of moving her chair a little closer to 
Miranda's and holding her hand under the table, "And Wraith's a 
haunter now. Remember?"

"Ghosts are ghosts," commented Violet with a shrug, shaking out 
her foot to regain feeling as Daisy jumped a little. She'd put her 
hand on Miranda's thigh and suddenly found the courier's nails 
digging into her skin.

"And they can all be quite dangerous," Miranda replied like 
nothing had happened, "But I've been meaning to ask you. Do any of 
you know anything about a rumor involving the formation of a ninth 
gym? Flint in Pewter mentioned it, but..."

"Oh, that!" laughed Violet, leaning back and provocatively tossing 
her long dark hair over her shoulders as she ignored Misty's 
sudden scowl, "I'm surprised you don't know already, it's in your 
home town."

"It is?!" exclaimed Misty and Miranda at the same time, their 
further questions being silenced as the background music came to a 
suddenly halt and several people began applauding.

"Oh!" gasped Lily, excited covering her mouth with her hands like 
a star struck otaku, "It's HIM!"

"Gary?!" whispered Miranda into Misty's ear, and nearly causing 
the girl to spit out the water she'd been drinking.

Several people had leapt to their feet, making it necessary for 
their table to do the same, if only to see if not applaud. But it 
soon became clear who the new center of attention was. Entering 
the room, in Chef's whites that were easily as expensive as any 
Armani suit and being followed by an alakazam in a chef's hat and 
wielding a tray of h'orderves was none other than Chef Troy. 

With a sly, almost forced smile, the tall man waved politely to 
the crowd before motioning for silence. "Welcome, my friends," he 
proclaimed, his German accent slipping out from time to time, "To 
my greatest endeavor since 'Coffee Armageddon'... 'Ces Batards De 
L'autre Cote De La Rue!'"

There was more applause, and Miranda made quiet note of who 
applauded the loudest as she clapped politely, ignoring her 
Uncle's rather theatrical performance of it. She knew it was only 
because Chef Troy was feeding him. It was the Festival Coordinator 
and his wife, though; who seemed to be the most appreciative, 
exchanging knowing glances with Troy as the alakazam brought the 
tray to the head table.

"This restaurant of international cuisine," continued Chef Troy, 
turning slowly so that everyone could catch a glimpse of the tight 
smile he wore, and the few reporters who were allowed in could get 
pictures of his gleaming, all too white teeth through his well-
groomed goatee, "Promises one thing to it's patrons. A dining 
experience unlike any other offered on this continent, or in the 
entire world!"

Once again he was interrupted by applause and a few happy shouts, 
but the Chef seemed unperturbed, even as Frank grabbed a rather 
large handful of something Miranda couldn't identify except to say 
that it was on a cracker.

"Here at MY restaurant," Troy went on, his wary tone indicating 
that he wasn't one for long speeches, but wanted people to know 
who to thank at the end of the evening, "you will be able to not 
just eat, but 'experience' taste sensations unlike any other you 
have, or ever will have again! Unless of course you're a repeat 
customer."

There was a chorus of gentle laughter, as Violet sighed heavily, 
tossing her breadstick into Misty's glass of water before she 
could take another sip. "Just get over it," she muttered, shaking 
her head at Lily for swooning so badly, and ignoring Misty's dark 
glare, "And for that matter, over yourself."

Miranda contemplated giving her a kick under the table the first 
chance she got, but couldn't help agree with the sentiment. 'Oh 
well,' she thought, retrieving the bread stick from her partner's 
glass and pointedly tossing it back into Violet's, 'At least the 
food is free.'

"But I have droned on long enough!" announced Chef Troy as his 
alakazam teleported to his side with a loud -POP!- that caused a 
few people to jump in their seats, "My staff will be along shortly 
to take your orders so that you may also sample our food, not just 
hear about it."

There was an appreciative murmur as their table joined the rest in 
sitting down, and as Miranda picked up the blue velvet menu book, 
bound by gold thread with the restaurant logo on the cover, she 
felt a gentle tap upon her foot.

Looking up with a scowl, she saw Violet smile at her mischievously 
as she brought the sopping wet breadstick to her lips, and 
provocatively pushed it against them. For a moment her dark eyes 
fluttered a bit, as if enjoying herself far too much, whilst 
parting her lips ever so slightly to allow the breadstick 
entrance.

"Wrong gender," whispered Miranda with a chuckle, hiding behind 
her menu and laughing as Violet bit the breadstick in half in 
frustration.

"Must you?" inquired Misty rhetorically, before going back to her 
own and giving a startled look as she realized that not a single 
item was to be found with a listed price.

"Just remember it's free, dear," said Miranda, leaning close with 
a hand upon Misty's knee.

"Oh, before I forget," whispered Misty back, lifting her menu to 
hide herself from her sisters, "Did you happen to notice that 
alakazam?"

Miranda nodded. "Same one?"

"I think so," her lover replied, glancing at the double swinging 
doors that lead to the kitchen, "But I'm no expert. Too bad 
Professor Myria or your friend Zack weren't there. I'm sure 
they'd-"

But her train of thought was interrupted by a loud cough and the 
two turned to see the waiter they'd seen at Irene's looming over 
them in his tacky blue and gold suit. "Are you ready to order, 
ladies?"

Misty and Miranda exchanged glances and quickly chose the first 
thing that sounded good on their menus. "I'll have the soulaki 
platter," replied Miranda. 

"Oh, same for me, I guess," added Misty, too annoyed at her 
sisters to have really paid attention to her menu and just then 
noticing that the man simply nodded, and didn't seem to have to 
write anything down as he turned his attention to her three 
pretentious siblings.

"Oh, I'll just have the cannolli," replied Violet in a bored tone.

"Souffle," said Lily quickly, tearing her gaze away from his 
stunning blue eyes.

"I'll have the teriyaki," finished Daisy.

"Spearow or tauros?"

"Oh, spearow I guess," she replied with a shy smile and a wave of 
her hand.

"Very well then," said the waiter simply giving Miranda a slightly 
disapproving look as her watch chimed Beethoven's fifth, "And to 
drink?"

"Tea, green if possible, Earl Gray if not. Orange pekoe and I 
sue," the courier replied with a wry grin, pushing back her chair 
awkwardly and getting to her feet before leaning down kiss Misty 
on the cheek, "I'll just be a minute."

"Oh, I'll just have what she's having," said Misty, feeling her 
heart sink a little as Miranda glided off, nearly tripping over 
her gown as she made a sharp left and hurried off towards the pay 
phones at the back of the restaurant.

"Mineral water for the three of us," added Violet, catching the 
waiter's eye and giving him a mischievous look that made Lily 
glare at her.

"You know," commented Misty as the man walked away, his shoes 
making no sound across the carpeted floor, "'Evian' is just 
'Naive' spelt backwards. Not bad for water brought to us by a guy 
in his backyard wielding a garden hose and a few thousand clear-
plastic bottles, eh?"

Lily suppressed a chuckle as Violet glowered at their youngest 
sister. "Ya know," she said in a condescending tone, meeting 
Misty's gaze with a knowing look, "That Miranda's like, so totally 
using you."

Misty leaned back, folding her arms across her chest as she gave 
her sister a disbelieving look. "And just how do you figure that?" 
she asked, not really caring whether her sibling answered, but 
unwilling to simply ignore the slight.

"Well, you know," continued Violet as all three sisters leaned in 
closer, "She's a courier. Like, you know how 'they' are."

"That's right," agreed Daisy.

"Yeah, like, she's probably got two or three lovers in every 
town," added Lily; "She's just stringing you along little sister. 
Just like that Ash guy you used to hang around with."

"THAT," warned Misty, keeping her voice low and containing her 
anger as best she could, gripping the table so hard her knuckles 
had turned white, "Will be quite enough!"

Misty's anger was abruptly halted as she spotted the dark blue of 
Miranda's dress as she awkwardly hurried back to the table as if 
on cue. "Forget something, dear?" inquired Misty, reserving the 
edge in her tone solely for her trio of siblings.

"Y-yes," said Miranda breathlessly, kneeling beside Misty's chair 
and taking her hand, her cloudy gray eyes fully of mischief.

"What's wrong?" her lover asked, well aware of the looks they were 
getting from the three sisters, "What did you forget?"

Miranda's lips formed a wide smile as she leaned up towards her. 
"I forgot," she said just loud enough for the others to hear, "To 
tell you 'I love you.'" 

Before Misty could stammer out a reply, she felt Miranda's lips 
pressed against her own for a moment before the courier rushed off 
again to take care of her mysterious phone call. And for a long 
moment, Misty could only stare after her, her face flushing with 
both embarrassment and endearment.

"Oh, like I'm so sure," she heard Violet reply to something Daisy 
said, bringing Misty back to reality even as Lily waved her hand 
in front of her face.

"Like, hello? Earth to Misty!" she called impatiently, causing her 
sister to sigh heavily, shaking her head as the moment faded all 
to quickly.

"What now?" she muttered, giving her sister an annoyed look that 
was returned by one of astonishment.

"Like, you've been sitting there staring off into space for way 
too long," said Lily, tossing her dark red hair over her shoulder.

"For sure," agreed Violet, shaking her head in dismayed 
disapproval as she idly sipped her drink, "I think you're way too 
taken with this girl, Misty. I think she's starting to make you 
crazy."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" growled Misty through gritted 
teeth, clenching her fists and really wishing that there weren't 
so many witnesses.

"Ooh, looks like our little sister's still got all those anger 
management problems," chuckled Lily all too coolly.

"Well," spat Misty, unable to rein her venomous tone as she turned 
her dark look to her second oldest sibling, "At least I don't 
sleep with everything that'll hold still long enough!"

Daisy and Violet stifled a laugh as Lily began to stammer out a 
reply, only to be interrupted by an expected polite inquiry.

"Problem?" inquired Miranda who had suddenly appeared, her arm 
linked through her Uncle's.

"Not at all," assured Violet, smiling up at Frank, who had been 
forced to wear his dress uniform, "Just discussing family 
business. Care to join us Officer?"

"Just for minute," said Officer Frank with a shrug, taking the 
empty seat beside Misty as his almost-niece sat down, "I just 
wanted to get away from those old fogies for a few minutes and try 
to find out who this strange woman is..."

Miranda turned her head, desperately trying to hide her smirk as 
she glared at her Uncle. "I thought I warned you?" she said 
through gritted teeth as Misty laughed.

"I didn't say anything," chuckled Frank, glancing over his 
shoulder and waving at Jenny.

"So how is she?" inquired Misty with concern look in Jenny's 
direction and frowning when the woman winced when she tried to 
smile back at Frank.

"The doc's say she'll live. The naninte treatment managed to heal 
the worst of it, but the rest is up to her, I'm afraid," explained 
Frank, his eyes going wide for a moment as Lily slid her leg 
around his possessively, "But I'm not leaving 'till she's all 
healed up."

"Oh, so like now you're leaving us?" pouted Lily as Frank caught 
his breath, trying to move closer to Misty and away from the 
woman's rather blatant attempts at seduction as he felt a hand 
upon his knee.

"Y-yes, actually," he stammered, turning to his niece and 
pointedly ignored the delicate seeming hand that was moving slowly 
up his leg and causing his voice to go up an octave, "I- I called 
you're Aunt, Miri."

"You did!" she exclaimed happily, almost forgetting to stomp down 
hard on Violet's foot as the woman tried to slide her toe up her 
bare leg, "How'd it go? What'd she say?"

Frank smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he 
ignored Lily's sudden pout. "Well, it's like I said," he explained 
in the tone he reserved for story telling, "She's a wonderful 
woman. There's no way I could ever do better, and I certainly 
don't deserve her." He paused for effect, long enough to reach 
under the table and bend Lily's index finger far enough back for 
her to get the point. "But Laurna wants me to head back to 
Lavender first chance I get. So as soon as Jen's all healed up, 
I'm puttin' in for a transfer. It's about time Lavender had a 
decent cop in town."

"We don't even have a Jenny," agreed Miranda sympathetically, 
although her tone was somewhat thankful, "But that'll give me 
another reason to read home in October."

"Why wait?" inquired Frank, his tone becoming serious, "Your 
mother misses you."

"Let's not start that again," muttered Miranda, shaking her head 
and pushing her glasses back up her nose, "I hate it when Bob 
tells me that on the phone every time I get a dispatch call, and I 
don't need it from you too, Uncle."

"I know," said Frank with a shrug as the waiter returned with 
their drinks, "But anyway, I'd better get back there before Myria 
dumps water over Ms. Burke's head like she's been threatening to."

"She's the Festival Coordinator's wife, right?" inquired Misty, 
turning in her seat in time to see Professor Myria grin broadly at 
the annoyed looking elderly woman next to her, clutching the 
pitcher of water in both small hands with a mischievous glint in 
her emerald eyes.

Frank nodded. "The best expletive to describe her would be an 
insult to Bow, so forget it," he commented, "She's been in a bit 
of a snit since they got here, but she was happy to see Chef Troy, 
let me tell ya."

"I kinda noticed," replied Miranda, recalling that the woman was 
amongst the first to leap to her feet and applaud when he'd 
entered, and the first to laugh at his lame joke.

"Yeah," continued Frank, oblivious to the displeased look the 
waiter gave him, "She's rather excitable for someone her age. I 
guess old Todd finally brought her around."

"She didn't like him at first?" asked Miranda, remembering how her 
first impression of the Chef wasn't helped by the presence of the 
man's umbreon.

Frank nodded, forgetting that he had a drink waiting for him at 
his table. "Couldn't stand him!" he mused, "She was the strongest 
voice on the Council against allowing him to set up shop here. 
Especially after that fiasco with his second cousin thrice removed 
in Neon town."

"Let me guess," interjected Misty dryly, "His name is Troy too?"

"Um, yeah," commented Frank, a little bewildered, "Why?"

"No reason," she assured, bowing her head in dismay.

"Anyway, I'd better get going. Stay out of trouble, Miri."

"As if!" called Miranda to her retreating uncle, unable to keep 
from smiling as Misty looked up at the ceiling and mouthed the 
words, "Why? Aren't Jenny's and Joy's enough?!"

"So," asked Miranda briskly, looking pointedly at Violet, "You 
were saying about the new gym?"

Violet nodded, taking a sip of her extra pretentious drink before 
speaking. "Well, like I said," she replied, licking her lips and 
using her drink as an excuse, "I'm like, totally astonished that 
you haven't heard. 'Cause like, it's in your home town, don't'cha 
know."

"Lavender?" said Miranda, her astonishment genuine as opposed to 
Violet's more pretentious slant on it.

"Oh, you bet!" chuckled Lily, giving Officer Frank a final hungry 
look as he sat back down at his own table, "Some pokemon professor 
or other's like totally taking care of it."

"Professor Laurna?!" exclaimed Miranda, blushing as she looked 
down at the table meekly and Misty gave her a gentle, teasing 
nudge with her shoulder, giggling at the sudden out burst.

"You, you like know her?" inquired Daisy quietly, her fingers 
entwining as single lock of hair as she smiled at Miranda.

The woman nodded. "She's my aunt," the courier explained, "She 
came to Lavender with my mother and father, and apparently it was 
as though she was meant to be there. There isn't a pokemon 
professor on the planet who knows more about ghost types than her. 
Apparently her gengar was an arbok once, but she won't tell me how 
Viper died."

The three sisters gave Miranda looks that ranged from curious to 
confused. "But like, Miranda," commented Violet, as always the 
first to speak, "Aren't 'ghosts' just like, sentient balls of gas? 
Sorta like grimers and muks?"

Miranda smiled, seizing the opportunity. "No," she said curtly, 
leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed as she contemplated 
the question, "No they are not. Ghosts, from gastlies to gengars 
were all once living, breathing pokemon." 

She waited a moment for her words to sink in, to have their 
desired effect. "No one is completely certain why it happens," she 
explained, opening one gray eye to see the look of morbid 
fascination upon their faces, "but sometimes pokemon who die just 
don't pass on. Something causes them to cling to this plane. 
Unfortunately, though, they have no memories of their former 
lives, so there's no real way to help them. But I suppose that's 
what the Tower is for. It gives them a place to dwell."

"Uh-until someone captures them, you mean," Lily stammered, her 
suddenly wide eyes betraying just how unnerved she felt.

Miranda shrugged. "Well, sometimes they don't stay for long," she 
replied, taking Misty's suddenly cold hand and giving it a 
reassuring squeeze, "Most ghosts are captured outside the Tower, 
cause only a lunatic would actually go in there hunting one."

"Why- why is that?" gulped Daisy, looking even paler than usual.

Miranda glanced at Misty, who looked up at her with pleading eyes. 
"It's just not safe," she finished, putting her arm around Misty 
and giving her a reassuring hug as Daisy shivered all over.

"Anyone, like you know, go in to the Tower, and like, totally 
never come out again?" inquired Violet with a hint of malice in 
her voice, not caring about the effect the story was having on 
Daisy, instead concentrating on the rather unpleasant expression 
crossing her youngest sibling's face.

Miranda took a deep breath, not prying her gaze away from Misty. 
"No," she lied, for her lover's benefit, pulling a number out of 
the ether, "Not in oh, at least hundred years." "Look," she said, 
glancing over at Violet, "If you really care, go to Lavender Town 
for the Halloween celebrations and you'll hear all about the Tower 
then. My Aunt Laurna does this simply amazing show with her 
troupe. Some of the illusions they weave while she tells the story 
are simply amazing!"

Violet muttered something about doing just that, but Miranda, who 
leaned in closer to Misty, ignored her half-hearted tone. "Sorry, 
about that," she said quietly, "I keep forgetting you don't like 
ghosts very much."

Misty nodded, smiling weakly. "It's okay," she assured, "I'm 
getting used to Wraith. I mean, intellectually I know he won't 
hurt me, it's just..."

"I know," said Miranda with a smile and a gentle hug, "It's okay, 
my step-father's lived in Lavender for nearly seven years, and 
he's still terrified of them. Although my Mom's actually stared 
down wild ones."

"Sounds like your mom's scarier than the ghosts!" chuckled Misty, 
the colour returning to her cheeks even as Daisy got up from the 
table and hurried to the restroom, looking more than a little 
green.

Miranda grinned, amused by the sentiment. "Only when she's angry," 
she assured, "This is a 'Mom' we're talking about here..."

***

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, with the only real 
interruption being when Ms. Burke began yelling at Frank for 
eating his abesynian platter with his left hand, to which the 
Pokeforce Officer replied, "But I'm ambidextrous!" And then he 
merely laughed at the dirty look their waiter gave him when he 
said, "Oh, this is so unspicy I can put it in my eye!"

By eight o'clock, Misty and Miranda had finished eating, and both 
were just a little anxious to go. With a glance at her empty 
plate, wondering where it all could have gone, Miranda turned to 
flag down their waiter.

"So," inquired Misty briskly, wiping her mouth with napkin that 
cost more than everyone at the table combined made in a year and 
catching Violet staring longingly at Miranda, "Are you three 
heading home after this?"

"Like, no way!" exclaimed Lily before Violet could speak, and 
receiving a kick under the table for it, "As if! Like, we're all 
dressed up, we might as well go and do something!"

"Not a bad idea," agreed Miranda with a sly grin as the waiter 
returned, "Have a nice time."

"Is that everything?" the man inquired, his tone a touch 
suspicious.

"That'll do," Miranda assured him, "Unless there's some kind of 
hidden charge that I'm unaware of...?"

"Oh no," assured the waiter with an insincere smile that seemed to 
be more of a sneer, "Your meals are complimentary."

"Good," said Miranda curtly, getting to her feet at the same time 
as Misty, sensing the her lover's sudden urgency to away from her 
siblings, "Oh, and thank you."

The waiter nodded as he wrote out the bill that Violet, Lily and 
Daisy would have to share, a smirk crossing his face as Misty and 
Miranda almost ran across the room. By the time they'd reached 
Frank, they were both laughing at the strangely guilty feeling 
they both felt at walking away from a meal, that they both had to 
admit was incredible, without paying.

"Heading out?" inquired Frank as they approached; his fingers 
stained red from the sauce as he scooped up the last of his meal 
with a strange, air-bubble infested injera flat bread.

Miranda nodded, smiling as she held Misty's hand. "Actually, I was 
thinking of maybe going for Coffee at Irene's," she explained, 
glancing at Misty, "If you're up for it?"

"Definitely!" her lover replied, nodding vigorously, "At least 
then we can get away from my sisters without having to lock a door 
behind us."

"Ah, siblings," chuckled Frank, looking thoughtful before 
finishing off his meal and talking with his mouth full, "I'll bet 
I have a million of 'em!"

"He's an orphan. Adopted shortly after birth," explained Miranda, 
suddenly anxious to get out into the cool night air as the 
stifling dry warmth of the dining room was only made worse by the 
look of unbridled contempt Ms. Burke gave her.

"Then we have something in common," replied Misty with a sad 
smile, "Did you know them? Your parents I mean?"

Frank yawned, shaking his head. "Nope," he said, tapping the table 
in front of Jenny who had dozed off with her large bowl of soup 
unfinished, "Never had the pleasure. Anyway, I have to get my 
commanding officer home before people start talking. Again. Say, 
need a ride?"

"They gave you another car?" inquired Miranda with a smirk that 
made her Uncle give her a sarcastic grin that would do Nezumi 
proud.

"It's Jen's," he confessed, helping a very worn out Officer Jenny 
to her feet and saying goodbye to the people at his table, "So? 
Shall we...?"


Copywrite
Nikolai Mirovich (Nikolai@Nergal.Org)
"http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich"
June 9, 2001




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