Experimenting with a Cat

Phero shook the water off of herself quickly, then peaked out from behind her perfume bottle to see how the battle was going. Cheshire had cleaned up a lot of viruses already and, more interestingly, also seemed to have the ability to summon a field of flowers, just like Phero's own. Well, not quite so... she'd never seen exploding flowers before. That aside, it looked like Cheshire had the same idea of what to do with the grassy field as Dharma herself had pitched originally.

"It's safe to begin an assault now, Phero. I'm uploading you several chips now. Help Cheshire out so that this takes no longer than it needs to," Dharma instructed her navi, slotting through three chips quickly.

"And then we can go to the bathhouse, right?" Phero asked optimistically, pushing her fingers together anxiously like a nervous child would.

"It sort of depends on how much your actions frustrate me. Most matters concerning your existence do," the operator responded coldly, resting pacing the deck as she spoke.

Phero gulped, although ridiculously, she was more concerned about the bathhouse being denied to her than she was about the prospect of actually being erased for a new navi. "Alright... I'll do a good job here so that I can relax later! Now let's test out that new chip," she continued with a smile, raising both hands to summon her TankCannon. Of course, Phero had no idea what a tank cannon really was and was thus surprised when a huge, clunky nozzle engulfed both forearms, dragging them down with the weight. "It's so heavy," she huffed, trembling as she raised the weapon.

"Do you see what that is? It's a launcher filled with explosive chemicals. The weight will help remind you what a serious thing you're doing, so that you aren't fantasizing about cats in bathtubs while you should be focusing on vital experiments," the president informed her, inspecting her nails meticulously as she explained.

The navi nodded, now the image of Cheshire and her sharing a bath was more firmly rooted in her mind than ever. Thus fueled, she managed to line up the shot easily, but she was still taken back by the recoil, which nearly knocked her off her feet as she fired off the batch. "A-Alright... now another pounce," she murmured, trying to steady herself. Phero felt like she'd be lucky if she could walk, let alone pounce effectively.

But pounce she did, gunning towards one of the shelled viruses she'd just aimed at. Reaching out with a fuzzy bear claw, she attempted to scoop it up and throw it at one of its friends. Would such an attack really be effective? She couldn't help but imagine that their shells would keep them well protected... which reminded her: they might retaliate. As a last measure, she sprayed out a vertical arc of goop, which solidified mid-air into a dry, purplish-pink shield.

She pressed her face into it again in order to hide her smile as more airborne chemicals flooded out from her body, moving in their constant arc towards Cheshire, as usual.

Phero
1) TankCannon1 @ ShellgeekB and surrounding [80 damage shot, C accuracy + blast 2]
2) RageClaw1 @ ShellgeekA into ShellgeekC [20 + 20 melee damage, B accuracy + impact]
3) Guard1 up [1 hit shield + reflect up to 60 null in piercing, line, S accuracy attack]
*) Bug subtype Hack @ Cheshire [glitch]

RemoteBit
1) Attack NautilusB [80 elec, B accuracy + panel break]
Cheshire shivered in her seat atop the totem as the sweet-smelling mist drew closer around her, choking her senses and filling her mind with decidedly less-than-innocent thoughts of her partner. "N-not again," she murmured through gritted teeth, clutching her arms to her shoulders and drawing her knees to her chest, trying desperately to contain what she felt building up inside her.

"Sister... I'm not sure I'm much good to Phero like this." She managed to force a laugh, trying her best to ignore the heat suffusing her skin or the way her breath ever-so-faintly fogged in the air before her.

"You've worked through worse, Sister. Focus. Phero is still in trouble." Silently, Iris noted that she was beginning to notice a theme with these compounds Phero and her operator were applying. Just what kind of 'wonder drug' were they going for, to land them with several aphrodisiacs along the way?

"What!?" Cheshire spun onto all fours, watching from her perch as the cowardly fish hit her with a painful-looking spray of pressurized water. Her temper flared; here she was sitting here fantasizing when her partner was getting picked on! She staggered to her feet, trying to ignore just how aware she had become of the silk against her skin. Vivid red flames burst from her palms, licking harmlessly at her arms as they flowed up past her elbows.

"Keep at it with the whole burning thing! You're doing great!" She ducked down to pat the Totem's flat, uncarved head before leaping from her perch. The Totem simply rumbled in the ground as it turned, preparing to carry out her orders.

Cheshire, meanwhile, raced for the Shellgeeks on all fours, the same flames coating her shins and flowing through the air behind her like a banner. With a roar and a leap, she pounced, spinning slowly in the air and bringing one powerful, flame-wreathed leg around to strike at the first offender. She didn't stop to think that she might be more vulnerable to the attacks of these viruses as she was -- they'd hurt her partner, and that was all she needed. Think any deeper than that, and she was bound to start wondering about the way Phero's damp clothes clung to her body, or... Oh, damnit.

Her next stroke, a bold lash with her silken arm momentarily shifted into the shape of a great beast's claw, lacked focus -- desperate to collect her thoughts, she fought blindly, thinking that keeping her mind distracted in this way might help her to find her equilibrium again. Of course, this was easier said than done, and she found her eyes wandering toward Phero as she engaged three newly-vulnerable viruses... in a pounce, no less. Cheshire's dark skin flushed a vivid red. She was completely fixated on the way her partner moved. Forgetting to check whether she'd managed to finish off her own quarry, she started after the girl in a full run, holding her silk arm out behind her as wicked glowing claws burst from her fingertips.

She leapt in after Phero, a gleeful smile on her face beneath her hard blush, her claws flashing through the air at their shared prey. Her partner had fallen back, raising a dubious-looking shield before herself, but Cheshire didn't mind finishing what she'd started -- the sooner they finished, the sooner her and Phero could get into a bath together. In her current state, Cheshire found the prospect very enticing.

After a couple of swings she drew her claws back in and fell back herself, taking a cautious position near Phero. She glanced up at her ally, her eyes perhaps lingering more than normal. Oh? Was she still hurt? Cheshire drew in closer, her eyes fixed on Phero's. "... You're hurt," she noted, vainly hoping that Phero hadn't noticed her flushed skin. "Here, let me..." She placed her hands on Phero's shoulders with a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to focus, mingling her program oh-so-subtly with Phero's and directing it to the pressure burns on her skin...

... Only to feel a wave of heat overtake her and collapse forward, wrapping her arms around Phero for support. She pulled back slowly, gazing at Phero with a strange mix of emotions in her eyes -- and darted forward, her lips pressing gently against her partner's in a soft kiss. Her eyes narrowed to slits in a quiet smile.

░▒▓█▐└┬╢ACTIONS╟┬┘▌█▓▒░
    High Gear - 10% Evasion Bonus!
    Guttermind! Better dodge, worse accuracy!
    Hot n' Heavy! Temporary Fire-element!

    Tick - Take Aim
    [li]FireHit1 - NautilusC [60+15 Fire | Impact | Double | [color=#E62020]A[/color]]
    [li]FireHit1 - NautilusB [60+15 Fire | Impact | [i]Double[/i] | B]
    Tick - Move to Shellgeek group
    [li]BambooSword - ShellgeekA, ShellgeekB, ShellgeekC [80 Wood | Slashing | Wide | B] [3!]
  • BambooSword - ShellgeekA, ShellgeekB, ShellgeekC [80 Wood | Slashing | Wide | B] [2!]
    Little Shadow - Phero [Heal 15]

    Totem - SnakeArmA [100 Fire | Spread 2 | A] [2!]

[HEYA!]
[HOYA!]
[HOCHA!] (Which is MODLOCK! in Twi-ese)

Phero starts out by using FOURTH WALL to determine that Aim wouldn't delete her, he'd just shelve her! Er, wait. Sorry, let's try that over. Just ignore this bit.






Phero starts out by using a Tankcannon to take a potshot at the Shellgeeks! She manages to get two of them with the blast, but the third has gotten all hard on her again! Realizing that trying to attack the third one with its' comrade would be useless, Phero hurls the confused Shellgeek at the last SnakeArm-- Which is pegged right before it can dip underground, damaging it and the Shellgeek alike.

Of course, being at 20 HP, this kills the Shellgeek.

Lastly, Phero pulls up a guard JUST AS THE SNAKEARM, enraged, leaps out of the ground behind her to try and attack! Phero whirls, poison-y, er, chemical-y guard spinning with her, and just manages to block the SnakeArm as it tries in vain to recoil out of the leaping attack it started. The beam attack that results fires straight through the SnakeArm and over to its' two friends, the Nautiluses, which have their bubbles, er, popped. Enraged, they retaliate with Aquatowers--

--right as Cheshire leaps in and deletes them both with a pair of Firehit swipes. Phero dodges out of the way of one Aquatower, but the second curves at the last moment, catching her in a gush of fluid! (20) And thoroughly dousing her clothes. Afterward, Cheshire saunters over and plants a kiss on Phero's lips...

...And then finds she cannot remove her lips! They are stuck! It's sloppy makeout purgatory all over again!!!!!!!

-- ENEMIES --
SnakeArm A: 90 [Burrowing under Grass]
SnakeArm B: DELETED
Shellgeek A: DELETED
Shellgeek B: DELETED
Shellgeek C: 100 [Grass] [Ironbody]
Elmperor A: DELETED
Elmperor B: DELETED
Elmperor C: DELETED
Nautilus A: DELETED
Nautilus B: DELETED
Nautilus C: DELETED SO HARD I ACCIDENTALLY ERASED IT FROM THE LIST (Whoops)

-- ALLIES --
Phero.EXE: 90 HP [Grass] [Liplocked to Cheshire]
Cheshire.EXE: 160 HP [Grass] [Liplocked to Phero]
- "Gutter" Mind [Improved Dodge (+15%) / Lowered Accuracy (-15%)]
- Hot n' Heavy [Change Navi Element: Fire]
- Stuck on You! [Cheshire sticks to anything she touches, however she touches it]
RemoteBit: 100 HP
Totem: 100 HP

-- TERRAIN --
15% Lava (patches near sea)
10% Sand (scattered)
40% Grass (main bulk of area)
10% Normal (scattered)
25% Sea (to the right)
Cheshire was being pretty invasive of Phero's personal space, but she saw no reason to complain if her ally wanted another hug. Hugs were getting to be Phero's expected reward for a job well done nowadays. What she hadn't expected was a kiss, to which she had no idea how to appropriately respond. She kept one arm awkwardly at her side and clenched onto her barrier with the other, glancing all around herself with a vaguely guilty feeling. The feeling sprang from the fact that Cheshire seemed to be going at the gesture with some intensity, but she had no idea how to reciprocate it. Awkwardly, she tried to move her lips in the same exploratory technique that Cheshire had displayed...

Only, it turned out that her lips wouldn't really move at all. For that matter, she couldn't even retract them! Some force had glued them together.

"My my, that's quite a kiss. I keep expecting one of them to break and neither of them will! Fascinating..." Dharma mused, covering her mouth with one hand. Alarmed and feeling increasingly guilty, Phero tried to pull herself free for modesty's sake, but it was useless. "Phillip, what do you make of this?" the president asked, calling him back over. After looking at the PET for a moment, he withdrew back to the spot where he'd been, coughing madly.

Phero wanted to say something, but couldn't get her mouth free to do so. Was it awkward for her to try to break it up? Maybe Cheshire was actually holding her there intentionally. Suspecting this might be the case, she tried to reciprocate Cheshire's hug and closed her own eyes out of embarrassment, not wanting to compound the situation by seeing her partner's reaction. Pheromones continued to spurt out as she haplessly rolled with the situation.

The thundercloud floating overhead continued to provide support as Phero was thus incapacitated, firing lightning bolts down on the remaining enemies. Trying to do whatever she could, Phero loaded up a few guns and pointed one arm outward, firing off various explodey and burny chemicals towards the SnakeArm. It had to come out eventually for her to hit, whether it be to attack or if it could just be thrown out of the earth by her partner or herself.

Phero
*) Bug subtype Hack @ Cheshire [glitch]
1) Try to learn how to make out
2) Shotgun @ SnakeArmA
3) Heatshot @ SnakeArmA

RemoteBit
1) Attack burrowed SnakeArmA [80 elec, B accuracy + panel break]
Cheshire chuckled softly into Phero's lips, feeling the girl's body tense in her gentle grip. "You're so cute," she muttered in a muffled purr, either failing to recognize Phero's discomfort or simply not caring. In her current state, the taste and texture of Phero's lips was all that mattered to her -- to the point that she didn't even notice the effects of this new glitch

Thankfully, Cheshire's operator was a little more even-headed. "Sister," she began, sounding remarkably unperturbed by the other woman's rather enthusiastic attentions. "You still have prey to hunt."

Cheshire, unmoved, held Phero's soaked form tightly to her chest. "Forget those," she rebuked over the private channel. "I've got something much more interesting here, in case you haven't noticed." She playfully nibbled on the girl's bottom lip as if to illustrate the point, her sharp teeth thankfully gentle enough not to break skin.

"You'd rather be interrupted right in the middle of things? With an arrow through your back, no less?" The woman calmly selected a single chip from those she had arranged on the desk before her, slotting it in with the air of someone who already knows what's going to happen.

"Ehh... I guess. There's only two of them left, right? This should be quick." She was glad that one didn't need to use their lips to speak privately with their Operator; while the two held their discussion, most of the girl's attentions had remained concerned with her partner's body. Slowly and regretfully, she drew back, sucking longingly on Phero's bottom lip as they parted --

Until a force that felt something like strong magnetism pulled them right back together again with a soft smack. Cheshire, wide-eyed, was caught by surprise for the first time since she and Phero met. "Thoughts, Sister?" she gloated upon finding her equilibrium again, returning to the kiss with ardour. Iris remained silent, but Cheshire figured she had a good idea of what she'd say anyway... and fun as this was, she was right enough.

She slowly opened one eye, surveying the surrounding area as best she could while so distracted. The faint motion of the grass stood out plainly to her sight -- one had to do a little more than bury oneself to hide from Cheshire. While her right arm was held fast against Phero's narrow back, her left arm was thankfully free for the time being. She held her palm out toward the disturbance travelling through the thick field, the surrounding grass shaking sympathetically before spontaneously erupting in flames.

That was one taken care of. Now the only obstacle left was the shelled creature hiding innocently enough nearby. She doubted it'd stay that way, though -- she'd need to crack that shell to make sure it didn't interrupt their time together. "Hold on tight," she purred to Phero, her left arm crossing around her waist to join her right... although it crept a great deal lower, instead grasping a generous handful of Phero's behind.

There was more to this than the girl's not-quite-newfound interest in her partner, though. Without warning, the two of them began to descend into the ground at their feet, broad ribbons of black silk erupting from the ground and wrapping around them to pull them in. There was nothing in the space they descended to; no dirt, but no light, and no heat or cold. While Cheshire seemed unperturbed, she was quietly thankful that this wasn't their stop. Back in the tangible world, scarcely a second had passed before the same great ribbons rose from the ground in a different spot, forming a great, wickedly sharp spike primed to spear anything above. When it unfurled, there the two were, the same as before.

"That's better." Giving the girl in her arms a more-than-friendly squeeze, Cheshire allowed herself to forget everything else and devote her attentions entirely to her oh-so-captivating partner. And really, she wasn't too bad at it...

░▒▓█▐└┬╢ACTIONS╟┬┘▌█▓▒░
    High Gear - 10% Evasion Bonus!
    Guttermind! Better dodge, worse accuracy!
    Hot n' Heavy! Temporary Fire-element!
    Stuck On You! Ridiculous literal physical attraction!

    Tick - Take Aim
    [li]FireBurn1 - SnakeArmA, surrounding Grass terrain [70+15 Fire | Ground | Wide | [b]A[/b]]
    [li]Charging...
    [li]Soft Shock - Teleport near ShellGeekC
    ShellGeekC [50 | Break]
  • Smooch
    Little Shadow - Self [Heal 15]

    Totem1 - ShellGeekC, whatever the hell survives [100 Fire | Spread 2 | A] [LAST!]

Phero begins the turn by unleashing a sheer onslaught of attacks at the SnakeArm; the Shotgun misses, but her RemoBit breaks the panel it is burrowed in afterward, forcing it topside; the Heatshot afterward finally finishes it.

Afterwards, both navis remain locked together, so Cheshire takes things into her own hands. Literally, as Phero feels her butt being grabbed. The pair teleports near the Shellgeek and then, unable to dodge or even move, Cheshire obliterates it with a break attack.

The two enjoy another sloppy makeout with their backs (sides?) turned to the resulting explosion.

-- ENEMIES --
SnakeArm A: DELETED
SnakeArm B: DELETED
Shellgeek A: DELETED
Shellgeek B: DELETED
Shellgeek C: DELETED
Elmperor A: DELETED
Elmperor B: DELETED
Elmperor C: DELETED
Nautilus A: DELETED
Nautilus B: DELETED
Nautilus C: DELETED SO HARD I ACCIDENTALLY ERASED IT FROM THE LIST (Whoops)

-- ALLIES --
Phero.EXE: 90 HP [Grass] [Liplocked to Cheshire]
Cheshire.EXE: 160 HP [Grass] [Liplocked to Phero]
- "Gutter" Mind [Improved Dodge (+15%) / Lowered Accuracy (-15%)]
- Hot n' Heavy [Change Navi Element: Fire]
- Stuck on You! [Cheshire sticks to anything she touches, however she touches it]
RemoteBit: 100 HP
Totem: 100 HP

-- TERRAIN --
15% Lava (patches near sea)
10% Sand (scattered)
40% Grass (main bulk of area)
10% Normal (scattered)
25% Sea (to the right)

Glitches deactivated! Shhhh, don't tell Phero!

VICTORY! Rewards:

--Zenny--
Phero: 1700
Cheshire: 1700
--FXP--
Phero: 4 (base) + 6 (In-battle interaction)
Cheshire: 4 (base) + 7 (In-battle interaction) -1 (Grabass; real friends at least throw a grope in there!)
--Chips--
Phero: StarArrow1
Cheshire: BubbleWrap1
--Bugfrags--
Phero: YOU DON'T
Cheshire: HAVE ANY SPs
Phero barely noticed the viruses being destroyed as she remained liplocked with her partner, trying futilely to imitate all of Cheshire's makeout technique. She started somewhat as she felt her partners grasp move to her buttocks and then give a vigorous, full-fisted squeeze or two. What was the meaning of that again? Was it another adornment to the embrace she'd gotten used to? It was an area she hadn't really explored on Cheshire yet and that, thus far, her partners had all been rather hesitant to touch. She'd never seen any researchers touch each other there either... and the hand was getting pretty close to especially sensitive areas.

But, as far as the makeout was concerned, "monkey see, monkey do" was Phero's motto to live by. As such, she reached behind Cheshire and began clenching awkwardly at both cheeks, groping at the wet ribbons of her ally's swimsuit with the forcefulness of relative inexperience. Her hand momentarily brushed Cheshire's tail, just above her partner's butt. Was she supposed to grope that too? Not really knowing, she ran one hand across the base of her ally's tail experimentally.

Dharma was beginning to grow a little red-faced herself, feeling as though Phero was bypassing some kind of unspoken rule of how one should conduct oneself in the presence of a corporation president. "Well, I'm glad to see that the pheromones are working," she muttered, hoping to attribute Cheshire's attitude to her own chemicals and none of Phero's personality. "Hey! Do you hear me, Phero?! We've collected enough data for now!"

Snapping back into reality, Phero turned her head, realizing for the first time that she was allowed to do so again. "Oh! Of course," she responded, releasing Cheshire's butt and tail in a guilty manner. "Sorry to end our hug early, Cheshire. Perhaps we'll have more time to hug later?" she offered, realizing that her own breathing and perspiration had gone up as well. Maybe "hug" was no longer a proper identifier for what they were doing... "I know! I'm headed to the bath now, right? Let's plan to continue our hug when I meet up there. It'll be better than here on the beach, where we can be attacked by viruses," she offered. "Is that alright, Dharma?"

"Yes, of course. Although, don't look forward to any more spit-swapping. We have nothing to gain from you getting as intimate as you are with that navi," she grumbled, hard to hear over the sound of Phillip's newly-gained whooping cough.

"Spit-swapping?" Phero muttered in confusion, not understanding the term. This side of the conversation was unfortunately audible to her ally. "Is that what we were doing? I don't have any education related to it. I like it, though; it feels a little closer even than the hug! Have you ever performed a spit-swapping?"

"No! Presidents of major corporations don't swap spit! As if there's anyone in this miserable world worthy of my spit!" Dharma protested, growing more embarrassed as Phillip dropped to his knees due to the coughing brought on by his mental stimulation. "J-Just jack out for now! I'm jacking you out!"

Nodding, Phero backed up a bit to give Cheshire some space and waved quickly. "I'll see you at the bath," she concluded, then disappeared in a puff of pinkish-purple mist.
A faint chuckle rose from the woman's throat as her partner gave her earnest best to hold her own against Cheshire. Her technique was... well, sloppy. But there was something about her sheer enthusiasm that kept Cheshire from minding too much. In fact, she scarcely noticed that the glitch binding them together had lifted.

While she was feeling more or less in control of the situation, shaking her hips slowly from side to side to welcome her partner's clumsy groping, the girl soon did something else she hadn't expected. Her eyes flew open as Phero's hand tentatively gripped the base of her tail, an embarrassing gasp breaking the kiss momentarily. Her arms tightened around Phero's back, the closeness just barely failing to conceal a shiver that ran through the woman's body. She paused, looking into Phero's eyes with surprise before the expression softened into a quiet smile.

She stole one last peck at her lips as the two parted. "'Spit-swapping'? I take it your operator isn't enjoying the show," she purred, slowly releasing her partner from her grasp. She crossed her hands behind her head, so casually that it was difficult to believe anything had just happened. "If you're heading to the bathhouse... Check in with the front desk, yeah?" She nodded magnanimously. "I might be able to pull some strings..."

"Oh, my. Is this how field testing always ends?" Iris noted once Phero had gone, prompting an embarrassed grin from Cheshire. "I'm not sure if we hold quite enough sway with Mama-ji to get someone a VIP reservation with under an hour's notice, though."

"Mm? Don't worry about it." Cheshire tossed her hair, grinning up with mischief plain in her eyes. "Just get ready for work, alright?" She began to fade from sight, that enigmatic smile hanging in the air for just a second or two after the rest of her had gone.