"Hey you're back!" laughed Miranda, catching Misty in her arms the moment she stepped through the front door, "How'd it go?" Misty smiled, allowing herself to be spun halfway around as she saw the adoringly pleased look in Miranda's eyes. "You should know!" the trainer replied laughing, "Aunt Laurna had you taking care of half the illusions!" "Only at the start," the courier corrected, "I was home before the battle really got started." Misty smiled, swinging the door shut with the back of her foot. "Home you say?" she teased. Miranda shrugged with a happy sigh. "Wherever I lay down to sleep, and find you in my arms, IS home," she replied dramatically, "But you still haven't answered my question." "Yes, my love," Misty replied softly, moving closer with eyes that gleamed with excitement, "I won." "So did I." Misty glanced over at the small silver object in Miranda's raised hand. "Is that-?" Miranda nodded. "I haven't had a chance to take a look at it yet," she replied in a hopeful tone, "but I'll get around to it." Misty smiled, kissing Miranda on the cheek as the courier examined the simple little key; almost entranced by the possibilities it held. For a moment, she almost didn't feel her beloved slip free of her embrace. "Well, I really need to take a shower before we head out tonight," explained Misty, bringing Miranda back to reality, "So, if you'd like to take a quick peek. Maybe you could read me the good parts afterwards?" Miranda glanced back at her lover and smiled as she stepped slowly backwards down the hall. "You'd enjoy that too much," the courier teased, causing Misty to give her a shocked look that quickly became a laugh, "But hey, before I forget." Miranda moved closer again, pocketing the key and giving Misty a warm hug. "Congratulations, my beloved," she whispered into her triumphant lover's ear before kissing her neck gently, "I knew you could do it." Misty sighed happily; chastising herself for the momentary annoyance she'd felt when Miranda hadn't reacted to the news sooner. "I never doubted you," Miranda continued, her hands rubbing Misty's back as she spoke, "You may have long since proven your determination, but now that you've proven your courage as well." "There wasn't any time for fear," Misty replied with a shrug, leaning against Miranda and glancing idly into the now empty living room, "I just went in and did what came naturally. But I think I'm going to have to start working on triple techniques. You never know when they might come in handy." "Well, I still never doubted you," said Miranda lovingly, hugging Misty closer before stepping back and taking her hand, "Triple attacks are more for drama half the time anyway. But if you want, I'll see if I can't help you out with them. Between Shadow and Leviathan, you should be able to pull off most of the ones Nezumi and Umi can. But I'm sure we'll improvise something eventually." Misty nodded, smiling in at Vivian as they passed her open office door hand in hand. "So, are you still planning on wearing that tonight?" the trainer inquired as Vivian nodded her approval and went back to arguing with a client over caravan prices. Miranda exhaled thoughtfully as they went up the darkly carpeted stairs, her free hand trailing along the polished wooden banister as she strummed her fingernails across its surface absently. "Yes," she said at last as they reached the top of the stairs, "it fits well, and I'd still like to see the look on Zack's face when he sees me wearing it." "I'll bet he'd have a heart attack if he ever saw you in the dress," Misty added with a laugh as Miranda pulled her bedroom door open. "Yeah, but it's too late to have yours delivered here, so no." "It'll probably be too chilly out to wear it anyway," said Misty with a shrug, as Miranda opened the door to her room, "That and I don't recall this festival being a formal occasion." "Goodness no!" Miranda laughed, flinging herself down on her bed and bouncing happily for a moment, "Aunt Laurna only wears that dress she got in the Tower to be dramatic. And besides, with all the running around we'll probably be doing afterwards, I'd rather dress more practically." Misty frowned at the thought as she stepped out of her jeans and began to lift the hem of her long sleeve shirt. "It wasn't sorta old looking, made of black silk with silvery trim was it?" "Um... Yeah. She's worn it every Halloween since she got it," Miranda explained, her eyes lifting from her lover's exposed legs to the suddenly concerned look in her sea green eyes, "Why?" "I think I might have ruined it," Misty replied with a shudder, "There was quite a bit of water thrown around while I was at her Gym." Miranda smiled. "Don't worry about it," she chuckled, receiving a peculiar look for it, "Knowing Aunt Laurna, that was just another illusion. She was probably in a house coat with her hair all over the place knowing her." "Think so?" "Definitely," Miranda replied, happy to see the way Misty's expression brightened, "I know what she was like when Uncle Frank was around before. They tried to hide it, but I wasn't exactly blind and deaf back then. And now that they're back together... Well, let's just say that I wouldn't doubt it if they spent every waking moment in close proximity." Misty nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose she also wouldn't want to wear something she'd need later on if there was a chance it wouldn't be usable in time." Miranda nodded. "Besides," she said with a knowing grin, "I met Uncle at the gates. His uniform wasn't on properly when he ran past me in a bit of a panic." Misty laughed as she discarded the rest of her clothing and took a bathrobe off the hook on the back of the door. "Are you sure you don't want some company?" added Miranda quickly as she tied the belt about her waist. "I'll be fine," replied Misty slyly, catching the hopeful tone in Miranda's voice, "You just wait here and read that book. I don't want you distracted all night. I still need you to hold my hand with so many ghosts around." "I need an excuse, my love?" Misty smiled at her lover's tone, glancing back as the courier opened the top drawer of her nightstand and fished out the book. "You better not!" she giggled, "But seriously, three well trained ghosts in a ballroom is different to several dozen, in a graveyard, beside the Lavender Tower!" Miranda grinned broadly in a seldom seen display of her teeth. "Geeengaaaar," she whispered jokingly, fighting the urge to correct Misty. It was more like several hundred ghosts at this time of year. "Thank you, Nezumi," Misty chuckled, opening the door and blowing Miranda a kiss before disappearing completely. Miranda sighed heavily; the sound of her door clicking quietly closed sounding far too final for her liking. She then closed her eyes, listening for the creaking floorboards that would signal Misty's quiet passage down the hall to the bathroom. A moment later, she could the old copper pipes in the walls shudder and make a horrible whine of protest before the sound of distant sound of water running through them could be heard. For a time, Miranda sat cross-legged on her bed, listening intently to the sound of the water as it changed in tone, signaling that the shower had been turned on. She smiled, imaging her beloved slipping the fuzzy robe off her shoulders, her naked body shivering against the sudden chill before stepping cautiously into the falling water. The courier sighed, holding the black, leather-bound book to her lips and smiling in spite of herself. "I love her, daddy," she whispered, her eyes suddenly burning for a split second before Miranda felt a single happy tear fall from her eye, "I really, really do." Miranda then shuffled back across the bed until she was leaning against her decorative headboard before pulling out the little key her mother had given her. "This is crazy," she told herself as excitement surged through her veins and a burning desire to simply pry the book open washed over her, "I feel like a kid at Christmas!" With a shaking hand, she brought the key forward, missing the lock entrance several times in her nervousness before finally sliding it home. Miranda released the breath she'd been holding and forced the book down upon the random patterns of her comforter. "No," she told herself sternly, pushing down the aching need to selfishly devour the books contents, "I can't. I need to share this with someone." Miranda glanced at the nightstand and smiled. There were four poke balls sitting there waiting for her. One was blue and white for Umi, one was lavender purple and white for Nezumi, and one was light gray and black for Wraith. But now, there was a fourth. Its lower half was the traditional gleaming white of most balls, but the upper half was a brilliant emerald green. Miranda shook her head as she reached for Ivy's ball first, recalling the strange circumstances in which she'd acquired the juvenile bulbasaur. "What was I thinking?" she asked rhetorically, not really regretting her decision, yet still questioning it, "My dad would have loved you to pieces, but I'm not really a plant person. Still, though, you are part reptile." With a shrug, Miranda aimed the ball at the bed in front of her. "Ivy," she said in a clear tone, letting the orb's internal voice recognition system activate the releasing mechanism, "Come ye forth." There was a flash of light before the peculiar reptile whose species hadn't altered much since the extinction of the dinosaurs materialized before the courier, before letting out a curious, happy sound. Miranda smiled down at Ivy as the little reptile/plant hybrid glanced around quickly, her thus far incomprehensible tone becoming panicked as she survived the room but found no sign of her trainer. "Silly, girl," Miranda giggled, picking up the still small pokemon and turning her around so that she could see her. Ivy's sad expression became instantly happy, and a thin, pale green tendril immediately sprouted from the small hard bud on her back. "Nice to see you too," Miranda replied, laughing as she leaned forward so that Ivy could affectionately bat the end of Miranda's nose with her appendage. "Okay now I remember," she told the bulbasaur, "you were too cute NOT to take home with me!" Ivy let out a happy laughing sound, but even though she'd shed her skin nearly a dozen times since Miranda had acquired her, and grown so large that it now took two hands to hold her in, Ivy's pokespeak was still the equivalent of baby talk. Miranda scratched the bulbasaur on top of the head, half wondering what she'd do when Ivy grew to the size of her Father's car and decided that smacking her on the nose with eight tendrils was a sign of affection. "Oh well," she sighed, reaching over and activating Umi, Wraith and Nezumi, "I'll deal with it later." Although Wraith seemed anxious to go outside again and Nezumi glanced around the room suspiciously as Umi seemed ecstatic to be home again. The instant she was released, she leapt off the bed with an excited exclamation and slithered around the room making observations, obviously pleased that nothing had changed. "Yeah, we're home again," Miranda replied as Nezumi looked up at her and smiled reassuringly, "But this time, it's different." Umi popped her head up so suddenly it caused Nezumi to squeak out a curse before covering his heart with a forepaw and falling over backwards. "Draaa?" she inquired, her eyes shifting from a combination of orange and green to sudden purple. "I have the key to my father's diary," Miranda explained, causing Umi to immediately slither up onto the bed and draw nearer, "There's a lot of stuff about your parents in here, I'll bet." Umi nodded sadly, slithering into Miranda's lap and resting her head against the woman's chest. "Wraith, you don't have to stay if you don't want to," Miranda explained, taking a moment to scratch Umi's eye ridges, "it's Halloween night tomorrow, and I'm sure that there's all sorts of mischief you could be off doing. Nezumi, if you want, you can take Ivy down to the greenhouse. I'm sure some of your friends are still a bit on edge after yesterday, but I think she'll like it there." The rattata shrugged and the haunter mumbled something about staying, even though his eyes were focused on the world outside the window. "All right then," said Miranda with a smile as Ivy crawled up on her knee in a sudden fit of jealousy and Nezumi took his accustomed place upon the courier's shoulder, "I'll tell you what, I'll skip ahead to the good parts..."
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