So far they'd been in the Manse for maybe ten, fifteen minutes tops, but it felt much longer.
After taking another two cracks at confirming the stairs were effectively unclimbable, and apparently not wanting to endure the indignity of scrambling on the banisters like some like of grotesque, Gem had resigned herself to exploring the ground floor with Hailey. And what an exploration it had been.
Like discovering that door to the West Wing had a handle that came off in the hand, that some of the candles that floated above the main hall could drip wax with pinpoint accuracy to perfectly hit the small of the back, that one door had a honest to Arceus bucket of water perched above it. It was all enough to wear on even the most patient person.
Lucky that each and every one happened to Gem exclusively, that just made it funny.
"May, heh, maybe the next one, haha, will be safe?" She was trying to bite back the laughter, just because she wasn't good at it didn't mean an attempt wasn't made. She should probably try harder, a sopping wet electric type was probably more dangerous than usual.
"Maybe next time I should use this damn thing as a battering ram?" Gem growled, shaking the wheelchair. "I wonder what our OBVIOUS FRIENDS, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME would think about that?"
If it weren't for the very conspicuous giggling, Gem would have looked pretty deranged, but their hosts clearly had no intention of making themselves visible yet. If it wasn't for their audible mirth, and the traps, the East Wing would have felt long deserted. The doors all squeaked and squealed in their frames, as if they hadn't seen use in decades, the wood often warped so that they couldn't even be opened.
Lacking any better plan they'd just been walking down the hall, trying each one. They were all decorated in some inscrutable way. One had a emblem of a Rapidash on the main panel, while another had an empty divot the shape of a shield that wouldn't yield to Gem's pushes. The one they were currently in front of was flanked by a pair of dusty cabinets and had a etching of a helmet right above the lock. Lucky the key was already in it.
Gem just stood there tapping her foot until Hailey got the hint and pushed it open herself.
Another hallway, leading deeper into the building, was all that met them. Hailey just knew one of these damn doors would be spring loaded. Still, it looked completely safe as she wheeled her way through, though it was getting darker the deeper they went.
A sudden yelp from behind reinforced what a tenuous word 'seemed' was. With barely enough room to swing around, she rotated the chair, only to come face to face with Gem, vigorously massaging her own butt.
It was only once she spotted the board that had swung down from over the door that things fell into place.
Biting back another guffaw Hailey mused on the fact that, even after this morning, she might actually owe Gem for going through all this.
There are times you want something you know you can’t have.
To hit it off with the glamorous celeb on the TV, to win the regional cup and become the wet dream of a whole nation, have an extra treat fall down when you used a vending machine, things like that.
In this case what Brigit wanted was to be seated between Thảo and their new guest. It was not to be. She wasn’t sure how massive Carita was, exactly, but she was certainly ‘neck and neck’ with Thảo, even if it was distributed differently. Anyway you sliced it, they were two big girls.
Her couch would never survive.
So, sadly, Dr. Carita took the easy chair, while she and Thảo sat across on the couch. Her partner had wandered out in a t-shirt big enough to be a tent that said ‘Who’s Growing Who?’.
The grass type was acting more than a bit possessive actually. Usually her Nanab wasn’t bothered at all by other Pokémon, but now she had practically picked her up and set her down in her lap, settling for holding her tight against her side with one arm. Brigit was trying not to be distracted by how her head was being squished into a boob that dwarfed it, it wouldn’t be polite.
Wasn’t unpleasant though.
“Now, Ms. Thảo, I apologize for pulling you out of bed, but your partner piqued my interest and I was hoping we could talk.” Acreus, even her voice was sexy. She hadn’t really noticed at the door, too busy rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and distracted by… revelations, was that the right term? Carita just had a presence you usually didn’t see with Pokémon. They could be intimidating, easily, larger than life, naturally, but all that and professional? If she’d had a pair of glasses that she could look over while she talked? There’d be a wet spot on the couch.
“Oh my Babiri caught your eye did she?” Maybe lusting after the good doctor wasn’t such a good idea. Thảo had a certain tone in her voice, and that arm slung around her side wasn’t just holding on, it was starting to roam.
“I guess I can understand, she’s a big girl. Well, not as big as us, but a pretty satisfying meal. Late night deliveries never been our thing though, prefer home cooked meals.” That big, heavy hand was now kneading her breast like dough, a bit rough for most girls, but Thảo was a professional cook. And as much as she hated to say it, she’d been thoroughly trained by now.
Still, if her goof thought she was being subtle, she had another thing coming. Carita remained totally professional and disinterested in her expression, though she did cross one thick leg over the other.
“Actually, right now I’m more interested in you, I understand you had a run in with my ward, Hailey earlier, and I wanted to ask you some questions.”
Brigit pulled down Thảo’s head and whispered, though not very well, “Wendy, you know, that girl we met in the cave that you can’t really remember. Apparently she gave us a fake name!”
At that, Thảo’s entire demeanour changed. More relaxed, her head leaned forward, now engaged. That hand was still massaging boob though, currently teasing Brigit’s nipple, must have been force of habit.
“Fake? Seems unnecessary, I can barely keep her in my mind at all.”
“The fact you’re able to at all is rather interesting actually.” Carita had pulled a small notepad out of her pocket, the pen looked absolutely tiny in her hands. “Would you mind describing the meeting, in your own words.”
“It’s not much, everything’s faded, like when your tired and time just seems to skip around. We’d gone out for a walk, cause Brigit here would never leave the house if I didn’t pull her along, isn’t that right?” Brigit found it hard to answer with several of the Tropius’ girthy fingers currently in her mouth.
“Anyway, we were walking through the tunnel, I like to find cool rocks, and then… something? At some point Brigit was yelling at me to fight off this Zubat flock, dunno where they came from, but I did. Then we were walking through the tunnel again, I think? I was pushing something, it must have been Hailey, right? The first firm thing that I can grab onto though, that’s when we finally got outside. Brigit was hungry and, not to brag, but I’m a bit of a chef, so I start whipping up one of my stews. It’s when I’m ladling it out, Bribri asks if we have an extra setting, then explodes at me when I ask why, she never does that!”
Thảo actually took a moment to collect herself before continuing, Carita couldn’t help but lean in. This was invaluable data. Plus, Brigit was giving off some very cute moans as her partners hand crept south. That was fine, this was a conversation for Pokémon.
“It was only when… when Bri handed her a bowl, when she was holding it, when she took a bite. Suddenly she was there, briefly, for a moment. She was so small, so skinny, it was a shame.” Thảo’s voice trailed off, before returning. “It didn’t last long, I got… distracted with Bri, the way I usually do, and when we finished we realized she was long gone.
It was a scant page of notes, but still, it sent Carita’s mind racing as few thing had in years.
“When… when you find her, do you think we could see her again? It’s just, I don’t know, something feels… unfinished.” The Tropius could easily meet, even exceed her gaze, but she was letting some vulnerability show through.
“I… don’t see why not, while I’ll be keeping a much closer eye on Ms Wolters, she is an adult, there’s no reason she couldn’t have visitors, it’s simply never come up before.” Shoving the notebook in her pocket, Carita rose to make her leave. “Rest assured, while there are other duties that require my attention I am devoting every free hour to the search, and I will succeed.”
“Must be running yourself ragged.” Thảo chuckled, “Oh, the things we do for humans.”
“Certainly the most work I’ve had in years, yes. It even interrupted one of my rare vacations, and I won’t be risking taking another for quite a while now.”
“Oh? That’s a shame, everyone needs to blow off steam. Say, it’s late, you really have to race off right away?”
Turning back, Carita was met with the sight of Thảo, having pulled Brigit fully onto her lap. One hand still had it’s fingers in her mouth, while the other was spreading her legs, gently patting one thigh, sending ripples through the girls dark skin.
It was late, and Brigit could certainly handle large partners…
Deeper and ever deeper. This manor was either once home to an entire clan or one crazy bitch, and as they went Hailey was beginning to lean toward the second.
Labyrinthine was the only word for it. Corridors twisted and turned with no rhyme or reason, interacting rooms seemingly at random, and if these actually existed a set of blueprints for this place, Hailey suspected there would be enough hidden space for a second mansion.
The rooms themselves didn't make much sense either.
Take the one they were in currently. In one corner there was a staircase going up to nothing. On the opposite wall, a set of windows that only looked out into a hallway, and smack dab in the centre, a circular table with a single cookie sitting on it. It looked freshly baked to, which was honestly the more uncanny thing, and sitting right beside it was a folded card that simply said 'Eat Me' in rather fancy script.
The two of them had been eyeing it for about a minute without moving.
It was a trap, a trick, a jape of some kind, that much was patently obvious. The real question was what kind was it?
"Could be an illusion, or maybe fake, you pick it up and just bite into plastic." Hailey offered
"Eh, could be, but I don't think so" Gem responded, one hand on her chin. "Seems a bit low effort for this crowd. I'm betting secret filling, Liechi if I had to bet. Starts off sweet, then a few seconds later your breathing fire like a Magmar."
Strictly speaking, there was no reason to interact with it at all, it was just a cookie, sitting on a table, they could just walk past it. Well, they could if the door didn't lock as soon as they entered. Gem had tried to kick it down but she wasn't exactly that kind of Mon, and throwing around electricity would probably just start a house fire.
So they lingered, and watched the cookie.
"Would they really lock us in here just to make us eat a spicy cookie? I bet something happens if you touch it." Hailey had rolled herself up to the table, clearly the Ghosts weren't going to let a single joke go 'unappreciated' so they might as well get it over with. Gem seems a bit more hesitant, but she had been the butt of basically all of them.
"Hold on! Hold on!" The Minun sprung into motion, racing around the room, pulling all the musty portraits and paintings down. Hailey had to tilt her head.
"Ok, nothing behind them, but there's still the rugs, and the table itself, there might be something under them so the safest place would be… ah!" Gem came to a stop at a point were four carpets (man cleaning all of them in this place must have been impossible) met, looking quite proud of herself.
"If there's nothing on the walls and the cookie itself isn't the trap, then it has to come from the table itself or under one of the rugs! And…." She looked at Hailey, moving her hand as if she expected an answer, but only got a shrug in response. "Ugh, see if there's something under one of these rugs then it would obviously be in the middle of one, for maximum hidey-ness. So where's the safest spot? Right at the intersection of a bunch, the furthest spot from any middle!”
Dramatically pointing down with both hands, she looked so smug.
Or perhaps a bit manic, she might have been losing it a bit. Hailey grabbed the cookie.
It was soft, and still had a slight bit of residual warmth to it. Up close it also smelled really, really good. Butter and chocolate, the stuff of life. Gently, Hailey pulled it up, and for a second nothing happened. Then she saw a small, almost invisible hole on the table, once covered by the cookie, and a thin thread, almost a hair, now fluttering in the air.
"Gem? I think somethings going to…" She was cut off by a scream from behind, the thunk of moving wood, and a… sprong? Hands went to wheels and spun her around as fast as they could. Where Gem had been standing, a cartoonish spring now bounced, section of flooring on top, the corners of the rugs thrown back. Even as she looked her eyes were drawn to the ceiling, where a panel slowly slid back into place, narry a seam to be seen.
The yelling had been quickly cut off and soon the room returned to silence.
Cookie was pretty good though.
A little snack was nice, but she was still no closer to finding where that one bloody ghost was, and that was if, if, she was even here!
There was also the fact that her exploration partner had been launched into the ceiling by a literal cartoon spring and presumably kidnapped by ghosts, that was also an issue worth considering.
The fact remained though that this ancient, decrepit manor didn't seem to have working elevators, so she was still stuck on the first level. Back into the hallways it was then.
Partway through one, Hailey stopped and cocked a ear. Not because she'd heard something, but rather was trying to hear something. It was probably just paranoia, and it shouldn't have even been possible for one of the ghosts to track her, but she couldn't shake feeling that the path was changing in front or behind her. So she listened, for the sound of moving panels and scraping wood.
But there was none.
The manor was a quiet place, at least when people weren't being launched at the ceiling. The thick wood of the walls muffled any wind from outside, and inside was quiet as, well, a tomb. No tick of a clock, patter of feet, or hum of electricity. At most there was only the low creak and groan as the timbers slowly shifted.
Well, that, and some faint humming.
It was so faint at first that Hailey initially perceived it as wind, a light breeze winding through the corridors, but no. As she strained it became clear there was a reason, a tune to it, it nagged at the edges of her consciousness but escaped classification.
It did seem to be coming from behind though.
One wheel forward, one back, she swung around, and found herself starting back. There was no saying it was the Ghost she was looking for, or not just another trick, but it was something at least.
Eventually, she came to a T intersection, had it been a T before? She could have sworn it was just a corner before, or was she loosing track of turns?
Across, past the turn, was another hallway, much like the others, there was something different though, out of place. A single door, ajar, a deep crimson light spilling from within.
If it was an invitation it was the most sinister one Hailey had ever seen, but still, it was something. And she was growing tired, weary of the chase.
Reaching out, she opened the door fully, and was enveloped in red.
The room had once been a bathroom it seemed. A sink and toilet in white porcelain, a claw footed tub, a taped over window, all stained with the dust of ages. The dust showed signs of disturbance though, as if a wind had recently blown through, pushing it all into corners and crevices. The old fixtures weren't the main feature of the room though, not anymore.
Hailey reached out and tried to flick the light switch next to the door, but nothing happened. The red light wasn't coming from any fixture or bulb, but instead hovered in the middle of the room, up near the ceiling. It glowed and pulsed, yet emitted no heat as far as Hailey could tell. It illuminated strands, not webbing as she'd initially thought, but string.
Four or five lines crisscrossed the small room, and attached to clothes pins, little rectangles hung from them.
Hailey knew what they were, but a mixture of excitement and trepidation fill her.
Here they were. She hadn't be wrong, they hadn't been lost. They were ok.
Fully rolling into the room, she looked at the lowest. The red light washed them out, made them indistinct, but she could still see. The closest was clearly of the hill with the tree on it, the one she had eventually fallen asleep under. Seeing it was… a thrill. Her vision, made real. Proof.
But it was also… horrible.
Even in the low light she could see the sins. The focus was off, things were blurry, the film quality itself was suspect. How long had it sat gathering dust? It was sobering that for all her effort, this was still the best she could do.
Looking around, they seemed to all be here, all 27. Some were better than others, some were worse. A few seemed completely washed out, to much light. Others seemed almost acceptable, the one she'd taken of the Torterra was fairly clear, she'd have to see it under proper light to be sure though.
There was one she was avoiding though, the one that just happened to be hanging right near the middle of the tangle.
"You have quite a good eye." The quiet voice came from right behind her ear like a gentle breeze.
It was still enough to send her squawking and flailing. Her arms caught the strings and sent clothes pins flying and photos dropping to the floor. A soft, fabric like arm reached passed to pick one up.
"I quite liked this one. The wind rippling through the flowers, the Combee floating in the distance, it reminds me of many memories made in the Meadows."
It only made sense that a ghost would make no noise, but that didn't help Hailey steady her breathing before it got truly out of control. Just as she remembered her, Pomona was floating beside her. Small dancers shoes hovering just off the floor, little ribbons or string gently swaying around her. If she truly was feeling fondness Hailey couldn't see it, her face remained as blank, as placid as it had been before. The only signs of emotion were in the voice, faint as they were.
Hailey wanted to confront her, maybe even yell at her, she so rarely got the chance to really do that. She'd rehearsed so many potential options over the last few days, but the surprise had driven them all from her. The surprise, and the serene tone of Pomona's voice. There was no malice there, not even any playful teasing like Gem might impart, it was as if she didn't know she'd done anything wrong.
"It's, uhh, it's kinda blurry though, a-and the shot isn't level." Was all that came out.
"Mmm yes, a little, but the intent is certainly there, the vision, and it really wasn't a very good camera, was it? Poor thing fell apart when I tried to take the film out."
This wasn't how this meeting was supposed to go, not at all, but she was as powerless to change it's flow as she'd be to stop a river. Hell, to even swim in a river. Just as powerless as she was to stop Pomona from floating forward, to the one photo that had miraculously stayed attached to the lines, the worst one.
'This, however, is my favourite."
It hurt, it hurt so much, to know that someone was looking at it. No, not just looking, studying it. What hurt most though, was how it made no sense.
Pokémon couldn't see her, couldn't relate to her, they knew that, she knew that. They'd confirmed it time after time, she'd confirmed it this very trip. The exceptions were as rare as she herself was. Pomona couldn't see her, Gem couldn't see her. Pomona did see her, Gem did see her, somehow. It didn't make any sense. Where had they been all this time? Was it her fault they couldn't see her till now?
Why couldn't anyone ever give her any answers?!
"Why?" The word was pulled out of her like a fish out of the water.
She was hideous, inside and out, it was a objective fact, a walking corpse, a zone of desolation.
"It's… hard to explain." For the first time she heard Pomona sound unsure, and it cut like glass. "To sum up, if I had to I think… I would say that it was nice, to see someone… so alive."
She turned back to face Hailey, her own was still a mask, but something seemed to bleed through, perhaps a delusion, of warmth, of sincerity.
"Before I forgot, I still haven't apologized for my little… joke. I hope it didn't hurt you too badly, after that morning on the hill, I just had to see…"
"See you keep living."
The cry that was let out was wet and wracking.