Blind Date Weekend #2: Saturday
 
Spice grinned as he trotted up towards the Clearspring cafe. His tails were perfectly groomed, his mane had been brushed and his suit had been cleaned. He was ready for round two, the chance to give one of his many fans a chance to date him was just too much to pass up... he was a generous Ninetales, after all, and it was Blind Date night at the cafe.
 
The Ninetales paused as he reached the door and reached into the pocket of his black blazer. He took out a small lime green berry and tossed it into his mouth before chewing it to allow it's minty scent to cloud his own breath. He swallowed the remainder and pushed the door open, his nine golden tails flaring out to ensure he made a grand entrance.
 
"Heeey, there he is!" the Delcatty standing by the door cheered, clapping his paws excitedly as he moved over to greet the taller pokemon. He was dressed in the same pink sash he had worn yesterday, the words 'Cupid' written in white fabric over it. "Back again to win some hearts! You ready to fall in love tonight?"
 
"I'm ready to make someone~" Spice replied, letting out a little chuckle as he looked over the cafe. His audacity and smile slowly faded as he noticed a familiar face among the crowd. The shiny Liepard sat at one of the tables, her green eyes locked on the pokemon across from her as she listened to him, ocassionally making a comment that was lost in the tumolt of the crowd. The Ninetales blinked and turned to his host with a little smile, "Perhaps you could set me up with that Liepard over there?"
 
"Heh, don't be silly, silly. She's already on a date. Besides, it's meant to be a blind date, you're not supposed to know who you'll end up with." the Delcatty chuckled before beginning to walk in the opposite direction of Cyn, over to one of the tables at the back of the cafe, "C'mon! I'll show you who you're dining with tonight."
 
"Perhaps after she's tired of her date you could bring me to her table? I can wait." Spice offered, trying to keep Cyn within his field of vision even as he walked. He narrowly avoided walking into another Delcatty walking along with a box of chocolates, "Honestly, I wouldn't mind."
 
"Aw, come on! Cyn's always at the Den, I'm sure you can meet her anytime. Tonight you want your date to be a surprise, right?" the Delcatty insisted before turning ahead to focus on one of the upcoming tables, "Hey buddy, Guess who found you a date!"
 
"About time, I thought you were going to set me up with another free drink." the familiar voice spat. As Spice turned his attention to the table he found himself staring at the rugged Persian, who seemed to have put in an effort tonight given how his fur was less greasy than usual. Malus scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Oh boy."
 
"Malus Viene. I had no idea." Spice grinned as he took his seat, his tails curling over the top of his chair. He leaned forward on the table and looked into the cat's red eyes, "Who knew you were on the dating scene?"
 
"In your dreams, Spice. I'm not into dudes." Malus replied, his ears flicking back as he crossed his forepaws over his chest, "This is stupid. They should have asked if we wanted to date guys or girls, now everyone's going to think I'm gay."
 
"Well, at least they won't think you were on a date with a fleabag." Spice retorted, turning his nose up at the feline as he looked at the box of chocolates on the table. He turned to the table across from them and watched as an Eevee playfully fed a piece to a Vulpix, who chewed it with delight and then fed one to the other fox. The Ninetales glanced over at Malus and shuddered at the thought of recreating the scene, instead opting to simply take one and eat it himself, "Mmm. You know, a lot of pokemon would be happy to be having dinner with the hero of Clearspring."
 
"Would you stop calling yourself that? You saved the town -once-, and you did it by getting yourself eaten alive." Malus snapped at him. "Name something heroic you've done in the past month."
 
"Well, there's..." Spice hesitated, his brow furrowing as he searched his memories for anything. His purple eyes swept back and forth as if looking through pages of information, and yet judging by the 'umms' and 'ahs' the Ninetales was returning, he couldn't find anything in particular to talk about. Finally he turned his nose up and shook his head, "I don't need to prove myself to you. You're a lowlife."
 
"I've got plenty of P, Spice... you know what they called me in Valor?" the Persian paused for effect before taking a chocolate from the box and biting into it. "Banks." he told him, sizzling the 'S' as he did.
 
"Well, I know you as Malus; the cowardly, irresponsible, lazy cat." Spice huffed, turning away from the feline and shaking his tails as if to accentuate his point, "And I'm embarrassed to be seen with you outside of work. This would have never happened if I had gotten here sooner." Spice sighed, lowering his tails a little so he could see the rest of the cafe behind him. He had a pretty good view of Cyn, but still couldn't see the pokemon she was with.
 
"How would getting here sooner have stopped it?" Malus asked, though as he noticed the Ninetales' gazing off he leaned out of his chair to see what he was looking at. He blinked in disbelief and glanced back at the fox, "What, Cyn? ...you're not seriously still chasing her, are you?"
 
"I don't know what it is, something about her makes my heart flutter." Spice replied, leaning on the chair. "She's so passionate and brilliant. The way her fur shines in the sunlight, the little hearts of her derriere."
 
"You're nuts, dude." Malus laughed as he leaned back on his chair, allowing the front legs to leave the floor as he rested his hind paws on the table, "You've got plenty of pokemon pining for you, and you want to go after the one who wants to claw your face off?"
 
"You wouldn't understand." Spice replied, pulling his attention away from the cat of his dreams and onto the one at his table. "You never loved her at all, did you?"
 
"Don't you ever say that to me again, Spice." Malus snapped, his eyes narrowing on the fox. the Ninetales' eyes widened in panic as the Persian leaned over the table, his blood red eyes locking with the shivering vulpine's, "Don't act like you know me, or what went on between me and Cyn."
 
Spice gave a timid nod in response, it seemed that it was enough to have Malus sit back in his chair again, taking the last chocolate as he did so. He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp, "Do the smart thing... let it go. Go after a normal girl, leave Cyn for someone who understands her."
 
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Spice asked increduously, "You think you understand Cyn better than I do?"
 
"I know I didn't learn Substitute just so I could make out with myself." Malus replied with a little smirk, "But yeah, I think I understand Cyn better than you ever could. She's a wild pokemon, just like me. Pretending to be a civie. She's just better at fooling herself than I am."
 
"But you?" He flicked his claw out in the Ninetales' direction before Spice got a chance to say anything. "You've never been a wild pokemon. You were born in a daycare, you were fed expensive foods, you got your tailsies brushed every day, and now you're lost in the wild waiting for some pokemon to eat you." Malus ran his tongue over his teeth, "That was an offer, by the way. Door's always open." he added, patting his midsection with one of his forepaws.
 
"I'll pass." Spice cringed as he got up from the table, "And there's more to Cyn than you think, Malus. She's not just a wild pokemon... so long as I can see that, I'll understand her better than you do."
 
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Prissytails." the cat replied, leaning on the table as his tail flicked back and forth behind him, "Going so soon? Aww, and I thought we were doing so well. How about a goodbye kiss for your date?" he mocked him, chuckling at the shade of red he had made the Ninetales go with his taunting.
 
Spice couldn't let the cat get the last laugh, his honour meant too much to him. He glanced down at Cyn briefly before narrowing his eyes on the cat and suddenly stepping forward, forcing his muzzle ot his.
 
"MMPH!" the cat complained, trying to push the Ninetales away, but Spice's tails moved around to hold the Persian in place as he kissed him. He could hear the cheers and wolf-whistles from the nearby tables, it was exactly what he wanted. His 'partner' was going bright pink from the attention, now he just had to seal the deal.
 
He pulled out of the kiss and let out a 'Wrf~' of delight. Malus was, of course, completely speechless as he stared at the fox, looking as though his life had flashed before his eyes. The eyes of the cafe were still on them, so Spice felt it neccessary to give him a little wink, "Do clean yourself up, dear. I shan't let you in the bed if you don't wash your fur~"
 
"Y-y-" Malus stuttered, unable to even form a sentence as the Ninetales' tails left his sides. Spice gave him a devious smile as he turned and headed for the door, his tails swaying back and forth as he strutted through the cafe. The Persian glanced around at the pokemon who had just witnessed the kiss and curled up in his seat.
 
"Gaaaaaaay." he mumbled quietly, trying to laugh it off, though as no one joined in with his laughter he raised his paw to the passing Delcatty, "Cheque please."
 
*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*
 
"I wonder what that was about." Leaf tilted his head, glancing over at the pokemon across from him, though he had to lean up over the wall of empty chocolate boxes between them, "Everyone just starting cheering for some reason."
 
"It wasn't cheering, it was more like an 'Oooo'." Typh replied, placing yet another empty box on the pile. He reached down and scratched at his gut, listening to it gurgling as it worked on the confectionairy, "Let me know if you want any, Leaf."
 
"Heh, I couldn't eat right now. My stomach's in knots." the Leafeon replied as he looked up at his Swampert 'date'. He knew Typh didn't think of him that way, but it was nice to spend some time with his friend regardless. He tucked his ears back and leaned around the Swampert, looking up the aisle towards the distant table, "I saw Volt on my way in... I haven't spoken to him since last night."
 
"Oh yeah, the date thing." Typh replied, picking at his mouth before sucking some of the chocolate residue from one of his fingers, "You're probably worrying too much, he's not mad at you or anything. Heck, he might've thought it was cute, you getting flustered and running off."
 
"Heh, yeah. I guess I might be overthinking it." Leaf admitted, looking up at the larger pokemon. "I'm sorry you've ended up with a guy again, Typh. Hopefully they'll write a better application this time."
 
"Don't worry about it, Leaf. I didn't really come for the romance." he chuckled, patting his stomach and causing it to jiggle in response, "I was just hungry. I saw 'free food will be provided for your date' on the flyer and figured I'd go for it. So, here I am."
 
"I think those are meant to be one per customer." Leaf replied, pushing one of the boxes aside with his pale yellow paw.
 
"Evan and I worked something out." Typh grinned proudly before scratching his head, "Or... maybe it was Ethan. They kept switching, every time the Delcatty serving me walked into the kitchen I wasn't sure which one came out."
 
"They're certainly quite the pair." Leaf chuckled, reaching out for one of the chocolate's Typh had missed. He popped it into his maw and chewed it briefly before gagging and spitting it out into his napkin, "Erf, coconut."
 
"Why do you think I left it?" The Swampert said, pushing Leaf's glass of water a little closer to him. the Leafeon took it gratefully and chugged it back, trying to get the taste of his mouth as Typh sat back on his chair, "Though it's got me thinking, about you and Volt... does that mean you're..."
 
"I'm not really sure, Typh. I was actually hoping to use this as a chance to find out." Leaf admitted, tucking his ears back as he rested his chin on the table, "But it's the second night and I still don't know. I think I'll be back tomorrow but... what if I don't like guys after all? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings."
 
"Just do what you want to do, Leaf... but more importantly, don't do what you -don't- want to do." the Swampert told him, leaning over his large stomach in an attempt to look into the Leafeon's eyes. Leaf had to sit up in order to keep eye-level with Typh even when the Swampert was bending down, "I don't want to hear about you getting hurt because you didn't want to hurt someone else's feelings, alright? if it's uncomfortable, stop."
 
"Th-thanks for the advice, Typh. Really, you're a good friend." Leaf said, giving the pokemon an awkward smile before shaking his head, "Heh, still. I don't think I'll be meeting any guys this weekend anyway. Maybe I'll just come for the food too."
 
"Well, hey, just because I'm not looking for love doesn't mean we can't have fun." Typh chuckled as he scratched his stomach. The low rumble reached the Leafeon's ears, even in the crowded cafe he could hear it perfectly. The Swampert ran his tongue across his lips, "All that chocolate was a good starter, but they're not exactly one of my five a day."
 
"Heh, um... no, Typh. I wouldn't say they were either." Leaf replied, a blush crossing over his muzzle as the Swampert reached over and grabbed his scruff. "Honestly, I don't know if you should've eaten all that chocolate at once. You'll probably have a stomach ache."
 
"Ah man, that's gonna suck. Well, I guess I'd better look for something to fix that." the Swampert grinned widely as he lifted the Leafeon over the table and rested him on his own stomach, which continued to gurgle and churn the chocolate inside, preparing for his next meal's arrival, "I hear Leafeon's are great for digestion."
 
"W-we are." The Leafeon stammered, his leafy tail wagging in excitement. It was meant to sound like a question, but it ended up coming out as a statement... he wasn't about to deny his predator's verdict. "So, should we, uh-"
 
"Hey, Evan! Taking this one to go." Typh called out before climbing out of his chair, groaning a little as he stood up. He let out a chocolately burp before tucking the Leafeon under his arm and making his way out with him, teasing the doctor with little licks all the way.
 
"Wait, you forgot your eighth box!" the Delcatty called after him, holding up the heart-shaped box of chocolates. He huffed and put it on one of the nearby tables before perking his ears and widening his eyes in alarm, "Hey, wait! I've got Leaf's blazer!" he called after him... but alas, the Swampert and his prey were out of earshot. The cat sighed and went back to serving the customers, he was sure the Leafeon would be back tomorrow night anyway... at least this time he was going home with a guy.
 
*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*
 
Cyn couldn't help but giggle as her brother passed, carrying their mutual friend with him. It seemed like the Doctor's date had gone well, no doubt he'd be sleeping in her brother's stomach. She felt a lot better about seeing Leaf go home with Typh than a stranger, she knew Typh wouldn't object to the Leafeon grabbing a Reviver seed first.
 
"They seem to be having fun," Volt chuckled, looking over at his Liepard companion. He reached towards the box in the center of the table only to notice only one chocolate remained. He smiled and pushed the box towards her with his paw, offering it over, "I'm glad, I was worried after last night he would be frightened off the dating scene entirely."
 
"Leaf's tenacious, he'd have gotten back into it whether you had flirted with him or not." Cyn replied with a little smile as she took the dark chocolate piece and slipped it into her mouth, purring in delight and swaying her tail, "Thanks Volt. It's not often I get these, honestly I have no idea where the cafe managed to get so many boxes."
 
"We found this bag full of them." The Delcatty waiter spoke up as he took the empty box and added it to the stack he had on his back, "It had some human scribbles on the side. Boss said one of them was 'Delivery', so maybe it was for us?"
 
"Finders keepers." Cyn smiled to the cat. The Delcatty gave a nod at the verdict and trotted off, leaving the two pokemon to their date. Cyn turned to look at the Manectric across from her and chuckled, "It's weird, Rune's a shiny and he got treated like an urban legend in Crazy Canyon, but you're a shiny and you're treated like just another wild pokemon."
 
"It mattered little to me. I served the Luxray tribe leader and his kin. They accepted me, let me be one of them." Volt replied with a little chuckle before his brow furrowed, "I hated to leave them, but..."
 
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." Cyn winced at the memory. Volt had watched his leader get devoured before him, and his son too. They had managed to rescue the prince, but his father... well, nature was cruel that way. She lowered her gaze, "If we had just been faster..."
 
"If I had been stronger, you wouldn't have needed to be." Volt interrupted her before shaking his head, "But now isn't the time to dwell on such matters. The king was avenged, his son will take the pride when he is ready, and I will return to him when I am ready."
 
"You can leave the team whenever you want, Volt. I'd be sad to see you go though, you're a good team member." Cyn smiled over the table at him, reaching out and resting her paw on his, "You get things done, and your intentions are noble... unlike some members of our team."
 
"Malus and Spice?" Volt asked.
 
"Yeah... and me." Cyn sighed, looking up at the Manectric, "You, Auric, Leaf, Typh... maybe Rune too. You all want to help pokemon, make the world a better place." Cyn shrugged, "I just want to get paid."
 
"I simply don't believe that's the case, Ms Cyn." Volt replied, curling his paw around hers and holding it tightly as he stared into her eyes. His warm smile left tingles running through her fur, "I've read Auric's reports. You may have moments of selfishness, as all pokemon do, but they're outnumbered by moments of heroism." he smiled, "You had the chance to take the Rainbow Lense from my pride, but you didn't. I knew then that I could learn much from you."
 
"Thanks Volt, that means a lot." Cyn said. She hoped he couldn't see her blushing, her fur was usually fairly good at concealing it. As the Lucario came up she perked her ears, "You and Auric seem to be pretty close, you know. I've noticed how excited he gets when you get picked to go on a mission together."
 
"I suppose you could call us lovers, in a sense. Right now we're just seeing how things go." Volt said, keeping his calm smile despite the topic. He leaned down and took a sip from his drink before looking up at the Liepard, "I hope romance between team members isn't forbidden?"
 
"It's not, I'm just surprised it happened at all." Cyn blinked, "I mean, I always thought Auric was Asexual. He never reacts when we're in The Den together. I've been trying to crack that nut for weeks." she perked her ears, "How did you do it?"
 
"Well, for starters, I'm male." Volt offered. The Liepard's eyes widened, and slowly her face turned from surprise to guilt. Finally she slumped her head on the table and covered it with her paws.
 
"Arceus, he's gay." Cyn breathed out a frustrated sigh before thumping her head against the table enough to make it rattle, "Why didn't I think of that? Stupid, stupid, stupid."
 
"It's quite alright, Cyn. It's not something that comes up all that often." Volt replied, reaching over and rubbing her shoulder lightly to comfort her, "Auric is... reserved. If we hadn't met that night, I might have never known at all about him, nor his ex-boyfriend."
 
"Ex-boyfriend?" Cyn perked her ears, looking up at the canine before slowly sitting up in her seat again, "Could you tell me about him?"
 
"He's an Arcanine named Jasper, a rescue team pokemon. Apparently quite a renown one." Volt replied. He doubted Auric would mind him telling Cyn about this, it seemed the Liepard felt guilty about hounding him for so long, perhaps information would keep her from hounding him further. "I believe the distance is the reason they ended their relationship. He still cares for him though, I suppose it's true what they say; distance makes the heart grow fonder."
 
"Huh." Cyn muttered, her brow furrowed as she processed the information. Volt sat back, waiting patiently as he listened to the clattering of the cafe around them. Pokemon were beginning to leave, some alone, some in pairs. Finally the Liepard looked up at him once more, her green eyes flashing with inspiration. "Do you think I could get to Valor in a day?"
 
"I don't." The Manectric said simply. The Liepard's eyes drifted to the table and her shoulders sagged in defeat, only for Volt's paw to rest on hers once more. "...But I think a letter could."
 
The Liepard perked her ears, and a smile crossed over her muzzle as she leaned across the table and nuzzled the Manectric fondly, "Thank you for telling me about this, Volt. I want to make this right."
 
"I'm sure you will, Ms Cyn." Volt chuckled, nuzzling back before climbing of his chair and shaking himself to wake up his legs. They had been sitting down all night, the two Delcatty twins moved about the empty tables and cleaned the plates. Volt turned to his companion and smiled, "But letters can wait until the morning, the delivery service is the swiftest in the region." he bowed to her, "Would you perhaps accompany me for a walk under the moonlight?"
 
"I'd love to." Cyn replied with a smile, moving to his side and walking along with him. It had been a good date, and while nothing romantic came to mind she still enjoyed the pokemon's company. All in all it had been a successful date, now she just had to make sure that Auric would have a Valentine's Day to remember.