With the elevator opening almost as soon as Wicke was finished warning him, Jason was surprised, happy, and a tad nervous to find Lillie standing directly in front of it in a sleeveless white gown with sheer, pale-blue lace trim around the hem and collar.
"You're late," Lillie stated flatly, sporting a smile that didn't quite reach her narrowed green eyes. Fortunately, instead of glowering at Jason, her gaze was directed at Wicke.
Cupping her right cheek and feigning conflict, Wicke justified the delay, explaining, "The weather outside is quite cold, so I thought that I might help Jason warm himself and ease his tensions by providing him a tour of the first floor's facilities."
"Helping him warm himself, was it...?" asked Lillie, stepping toward Jason, closing her eyes, and sniffing the air around him.
"It's good to see you again, Lillie..." Jason interjected, interrupting Lillie's probing and compelling her to stare at him as he smiled and expressed, "I really missed you..." with every ounce of sincerity he could muster.
"Your delayed arrival would imply otherwise, but I suppose I can forgive you this once..." Lillie countered, her tone terse but her green eyes full of emotion. Jason felt compelled to step forward and place his hands on her slender waist, but while she permitted it, she continued exuding the air of a proper, sophisticated lady as she reminded, "There is a time and a place for such things..."
"You're one hundred percent correct..." Jason affirmed, planting a quick kiss on Lillie's left cheek before releasing her. His interaction with Wicke had thrown him off a bit, but as the person who had originally suggested that they reserve intimate acts for after dark and before the sun came up, Jason promptly reoriented both externally and internally.
"Very good," Lillie affirmed with a nod. Then, turning around, prompting Jason and Wicke to follow, she began leading the way to their reserved suite while explaining, "I have also missed you dearly, but our time apart has given me an abundance of time to contemplate what I need to do as your partner and future wife. To that end, I requested Mother to arrange a meeting between you and someone of great power and import—someone who can serve as the League's representative in Alola..."
"Can I ask who they are, or is your goal to surprise me...?" asked Jason, his curiosity piqued. Since he had shared what he knew with the League, he could think of several candidates to fill the position Lillie was alluding to—including her own brother. However, as it wouldn't make much sense for Lusamine to arrange a meeting between him and her own son, the first person that came to mind was Hilda, Bianca's former companion, who had helped to unravel Team Plasma's schemes before joining the International Police as a Special Operations Captain.
"I could tell you, but I believe it would be more enjoyable to see the look on your face when you realize who they are..." Lillie responded, glancing back at Jason with a playful smile.
'In other words, it's either a man or someone with a modest bust...' Jason concluded, confident in his assumption based on Lillie's understanding of his preferences. It was no secret that he had a deep fondness for women with large breasts, so if the person in question were Cynthia, for example, Lillie's smile would be more triumphant than mischievous.
"I might have told you, had you arrived on time. Now, you will have to wait and see for yourself," Lillie hummed, facing forward and all but confirming Jason's suspicions.
'Just who could it be...?' Jason wondered, following behind Lillie as she turned right past a common area adorned with a large fountain set with a Vaporeon and other Water-type Pokémon. There, at the end of a white-marble, gold-lined hallway, was a pair of ornate, heavy-looking doors with the symbol of the Aether Foundation embossed on their front.
fuwah
Despite being several centimeters thick, Lillie had no trouble pushing open the double doors to reveal a lavishly decorated entrance hall with two sets of curved, gold-adorned, white marble stairs. Hanging from the ceiling was a massive crystal chandelier, but Jason's gaze was drawn to the figure standing on the circular, golden-rail-lined landing at the top of the stairs, where a familiar figure awaited.
"Ah, Jason! I was wondering when you would arrive! Had I known it might delay you, I would have requested the city administrators use Sunny Day to ensure your safe and timely passage~!" pealed Lusamine, posing like a stage actress with her left hand extended and her right hand to the center of her chest. Notably, in place of her usual white-and-gold dress, she was wearing a flowing white gown and had her hair tied up in a loose bun, with sloped bangs framing the right side of her face.
Seeing that both Lillie and Lusamine were modeling gowns, the faint but ever-present dread that Jason had been experiencing ever since he first touched down in Wyndon intensified. Wicke had told him to mentally and physically prepare himself, but if they intended to have him attend a gala that very evening, he was severely underprepared.
Preempting Jason's response, Lusamine abruptly used the railing before her as a springboard, grasping it with her right hand before flipping twice through the air and landing gracefully with her gown spreading across the floor like a white, gold-tinted flower in bloom. Then, rising to her feet, she moved confidently and with purpose toward Jason, causing him to feel as if the open doors behind him were closed and bolted shut.
"Mother, need I remind you that we have a prior commitment? Please do not get carried away..." Lillie interposed, interrupting Lusamine's confident stride before she could approach, hook her leg around Jason, and pull him into a deep, assertive kiss.
"Oh? Is my darling, beloved daughter erecting boundaries to hinder her own mother~?" Lusamine asked, looking more ecstatic than hurt as she glanced at Lillie with an appreciative smile and shimmering, almost neon-green eyes. She still viewed Lillie as her precious baby girl, but it filled her with glee to see her daughter asserting herself.
Shifting her target to Lillie, Lusamine moved like a white and gold blur to pick her daughter up and hug her tightly, pealing, "Aaaah! My baby girl is growing into such an outstanding young lady~!
"M-Mother! Please compose yourself! Right this instant!" Lillie cried, her face flushing crimson as Lusamine continued hugging and affectionately cuddling her without an ounce of moderation. Meanwhile, Jason observed the scene with a mix of relief and fondness. Lusamine clearly cared about Lillie deeply, so while he sympathized with the latter's embarrassment, he couldn't help feeling happy for her—along with a smidge of melancholy at the fact his own mother figure was enduring challenges unknown...
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After gushing over her daughter for several minutes, Lusamine, sporting a bright red handprint on her left cheek, directed a curious glance at Jason and questioned, "Just how long has it been since we last encountered one another face-to-face? Your face is the same, but your height and build are more...refined..."
Making no effort to conceal her appreciation, Lusamine overly scanned Jason's body from head to toe while extending her right hand to caress his left pectoral, shoulder, and bicep. She personally preferred men with a softer, more cuddly appearance, but she wasn't incapable of appreciating the aesthetic of Jason's increasingly sculpted figure. His broad shoulders and muscular arms gave the impression he could support and manipulate her body as he pleased. And since she had a developing understanding of how that might prove beneficial, she felt a mix of expectation and tingling warmth pervade her lower abdomen and rise through her chest...
Choosing his words carefully, Jason responded, "You've also changed. It might be because you share similarities with Lillie, but you feel even more beautiful as my love for her has grown..."
"So I'm beautiful because I share similarities with my daughter...?" asked Lusamine, smiling mischievously as she appended, "Though, I can't say I mind being compared to a younger woman..."
As Jason opened his mouth to respond, Lusamine promptly silenced him by stepping forward and smoothly slipping her tongue into his mouth. Her proactiveness briefly caught him off guard, but as she grabbed his biceps with surprising strength, he dutifully bent his elbows to hold her waist and follow her lead.
Making it clear it wasn't a matter up for discussion, Lusamine eventually retracted her lips from Jason to inform him, "Be sure to get plenty of rest before this evening. You shall be attending to my daughter and me, and I expect your performance to have improved since our past encounter. You shan't disappoint me..."
Though he was a little taken aback by Lusamine's assertiveness, Jason ultimately nodded and responded, "I understand..." before glancing to his right and meeting Lillie's gaze. In a world that functioned according to his common sense, the younger blonde would have been furious or sickened by what she had just seen and heard. Instead, while she averted her eyes to avoid his, Lillie's practically luminous cheeks and the way she grabbed at the front of her gown suggested she was equal parts embarrassed and looking forward to the day's conclusion...
'I guess this is my life now...' Jason accepted, nodding several more times in response to things Lusamine was saying. She had a knack for managing the momentum of a conversation, so as Wicke was instructed to leave and prepare for their departure within the hour, he and Lillie found themselves trailing silently and attentively behind her as she led the way to the lavish drawing room where the prospective representative of the Alola Pokémon League awaited their arrival...
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"Ugh...this is so boring. Just how much longer are they planning to make me wait...?" groaned a young woman with a healthy brown complexion, a head of voluminous, slightly spiky purple hair, and red-brown eyes that were currently narrowed, half-lidded from boredom. It had been nearly an hour since Lusamine and Lillie left to meet with the person she was there to be introduced to, so while she started off sitting upright with her hands folded atop her lap, she was currently lounging lazily atop an ivory-white, chaise-style lounge with a gold leaf facade.
kacha
"And here we are~" hummed Lusamine, pushing open the double doors to the room without notice.
Startling to a seated position, the dark-skinned girl, flustered, shouted, "H-Hey! Haven't you ever heard of knocking...!?" with furrowed brows and cheeks flushed from embarrassment.
"Oh? Was the Champion, perhaps, enjoying a short nap? If you were tired, there are ample rooms for you to rest in~" remarked Lusamine, raising her right brows and crossing her arms with a playful, amused smile.
"Alright, that's enough from you, Mother. Jason and I will handle things from here..." Lillie interjected, her cheeks still a bit ruddy from before but her expression and tone firm.
As Lillie and Lusamine had themselves a quick back-and-forth, Jason's gaze naturally met that of the dark-skinned girl's, recognition reflected in their respective eyes. On his end, even without Lusamine addressing the girl as Champion, Jason recognized the girl's distinctive features, her pink-and-white, kimono-esque battle ensemble, and the pointed, ear-like crown she was wearing as traits of the current Unova League Champion, Iris Dragernes. On the other, Iris had read the League's dossier on him as a person of interest and a denizen from another world.
Though it was brief, it didn't escape Jason's notice that Iris's eyes subtly widened before she spontaneously struck a dynamic pose with her right foot slamming atop the coffee table before her, her right hand, partially concealed in a billowing sleeve, flaring outward, and the transparent pink sash she was wearing around her shoulders swaying almost weightlessly as she shouted, "You must be Jason Springfield, the mysterious man who brings ill-tidings to our world from another! Behold! And fear not! For you now stand before the beautiful and infinitely magnanimous Iris, Master of Dragons!"
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