Girls' Night Out(Song)

[KARP KARP!]

Holly stood on the pier, looking out over the lake. Just hours ago, this part of the city was jam-packed for a Grass Ice and Fire concert. The guitarist smiled at the mere thought of performing; the stage was her life. Even though the literal stage she'd performed on had been packed up and hauled off a while back with the rest of the equipment.

Jaws was swimming in the lake, doing flips and spurting water in the air every once in a while. Chelsea was in Holly's arms, being adorable. Flare lay near Holly, looking miserable as usual. She performed on stage...again. And all those people...they...saw her...

Though the rest of the band had gone, Holly knew one person was still there. The two of them always hung out after the show.

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish Maddie Gabriel Eight

Escapade City. A small-fry compared to the cites in Unova, but big enough to bring in a crowd. And what a crowd, and show, it had been. As usual, Gabriel's pyrotechnics and the ghosts' presences added her own slightly more subtle, creepy edge to the effects, not that Trish had even really noticed as she lost herself in the drumming.

The show was over, her lucky drumsticks in their proper condition, her ribbons of fate tucked away in their special box, and with a few of her chains and other extras put away. She was still looking a little odd, wearing a black T-shirt with a Gastly that allowed the long, blood-red sleeves of the shirt she was wearing under it to show through. Her black jeans had a few chains hooked to their belt loops, including one with a little silver skull hanging from it,and she was wearing both black sneakers and black gloves with red fingertips. Her hair was a bit of a mess, having just pulled it out of the pigtails for the show, but her makeup was intact, black surrounding her eyes and trailing down her cheeks, with her lips coloured to match.

Maddie shrieked and hurled herself right past Holly and over the pier into the water, the Mismagius phasing right through the surface. Trish, herself, took her time, still on a high from the music but not enough of one to rush. Gabriel was at her side, the calm, silent presence as always.

"Hey, Holly," Trish said as she got close, sparing a gloved hand to pat Chelsea, her calm voice carrying a little extra lightness than usual, "Some crowd today, huh girly?" Gabriel was looking at Maddie, who had phased back out of the water to 'take a breath' before diving back in; he sighed and shook his head.

[KARP KARP!]

Holly's bright red tank top and black skirt would have only slightly hinted that the girls were in the same band. While Trish was more...creepy, Holly was more cute and flashy, as shown by the combined effects of Jaws, Chelsea, and Flare.

Flare's pink eyes locked on the Ninetales. He was so...<3<3<3 As long as she could remember, the Albino Flareon had a crush on him. But she'd never gotten the guts to say anything to him about it. The poor girl's self-esteem got the best of her sometimes.

Jaws continued showing off for the girls, while Chelsea adored being petted.

"Amazing. As was the show, Sis. Happened to see part of your bit from the corner of my eye. We balance each other out nicely if I do say so myself."

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish chuckled softly, not even noticing that her Mismagius had started jumping in and out of the water like a dolphin. Maddie was just plain nuts, and Trish, at the very least, was immune to being surprised at this point. "We're yin and yang alright, girly," she said simply, a smile on her black-painted lips. She wouldn't point out that it was Holly's face on the signs the fans were waving, mostly because Trish didn't care.

Gabriel didn't really notice Flare looking at him at first, though after a moment his eyes did flicker to her, but he quickly looked back at Maddie out in the lake. He knew better then to face her or try to talk to her; he knew he looked strange and imposing with his black markings, and he'd hate to send Flare scurrying off in fright, especially so close to water.

Trish glanced back at the city, sighing a little. "Y'know, Nimbasa back home makes this place look puny." It was little more than an idle thought spoken aloud, really, perhaps with a trace of homesickness. It had been a while since she set foot in Unova, not that there was much there for her besides her parents and the lovely experience of occasionally finding Joltik in her underwear drawer.

[KARP KARP!]

"Well, they say opposites attract. And you are like, my best friend ever." Sure, it was Holly's face on the signs, but...well, Holly didn't think about it much. She was used to being the center of attention.

The Totodile continued showboating; no way some ghost was going to beat him at his own game!

Flare meanwhile, ducked behind Holly's leg when Gabriel looked at her. Oh how she wanted to say something. <Hi, Gabriel...> she called, though probably too soft to hear.

Holly laughed. "It's not the size, it's the energy," she said brightly.

[SongofWindchimes]

Opposites attract? Trish couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head at that. "I think it's more that you attract, girly." Normally perky girls like Holly just...Well, Trish couldn't say that they annoyed her or anything, since nothing really got under the drummer's skin, but they usually lived on an entirely different plane of existence that Trish didn't care to explore. But Holly was just that hard not to love to pieces; she wasn't just Trish's best friend, but pretty much her only one.

Gabriel might have heard Flare, if Maddie hadn't chosen that particular moment to pop up out of the water, twirl in the air with a loud, happy shriek, and phase back through; she was actually fairly oblivious to Jaw's existence, let alone his attempt to show her up. As it was, the Ninetales was just mentally beating himself up for scaring Flare and sending her hiding, and quite determined to not steal any more glances lest the poor girl take off running.

Trish chuckled a little. Energy? Oh, Nimbasa had energy. Probably a little too much. But she left the comment in her mind where it started. "Well, if those fans were any indication..." she said instead. One of the perks of using actual pokemon for the special effects was that it tended to discourage the crazies from trying to crawl on stage, but it didn't mean they weren't still there screaming their heads off and jostling eachother; it made Trish just a little afraid to get off stage at the end of all, though she knew they weren't there for her. She'd never admit it, though.

[KARP KARP!]

"Maybe, but I was talking about us. We couldn't be more different, and yet you're like a sister to me. " Holly gave a grin, looking back at Trish.

Jaws glared at Maddie, then shot straight up out of the water, somersaulting a few times as he used a Water Gun. Then, the Totodile landed in the water with a splash. <Beat THAT...>

Flare peeked out from behind Holly's leg, then slowly made her way over to Gabriel. <Uhm...Hi, Gabriel,> she said again, practically whispering she was so nervous.

Holly gave a laugh. "So true. So, wanna go out tonight? Maybe let me show ya the night life?"

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish smiled at that, icy eyes shining with an affectionate light few other people saw. She never fully understood why Holly liked her, and Trish wasn't normally quite as vocal about it as Holly was, but the perky girl was most definitely family to her. "We probably could. But I know what you're getting at. Love ya, too."

Maddie froze mid-jump, because she could do that, and blinked at Jaws, only just really realizing he was there. To their captive audience, meaning Gabriel, it seemed a testament to Jaws' general single-mindedness that he hadn't yet figured out that Maddie wasn't competing with him...or rather hadn't been competing with him as the case may be, since the Mismagius suddenly got a wicked, face-stretching grin and cackled.

Gabriel flicked an ear, this time having heard Flare, and carefully turned his head toward her, blood red eyes looking a little unsure. He was so terrified that she was going to bolt on him. "Hello, Flare..." he said softly, his deep-for-a-Ninetales voice something of a rumble, not seeing as Maddie split herself into several copies with Double Team and then leaped in and out of the water in a train of Mismagius copies that looked a bit like a sea serpent.

Trish quirked an eyebrow at the suggestion to go out, and small chuckle once again bubbled from her. "You know what? Why not?" She idly pulled her keystone necklace, a little fake Spiritomb keystone on a black chain, out from underneath her shirts and let it dangle outside her clothes; even Trish wasn't sure why she alternated between showing and hiding it anymore, just that now had seemed like a good time to show it. "I'm still buzzing from the show, and I can read those new books anytime. I could use a girls' night out."

After all, Trish was hardly a stranger to the nightlife, even if she wasn't quite good friends with it like Holly was. Or friends-with-benefits, as it often seemed, and Trish meant those words with love. If Trish went out, though, it was often alone, and often to places that catered more to her crowd than Holly's. The two of them out together could be fun.

[KARP KARP!]

"Maybe we could, but if people were to see us, not knowing who we are--as impossible as that may seem--they'd probably never guess that we're as close as we are."

Jaws glared at Maddie, diving deep under water, suddenly, a Waterfall erupted from the lake, the little Totodile launching out of the water. When the waterfall cleared, Jaws used Double Team, making it seem to rain Totodile as it fell back into the water.

Flare blushed, though she couldn't help but smile as her pink eyes locked on the...georgeous...stunning Ninetales before her. The albino Flareon was speechless. He said my name! <3<3<3

Chelsea continued being loved on. "Great! I know just the place. I'm going to go ahead and let you know, I'm sure people are going to be flocking for...you know, a night with me, but...Tonight is our night. Just you and me."

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish just smiled and nodded. She understood clearly, and she knew making some sort of odd comment, like she was tempted to, would make it seem like she didn't. Admittedly, even people who did know who they were were often surprised they got along so well, often because they were surprised that 'the drummer,' as she was generally referred to as, got along with anyone. Even people back home in Unova who knew Trish personally would be a little shocked at her choice in friendship.

Maddie had the very clear and obvious advantage of not needing anything to propel herself upward. Thus, she threw herself into the air, all her duplicates behind her in a train, and then spiraled back downward, letting out a cloud of glittering, multicoloured Magical Leaves that followed her down into the water again and then vanished when she phased through the surface, making her look like some sort of slow-moving, sparkling cyclone. The Mismagius was the closest thing Trish had to properly flashy, and she was showing it.

Gabriel shifted his weight uneasily at the stare. Flare wasn't saying anything...but she was still there...and she was smiling...so that was good, right? Then Maddie did her little stunt and his gaze snapped back out at the water. He shook his head. "They're going to hurt someone at this rate," he mumbled.

Ah, Holly being as humble as ever. Trish couldn't help but crack an odd sort of lopsided grin. "Girly, if people weren't throwing themselves at you, I'd be worried." She really would, too. Holly being a man (and occasional woman) magnet was just part of how the world worked at this point to Trish. "I feel kinda sorry for them all now." Grass Ice and Fire comes to Escapade City and Holly Marxx spends the whole evening with the straight, female drummer? That had to be a crime against something.

[KARP KARP!]

Jaws's eyes narrowed in anger as his Double Team faded. But the Totodile had one final trick up his sleeve. Diving yet again, he used an Aqua Jet to propel himself upwards, as high as he possibly could above the surface of the water. Once at the peak of his climb, he shot a Hydro Pump at the water to propel himself upwards even more as the impact splashed down. Then, he combined another somersault with a water gun as he fell downward, sprialing in a torrent of water. Then...he hit the water pretty hard. <Owwwwww....;-;> Okay...no more of that for now...

Flare blinked at Jaws's display. <That...that looks like it hurt...Poor little guy.> She awkwardly edged closer to Gabriel as they looked out on the lake.

Holly merely gave a laugh. "They'll get over it. So, ya ready?"

[SongofWindchimes]

Gabriel cringed. "That is exactly what I was worried about...Great Moltres, Madison..." He hadn't really realized that Flare was getting closer to him at all, merely twitching a few of his tails and looking a mixture of concerned and irritated at the pair of show-offs.

Maddie let her copies dissipate and floated over to Jaws. "I say you win, sweetie," she said with a, admittedly rather impressed, if a little crazy, smile.

Trish's grin faded to a her more common smirk. "Guess they'll have to, huh? Hard as it is." She stretched her arms arm up, rolled her shoulders, and then looked at one of her gloved hands, pondering it a moment. She pulled it off, then the other, revealing the pale hands and black-painted nails underneath, and tucked the gloves in her jean pocket.

And that was the most skin Trish was going to show tonight, unless she was nothing short of begged to push up her sleeve and show her arm tattoo to someone. And she wasn't going to go looking for one of her leather jackets, either. "Ready. You said you had a place in mind?"

[KARP KARP!]

Flare sighed. <Well, Jaws tends to think someone's competing with him, even though they're not....> At this point, Jaws had shaken it off and started swimming again. The Totodile looked at Maddie.

<Ow...I mean, thanks,> he said with a victorious smile.

Flare let out a sigh of relief. <Oh good, he's okay. Maybe one day he'll learn.> She edged ever so close as she spoke, hoping the Ninetales wouldn't notice. Flare liked this though, sitting on the shore with the Pokemon of her dreams...talking...

"Alright. Let me call back the Pokemon and we can go."

What? Go? No! Flare shot Holly a sad look as if to say, 'Please no...' But Chelsea and Jaws had been returned first, and she knew she was next. <Well...looks like we're leaving, Gabriel...Hope we can talk again soon. I--> Before she could finish speaking, Flare was back in her Pokeball. Oooh, so close...

[SongofWindchimes]

Gabriel blinked at the place Flare had just been standing, then looked at Holly with an odd look on his face. Seriously? Mid-sentence? Who did that?

With Jaws gone, there was an opening for Trish to grab Maddie's attention and wave her over, which she did before recalling her. Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, but didn't fight being pulled back into his own pokeball.

Feeling a bit naked without her pokemon, Trish momentarily considered putting her gloves back on, but she pushed the thought aside and looked out at the lights of the city. Well, this'll be interesting. "So," Trish said with another of her smirks, while gesturing for Holly to lead the way. "You gonna tell me about this place, or is this a 'wait and see' thing?"

[KARP KARP!]

Holly tended to be a little impatient, not exactly thinking that maybe Flare was going to tell Gabriel something very important. That is, if Flare had the guts to go through with it; though we'd never know now.

Holly looked back and grinned. "I was going to make you suffer and wait and see, but...before the show I scouted out the bars and clubs, and found this neat promising joint called the Black Espeon.

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish very nearly rolled her eyes. Of course you scouted the clubs. She was now left wondering how long Holly had been planning this little outing. "Well," she said, "The name's certainly got my attention." Throw 'black' 'dark' 'shadow' or 'night' into the name of something, and Trish was usually all over it like a school of Carvanha.

Trish kept her excitement in check, however, as she generally did, though there was a smile on her lips as she followed Holly. That smile would fade when there were other people around, likely, but right now it was there. "And I suppose now that I've said that, you're going to torture me like you were planning and not tell me any more." Trish didn't plead, and wouldn't know how to make puppy eyes if she wanted to, so the defeated-sounding sigh that accompanied her words played the part such a display normally would.

Of course, Trish's name didn't really belong in the same sentence as the word 'impatient,' and the truth was that she'd have been just fine if Holly had decided to let her 'suffer,' but this was fun.

[KARP KARP!]

"I figured it would, Sis," Holly relpied with a smirk. "As for the rest, you'll have to wait and see. You know I'm going to torture you."

Not far from the shore, there was this brick building, painted pink and black. The sign above the door featured what appeared to be a melanistic Espeon on the left, and an Albino Umbreon on the right. From inside, the sound of a very familiar drum solo could be heard.

Holly stopped at the bouncer outside the door. "Got room for two more in there?"

"Oh! You're Holly! And that's uh...her name escapes me but she plays those drums like nobody's business."

"Trish. And she's just as important as I am."

"I know, but you should really feature her on more merchandise."

Holly glanced back at Trish. "I'll see about fighting the record company about it." Heh...Holly, fight the record company. All she'd have to do is say 'please' and bat her eyelashes and she'd get the world on a silver platter.

Leading Trish inside, she walked down a long, dark hallway lined with blacklights. At the end of the hall was another door. When the guitarist opened that, the club was jumping, and to a Grass Ice and Fire song, no less.

The club was pretty basic in setup, dance club, bar, tables, and all the staff wore straight black with matching Espeon ears; which Holly had to admit was kind of sexy. Not that she was here for that; not tonight. Tonight was all about her best friend.

"So what to ya think?" Holly asked over the sound of 'Night Life.'

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish perked up, almost imperceptively, when they neared the club. Was that...? Despite the pounding beat already infecting her outside of the club, by the time Holly had reached the bouncer, the dark girl was already firmly behind her neutral, 'ice queen' expression.

Trish nodded slightly when noticed, despite the fact that he hadn't known her name. He still knew her for what was important; a name was just a name. While she appreciated the sentiment, from both parties in the conversation, when Holly looked back at her she raised her eyebrow and gave her look that, very subtly, meant 'please don't.' She knew Holly could get whatever she wanted out of the record company, but Trish didn't need more merchandise.

Trish followed her into the club, a barely-visible bounce entering her step as they were bathed in blacklight. When they entered the club proper, Trish closed her eyes, the pounding beat of 'Night Life' vibrating through her. She didn't even realize she was doing it at first, but she'd started 'drumming' along with the recording in the air with her pointer fingers by the time Holly spoke to her.

Trish opened her eyes and let her black-painted lips curve into a smile. "I tell you you're amazing lately, girly?" she said for a reply. Were she the type to, she would have hugged Holly right there.

[KARP KARP!]

Holly smiled; she knew she'd picked a good place, because...hey, both of them liked it. Looking back to see the eyebrow, the woman gave a nod, knowing exactly what it meant.

Holly smirked at Trish's 'air-drumming' only to realize she was 'air-guitaring' to the song as well.

"Yeah, I know I am, she said with a wink. "So, whatcha wanna check out first?" the guitarist asked, keeping her head sort of low and hoping no one would recognize her in this light.

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish didn't have to worry as much about recognition. Despite her eye-catching style, it also made it easy for someone to think she was just another goth-girl, rather than a specific one. If someone didn't recognize Holly, they probably weren't going to think Trish was anyone special.

As for where she wanted to go first, her eyes immediately went to the bar. She was one of those people who liked to sit down with a drink for a little while. However, while she could walk into one of her sorts of places and nurse a drink as long as she wanted to, the staff could recognize Holly if they sat down at the bar or tables.

So, rather than put her best friend, who was trying so hard not to attract attention for once, through that, Trish just gave her another small smile and swayed a little to the music. "You know, I don't dance to my own drumbeat often enough." Yes, I do dance, was the unspoken addition.