emsiecat
March 13th, 2008, 06:13 pm
Chapter 5:
Liana opened her eyes slowly, her vision bleary from sleep. She had spent most of the evening chatting with the Meowth and being shown round New Island by him. By far he seemed the friendliest of the clones on the island. Though Meowth had tried to introduce her to a few of the others, they just weren't interested. The clone Pikachu had offered a polite paw after some coaxing from Meowth but the others only offered verbal abuse or turned-tail on her, in what she supposed was the visual equivalent of 'fuck you', pleasant lot they were. After such a lovely evening she had decided perhaps sleep was best, somewhere out of the reach of the sneering clones however.
It had taken the girl a good hour or so to find a half decent spot. She knew from the outset that despite the luxurious rooms she'd seen dotted about the upper levels of the palace, she wouldn't be permitted to sleep there by Himself. So she had merely rooted around a store cupboard Meowth had kindly shown her, grabbed a few necessities along with a pillow and blanket, and tried to find the softest piece of ground she could.
Liana rolled over and went to close her eyes once more when she felt something kick her none too gently in the stomach. She screwed her eyes shut and growled, trying to push away the offending appendage only to be met with a louder growl than her own from the foot's owner.
~Get up girl, I'm not keeping you alive just so you can sleep!~ Mewtwo's voice, cold and condescending, filtered into her sleep addled brain.
Liana's eyes popped open once more and she sat up, glaring at her captor. He glared right back before turning and stalking off, calling back to her. ~Hurry up and make yourself presentable, your chores start today.~
Liana pulled a face at his tone of voice and began wrestling herself out of the blanket bed she'd made. Well good morning to you too star shine! She thought sarcastically, not really caring if the psychic monstrosity heard her or not.
She pulled herself off the floor and stretched her hands up towards the ceiling, the bones in her back giving a springy 'crack' at the motion. With a tongue-curling yawn the young woman smoothed down her clothes and hair as best she could, pulled on her boots and then trudged in the direction that Mewtwo had gone. Let the torture begin!
Meowth had been napping on a soft window seat down one of the hallways of the New Island fortress. He was disturbed from his restful slumber in the early morning sunshine by the sound of padded footfalls passing by. He looked up in time to see Mewtwo pass him, the cat tilted his head and stretched his claws a little into the plush fabric out of habit as he heard more footfalls. These ones decidedly heavier and had a definite shuffle to them.
The cat Pokémon grinned at the sight Liana made: Head bowed, angrily muttering as she trudged along after Meowth's master. Her red curls were an absolute mess of sleep tossed hair, her clothing was distinctly rumpled and to complete the look she had dark circles under her eyes and a scowl on her face. She could scare a Gengar! Meowth chuckled to himself as he leapt off the window seat to trot beside her.
"Not a morning person I trust?" he teased her with a fanged smile, only to bite his lip as she turned her glare onto him. Thankfully it softened a little after a few seconds.
"You have no idea."
"Rough night?"
"You ever tried sleeping on these floors? It makes you ache." She groaned, before adding in a sly undertone "I also had this bizarre dream. I was innocently minding my own business when a mad, arrogant son-of-a-bitch descended from the sky and kidnapped me to make me his slave."
Meowth was hard pressed to keep a straight face. She was a bold one, and she had a sense of humour, sarcastic as it was. None of Mewtwo's previous servants had possessed any humour. They'd either been rude and crass or so terrified for their lives they'd skittered away when any clone came close.
It seemed they had been so caught up in their conversation they hadn't noticed Mewtwo had stopped to listen and nearly ran into him. He glared at the girl, and Meowth gulped slightly. Not again.
~Wench, hold your tongue or I shall remove it.~ Mewtwo hissed dangerously low into Liana's ear before carrying on.
Meowth heard Liana mutter something that sounded like 'Lord of Borg' whatever that meant.
Liana sighed and rolled her eyes. Really she should be a little more subservient and simpering towards the Pokémon who currently had her rather fragile existence in his less than ethical claws. However to be perfectly honest her fear was overridden by the fact that she was tired, sore, grumpy, and in want of a damn good bath and a half decent meal.
Liana paused when she realised they were back in the entrance hall. Her brain, still not quite awake yet, thought hopefully for a moment that Mewtwo would fling open the doors and tell her to be on her way… no such luck! Instead Mewtwo waved his paw to indicate a mop and a pail full of soapy water.
~You will clean the entrance hall top to bottom, it is getting dirty. When you are finished you can start on the other rooms. ~
With that said the psychic Pokémon teleported from the entrance hall, leaving Liana to gape at the size of the room she had to clean.
***
"I take it back, he can be as bad as he seems!" Liana bemoaned to her companions later that day.
It was late in the afternoon and over the course of several dull and rather back-breaking hours Liana had cleaned the entrance hall, the library, two smaller rooms and a balcony. Over the course of those same hours she had gained a small audience too. Most of the clones that passed her only did so to call out a sarcastic comment her way or to mischievously try and knock over her bucket of water (she had quickly learnt to keep it out of harms way). However the ever faithful Meowth had bought two friends to watch her progress: the polite but reluctant Pikachu and a rather motherly Wigglytuff that Liana hadn't been introduced to last night.
The Wigglytuff had proven to be just as sweet natured as Meowth. She would hum a melody or chatter politely to her companions. She even scolded a few of the more rambunctious clones who tried to make things harder for Liana. Liana honestly didn't know why but the Pokémon had taken a liking to her, and had obviously taken it upon herself to keep the girl from suffering unduly during her time as servant.
"Time to eat I think," Wigglytuff proclaimed seeing the slightly strained look on Liana's face, "can't exactly clean these rooms if you don't even have the energy to stand." She tsked in an amusing manner before leaving to collect some food.
The veritable mother-hen was back shortly with some fruit for herself and her two fellow clones, as well as some more fruit, bread, cheese and a skin of water for Liana.
Liana smiled at Wigglytuff and plopped down onto a nearby chair gratefully accepting the food and drink. She tuned out of the three's small talk as she opted for staring out of one of the large windows. Liana polished off an apple before smearing cheese onto the bread with her pocket knife and chewing peacefully. Thank goodness these three are friendly enough. I don't think I'd be able to face this ordeal totally alone.
Standing and stretching Liana excused herself from her company and walked outside. She really wanted some fresh air. Once outside she took in the view of the imposing structure again. It was rather magnificent, though too big for her tastes. The island was basically a mass of rock. If she had created this place she'd have had to make sure there was grass and flowers, maybe some small shrubs, the plain rock was somewhat depressing.
Picking her way down towards the dock Liana didn't notice the Rapidash following her. She didn't notice it sneaking rather stealthily behind her either; until it minced into place at her back and then butted her. It wasn't particularly malicious, but it was enough to send the woman slipping into a strange semi-pirouette only to fall off the dock with a shriek into the mud and silt below.
Liana sat there blinking in a stupefied manner for a few seconds before bowing her head and groaning. The Rapidash had already snickered at its prank and walked off. Pikachu, Meowth and Wigglytuff came hurrying down the dock to see if she was alright, only to giggle amongst themselves at the mud-girl before them.
"Yeah thanks a lot guys, just what I needed a mud pack!" Liana bit her own lip in embarrassed amusement before shaking her head, "Look at me, I'm filthy! I smell worse than a Grimer!"
~As derogatory to Pokémon as that is. I would have to agree. You look and smell atrocious. ~ A distinctly familiar and slightly hardened voice made the four stop laughing and turn.
Mewtwo had approached them without any of them knowing. His eyes were as hard as chipped ice as he glanced at them all.
~This human is a servant. She is not a companion of any kind so do not treat her as such. As for you,~ he turned on Liana, ~your usefulness is severely limited, it would be beneficial to your pathetic existence if you did as you were told and stayed out of trouble.~
The clones looked properly shamed, though they did not leave Liana's side. Liana sat until Mewtwo had turned his back before trying to drag herself out of the clinging mud. His voice stopped her in her tracks.
~Girl, you will pollute the castle with that stench. Go and bathe yourself.~ he disappeared once more.
Liana's entire being sighed in happiness at the prospect of a bath. And she was pretty damn sure than her hair and skin had somehow cried a celebratory 'yippee!'
"You know I think that Rapidash actually did me a favour pushing me in here," she smiled at the other three who were relaxed again, "now I can actually get clean."
Liana opened her eyes slowly, her vision bleary from sleep. She had spent most of the evening chatting with the Meowth and being shown round New Island by him. By far he seemed the friendliest of the clones on the island. Though Meowth had tried to introduce her to a few of the others, they just weren't interested. The clone Pikachu had offered a polite paw after some coaxing from Meowth but the others only offered verbal abuse or turned-tail on her, in what she supposed was the visual equivalent of 'fuck you', pleasant lot they were. After such a lovely evening she had decided perhaps sleep was best, somewhere out of the reach of the sneering clones however.
It had taken the girl a good hour or so to find a half decent spot. She knew from the outset that despite the luxurious rooms she'd seen dotted about the upper levels of the palace, she wouldn't be permitted to sleep there by Himself. So she had merely rooted around a store cupboard Meowth had kindly shown her, grabbed a few necessities along with a pillow and blanket, and tried to find the softest piece of ground she could.
Liana rolled over and went to close her eyes once more when she felt something kick her none too gently in the stomach. She screwed her eyes shut and growled, trying to push away the offending appendage only to be met with a louder growl than her own from the foot's owner.
~Get up girl, I'm not keeping you alive just so you can sleep!~ Mewtwo's voice, cold and condescending, filtered into her sleep addled brain.
Liana's eyes popped open once more and she sat up, glaring at her captor. He glared right back before turning and stalking off, calling back to her. ~Hurry up and make yourself presentable, your chores start today.~
Liana pulled a face at his tone of voice and began wrestling herself out of the blanket bed she'd made. Well good morning to you too star shine! She thought sarcastically, not really caring if the psychic monstrosity heard her or not.
She pulled herself off the floor and stretched her hands up towards the ceiling, the bones in her back giving a springy 'crack' at the motion. With a tongue-curling yawn the young woman smoothed down her clothes and hair as best she could, pulled on her boots and then trudged in the direction that Mewtwo had gone. Let the torture begin!
Meowth had been napping on a soft window seat down one of the hallways of the New Island fortress. He was disturbed from his restful slumber in the early morning sunshine by the sound of padded footfalls passing by. He looked up in time to see Mewtwo pass him, the cat tilted his head and stretched his claws a little into the plush fabric out of habit as he heard more footfalls. These ones decidedly heavier and had a definite shuffle to them.
The cat Pokémon grinned at the sight Liana made: Head bowed, angrily muttering as she trudged along after Meowth's master. Her red curls were an absolute mess of sleep tossed hair, her clothing was distinctly rumpled and to complete the look she had dark circles under her eyes and a scowl on her face. She could scare a Gengar! Meowth chuckled to himself as he leapt off the window seat to trot beside her.
"Not a morning person I trust?" he teased her with a fanged smile, only to bite his lip as she turned her glare onto him. Thankfully it softened a little after a few seconds.
"You have no idea."
"Rough night?"
"You ever tried sleeping on these floors? It makes you ache." She groaned, before adding in a sly undertone "I also had this bizarre dream. I was innocently minding my own business when a mad, arrogant son-of-a-bitch descended from the sky and kidnapped me to make me his slave."
Meowth was hard pressed to keep a straight face. She was a bold one, and she had a sense of humour, sarcastic as it was. None of Mewtwo's previous servants had possessed any humour. They'd either been rude and crass or so terrified for their lives they'd skittered away when any clone came close.
It seemed they had been so caught up in their conversation they hadn't noticed Mewtwo had stopped to listen and nearly ran into him. He glared at the girl, and Meowth gulped slightly. Not again.
~Wench, hold your tongue or I shall remove it.~ Mewtwo hissed dangerously low into Liana's ear before carrying on.
Meowth heard Liana mutter something that sounded like 'Lord of Borg' whatever that meant.
Liana sighed and rolled her eyes. Really she should be a little more subservient and simpering towards the Pokémon who currently had her rather fragile existence in his less than ethical claws. However to be perfectly honest her fear was overridden by the fact that she was tired, sore, grumpy, and in want of a damn good bath and a half decent meal.
Liana paused when she realised they were back in the entrance hall. Her brain, still not quite awake yet, thought hopefully for a moment that Mewtwo would fling open the doors and tell her to be on her way… no such luck! Instead Mewtwo waved his paw to indicate a mop and a pail full of soapy water.
~You will clean the entrance hall top to bottom, it is getting dirty. When you are finished you can start on the other rooms. ~
With that said the psychic Pokémon teleported from the entrance hall, leaving Liana to gape at the size of the room she had to clean.
***
"I take it back, he can be as bad as he seems!" Liana bemoaned to her companions later that day.
It was late in the afternoon and over the course of several dull and rather back-breaking hours Liana had cleaned the entrance hall, the library, two smaller rooms and a balcony. Over the course of those same hours she had gained a small audience too. Most of the clones that passed her only did so to call out a sarcastic comment her way or to mischievously try and knock over her bucket of water (she had quickly learnt to keep it out of harms way). However the ever faithful Meowth had bought two friends to watch her progress: the polite but reluctant Pikachu and a rather motherly Wigglytuff that Liana hadn't been introduced to last night.
The Wigglytuff had proven to be just as sweet natured as Meowth. She would hum a melody or chatter politely to her companions. She even scolded a few of the more rambunctious clones who tried to make things harder for Liana. Liana honestly didn't know why but the Pokémon had taken a liking to her, and had obviously taken it upon herself to keep the girl from suffering unduly during her time as servant.
"Time to eat I think," Wigglytuff proclaimed seeing the slightly strained look on Liana's face, "can't exactly clean these rooms if you don't even have the energy to stand." She tsked in an amusing manner before leaving to collect some food.
The veritable mother-hen was back shortly with some fruit for herself and her two fellow clones, as well as some more fruit, bread, cheese and a skin of water for Liana.
Liana smiled at Wigglytuff and plopped down onto a nearby chair gratefully accepting the food and drink. She tuned out of the three's small talk as she opted for staring out of one of the large windows. Liana polished off an apple before smearing cheese onto the bread with her pocket knife and chewing peacefully. Thank goodness these three are friendly enough. I don't think I'd be able to face this ordeal totally alone.
Standing and stretching Liana excused herself from her company and walked outside. She really wanted some fresh air. Once outside she took in the view of the imposing structure again. It was rather magnificent, though too big for her tastes. The island was basically a mass of rock. If she had created this place she'd have had to make sure there was grass and flowers, maybe some small shrubs, the plain rock was somewhat depressing.
Picking her way down towards the dock Liana didn't notice the Rapidash following her. She didn't notice it sneaking rather stealthily behind her either; until it minced into place at her back and then butted her. It wasn't particularly malicious, but it was enough to send the woman slipping into a strange semi-pirouette only to fall off the dock with a shriek into the mud and silt below.
Liana sat there blinking in a stupefied manner for a few seconds before bowing her head and groaning. The Rapidash had already snickered at its prank and walked off. Pikachu, Meowth and Wigglytuff came hurrying down the dock to see if she was alright, only to giggle amongst themselves at the mud-girl before them.
"Yeah thanks a lot guys, just what I needed a mud pack!" Liana bit her own lip in embarrassed amusement before shaking her head, "Look at me, I'm filthy! I smell worse than a Grimer!"
~As derogatory to Pokémon as that is. I would have to agree. You look and smell atrocious. ~ A distinctly familiar and slightly hardened voice made the four stop laughing and turn.
Mewtwo had approached them without any of them knowing. His eyes were as hard as chipped ice as he glanced at them all.
~This human is a servant. She is not a companion of any kind so do not treat her as such. As for you,~ he turned on Liana, ~your usefulness is severely limited, it would be beneficial to your pathetic existence if you did as you were told and stayed out of trouble.~
The clones looked properly shamed, though they did not leave Liana's side. Liana sat until Mewtwo had turned his back before trying to drag herself out of the clinging mud. His voice stopped her in her tracks.
~Girl, you will pollute the castle with that stench. Go and bathe yourself.~ he disappeared once more.
Liana's entire being sighed in happiness at the prospect of a bath. And she was pretty damn sure than her hair and skin had somehow cried a celebratory 'yippee!'
"You know I think that Rapidash actually did me a favour pushing me in here," she smiled at the other three who were relaxed again, "now I can actually get clean."