10-13-2016, 08:26 AM
Sabrina and Vi were just barely finished with the summoning process when the bus came to a halt on the parking lot. Vi grinned and handed Sabrina the items she had summoned at her request, then followed the others to the exit but waited in the parking lot, as if suspecting that Sabrina would try to pull a fast one. But, seeing how the situation was the psychic had resigned herself to the situation. With the clothing in her arm she went into the bus bathroom to get changed, and shortly after popped out through the entrance.
For the Gala, Sabrina had settled for an elegant dark blue dress that exposed much of her back and a bit of cleavage at the front, but she'd been more than careful to keep it "tame" enough to fit into the dresscode restrictions. Coupled with that she wore black evening gloves and had put her hair up in a purposedly imperfect bun, with a few strands going down her back. Since last month she'd noticed that many of the women at the Gala liked to dress a little extravagantly (and not always strictly abiding by the dresscode, such as with cleavages that made one wonder how they kept their breasts from spilling out) she'd thought that she might as well make a little effort. More in any case than last time, even though back then she had ensured to appear well-dressed as well. She'd just not dared as much as she did now. Vi presented her gauntlet-covered arm and Sabrina tucked hers into it. Though that alone began to draw the looks, Vi displayed it as proudly as a peacock with its tail fanned out.
As they entered the hall where the main event was taking place it began to dawn on Sabrina that Vi hadn't just pulled her into this date to have a partner. She realized that Vi, however childish and self-important she may have behaved during their lessons, had actually pursued a bigger plan all along, and masterfully kept it hidden from Sabrina all that time. Sure enough two women coming to the Gala as partners would stoke the fires of the rumor pot but Vi was already more than well-known for her tomboyish behavior and fun-loving nature, so the rumors would quickly stop. Sabrina on the other hand was a nobody - yet. But coming to the ball with the strongest individual of Costa del Sol and being her dance partner for the very first dance Vi had ever performed in public would undoubtedly get people's attention. The initial murmuring behind hands about a possible romantic relationship between the Enforcer and that unknown girl would quickly pass as it usually did, but the first dance would be remembered for much longer. Long enough that Sabrina would be remembered in Costa del Sol for a while, and be approached by sycophants who wanted closer relations to the leading figures of the Empire. And while this wasn't the sort of attention she wanted, it would give her a window of time to establish herself among the other important figures in Costa del Sol and create the relationships and attention that she DID want. And in a regime where relationships were more important than the work you did, this was a very valuable aid indeed.
When Vi then noticed the look of realization on Sabrina's face she grinned. "Figured it out now, did you stick? Or shall I say, Professor?"
"I'm starting to. But... how much of all that did you plan? Was it all..."
"No. At first it was just about you teaching me some dance moves but I wondered how I could pay you back for it. I don't leave my debts unpaid, you see. But the idea itself only popped up two days ago."
"Wow... I don't know what to say."
"Save your breath for the smalltalk and the dancing." She nabbed a glass of champaigne from a passing waiter's tray and took a tentative sip, then shrugged and downed the entire glass. "There's gonna be all sorts of people coming to talk to us before I'm drunk enough to... ohh boy, here they come." She grimaced before putting on a fake smile when a man in his late fifties and a significantly younger woman - in her late forties at most, Sabrina would guess - approached them with big smiles. "Doctor Marcy! What a pleasure it is to see you here!"
"Well, y'know my dear! A man's gotta find the time to enjoy life once in a while! I was able to put my paper on halt for a day to come to this month's Gala." He tried to lean in to exchange cheek kisses, but Vi promptly stopped him by offering to shake hands instead, which the doctor accepted after an awkward moment. "Have you met my wife Lara by the way?"
"I don't think so. Pleased to meet you." They briefly exchanged kisses, then Vi nudged Sabrina forward a bit. "If I may introduce you by the way, this is Professor Sabrina."
"Oh! Of course. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Professor."
Sabrina held back a grin and exchanged kisses with both the doctor and his wife. "The pleasure's all mine. I must say, Doctor Marcy, I'm a big fan of your paper on the relations of Omnilium density to ocean salinity levels." In truth she'd skipped most of the reading. It had been one of those dozens of papers that she had flipped through when researching what the intellectuals of the Empire had discovered about the Vasty Deep's oceans, especially concerning Cinnibar Island and its surroundings. She'd remembered it by pure luck at the mentioning of his name.
"Ohh, that! I'm glad you liked it! I, uh... I'm afraid that I can't quite place your name with anything I've read, dear."
"Oh, I, uh... I wrote something theorizing about the artificial enhancement of a Pokemon's psychic powers through electro-chemical components and how it could be transitioned to humans."
"That paper? Oh, I remember now! It was a bit out there but you had some very good ideas! Your Professor degree is no doubt well-earned. So then I trust that you have come to Costa del Sol recently?"
"That is correct, Doctor. I've been here for about a month. I'll probably begin my field testing in the next few months though, so I'm not sure about how long I will stay."
"Well, then enjoy it while you can. I tell you, I barely ever get the time to come to the gem of the Empire, to Costa del Sol, and when I do it's always too short. So if by any chance you need a specialist for your field testing, you could contact the university. Here's my card." He produced one from his jacket and handed it to Sabrina who took it with a bright smile. The talking went to unrelated subjects before they parted ways again. As soon as they were a few steps away Vi broke out in laughter so hard that she had to put her glass down.
"You guessed it, huh?" asked Sabrina with a smirk and took up a plate to eat from the buffet.
"A theory about enhancing psychic powers... I've done my homework you know. I know why you got that Professor title of yours." She picked her glass back up and filled it while Sabrina began picking what she wanted from the salad bar. "But he deserved that if a month after the tests he still doesn't know about the ER&D breakthroughs."
"I suppose. Are you not eating anything?"
"Not hungry." She filled her glass again - Sabrina noted that she hadn't even seen her empty it.
"You should hold back a bit... I don't mean to tell you what to do but if you go on the dancefloor while drunk things may go south."
"I'm no lightweight, stick. Besides this is only my sixth glass, I'll be fine."
"Well, I'll trust your judgement I suppose... I just don't want to end up drunken dancing." She found a seat at a vacant table and dug in while Vi found herself a bottle somewhere and came over to sit next to her. They drew the attention of several other guests who came over to sit and introduce themselves, though Sabrina could see the hunger for gossip in their eyes. Not that it helped much that she introduced herself with her title. When they were finished, got up and joined the crowd again, that didn't change - they found themselves almost constantly speaking to somebody, usually couples. Numerous prominent Imperials were attending the Gala, Sabrina quickly deduced that the Galas that took place when no beach party was taking place simultaneously were the "important" ones.
Eventually, the music started with a little warm-up music to get the couples readied for the actual event. The joyful ambience of the people in the room spreaded and more and more couples came onto the dancefloor, which despite being more than large was a little tight for the number of people that were going to dance. Sabrina got to her feet and put her hand on Vi's shoulder. "Think you can go?"
"Stop it, stick. I told you, these gauntlets are important. But they aren't something I can't live without", said Vi. And to prove her point she bended far forward at the edge of the dancefloor, placed her gloved palms on the ground and disengaged the locks on both gauntlets, then pulled her arms out, causing a lot of "oooh"s and "aaah"s from the people. This was one of the rare times that Vi was seen in public without those massive gloves on, after all. Without the brutish hunks of metal she looked much more feminine and the tux with long sleeves, although they were wrinkled from having been worn under the gauntlets, rounded up her elegant appearance. She held her hand out to Sabrina who placed her own in it with a smile and they stepped onto an open area on the dancefloor, with a number of eyes openly staring at them. But whoever was in charge of the music didn't care, they announced the first song and the according dance to be held, then the music started.
Like on their last day of practice, Vi and Sabrina fought. Neither side was willing to give in, neither was about to make an error. Vi was far from elegant and fine-tuned as someone with more experience may have been, but for someone who hadn't known a single dance move a month ago she performed stunningly well. The first dance was only the warm-up to both of them though, and Sabrina met Vi's challenging grin with her own. This evening was just getting started.
Sabrina could not remember afterwards. Had they danced seven, nine, a dozen times? The adrenaline coupled with the growing exhaustion had made her lose track, though eventually Vi had started making errors and finally declared Sabrina to be the winner of their little contest. But she smiled while she did it, and squeezed Sabrina's hand tightly when they left the dancefloor. "You're a challenging opponent, stick. But this isn't over. I'll train and become better... because I hate losing."
"You would have won had you held out just a bit longer. I doubt that I'll win the next time", replied Sabrina. Following an impulse she stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the other woman, giving her a friendly hug and withdrawing again, before anyone could notice. "I had fun. Thanks for having brought me here."
"Anytime, stick", replied Vi as she fetched her gauntlets again."But don't go resting on your laurels. People will remember this evening, and if you don't guide things the right way they'll soon think the wrong thing about us, or they'll forget about you. If you want to be known around Costa del Sol you have to fight just to stay where you are."
"Hah. I was a Gym Leader for seven years, I know what it's like to fight to keep your position. But, I'm grateful for the boost."
"Just a little thank-you for your lessons and the confidence boost. Well, I have to get going though - paperwork to take care of for tomorrow." She tried to turn away but Sabrina put a hand on her arm.
"Just one more question."
"Shoot."
"Who did you want to learn the male side of the dance for? And don't tell me it was for me, because I know it's not."
Vi laughed and pulled her arm away. "You're a smart one, stick. It's for someone you don't know, who you remind me of though. Her name was Caitlyn."
"Was? Is she dead?"
"No. But she'll come to the Omniverse some day, I can feel it. And when she does..."
"Gotcha." She nodded and grinned. "I'll see you some other day at the station then."
"Stay safe out there, stick." With that she left the premises. Sabrina followed her not very long after, as there was nothing more for her to stay around for. What she needed right now was to get out of her shoes and take a bath for her feet before they got blisters.
She'd not been lying when telling Vi that she would have won had they danced any longer.
For the Gala, Sabrina had settled for an elegant dark blue dress that exposed much of her back and a bit of cleavage at the front, but she'd been more than careful to keep it "tame" enough to fit into the dresscode restrictions. Coupled with that she wore black evening gloves and had put her hair up in a purposedly imperfect bun, with a few strands going down her back. Since last month she'd noticed that many of the women at the Gala liked to dress a little extravagantly (and not always strictly abiding by the dresscode, such as with cleavages that made one wonder how they kept their breasts from spilling out) she'd thought that she might as well make a little effort. More in any case than last time, even though back then she had ensured to appear well-dressed as well. She'd just not dared as much as she did now. Vi presented her gauntlet-covered arm and Sabrina tucked hers into it. Though that alone began to draw the looks, Vi displayed it as proudly as a peacock with its tail fanned out.
As they entered the hall where the main event was taking place it began to dawn on Sabrina that Vi hadn't just pulled her into this date to have a partner. She realized that Vi, however childish and self-important she may have behaved during their lessons, had actually pursued a bigger plan all along, and masterfully kept it hidden from Sabrina all that time. Sure enough two women coming to the Gala as partners would stoke the fires of the rumor pot but Vi was already more than well-known for her tomboyish behavior and fun-loving nature, so the rumors would quickly stop. Sabrina on the other hand was a nobody - yet. But coming to the ball with the strongest individual of Costa del Sol and being her dance partner for the very first dance Vi had ever performed in public would undoubtedly get people's attention. The initial murmuring behind hands about a possible romantic relationship between the Enforcer and that unknown girl would quickly pass as it usually did, but the first dance would be remembered for much longer. Long enough that Sabrina would be remembered in Costa del Sol for a while, and be approached by sycophants who wanted closer relations to the leading figures of the Empire. And while this wasn't the sort of attention she wanted, it would give her a window of time to establish herself among the other important figures in Costa del Sol and create the relationships and attention that she DID want. And in a regime where relationships were more important than the work you did, this was a very valuable aid indeed.
When Vi then noticed the look of realization on Sabrina's face she grinned. "Figured it out now, did you stick? Or shall I say, Professor?"
"I'm starting to. But... how much of all that did you plan? Was it all..."
"No. At first it was just about you teaching me some dance moves but I wondered how I could pay you back for it. I don't leave my debts unpaid, you see. But the idea itself only popped up two days ago."
"Wow... I don't know what to say."
"Save your breath for the smalltalk and the dancing." She nabbed a glass of champaigne from a passing waiter's tray and took a tentative sip, then shrugged and downed the entire glass. "There's gonna be all sorts of people coming to talk to us before I'm drunk enough to... ohh boy, here they come." She grimaced before putting on a fake smile when a man in his late fifties and a significantly younger woman - in her late forties at most, Sabrina would guess - approached them with big smiles. "Doctor Marcy! What a pleasure it is to see you here!"
"Well, y'know my dear! A man's gotta find the time to enjoy life once in a while! I was able to put my paper on halt for a day to come to this month's Gala." He tried to lean in to exchange cheek kisses, but Vi promptly stopped him by offering to shake hands instead, which the doctor accepted after an awkward moment. "Have you met my wife Lara by the way?"
"I don't think so. Pleased to meet you." They briefly exchanged kisses, then Vi nudged Sabrina forward a bit. "If I may introduce you by the way, this is Professor Sabrina."
"Oh! Of course. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Professor."
Sabrina held back a grin and exchanged kisses with both the doctor and his wife. "The pleasure's all mine. I must say, Doctor Marcy, I'm a big fan of your paper on the relations of Omnilium density to ocean salinity levels." In truth she'd skipped most of the reading. It had been one of those dozens of papers that she had flipped through when researching what the intellectuals of the Empire had discovered about the Vasty Deep's oceans, especially concerning Cinnibar Island and its surroundings. She'd remembered it by pure luck at the mentioning of his name.
"Ohh, that! I'm glad you liked it! I, uh... I'm afraid that I can't quite place your name with anything I've read, dear."
"Oh, I, uh... I wrote something theorizing about the artificial enhancement of a Pokemon's psychic powers through electro-chemical components and how it could be transitioned to humans."
"That paper? Oh, I remember now! It was a bit out there but you had some very good ideas! Your Professor degree is no doubt well-earned. So then I trust that you have come to Costa del Sol recently?"
"That is correct, Doctor. I've been here for about a month. I'll probably begin my field testing in the next few months though, so I'm not sure about how long I will stay."
"Well, then enjoy it while you can. I tell you, I barely ever get the time to come to the gem of the Empire, to Costa del Sol, and when I do it's always too short. So if by any chance you need a specialist for your field testing, you could contact the university. Here's my card." He produced one from his jacket and handed it to Sabrina who took it with a bright smile. The talking went to unrelated subjects before they parted ways again. As soon as they were a few steps away Vi broke out in laughter so hard that she had to put her glass down.
"You guessed it, huh?" asked Sabrina with a smirk and took up a plate to eat from the buffet.
"A theory about enhancing psychic powers... I've done my homework you know. I know why you got that Professor title of yours." She picked her glass back up and filled it while Sabrina began picking what she wanted from the salad bar. "But he deserved that if a month after the tests he still doesn't know about the ER&D breakthroughs."
"I suppose. Are you not eating anything?"
"Not hungry." She filled her glass again - Sabrina noted that she hadn't even seen her empty it.
"You should hold back a bit... I don't mean to tell you what to do but if you go on the dancefloor while drunk things may go south."
"I'm no lightweight, stick. Besides this is only my sixth glass, I'll be fine."
"Well, I'll trust your judgement I suppose... I just don't want to end up drunken dancing." She found a seat at a vacant table and dug in while Vi found herself a bottle somewhere and came over to sit next to her. They drew the attention of several other guests who came over to sit and introduce themselves, though Sabrina could see the hunger for gossip in their eyes. Not that it helped much that she introduced herself with her title. When they were finished, got up and joined the crowd again, that didn't change - they found themselves almost constantly speaking to somebody, usually couples. Numerous prominent Imperials were attending the Gala, Sabrina quickly deduced that the Galas that took place when no beach party was taking place simultaneously were the "important" ones.
Eventually, the music started with a little warm-up music to get the couples readied for the actual event. The joyful ambience of the people in the room spreaded and more and more couples came onto the dancefloor, which despite being more than large was a little tight for the number of people that were going to dance. Sabrina got to her feet and put her hand on Vi's shoulder. "Think you can go?"
"Stop it, stick. I told you, these gauntlets are important. But they aren't something I can't live without", said Vi. And to prove her point she bended far forward at the edge of the dancefloor, placed her gloved palms on the ground and disengaged the locks on both gauntlets, then pulled her arms out, causing a lot of "oooh"s and "aaah"s from the people. This was one of the rare times that Vi was seen in public without those massive gloves on, after all. Without the brutish hunks of metal she looked much more feminine and the tux with long sleeves, although they were wrinkled from having been worn under the gauntlets, rounded up her elegant appearance. She held her hand out to Sabrina who placed her own in it with a smile and they stepped onto an open area on the dancefloor, with a number of eyes openly staring at them. But whoever was in charge of the music didn't care, they announced the first song and the according dance to be held, then the music started.
Like on their last day of practice, Vi and Sabrina fought. Neither side was willing to give in, neither was about to make an error. Vi was far from elegant and fine-tuned as someone with more experience may have been, but for someone who hadn't known a single dance move a month ago she performed stunningly well. The first dance was only the warm-up to both of them though, and Sabrina met Vi's challenging grin with her own. This evening was just getting started.
Sabrina could not remember afterwards. Had they danced seven, nine, a dozen times? The adrenaline coupled with the growing exhaustion had made her lose track, though eventually Vi had started making errors and finally declared Sabrina to be the winner of their little contest. But she smiled while she did it, and squeezed Sabrina's hand tightly when they left the dancefloor. "You're a challenging opponent, stick. But this isn't over. I'll train and become better... because I hate losing."
"You would have won had you held out just a bit longer. I doubt that I'll win the next time", replied Sabrina. Following an impulse she stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the other woman, giving her a friendly hug and withdrawing again, before anyone could notice. "I had fun. Thanks for having brought me here."
"Anytime, stick", replied Vi as she fetched her gauntlets again."But don't go resting on your laurels. People will remember this evening, and if you don't guide things the right way they'll soon think the wrong thing about us, or they'll forget about you. If you want to be known around Costa del Sol you have to fight just to stay where you are."
"Hah. I was a Gym Leader for seven years, I know what it's like to fight to keep your position. But, I'm grateful for the boost."
"Just a little thank-you for your lessons and the confidence boost. Well, I have to get going though - paperwork to take care of for tomorrow." She tried to turn away but Sabrina put a hand on her arm.
"Just one more question."
"Shoot."
"Who did you want to learn the male side of the dance for? And don't tell me it was for me, because I know it's not."
Vi laughed and pulled her arm away. "You're a smart one, stick. It's for someone you don't know, who you remind me of though. Her name was Caitlyn."
"Was? Is she dead?"
"No. But she'll come to the Omniverse some day, I can feel it. And when she does..."
"Gotcha." She nodded and grinned. "I'll see you some other day at the station then."
"Stay safe out there, stick." With that she left the premises. Sabrina followed her not very long after, as there was nothing more for her to stay around for. What she needed right now was to get out of her shoes and take a bath for her feet before they got blisters.
She'd not been lying when telling Vi that she would have won had they danced any longer.
Quote:2229 / 10.606 words ✓
(This post / Total)
Stipulations:
✓ Go to Costa del Sol
✓ Meet up with Vi & discover her lack of dance skills
✓ Teach Vi how to dance
✓ Be her partner at the Gala
"(Note to self: insert quote & picture once I find stuff)"
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