volcano fried magby [aph]

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

This was different, but it was a good different. This gym...the warmth. Everything seemed perfect. He finally had it. After years of working his ass off, he finally had obtained the gym that he had his sights set on since day one of becoming a gym leader: Cinnabar Island. He owned a volcano. The greatest dwelling place for a great fire gym leader like himself. He was definitely more suited for this place than Blaine. Blaine...good riddance. The old coot was a thorn in his side just to look at. Looking around, making sure that everything was in the exact place that he wanted it, he sighed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, it was definitely better than the Mahogany gym, now completely destroyed thanks to Aph. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her in a while. His thoughts slowly went from his gym to his "girl". It was difficult to say really what they were to each other. Lovers, definitely. But what more could they be? He wasn't one for relationships. He had done that before and now he wasn't too keen on it. The only relationships he really wanted were one night stands, two nights at the longest. If that were true though, why were they still an item? Something about her got him too stirred up to let her go, but were those really feelings? Bull... Keisuke did what he could to put that wreched girl out of his mind. Surely she had found out where he was by now and would pop up from out of no where and demand a place to stay as she usually would. He let his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, doing what he could to get them used to their new environment. They all seemed to like it, all except...Magby clung to his leg as soon as he was let out. As a baby, he assumed, temperatures like this even for a fire type would be a bit difficult to deal with. He was going to have to grow some balls and deal with it though, Keisuke wasn't even close to being in the mood. Why the hell won't that thing evolve already? Why did he think it was a good idea to even get a baby type anyway? He should have just skipped ahead and buy a Magmortar. That's what he truly wanted. A real Pokemon, not this. WORDS:431 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

Aphrodite was wandering aimlessly. Though she had newly been elected to the second in command of the Knights, she was feeling as if she might as well have been demoted and kicked out entirely. The man she had followed without thought was dead, he had left the mortal realm for she and his co-leader to rule over and at the best of times she and Nazo were enemies. It was all she could do to keep taking steps forwards.

Her steps had lead her, coincidentally, toward the home of a one Keisuke Hideki whom she had been having a rather torrid affair with over a few months. Certainly she had destroyed his gymnasium and they had participated in their fair share of fights but she had come to find him a source of comfort - at least physically - when she was in a mood that was less than good. Her depression, she figured, was probably something that could be considered an opportunity to be comforted.

Picking the lock - because she hadn't fashioned herself a key yet, being the leader and all - she pushed open the door and let herself in, shrugging off her outer armour and looking around this new place. As much as she hated to admit it, Aph had some semblance of feelings for the dark-haired fire trainer. But considering the lack of time she'd spent with him lately, she was loathe to think what exactly might have come of the progress they'd made.

Kicking off her boots lazily, Aph head the sounds of Pokemon and made her way into the other room, poking her head around the corner first. "Staring at a Pokemon won't make it evolve you know. You could at least give it a hug now and then... Is it hot here? Did you really have to pick the place over the volcano?" She grumbled, loosening a button on her shirt.

"Oh, and I'm staying here too." For a few moments she could pretend to be okay about Cashel. For a few.

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

"A hug? Hell, you don't know me as well as I thought you did. That little bastard will evolve soon or it will be replaced. I'm tired of it acting like it needs love and affection to become stronger. And yes, I've had my eye on this place for a long time and since my last gym was destroyed, thank you again, I needed a new place." He sat down in his chair and waved his arms around with a smirk. "This one." The girl startled him a little, but he was pretty used to her just finding him from out of no where so he was expecting it. She was an interesting one. "You're staying here?" He scoffed, watching her closely. "You were just complaining about the heat. You realize it doesn't get any cooler, right? We're over a volcano right now." He knew she wasn't joking. That's just the kind of girl she was. She walked into any place and would demand it to be her own in a minute. Maybe that was why he was completely overwhelmed by her in the best sense. "Hope I didn't inconvenience you, not that I really care, since I've been gone for a while. I was trying to train this useless little Pokemon to it's knees to try to get it to evolve." Aphrodite was well aware of his hatred for the little Magby who he still for whatever reason, had in his possession. At the rate his patience was running out, he wasn't going to have this Pokemon for much longer. WORDS:431 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

"I know you plenty well, Keikei," The nickname dripped off her lips like honey as she made her way through the room to where he was sitting. Her eyes trailed over to the Pokemon, and she wondered exactly how she could get him to treat it nicer so that it might be somewhat more useful to him than the way it was now. After all, it had appreciated her cuddles so far, it probably needed some kind of encouragement from it's actual trainer.

Getting him to listen was impossible however.

Crossing her legs, she perched herself on the arm of the chair and glanced around the room instead. "It is hot, so I'll just have to wear less clothing when I'm home. But I'm definitely staying here so don't even bother trying to get rid of me." The same way she had startled him, Dite's attachement to the gym leader had startled her. She hated them usually, the way they considered themselves better than everyone else.

However, she had a fascination with him. She was stuck on the idea that he was hers despite never having to explicitly state it. They were un-exclusively exclusive. It was a bizzare relationship but it was working for her. Leaning over to his ear, she smirked. "I noticed you were gone, gave me an opportunity to find men who worshipped me. Don't know if you heard but I'm the second in command now, so I've got a couple of body guards.."

She shrugged and leant back, sitting comfortably on the edge of the seat. "You wanted a new place anyways, like you said. You can't say you're not pleased with your new residence. You're a fire trainer in a volcano. Very flashy, that's what you gym leaders like, isn't it? Flashy?"

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

He shuddered for a moment hearing that dreaded nickname he hated so much. He was a man, Keikei was hardly a name for a little boy let alone someone of his age and skill. He was well worth a better nickname or no nickname at all would be nice. Keisuke perked up a little at the comment about less clothing. "If you're going to threaten me with walking around with less clothing on, don't hope to be thrown out because it's not going to happen. In fact, it's encouraged in my opinion." He proudly took a sip of his coffee as he sat back in his chair. Even though she had just arrived, it was already starting to feel more like old times now that she was around. He truly hated that it seemed to be the norm for her to be around, stalking his every movement. He used to have a different girl in bed every night and now? He had Aph, his unnecessary necessity to this so-called life he had. Again he perked at hearing the news of her gaining more men upon his disappearance. "I had heard of your recent promotion and I suppose I should congratulate you though if you're speaking the truth, I'm sure you've given yourself plenty of congratulations with these new boytoys of yours. If they were so competent in their abilities though, I wonder why you came running to my new gym as soon as you heard." A smirk appeared on his face. Obviously, she wanted him more than these new men she spoke of. He was obviously more qualified for those positions than these so-called body guards. "Flashy? Please...I simply enjoy the heat, especially as women visit. Less clothing seems to be a trend in temperature this high." WORDS:314 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

"Have you ever thought you should drink less coffee. It would make you less irritable and easier to get along with." Dite rolled her eyes, training them on the mug. How could he drink something hot in temperatures this high she'd never know. Dite was not necessarily a fan of the warmth, though she didn't particularly mind hanging around in very little clothing. It just frustrated her when she couldn't enjoy the breezes on her skin.

Oh well, she would just have assumed it was going to be a little bit different than the previous gym. Mahogany had been a different environment than what Cinnibar was, after all. She shrugged her shoulders, crossing her legs lazily as she glanced sideways at him. "Eh, they do their job of protecting me. Everything else they're pretty incapable of. Though they do remind me of how absolutely wonderful I am, which is certainly something you could do more." She smirked back.

It would have been nice if she could go back to finding satisfaction in easy one-night-stands, but the truth was the time apart had been frustrating for her. Without someone to tease and to drive her crazy she was bored. All she had had time to do was dwell on the death of the man she had practically worshipped as a god. Sure, his passing had put her in a higher role but that hardly meant she was happy he was gone.

"I was just eager to see if you'd broken the rules of our deal, that's all." She smirked, "Plus like I said, I needed a place to stay. I don't like my apartment, too quiet. At least here I can bother you." She grinned, "You're a liar, you know you like the flashiness. If someone challenges you, you can just make the lava bubble or something. That's part of you, I bet."

Dite shrugged once more, snickering quietly. "Perving on children challengers are you? Tut tut, I thought you'd have more appreciation for something slightly more mature than that."

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

This constant bickering between the two of them never seemed to cease. They were constantly at each other throats but for whatever reason, that was what turned them back to each other. It made absolutely no sense for them to be together, but they were what the other needed. Strangely open about their sexuality but so obsessed with one person that they couldn't escape. It was something deep down he truly wanted but truly irritated him to a point of screaming. "No one's keeping you here if you'd rather shack up with one of your bodyguards. If they're so apt to worship you and speak lies all day, then maybe you'd be better off. I'm not a man to allow such lies to leave my lips. The bumbling idiots I'm sure are worried about where you plan to stay. Surely they don't know of you staying with such a lowly gym leader such as myself." It bothered him. He didn't show it, but it bothered him to no end. He was still stuck in this wretched job as a gym leader and didn't seem to be moving up in the knights at all. He wanted recognition. He wanted glory. He wanted attention of the rest of the knights and wanted the higher ups to look at him as a god. He was stuck in this gym. Though he had been wanting this gym for his own and had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Blaine, he would just have to make due with the attention of the children that flocked to him with admiration in their eyes. He was a gym leader and a damn good one at that. "Broken the rules? Please, I hardly even remember them." He grinned at her knowing full well the terms of their agreement, but he enjoyed seeing her squirm. "Perving? Hardly. I was more meaning of women more suited to my age. As you yourself have already stated, it's a lot more comfortable with less clothing." WORDS:357 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

Aphrodite scoffed quietly at the idea of shacking up with any of her guards. As much as she appreciated the praise - her vanity loved people admiring her as much as his want for god-like status did - she just didn't find the appeal in living or sleeping with them the same way she had with this particular thorn in her side. She was stuck on him and she wasn't even nearly going to be able to escape. At least not till something drastic happened.

She was well and truly stuck on the idea of Keisuke, and she rolled her eyes. "They might worship me but they're terrible lays, really don't do enough to make it enjoyable. I tried once or twice, they just don't listen." The lies slipped easily from her lips as she kept a smug look on her face as she glanced at the ceiling. "They know I was going to stay were I was safe, I don't have to tell them everything. The last thing I want is them walking in while you praise the ground I walk on. Wouldn't want to humiliate you, that's how good a leader I am."

She patted his cheek with a hand, snickering quietly. "You should be punished if you've forgotten, you know. I could definitely give you something to do so you could recall." She glared. If anything she would hate for him to have a line of women at his door. She didn't want to admit how much it irritated her, the idea of him being with other people. He was his.

She just didn't really know why she was so set on that.

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

His eye twitched hearing her words. They were obviously lies and he knew that she was just as true to him as he regrettably was to her, but they still stung and made him want to kill each and every one of these so called guards. Children compared to his skills, he was sure of it. He took a deep breath and casually sipped his drink one sip at a time. They were lies, he knew they were but she had a sharp tongue, just as he did. "And you talk of me breaking our agreement. Seems like you've had quite the time with your new position and the perks it possesses." He did care for her unfortunately, but praising her steps as she spoke of was far from his personality and she knew it. That was never going to happen even if he did put her on the high pedestal that she so seemed to think she deserved. It wasn't going to happen. She could make the other underlings throughout the knights her dogs, but he was not about to be trained like that. If anything, he would be joining her one day. "Happy to know that you're looking after me, but I assure you that I don't need it. I won't be falling all over you as easily as you think that I will." He grabbed her hand as she smacked him on the cheek. "Oh really? And what exactly would that be?" They were a mess together really. In bed for days at a time. He could only wonder that if that went back to being the norm how in the world she was going to get her work done as second-in-command. Surely the new leader would be needing her at some point or another. If anything, she was a great asset. That must be why he felt so drawn to her. She would be the easy way to the top and for him to reach the goal he so desperately wanted. There were no feelings, there couldn't be. She was a pawn in his plan, that was it...right? WORDS:373 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

It was easy for either to rile the other up when it came to talk of fidelity. For some reason that was unknown to both parties, they were both rather possessive of the other. The idea of Keisuke sleeping with other women set Aphrodite's blood to boil and she knew that when she mentioned the men whom she would "sleep with" he would be just as aggrivated. Which was why she was unsurprised when his eye twitched. "I thought you didn't remember the contract, hm?" She prodded gently, leaning back to look at him. "Don't worry, you don't have to fall all over me or worship me, I suppose. I guess I can keep you around if you're just a convenient lay. That's at least worth keeping around, besides, you satisfy so I can't fault you on that."

The higher up lazily hooked her ankles together, swinging them gently as she made herself more comfortable on the arm of the chair. Certainly she was more comfortable on a throne of her own, but as she was a second in command she was often the lady perched to the side, the one to jump to action. And this was an easy place to do that from, too. "Well you could write lines.. But that's for school children, not grown men." She snickered, tightening her hand to latch it with his. "Or perhaps you could remember our rules by assigning each of them to a part of my body and.. studying it."

Smirking, she reached then for his coffee mug in an attempt to snatch it away. Despite the heat, coffee always tasted better to her when it was Keisuke's, and he was always fun to try and get it away from. Besides, it meant she got to lean over him, practically pressing her face to his own as she did so. "Give us a sip, hm? It might be warm but I'm practically parched."

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

Of course he remembered the contract. He wasn't that forgetful. It was perfect in his eyes, they were able to sleep with the other and only them without having to reveal their true feelings. They could lie to themselves all their lives and not officially have to be tied to the other. The absolute perfect lie. For whatever reason they were the perfect non-couple. Able to trick each other in this situation that masked their true feelings though at the same time they knew exactly how the other felt for them. Kei was well aware of how attached she had become of him and vice versa. He really didn't see himself getting along with anyone else; he had tried. Many years he had tried to find someone to help him climb the ranks of this damn group and be compatible with him sexually. The best he could find were worthless one night stands. It seemed hopless, but he understood. He wasn't the easiest to get along with. Sure he was sexy and he knew it, but once the sex was over, he was pretty much a blob on a couch with a cup of coffee. He scoffed at her comment. "A convenient lay? You and I both know that I am much better than just a convenience. You enjoy it much more than you let on. I have our recordings to prove it She reached over him to take his coffee. She was always one to do that and just in the same manor she reached for it, he moved it further out of the way. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing? This is mine. You want some you can go make your own or at least get your own damn cup." He backed up any that he could and closed his eyes. TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

Aphrodite snickered softly as she shuffled on her spot. She was quite comfortable getting into this strange and easy dynamic with her partner. People of their calibre didn't need to acknowledge their relationship for it to exist. As much as she hated to admit her attachment, Keisuke had made an impact on her life - an impact that she was certainly unlikely to give up willingly. But that being said, in her position she didn't have the luxury of letting people know he was his and that she had some kind of attachment to him. It was dangerous and risky, it would put what they had as something to be held over her.

So for now she would outwardly pretend that he was nothing to her, she wouldn't utter those little words that people used to express feelings. She could show him in little things - never letting him get his way counted for that - and when they were legitimately sharing a moment she was almost certain he was feeling the same way. "Fine, you're an excellent lay to be keeping close by. Is that what you want to hear?" Her eyes flicked to him almost annoyedly, but the smirk on her lips told otherwise.

Reaching over to ruffle his hair with her hand, she laughed out loud. "I don't want a whole cup, obviously, I want a sip of yours. As your leader and lover I demand that you give me a mouthful of your coffee!" She grumbled, shoving her way onto his lap and pressing her nose up against his as she reached once more for his coffee mug. "It is absolutely vital to my survival that I get that mouthful of caffeine or I might just die in your arms and you don't want me to be that dramatic do you?" She snickered, "My convenient lay would be very inconvenient if it was nonexistant due to death!"

She had no idea what she was saying, but sitting on his lap was comfortable. She hadn't been there in weeks, and she settled easily against his chest as once more the thoughts of Cashel began to ebb at her. Letting out a soft sigh she pouted. "Please can I have some of yours, Keikei? Please?"

[KEISUKE HIDEKI]

No matter how much he tried, his right eye just wouldn't stop twitching.  Her words were annoying and though he secretly was pushing back feelings for this woman, he was having a difficult time keeping himself from smacking her or something to that degree to show his annoyance.  At least she was interesting to keep around...up until the point where she starts begging for a sip of his coffee to the point where she is literally nose to nose with him.  They shared the same feelings for each other, it was obvious with the tremendous heat that they could feel between them.  He watched her for a minute, before finally getting up with a groan.  Keikei was where he drew the line.  That annoying nickname was becoming too much for him.  He shoved the coffee towards her so that she could take it from him.  "Here.  I don't want it." He walked away from her, running his hands through his hair so that he could fix what she messed up.  He hated that more than probably anything else.  He was into the way he looked and wanted his hair to be absolutely perfect.  If she went around doing this all the time, then his appearance would be ruined and what would people think?  Keisuke was the new fire gym leader of Kanto, he had a reputation to uphold. "Was there something you needed?  Was there a reason you just dropped in?  I would assume as the new second-in-command that you have some sort of duties, am I right?"  He took a deep breath, folding his arms and looking at her intently.  She was being over dramatic, which honestly wasn't that strange, but still was something to keep his eyes out for.  Something was going on.  It was subtle, but she was acting differently and he could tell that something was bothering her.  He stood uncomfortably to the side, watching her closely.   WORDS:341 TAGS:aph CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!

[APHRODITE BELL]

As soon as Keisuke got to his feet, Aphrodite felt herself sink into the chair. She slid off the arm into the cushion, her knees tucking up and her arms slung around them gently. The coffee stayed, resting against her shin, while she closed her eyes and leaned back into the couch. "You're so damned touchy. I don't even know why I bother." She muttered, irritated as she rushed out a breath of air. Either way, she had been living on the contact and now he was gone she was finding herself far less distracted from the misery that Cashel's death had brought upon her.

She downed the last of the coffee and put the cup to rest beside her, not bothering to turn her attention back to the man whom had just gotten to his feet out of annoyance. Certainly it had been her own fault, she existed to irritate him, but the playfulness had been her only escape. "You know, maybe there was a reason. Did you not wonder exactly how I got the position of a second in command?" Her voice was dry now, losing all of the teasing tones she'd been using. Any semblance of a moment, of closeness, was gone.

"You want me to go, then? I have duties but I also have needs. Go figure, I thought there was enough to this that you wouldn't mind distracting me for a bit but apparently you're in a bad mood because you can't be nice enough to your Magby for three seconds in order to get it to evolve to a state you'd appreciate more." She grumbled, standing up and heading towards her shoes. The whole exchanged left her dissatisfied, and the absence of a Cashel to bitch to and to pat her on the head, to make her laugh, meant that whatever she would do from then on would be ten times harder.

What in Arceus' name was she going to do.