A Heist to Remember (Lay the Very Best - Chapter 427)

Brandy hadn't actually finished the double blowjob. Calcine had put in real work, spanking Val into something that could behave, and Brandy had gone through a lot. Crazy as it sounded, it had been more fun as an idea than actually doing it. What they all really needed was to chill.

They'd left Cindy and Val to hug it out and gone to get ice cream instead. The ice cream stall sat on the curb right outside a tattoo parlor, its awning a faded red and cream that fluttered in the night breeze. Most of the customers were showing off fresh ink as they waited in line, and Brandy had gotten pretty mercilessly teased about not having one yet.

Shay had three, one for each of her partners, because of course she did. She had taken her shirt off to show Nibbles and Chew the neat little designs inked across her belly and arms, a half-and-half circle split light and dark, a sly mask with sharp eyes, and a skeletal winged crest. Nibbles was clearly using it as an excuse to paw at her sides, tentacle hair wrapping around the arm to stroke the ink. At the same time, Chew traced a finger reverently along the circle tattoo on Shay's belly, genuinely delighted by the design.

Around them, the late-night crowd drifted past as the night finished up, punk ladies laughing manically with their drunk dates, the smell of fried food mixing with the goth smokers in a nearby alley. Once you looked for it, it became increasingly obvious how divided the city really was. The bright and the dark didn't mix much at all; they admired each other from afar. 

A curvy woman with a welcoming smile was working the ice cream counter, her apron snug around her waist and dusted with sugar and chocolate stains. Each scoop had her leaning forward, heavy chest pressing into glass already smeared from countless presses that night, her hips swaying in an easy rhythm as she moved from tub to tub. They'd had to order Morgan's ice cream for her because she could not stop staring. 

All that was left was to sit on the cheap plastic chairs by the roadside and enjoy it. Ice cream was ice cream, and with three scoops of honeycomb, Brandy enjoyed the cool sweetness, even if every bite made her Steam Engine heart thrum to try to overpower the cold. It was weird, and made her chest glow, but with her eyes closed, Brandy let the sensation wash over her. She'd gotten cold while fighting Ara the Arctovish, and it had relaxed her to the point she'd all but passed out. A smaller dose of cold was more calming. Maybe they should try playing with ice cubes sometime, her partners would enjoy that.

It was a nice thought, but a persistent tugging on her head was distracting Brandy from it.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" Calcine said, rocking Brandy's head back and forth by pushing on her horns.

Brandy tried to give Calcine a withering look, but it was hard when your head was being made to bob. She gave up and leaned into her ice cream instead, taking it far too deep and smearing her lips and chin with sticky honeycomb. Calcine's eyes lit with heat at the sight, but before she could comment, Morgan swatted her shoulder.

"Don't be cruel to Brandy," Morgan scolded, only to add a beat later, with a wicked smirk, "unless you plan on licking that off."

Brandy huffed, swatting Calcine's hand. "Morgan's right, look how much of a mess you've made."

Calcine bristled, but Brandy gripped her shorter, stubbier horns, finding them surprisingly handy for steering her closer.

"Lick it up."

Calcine went in with a hot tongue, giving Brandy a thorough cleaning. The heat of it had her sweating, and she reached up to slick her hair back only for her hands to bump into the new horns she kept forgetting about. The push tipped her chin up, pressing her deeper into the kiss, and she gave a helpless laugh against Calcine's mouth.

"Okay, cool it off."

"Can't," Calcine grumbled. "Too sexy seeing a part of me become a part of you."

"You're both so cute, I love new trainers when they get some inheritance," Shay giggled from across the table. She was trying to shield her ice cream from Chew and Nibbles, both of whom were trying to eat it. She was doing it effortlessly, too, but she did have a Morpeko as a partner. She'd never get to eat if she couldn't protect her food. "The horns are cool though, they don't look that different to how your hair was, just a bit glossier."

"Want some of your own?" Brandy asked

"Nah," Shay fluffed up her short, puffy hair. Half brown, half black, with a puffy quiff breaking up the two-tone look, so she didn't look goofy. "Cardia loves my hair to bits."

"Surprised the Morpeko hasn't popped out to get your ice cream", Calcine said, kissing Brandy's chin and sitting back. Her bright eyes meant Brandy couldn't tell exactly where she was looking, but she'd happily bet on her new hair horns.  

"Lucky for Chew and Nibbles here she isn't, she's aggressive about food", Shay added, fending them both off with lazy ease. Chew ended up nipping at one of Nibbles' tentacle locks in frustration, earning a squeak and a glare from her partner as Shay laughed. "Odile made sure she was fed plenty; she's in a big food coma."

"Nicole, all right?" Brandy asked, trying to sound casual. But she'd really enjoyed being eaten out by the Nickit last time they'd met. Shay clearly got her long tongue from her, and Nicole was a straightforward and direct lady. She wanted to eat pussy, and that was all she cared about. 

"Nicole's so good, you'll see later." Shay grinned. "Gonna be amazed."

That sounded like the Nickit had evolved. She was already a scarily sexy fox lady; maybe it was for the best she wasn't out now. Brandy wasn't sure she could handle a Thievul tongue.

"What about-"

"Yeah, yeah," Shay waved a hand at Brandy, "You'll meet Mandy later too, enough small talk. How are we going to get ladies going to Odile's? You promised to help."

Brandy bit her bottom lip. It was a good question, one she didn't have an easy answer for. She rolled it over in her head, frowning slightly as she toyed with her cone.

Morgan leaned over, holding out her own cone.

"Want a taste?" she asked.

Brandy accepted, licking it slowly. The flavor was significantly richer than she was used to, with a dark cherry note and a hint of bitter chocolate. She closed her eyes, trying to decide if she liked it more than her honeycomb. It was different, bold, like a kiss that lingered at the back of her throat.

"Something different", Brandy said. 

"Elaborate", Shay said, with Nibbles in a headlock as she licked her ice cream. Nibbles was furiously squirming, but she still took a lick when Shay offered it to her. 

"Right now, she's a spooky haunted arcade that's meant to attract goth ladies. But there are all these new punks and they like bright lights, big noisy fights, and getting in trouble."

"Can confirm." Calcine nodded. "Our date was at a fight club, and it was pretty wild."

"It was great." Morgan grinned. "I need to speak to Heatstroke and Hustle. I bet they'd join my heist."

"Are you going to invite everyone we've ever met?" Brandy scoffed. "My parents are bad enough."

Morgan licked her ice cream, which was a good admission she had as anything. Brandy let it go; it's not like there could be anyone more embarrassing than her parents left to invite. More people would just dilute the awkwardness of having her moms help pass a gym challenge. She was never going to live that down.

Shay kicked Brandy under the table. It stung pretty hard too. "Focus."

Calcine's eyes flared at Shay, but the sharpness of it made Brandy pause. Shay wasn't just being flippant. For her to push this hard, she really cared about Odile. That realization sobered Brandy up fast, and she straightened in her chair, gave Calcine's arm a squeeze to calm her, and then took the question more seriously.

"I think what we need is to make the arcade somewhere people aren't allowed to go."

"That doesn't help," Shay said. "We want people to go."

"Well, I'm very smart, so I get it," Morgan smiled. "Explain, dear leader."

"We spread a rumour there's an arcade, run by a woman so insatiably fierce that for everyone's safety they should avoid it." Brandy said, "Because if you even go near, you'll be snatched up and used like a toy."

Shay chuckled, shaking her head. "That'd just make me want to go more."

"Exactly. Odile's a big, domineering lady, and what she needs is some bratty, boisterous ladies to straighten out."

Morgan glanced across the table at Calcine, mouthwateringly pretty in her goth makeover, those fishnets hugging her thighs and chains dangling off her belt. Brandy watched the Murkrow tugging her hat down over her eyes as a thought clicked into place.

"What's up, Morgan?" Brandy asked. 

"It's Sparky and Calcine." Morgan groaned. "This whole city. It's those two idiots."

"It's not-" Brandy paused. A bratty troublemaker and her sexy, domineering, passionate lover. Morgan was right. "You don't think Calcine's an idiot."

"She is when she's with Sparky." Morgan sighed. "I thought this city was cool. It's just brats and tops."

"Put like that," Shay said, "She's not wrong. So we just need to give a reason for the Punks to bother the Goths."

"And nature will take its course." Brandy nodded. "Still not sure how we get the word out."

"We'd need a big flashy event." Morgan said, "Something that involves everyone."

The Murkrow grinned. Brandy pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew where this was going.

"You're really going to involve everyone in my gym trial? The whole city?"

"I can't just beat Vivienne," Morgan said, "That pesky Honchkrow beat me once already. I have to top that. So yeah, we're going to do something so crazy the whole city is talking about it, and we'll make sure everyone knows not to bother Odile."

"Which will make everyone want to bother her", Calcine said. "Devious."

"Thank you," Morgan grinned. "If I pull this off, nobody in this city will ever forget it."

"You're going to get banned from Gym Trials." Shay cackled. "But I'm in, this sounds great. We got a plan."

Morgan had a plan. Brandy had worries. But she'd promised to trust the Murkrow, and if this did explode in their faces, well, at least no one could ever say they weren't ambitious.