This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copywritten. Everything in this work is mea culpa.
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You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.
The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.
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Chapter 18
(4/18/06 1730 Marco Island)
“Major, I’d like it if you were present when I talked to the captain about the spare ladyba.”
They’d just passed through the new checkpoint, which had been temporarily set up about twenty meters from where the destroyed guard post sat. The M-60 machine gun had been destroyed by the dark lady and so the guard had a hunting rifle and a radio. Timmons’ death had made it pretty obvious just how alone this post was, and the sentry did not appear to be a happy soldier. Personally, Jamie didn’t find any fault with that attitude.
Jamie looked at Carver curiously. “Why do you want me there?”
“The captain will probably have questions that I can’t answer and, since you’re our resident expert, I thought with you there you could answer whatever he asks immediately, instead of me having to find you later.”
“I take it Captain Hernandez likes immediate answers over ‘I’ll find out and get back to you’?”
“Yes, he does.” She smiled. “We all do. I’m going there for dinner and I could bring you along for the discussion. You’d get a free meal out of it.”
He glanced at Ginevra, who shrugged. “Give me half an hour to clean up. Where do you want to meet?”
“Do you know where I live?” At his nod, she smiled again. “Then I’ll meet you there. Come along, Annette.”
Ginevra watched them go with a set to her shoulders that Jamie knew all too well. “No, you can’t smash her.”
“Pity. When I am the master I will smash whoever I want. You will not go near that woman’s home without me.”
“I’d better take Madison instead. The one time the captain met you, he couldn’t stop staring at your breasts.”
She smiled slightly. “He knows superior breasts when he sees them.”
“That must be it.” He turned to his grandfather. “Want in on the fun?”
“You know, I think you’ll be able to handle that yourself, highness. I do believe I am supposed to go give a pokegirl a job interview about joining your harem.”
Raven gave him an amused look. “And you have to meet one for your harem as well, colonel.”
His ears flicked and he assumed a long suffering look. “I wasn’t aware that archmages came with eidetic memories.”
“Most of us do not.” She slipped her arm through his. “Are we off to see the pokegirl who might be interested in Jamie first or yours?”
“I think we’ll be off to the Archer Winery first. We do need to let Alice know that her matchmaking succeeded. Can you take us there?”
“I was there once, but did not stay for long.” She frowned. “The good witches are there.”
“Is that a problem?”
The frown vanished and was replaced by a mysterious smile. “It is not going to be a problem for me.”
His ears flicked again. “Is it going to be a problem for them?”
She shrugged. “I do not care for Tattypoo’s attitude and she does not like my superiority. Both she and Glinda should become archmages and embrace their true power; instead they choose to limit themselves. I do not understand this attitude and, if they wish to remain children, I do not wish to understand it.”
Kerrik shook his head and gave Jamie a grin. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Now that Raven has been here, we’re only a yell away.” They vanished.
Jamie chuckled. “I wonder if I can give up being a prince and live the carefree life he does?”
“Become a kami first, and then you can be more carefree. You’ll be harder to kill then and my life can be more carefree too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A half hour later, Jamie and Madison were walking down the street towards Carver’s house when Madison stopped and pointed at a house off to the side. “Sir, is that what I think it is?”
Jamie gave her a curious look and peered at the home. It was nice little place and was obviously inhabited. The home was well tended and the backyard had been turned into a garden filled with plants in varying stages of growth. He frowned and looked closer before starting to laugh. “I guess it’s not illegal here.”
“Then that is marijuana, right?”
“Oh, yes, that’s all they’re growing.” Jamie shrugged. “It does have some medicinal uses.”
“Of course it does. And I’m sure that’s why they need so much of it.” Her voice was heavy with disapproval.
“Is there officerjenny in your family?”
She blinked and grinned. “My grandmother and great grandmother on my father’s side.”
“Well, you’re not one and we don’t know what the local laws are. It might be perfectly legal or just not illegal anymore.”
She frowned as she worked out the various permutations in her head and nodded. “Would you be so kind as to send a message to your father suggesting that he might want to make some preemptive decisions about that sort of thing for Haven? It might avoid difficulties down the road.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea, but why not send it yourself?”
Her eyes went wide. “I’m not his pokegirl.”
“Madison, you don’t need my permission for something like that; but, if it makes you feel better, I’ll give it to you.”
“Thank you, sir! I’ll take care of it at the first opportunity.”
“Now let’s go finish our mission.
Carver was waiting on her porch. “I saw you stop and her pointing. Is something wrong?”
“We were admiring the pot.”
Teresa chuckled. “Jonas does have an impressive garden, doesn’t he?”
“Madison was concerned about its legality.”
Carver nodded. “It’s in a gray area, actually. We’ve all accepted that the US is gone and that we can’t replace it; but the Indigo league hasn’t bothered to provide us with a list of their laws and Jonas argued that it’s not illegal. Jonas sells the marijuana to other people here for food and other necessities. The mayor sided with Jonas since he’s one of Jonas’ customers.”
“What about the sheriff?”
She looked confused for a moment. “Oh, we don’t have one of those. The militia enforces our rules and the captain follows the mayor’s lead.” Annette came bustling out the door and Carver got up. “The captain’s house is this way.” She headed off briskly.
“What can you tell me about the captain?”
She glanced at him. “Captain Ricardo Hernandez’s parents fled Cuba and then they had him here in the states. Like me, he was actually an officer in the Florida State Guard but, while I was infantry, he was an artillery officer. He’s thirty seven years old and a widower. His wife was a pediatrician and, ironically, she died in childbirth after the war, back in 2000, or -2 AS if you prefer. It was their first, but their daughter lived. Her name is Monique.”
“How long have you known him?”
“I met him a couple of weeks before his wife died.” She smiled tiredly. “Monique has tried to get us together a couple of times and once we even did become a couple, but it didn’t work out. Did you know, apparently that ‘not having a lover in your chain of command’ rule was put in place for an actual reason?”
“Do you think he’ll want the ladyba?”
“That really depends on Monique. If she likes the ladyba, then the captain will be fighting a losing battle. If she doesn’t, we’ll have to find someone else to be her tamer.”
Jamie shook his head. “This isn’t a job for me; this is a job for my dad, or for Branwyn. They’re the ones who understand about being a parent.”
Madison smirked. “I’ve always been told that no one is born knowing how to be a parent. It’s all on the job training.”
“She has a point.”
Jamie eyed Carver. “And how many kids do you have?”
She looked away. “I had one. Jill died two years ago.”
Jamie gave her a mortified look. “I am so sorry. Please forgive me for being such an asshole.”
“I know that some pokegirls can read minds. Can you?” She nodded when he shook his head. “Then there was no way for you to know, was there? Of course, if you try that again, I’ll kick you in the balls.”
“I’ll do what I can to avoid that.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I’d like another child, but I don’t want to settle down with anyone in town. What I think I need is someone just passing through.”
Jamie stopped and turned to face her. “With me, or with Kerrik, there is no ‘just passing through’ if a child is involved. We both have special issues and neither of us would willingly walk away from a kid.”
“Special issues?”
He hesitated. “I know that Kerrik told you that males can express certain pokegirl traits. For humans, they’re called blood traits and, if they’re good, they’re blood gifts. If not, then they’re called blood curses. In either case, they can be inherited by any children that a blood-traited man has. I have some blood gifts and at least one blood curse.”
She gave him an odd look. “Like what?”
“I’m several times stronger than a normal human and I have far better hearing and vision.” He looked away. “I’ll also probably live around six hundred years, if I’m not killed. It runs in my family. On the down side, I can’t do the slightest bit of magic and never will be able to.”
She blinked, and then her eyes narrowed. “Is this where I can’t ask how you have any idea how long you might live?”
Jamie sighed. He was tired of the games. Grandfather, can I tell her?
He says that it will come out eventually, so go ahead. Are you planning to give her a child?
Jamie ignored the commentary and took the plunge. “We’re not from this earth. We came to this here from another earth and it was after we’ve had to live with pokegirls for over three hundred years.”
She stared for a moment. “Needless to say I’m finding this a bit difficult to swallow. Will Kerrik confirm what you just said?”
“He will.”
“In a world full of pokegirls and magic and death, you’d think I’d have come across something stranger. Jamie, this takes the cake. Why did you come here?”
“We were in danger of being annihilated and Kerrik sought out a nice place to move to, one where we wouldn’t be attacked. On my home world, we’d have been hunted wherever we went because we were different. Not dangerous, just different from them; which means that, as far as they were concerned, we just might be dangerous.”
“Are you dangerous to us?”
“Not to you, but the leagues won’t like the fact that we have no intention of knuckling under to them again. We’re also not going to demote our pokegirls to the level of slaves.” He grinned. “My mother is a pokegirl and anyone trying to make her a slave had better never sleep.”
“That’s why you know so much that we don’t. You’ve been studying pokegirls for three hundred years.”
“That’s not exactly true. Others have been studying them and we just nicked their information and brought it along. We’re willing to share it, but we have to be careful not to give the leagues any sort of edge until we get established. If we can make them need us, it improves our chances of avoiding conflict.”
Carver shook her head. “I was a history major and that is dead wrong. Make yourself indispensable and they’ll probably try to find a way to make sure you can’t leave them.”
“You’d do well on Haven.”
“I’m not ready to give up on my country just yet.” She turned into a small yard. “Here we are.”
The house was small and showed signs of attempted repairs. The shrubs had pretty much gone wild and taken over the front yard while the back yard was fenced. Carver used the decorative knocker on the door. A moment later the door was opened by a young girl who smiled and hugged Carver. “Hi, Terry. Papa’s in the kitchen.” She blinked when she realized that they weren’t alone and looked at Annette with wide eyes. “Is this your pokegirl?”
“That’s right, Monique. This is Annette and she’s a foxymaiden.”
Monique solemnly stuck out her hand. “How do you do, Annette? I’m Monique Hernandez.” Annette took the child’s hand with an expression of bemusement.
Carver indicated Jamie. “This is Jamie Wolf and his pokegirl, Madison.”
Monique stared at Jamie. “Are you the big bad wolf? I’ve been a good girl, so don’t eat me up.”
Jamie chuckled. “No, I’m not the big bad wolf. I work with Terry.”
She nodded as she looked Madison over. “That’s nice. You don’t look like a pokegirl.”
“I am one, though. Maybe later I’ll show you what I can do.”
A man appeared in the doorway behind Monique. Captain Hernandez was tall and slender, with a friendly face. His appearance, however, belied the fact that he’d been the driving force behind the protection of Marco Island for several years and he was as hard as nails.
The affectionate smile he gave his daughter hinted at previously unseen depths. “Monique, don’t keep our guests waiting outside. Be a good hostess and bring them in.”
“Yes, papa. Please come inside and join us for dinner,” the little girl intoned formally.
The house had seen better days, but showed signs of recent upkeep. It was clean and neat. Carver took Hernandez’s hands and smiled. “Rick, I know you’ve met Jamie briefly, but this is Madison and she’s one of his pokegirls.”
“My pleasure.” Hernandez turned to Jamie. “So, major, Terry told me that you had something you wanted to tell me? Or can it wait until after dinner?”
“First of all, it’s Jamie when we’re not at work. Second, I was under the impression that Teresa only wanted me for technical support while she tried to wheedle you.”
A tiny smile quirked Hernandez’s lips. “She’s rather good at that, so I think you’d better do the talking instead. Monique, why don’t you and Terry set the table?”
Carver grabbed the girl’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
Jamie cocked his head. “What I want to talk to you about affects Monique, too. I think she needs to be here, too.”
The little girl pulled her hand free of Teresa’s and turned around with a curious look on her face.
“I disagree,” her father said firmly, “and she’s my daughter, so it is my decision to make.”
Jamie looked at him evenly before nodding acquiescence. Madison silently let out the breath she’d been holding.
Monique turned without a word and went into the kitchen. Teresa and Annette followed her silently.
“To answer your question, I think it can wait until after dinner. Since you’re insistent that Monique stay out of at least the initial discussion, perhaps we need to talk now.”
“I said it was my decision. That should be the end of the discussion, as far as that goes.”
“I’m not discussing it. I’m also not agreeing, but I’ll go along with your request for now.”
Ricardo’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t aware you were in a position to go along with me or not. This is my house.”
Jamie didn’t look away. “Yes, it is. This involves you bringing another woman into your home and that will eventually involve your daughter.” He raised an eyebrow when Hernandez looked stunned. “I take it that Carver didn’t tell you anything about what she wanted to discuss.”
“No, something like that I’m pretty sure I would have remembered.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Jamie chuckled softly. “The short version is that we caught four feral pokegirls today. Actually, your tamers caught all four of them, while my girls stood backup. Three ladyba and an amazonchan. Since they caught all of them, it is only fair that they all go the militia. One of the things tamers need to remember is that bringing pokegirls into a harem too quickly can cause all sorts of problems and bring a harem’s efficiency down substantially. Here, that needs to be balanced against the need to get tamers up to speed just as fast as possible. While unlikely that the guy we killed was able to contact anyone in the Indigo league and let them know what was going on, it’s possible that he’d left an itinerary and, when he doesn’t check in down the line, they’ll backtrack to see where he went.”
Hernandez nodded. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself. I’d have something like that in place since communications are so sporadic. He could have been killed by feral pokegirls, but if not, they’ll want to take steps to make sure someone doesn’t get into the habit of killing their people.”
“That’s right. The three tamers you have are each taking one of the ferals into their harem. That still leaves a ladyba without a tamer. Carver thinks, and I agree, that she needs to be offered to you first, Ricardo.”
Hernandez’s eyes widened but he remained silent for several minutes. “Why do you think I should be a tamer?”
“Carver thinks,” he began, only to be cut off.
“I didn’t ask you about Terry’s opinion, just yours.”
Jamie thought for several seconds. “First of all, a ladyba has a photographic memory, which means she’d be an excellent adjutant for you in your role as militia commander. Her tactical skill may be questionable, but she did serve in Sukebe’s forces for a time and so it’s likely she’s been trained at least somewhat in military tactics. She has survived after all, and that’s the only passing grade.”
Hernandez nodded.
“If you evolve her to ladyien, she’ll become even more useful to you in that role.” Jamie rubbed his stomach unconsciously. “Ladyba and ladyien aren’t the best battlers, but they’re not useless either. They make good scouts and having a scout under your direct control, without having to go through anyone else, can sometimes be a godsend. She’ll also be completely loyal to you and won’t sugarcoat any reports.”
“I’d been wondering if you’d had any formal military training, but I see that you have.”
“I have.” Jamie hesitated. “If you treat her anything like I just saw between you and Monique, you’ll be an excellent tamer and I’d like her to go to a good home.”
“You don’t know anything about her, right? Why is that important to you?”
“Right now, we’re setting the traditions about how a pokegirl should be treated. I’d like them to be treated as well as possible. They didn’t choose to fight humanity and it’s not their fault the Chinese created and released the Red Plague. The way the leagues want to treat them is barbaric and makes humans no better than the monsters they claim pokegirls to be. You are an officer and your men respect you. They’ll follow your lead and they’ll follow it whether the league conquers this place or not.”
“Why do you think that Monique needs to be involved in my decision?”
“First of all, she’s your daughter and she factors into every decision you make, whether you think about it consciously or not. Secondly, a pokegirl in your life isn’t like having a gun or a knife. She can be put into her pokeball when you’re not using her, but she’s going to want to be in your life as much as possible; which means she’ll be in Monique’s life as well. Not all pokegirls are maternal, but ladyba and ladyien make good mothers. Not as good as some, such as the denmother, but she’s likely to consider Monique her daughter as well, if you’ll give her the chance to.”
“I’d have a mama?” Ricardo jumped and whipped around to look behind the couch. His daughter gave him a nervous smile as she crouched behind it. “Hi, papa. Could I have a mama?”
He sighed and picked her up before setting her down next to him. “You little spy. I know I told you to help Terry set the table. What should I do with you for disobeying me?”
“Cookies?”
He gave a low laugh and rubbed his nose against hers. “Light of my life, I would if we had any flour or sugar.”
Jamie cleared his throat. “There is flour, butter and sugar in the supplies I brought.”
Hernandez shook his head. “Those will go to people who need them far more than we do.” His daughter nodded her emphatic agreement.
“True, but I was told I was staying for dinner, and so I thought it only proper to bring a dessert with me.”
He looked at Madison, who shrugged out of her pack. She activated the pokepack’s wand and released a chocolate cake and a container of vanilla ice cream. “If you don’t have proper refrigeration for the ice cream,” she said, “I’ll just put it back into storage until we’re ready to eat it. It won’t melt there.”
Jamie watched both father and daughter take deep breaths to inhale the scent of the cake. “We haven’t had cake in a long time,” Hernandez said slowly. “You bring a powerful bribe.”
“It’s not anything like that. If you refuse the pokegirl, the cake and ice cream are still my donation to dinner. Kerrik said it’s traditional here and it is at home, too.” He glanced at Madison. “Please put the ice cream away and take the cake into the dining room.”
The duelist nodded and returned the ice cream to the pokepack. She looked at Hernandez as she picked up the cake. “Sir, where do you want this to go?”
“I’ll show you!” Monique jumped to her feet and led Madison away.
Ricardo shook his head. “Now that Monique knows, I don’t see where I can’t at least meet this pokegirl. What is she like?”
“She’s feral and will need to be tamed before you can tell. I will tell you this, however. For the most part, pokegirls adapt to meet the needs of their tamer, so if you want a considerate caring woman who is an excellent assistant and scout, then that’s what she’ll become. Once bonded to you, there may be some rough spots as she learns what you want, but she’ll change to be what you want. If you’re lucky, she’ll also change to become what you need, but that only seems to happen in committed relationships between pokegirl and tamer. In my home country, men with pokegirls or pokewomen often took them to wife; although the law didn’t necessarily recognize the union.”
“Jumping over a broom, huh?”
“Actually, that is still a marriage tradition there.”
“If she’s still wild, I can’t do that here.”
“We do have taming facilities in the hostel. They’ll provide all you need to bond the ladyba. In the meantime, we can stay and keep your daughter company so she won’t be alone.”
Hernandez looked thoughtful. “We’ll talk more after dinner.”
***
(4/18/06 1900 Marco Island)
Jamie settled back with an amused smile as Monique waited until her father wasn’t looking and used her finger to get the last of the icing from her plate. “Dinner was excellent, Ricardo.”
Hernandez smiled. “It was just a fish stew. I don’t have a lot of time to cook and we’re starting to run low on a lot of things you take for granted, at least until you run low.”
“It was still excellent. I’ve had some awful fish stew, right, Madison?”
The duelist grinned. “That was the last time we let Ginevra cook on that trip, sir. I still think she did that deliberately to get out of cooking any more.” She looked at Hernandez. “The ants wouldn’t eat it. It’s probably still there.”
Monique giggled. “Was it really that bad?”
Jamie gave a solemn nod. “It really was that bad. Ginevra is a demoness and she doesn’t eat food, so she understands nothing about preparing it.”
“What does she eat?”
Jamie glanced at Hernandez, who nodded slightly. “Most pokegirls eat food like we do. Some, like the milktit,” Monique giggled again and he smiled, “can eat many foods that we can’t. They can even eat grass. Others only eat meat and some drink blood. The vampire is the most well known of these. However, a very few pokegirls live off the energy that makes life possible. Ginevra is one of those.”
The girl’s eyes went wide. “She eats souls?”
“Not exactly. According to Kerrik, who understands a lot more about this than I do, she can’t affect someone’s soul. Instead, she consumes the energy that lets us live.”
“Kind of like electricity?”
Jamie nodded. “Something like that.”
“What about the,” she scrunched up her face in thought, “ladyba you were telling papa about? What does she eat?”
“She mostly eats fruit and nuts, but she can eat meat if there’s nothing else available. She’s really fond of raspberries.”
“Wow. I like them too. What does she look like?”
“Well, she’s mostly yellow, kind of like a daisy. She’s got black stripes on her lower arms and legs and a dusty black face with some white markings on it. She’s also got antenna and on her back she’s got a case which holds her wings. And she’s got four arms.”
Monique’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, she sounds neat. Can I see her? What’s her name? Where is she?”
“First of all, her name right now is probably a number. That’s how Sukebe named most of his creations while they were in the army. If your father accepts her, he’ll give her a new name. As for seeing her, that’s really up to your father.”
The girl looked slightly indignant. “Her name is just a number? That’s so mean! Papa will give her a good name, I just know it!” She gave her father a confident smile and slipped her hand into his. “Isn’t that right, papa?”
“Of course I will little one. Everyone deserves a good name.” He hesitated for a heartbeat. “I’ll have to go fetch her, and that may take all night. I’d like Jamie and Terry to stay here and keep an eye on you.”
She hugged him. “I’ll be fine, papa. They’ll take good care of me. Madison promised to show me what she could do; is that ok, papa?”
“I promised?”
Hernandez smiled. “I think that’s fine as long as she doesn’t break anything or anyone.” He glanced at Jamie and his face relaxed slightly at Wolf’s reassuring nod. “What do I need to do in order to fetch her properly?” His voice quietly stressed the word “fetch”.
“I’ll have Ginevra escort you to the meeting place and she’ll tell you about anything special you need to do. In cases like this, the conditioning cycle she’s been through will make sure she’ll be interested in getting to know you. Ladyba aren’t exceptionally strong, so restraints shouldn’t be needed unless that’s something you have a fancy for or you’re just being cautious, which is never a bad idea.”
“Do I need to bring her some,” he hesitated, “clothes?”
“Ladyba and ladyien won’t wear tops because it’ll interfere with their wing cases. That and most shirts don’t come with four arm holes. If it’s important to you, Ginevra will help you go through the small collection of clothing at the hostel and you can get her some shorts or something. Usually, however, they only wear what they need for their job, such as fanny packs or such.”
“What about this whole ‘naming’ business?”
“She’ll accept any name you give her after she’s bonded. It’s part of the process of her mental surrender to you. In fact, many tamers change a pokegirl’s name when they acquire her, even if she had a perfectly serviceable one before.” He shrugged. “I named Ginevra because she didn’t have one and Madison came with the same name she has now.”
Madison looked at the two of them. “Sir, something else to think about is that we often have sharper senses than humans, so you don’t really need any cologne. She’ll like the way you smell.”
He stared at her. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
Carver chuckled. “Apparently, she knows men.”
“My first tamer liked to put on cologne for first tam…err… meetings, and sometimes it made them sneeze a lot.” She smiled. “I think you would want to treat a girl right, as you see it; and that would include a wash and some dressing up. Right now, the ladyba won’t be able to appreciate your intent, but later, I’m sure she will be grateful for your attention.”
Monique folded her arms and gave everyone a petulant look. “What is it that you are not saying around me?”
Jamie began chuckling. “Quite a lot, actually. Madison, don’t you think it’s time to serve the ice cream?”
The duelist nodded and got up. “I put the ice cream in a cooler in the kitchen, but Monique will need to show me where the bowls are kept.”
Carver shook her head. “I’ll take care of it. You need to stay with your tamer. Come on, Monique.”
Jamie waited until they’d left the room. “You’ve got a sharp daughter. I hope she’ll be willing to share you with the ladyba. When do you think you’ll be ready to leave?”
“Is that important?”
“You were asking about the ladyba wearing clothes, so I wasn’t sure if you were ready for Monique to meet Ginevra. Is your nudity taboo for yourself or for her?”
Ricardo blinked. “Don’t you share that belief?”
“I wear clothes because delicate bits of me hang on things when I don’t, and that’s rather painful. When I was a kid, my mother often said the easiest way to find me was to follow the trail of discarded clothing.”
“It’s a sin.”
Madison smiled slightly. “It wasn’t before Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of conscience.” She flushed when both men turned to stare at her. “My family was Jewish and, before I thresholded, so was I. Sir, most pokegirls have no concept of sin or conscience, especially when they’re feral.”
Hernandez regarded her curiously. “Why do you wear clothing?”
“That’s what people do, and I want, desperately, to cling to what remnants of humanity remain to me,” she said simply. “I spent some time with Stardust, who’s a therapist on Haven. I was having some problems adjusting after being feral for so long, and she helped a lot.”
“I don’t suppose she makes house calls.”
Jamie shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. However, if you need to talk to someone, you might visit there.”
Ricardo rubbed his face slowly. “I’m putting this off, aren’t I?”
“It’s a big step. It sounds like you haven’t been in many relationships since your wife died.”
“I haven’t. There aren’t than many women here and the ones that are have figured out that they’re pretty popular. I didn’t have the time or energy to play that game.”
Jamie nodded and pushed his chair back. “Well, if you and she like each other, then you won’t have to. I’ll walk you outside and release Ginevra there.”
“I’m pretty sure I should thank you.” He sighed. “Terry knows when Monique’s bedtime is. Don’t keep her up past that.”
“We won’t.”
***
(4/18/06 1745 Archer Winery)
Kerrik looked around as he let Raven go. “I wonder where Alice is.”
“While the answer I have is probably of no immediate use, she is likely to be wherever Winston is.”
“You’re right about that answer being immediately useless.”
She chuckled softly. “We should try in the main building. Even if she is not there, someone is likely to know where she is.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
They were almost to the door when it opened and Tattypoo came out. She stopped and grinned. “You have returned and Alice is not out here to protect you.”
“He does not need Alice’s protection. I will protect him.” Raven stepped around to look evenly at the enchantress. Her amethyst eyes glittered slightly in the afternoon sun.
Tattypoo’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “You. I thought you were dead.”
“That is very interesting. I was not aware that you thought.”
“Raven, we are not here so you can pick a fight with her.”
“Could we change our reason for being here?”
Kerrik shook his head. “Tattypoo, would you be so kind as to tell me where Alice is?”
The enchantress was eyeing Raven. She glanced at Kerrik. “Are you here to kill her?” She nodded towards Raven. “That is all she does.”
“Not anymore. He is mine and I do his will. He wishes to thank Alice.”
“What has Alice done recently that is worthy of thanks?”
“She introduced me to Raven and I want to thank her for it.”
“I knew it; you are here to kill her.”
Kerrik shook his head. “No, I’m not. I am here to show my gratitude for what she did. Raven is rather special and I wanted to thank Alice, not harm her in any way.”
“You are serious.” She cocked her head. “You can’t lie, I remember that.”
“That’s right. So, where is Alice?”
“She’s inside. I’ll take you to her if you’d like.” She led them inside and back to the conference room where they’d met. She breezed into the room. “Hi. Kerrik is here again.”
Winston looked up and his face hardened slightly before relaxing. “Thank you, Tattypoo.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “No problem. Bye.” She vanished.
Kerrik gave them an odd look. “Do you not have security procedures or does she not follow them?”
“The answer to that would be in the second part of that question.” Winston sighed. “I’m older than her, but she knows better than I do and telling her otherwise is a waste of breath. I swear both of them are chaotic neutral.” He waved at a chair. “Please be seated. Oh, who’s your friend?”
Alice was staring at the archmage, as Kerrik pulled out a chair for Raven and then settled down himself. “Her name is Raven and she’s the reason I’m here. Alice introduced us; I wanted to come tell her thank you for that, and to show that we’re getting along, for the most part.”
Winston gave the snugglebunny an amused look. “Matchmaking again?”
She smiled back. “Raven is my friend and Kerrik is the only person I know who can meet her unique needs.”
Raven nodded. “I drink a gallon of blood every day to survive and Kerrik doesn’t want me murdering a person every day, so he feeds me. It won’t kill him.”
“What kind of pokegirl are you?”
“I am an archmage. It is the evolved form of enchantress or sorceress and is far superior to either. You should evolve Tattypoo and Glinda to increase their utility.” She frowned. “Still, it is possible that kind of power is beyond them.”
Winston groaned. “Please, do not say that where they can hear you or I’ll have no peace, ever again.”
Alice frowned. “Why are you getting along for the most part? Is something wrong?”
“He wants me to fight and I cannot, until he has at least one more pokegirl to protect him while I do. Therefore, we are going to get him another pokegirl.”
“It sounds like you’ve already chosen what he’s getting.” Winston offered them cups. “Coffee?”
“Thank you, but no. I have chosen what he will add to his harem. If I do not, he will add nothing.” She gave Kerrik an annoyed look. “Therefore, I have decided that he will have more pokegirls like me; that is to say, those who are special and need a special man.”
“So, you’re his alpha.”
“I do not like that word. I belong to a wolf, but I am not one. I am not an alpha and I am not a bitch.”
“She’s my maharani.”
Winston frowned. “I’m not familiar with that word. What does it mean?” Beside him, Alice’s hand twitched in Kerrik’s direction.
“It means ‘great queen’ and suits her far better than the title of mere alpha.”
Raven had turned to stare at him. “Thank you,” she said simply, “I will endeavor to live up to that standard.”
“I have no doubts that you will.”
Alice shook her head. “Please don’t use that term here. If Tattypoo finds out she can be called great queen, things could get ugly.”
“She’d better not try anything, or she’s out the door.” Winston smiled at her shocked look. “There can be only one boss and she’s not it.” He shrugged. “She doesn’t respond well to anything else, so that’s the only real threat I have.”
“Her problem is that she has never been truly beaten in combat and, therefore, knows no humility. It is a failing of her breed.” Raven turned to Kerrik. “Perhaps I could be of help in this matter, after we have another pokegirl or two.”
His ears flicked. “It sounds like you have a large dose of that arrogance as well.”
“I have been beaten in combat before. I do not believe that Tattypoo can defeat me; however, you could be correct.” She smiled amusedly. “It is a failing of my breed, as well.”
Kerrik chuckled. “In any case, I just wanted to say thank you for introducing me to Raven. She’s quite different from other pokegirls and I relish the differences.”
“Enough to give us more free stuff?”
“No, Winston. I don’t feel that’s necessary. I was doing Alice the favor in this case. I just came by to acknowledge it, so she won’t be surprised when I call in the marker someday.” He rose. “Is there a number I can call or something to warn you that I’m going to be dropping by?”
Winston grinned. “The phone exchange hasn’t been restored yet, due to pokegirl difficulties.”
Kerrik pulled a com out of his pocket. “This is a satellite com. It’s been programmed with my number and it’s also got the number of the trading post on Haven. I’ll call you on it next time I’m coming to visit.”
“You have reliable satellite communications?” Winston’s eyes were wide. “Nobody has that.”
“We brought it with us.”
His eyes widened even further. “Did you bring the satellites, too; or just hijack existing ones?”
“I brought my own.”
Winston took the com unit as gently as he would a baby. “Are you going to give the leagues access to your network?”
“I’m of two minds about that. Giving them access means that they’d have reliable communications and that would help them to organize faster, thus allowing more humans to survive in the long term. It would also put me in the enviable position of being the router of all their communications and thus privy to all of them, too.”
“Kind of like Comstar, huh?”
Kerrik chuckled. “Exactly. On the other hand, giving the leagues reliable communications would help them to survive; and I’m not sure I like the way they’re headed politically.”
“You’d punish the people in order to keep the leagues weak?”
“That is the decision I have to make. However, my son, who is the king of Haven and the person the leagues will whine to, is likely to give it to them to reduce the loss of life.” He shrugged. “I can live with that choice.”
“Can we get more phones?” Winston frowned as he turned the unit over. “I don’t see where to plug it in to charge it.”
“It’s got a sealed fifteen year power source. No charging needed, and it’ll let you know within a couple of months when the unit needs to be replaced. As for more com unit’s, I don’t see why not. They’re not that expensive and I can manufacture them by the gross.”
“I’d like enough for my entire harem, as well as some for here. Do you have a tactical version?”
Kerrik nodded. “I do. They’ve got earbuds and throat mics. I take it you’d prefer those?”
“Obviously. What’s the range on them?”
“If I understand the question properly, then the range is unlimited. If you go out of the standard range of twenty kilometers, they will automatically uplink with the satellite net to maintain communications. They’ll function up to three hundred meters underground or a kilometer underwater. They’re also completely weatherproof, shockproof and fireproof up to more than three thousand degrees Celsius.”
Winston stared at it. “What the hell is it made of?”
“The whole unit is composed of woven carbon nanotubes doped with various impurities. I wanted something I could give to a fire type, and not have to worry about her breaking it, or an amachamp crushing it. Carbon was the cheapest way to go.” He looked thoughtful. “When are you leaving again?”
“Tomorrow. We’re heading down into what used to be California in the Sunshine League to hunt some vampiras that have been raiding some farms and small communities.”
“I’ll call you, in a couple of days at the latest, and come by with the tactical coms. As long as you’ve got that unit, I can get in touch with you to find out where you are.” Kerrik hesitated. “Be careful. I understand that when vampira collect in groups, often there’s a vampire or two in the area as well. They can be a whole different level of dangerous, since their bite can turn people into vampires.”
Winston blinked. “Want to join my team? I could use that kind of knowledge.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got other things I have to do. Use the AI in your pokedex and it’ll give you good advice most of the time.”
Alice gave Kerrik a cross look. “Where are you going to meddle next?”
“Texas, I think. They want to set up a league of their own and, since it’ll mess with three different leagues, I’m all for it. I want to keep the leagues weak enough that they can’t make life miserable for more people. Indigo has been deep frying dissidents in Florida, and I’m not really fond of that kind of behavior.”
Winston nodded. “I’ve heard rumors of atrocities myself. I just don’t see where I can do anything about it, except stop it when I come across it.”
“The Texas League appears to want to do things differently. I’ll support that as long as it’s true. If it changes, I’ll reassess my aid.” He scratched his neck. “I may have to become a normal tamer and see what I can discover about them.” He shrugged. “In any case, I’ve got a lot of work to do first. And standing here talking with you isn’t going to get it done.” He bowed. “Therefore, I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
***
(4/18/06 1900 New York, Indigo League)
The sky was dark, and rain poured down, while lightning flashed overhead. Raven appeared with Kerrik and both were promptly drenched in the deluge. Releasing her tamer, the archmage ran into the nearest building, slamming the glass door open and disappearing inside.
Kerrik flattened his ears against the rain and was still; he took a deep breath, letting his nose sort out what his ears couldn’t in the pounding rain. Satisfied, he followed his pokegirl inside.
Raven was just inside, stripping the water from her hair. She glanced at him. “Enjoy thunderstorms, do we?”
He chuckled and touched her on the nose. She blinked as she was suddenly dry and warm. “I don’t mind them and sometimes you can find things in them that you can’t anywhere else.” Using the same spell to dry himself, he looked around as he took another deep breath. “I smell books, must and a female of some kind.”
“This is one of the New York branch libraries. It’s musty because the air conditioning has been out for over a decade.”
“Why are we here? You have an overdue book?”
She snorted. “The pokegirl that I think will like Jamie lives here.” She created a purple light on the end of her staff. “Any humans in New York live on the northern edge of the city where they can trade for food with the farmers, and don’t come this far into the city.” Lifting her staff, she led him into the depths of the building. “She lives in the basement.” She stopped and turned with a frown. “How do you do that?”
“How do I do what?”
“You’re not making any noise. I can’t tell if you’re behind me.”
“Habit. Here.” He touched her on the forehead and she blinked. “Better?”
“What did you do?” Still holding the staff, she folded her arms. “I know you did something, because I now know where you are. However, I should point out that archmages are the premier magic using pokegirls, and I have no idea what you just did.” There was an accusatory tone in her voice that made him squelch a smile. She noticed. “That isn’t funny.”
“I gave us the equivalent of a delta bond. For the next several hours, you’ll know where I am because of it. As to how it was done, I’ll give you a copy of the spell so you can learn it.”
She glared. “I can’t read.” She blinked at the feeling of anger that swept across the bond. “What? It was never important for me to be able to.”
“You will,” he said grimly.
Her glare intensified. “I don’t think that sounded like a request.”
He returned the glare with interest. “It’s not. You are going to learn to read if I have to chain your pretty ass into a chair and do it the hard way. It’s too fucking important, and I’m not going to have any member of my harem illiterate, especially not my maharani.”
She blinked again. “There’s an easy way?”
“Yes. I can teach you to read in about five minutes.”
“It’s that important to you that I know how to read?”
He smiled slightly, his glare vanishing. “It’s not only important to me, it’s that important to you, as well. It’ll open up a new universe for you to explore.”
She looked at him evenly for a long moment before nodding. “All right, I’ll learn to read.”
He knew better than to say anything more on the subject. “So, where are the stairs?”
Without a word, she turned and headed off again.
The basement was partitioned into rooms and Raven hesitated when they left the staircase. “I’m not sure where she is down here. She moves from room to room as the mood strikes her.”
“What does she know your name as?”
“Four twelve. Why?”
She jumped when he called loudly in her voice. “This is four twelve. Where are you hiding today?”
She turned to glare at him when a voice floated down from ahead. “I’m in the room marked children’s storage and stop yelling.”
He smiled. “She’s storing children.”
“You are not funny.” Raven swept down the hallway, her back rigid. Kerrik, very carefully, didn’t laugh or even smile as he followed.
The children’s storage turned out to be where the excess children’s books were kept, piled on shelves and any other flat surface in the room. Empty cardboard boxes suggested that the books had been stored in a different manner when the library was in operation.
Light globes hovered near the ceiling in all four corners of the room, giving it the equivalent of full daylight. In one of the chairs sat a slender pokegirl with powder blue hair and brown eyes. She was wearing comfortable looking slacks and a nice blouse. A smile appeared when she saw Kerrik. “Thanks, four twelve. It has been getting that time again, and he’ll do nicely.”
“He’s not for you and my name is Raven now. However, there is a young man who just might suit you, and that is why I came to visit.”
The pokegirl folded up her book and put it down on the table beside her. “You’ve gone over to the humans, haven’t you?”
“I grew tired of killing each time I had to feed and he can feed me without dying. The price for not having to kill every day was joining his harem.”
The pokegirl looked thoughtful. “I suppose that could be a reasonable exchange. That doesn’t apply to me. I do not have your peculiarities and have no interest in a long term commitment.”
“What about access to knowledge that you have never imagined, much less seen or read?”
“That’s impossible,” she stated flatly. “Humans don’t have access to what our maker had in his libraries, and much of what they do have is no longer accessible to them.” She gestured around the room. “Case in point.”
Raven gave her a smug look. “I can prove it.”
“Then, by all means, try.”
“The man I’m offering is named Jamie Wolf, and he’s the grandson of this man, Kerrik Wolf.”
The pokegirl smiled at Kerrik. “Hello, Kerrik Wolf, I am two hundred and six, but you may call me six.”
“Pleasure.”
She frowned slightly. “I can’t place your accent.”
“I’d be surprised if you could.”
Interest appeared in her eyes. “Say ‘the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’.”
“No.”
“Kerrik, please do as she asks.”
“She didn’t ask anything.”
Six cocked her head. “No, I didn’t. Say it.”
“Fuck you.”
“I could make you.” She slid to her feet. “But that much pain would render your accent hard to hear.”
“If you ask, I’ll do it.”
The pokegirl blinked. “Are you always this hostile?”
“To people giving me orders who have no authority to do so? Yes.”
“Please say it.”
“The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.”
She frowned. “I still can’t place it. Your accent is either very regional or,” her eyes widened. “That’s impossible.”
Kerrik gave her a wry smile. “I get that a lot. I will admit it; you’re quicker than most people.”
“I’m not a person, I’m a pokegirl.”
“That’s as human as Charlemagne was.” He sighed slightly. “I, along most of my family, aren’t human at all and for us, pokegirls and humans are the same species and only slightly different subspecies. Sukebe used humans as the base genetic stock for all pokegirls and, since you can interbreed with them and produce human children, human you are.” He shrugged. “If I breed with a human, our children are not. If it weren’t for magic, it’s very doubtful there would be offspring at all.”
Raven settled down in a chair. “You’ve said it was impossible to find new knowledge for you and yet you’ve already identified something about Kerrik that is outside your experience.”
Six shrugged. “That is interesting, but I bet this grandson doesn’t have anything that’s impossible as well.”
Raven started to reply when Kerrik cut in. “I’ll take that bet. What do you want?”
Six looked at him smugly. “Tamed.”
“Done. If you win, you’ll get tamed.”
“Now you just wait a minute!” Raven shot him an angry glare. “I am not sharing with every pokegirl we meet.”
He gave a negligent wave in her direction. “Trust me.” The archmage subsided and watched him curiously.
Six grinned. “And what do you get if you win?”
“You join the harem of Jamie Harris Wolf, the son of Poppet and Shikarou Wolf, sired by the seed of Jamie Harris, and you serve him loyally and obediently.”
Six’s eyes went wide. “You ask for a lot.”
“So do you.”
She looked him up and down boldly. “I suppose you could be correct. I agree. What is this impossibility of your Jamie Wolf?”
“He has in his harem, at this time, a pokegirl breed that you have never heard of nor encountered.” Kerrik smiled slightly. “In fact, where he is, there happens to be a second pokegirl breed that you have never heard of nor encountered.”
Six snored. “I seriously doubt that. Where is your proof?”
“Have you ever heard of the duelist pokegirl? She is a rare evolution of the cardcaptor and has the ability to use magic to make the things on playing cards real.”
“That’s im,” she broke off abruptly. “Implausible.”
“Actually,” Raven said with a smile, “I’ve seen her and she’s quite real. Her technique is called card conjuration and it’s quite impressive. It’s magic in nature, so I intend to devote some time to mastering it later.”
“The cardcaptor only evolves to card master or clowmystic.” Six gave them both a look of smug superiority.
Raven blinked when Kerrik’s ears went back and she felt his irritation. “He can’t lie and calling him one again is likely to piss him off.”
“What can he do to me?”
“I can have Raven beat the snot out of you, capture you, and present you to Jamie as a gift.” His teeth bared in a snarl. “I will do just that if you are foresworn to me. Admit it, you lost the bet.”
“While I will not call you a liar, I have not seen this new pokegirl with my own eyes. If it is not true, then I shall demand my taming.”
Kerrik nodded. “And you shall have it, if you win the bet.”
Six grinned. “I will. Where is this harem and tamer? I would win my bet now, instead of later.”
Raven gave Kerrik an amused look. “I can take her to him.”
“Why don’t you do that?” His ears flicked. “I’ll wait here for you to come back.”
Raven nodded and rose gracefully. She had Six by the arm when she halted and whirled to face her tamer, her eyes wide. “Wait a minute. That will leave you here, alone.”
“Why, yes, I do believe that it will. Don’t worry, I won’t leave the building. I don’t mind rain, but it’s rather hard to read in it.”
She let go of Six. “No, we will have to figure something else out.”
“What? I want to win my bet and get tamed.” Six looked from one to the other. “It’s perfectly safe here. What could happen to him?”
Raven winced. “That’s what concerns me. I keep getting these vibes that he is trouble waiting to happen when I turn my back.”
“Have I done anything around you to deserve that feeling?”
“No, and that makes me nervous.”
Kerrik sighed and rolled his eyes. “With the delta spell, you can track me no matter where I go. It won’t end while you’re gone, unless you are away for more than six hours. Now, you agreed to take her to Jamie and you need to honor that commitment.”
“You will not leave the building?”
“I will not voluntarily leave the building.”
“You will stay in this room?”
“No.”
She smiled. “I had to try.”
“Yes, you did.” He created a globe of light. “Don’t stay long. I’m getting that feeling myself.”
“I won’t.” She took Six’s arm and they vanished.
***
Name: Wolf, Jamie Harris
Age: 17
Residence: Kingdom of Haven
Status: Active
Rank: NA
Security Clearance: Theta
Licenses
Tamer Y
Master Tamer Y
Researcher N
Watcher N
Breeder Y
Active Harem
Species Name
Demoness Ginevra
Duelist Madison
Alpha: Ginevra
Beta: None