Of Glory and Riches (MonkeySage)

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For Grassveil's guildhall, it was business as usual. Teams had come in every now and then to receive payment for completed missions and to rest up or pick up assignments as they were posted on the board. It wasn't a huge flurry of activity, but there were people around in the mess halls or in the rooms discussing anywhere from personal to guild business.

Near the mission boards, standing slightly off to the side and barely reaching the bottom of the post it board itself was a short, reptilian individual who fixed the posted missions with an amber-eyed stare. The lime green serpentine body with stubby legs and long, fanned tail revealed the new arrival to be a snivy. Not very common in the region, but he seemed to be present none the less.

His name was Jeremy, and for the last thirty minutes he hasn't moved from that spot ever since he entered the guild hall about an hour ago. In fact, despite himself, the Grass Snake Pokemon seemed slightly shocked at the fact that such a building existed in the first place. He came into the guild hall with a gaping mouth that settled into a carefully maintained face of stoicism… Though his wandering amber eyes betrayed his thirst for knowledge about this place.

"I didn't know they had a guild here…"

He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular, and the normally composed voice was toned down to a murmur.

When Jeremy came across this place he was amazed. Guilds back in his homeland hosted some of the most famous travelers, explorers, entrepreneurs, and treasure hunters the world had ever seen. Others were famous for their heroic actions in bringing down terrifying villains that were at the mercy of the cunning, vicious criminals that thought they couldn't be stopped.

Some of those individuals that came from the guilds became legends in their own right.

Jeremy tried to calm himself as he made efforts to go about this rationally. Compared to home, this guild was fairly small stuff. It was an opportunity though, and um… He DID find himself low on funds… Despicable, but even if he was proud he was also pragmatic. He needed to do some… Work.

Without really realizing it, Jeremy slowly back up to get ready to turn around when he felt something collide into him. Shaking himself a little from the light impact, the male snivy frowned and furrowed his scaly brow when he beheld the individual he walked into...

Once more Faye the Meganium was relaxing in her quarters, a small cup of steaming tea causing the small room to fill with the sweet smell of Pecha Berries. However the soothing atmosphere was soon shattered by the sound of three knocks echoing from the wooden door, that seperated the guildmaster's quarters from the corridor.
Her curiosity piqued, the Grass type waddled over and opened the door, revealing a Snivy behind it.
Almost instantly the warm smile on her face grew even wider, almost taking on a motherly tone as Faye began to speak:
"Hello, dearie! My name is Faye. How may I help you?"

"Ow!" A yelp came from behind the door, and also with it, a angered Kuro stepped out "Seriously! Who the he-" She stopped mid rant, noticing the meganium she merely stepped besides the Snivy with a sore nose and a bright smile.

"Well... we were both wondering if we could make a exploration team?" THe Female Sneasel asked with a loud tone followed by a small giggle, she was pretty excited to be finally making a team. But more excited that she had a true friend for once in her life, she really didn't know what that was like

Jeremy heard the heavy footfalls on the other side of the door, and the male snivy went about composing himself for the first introduction. His mind was going through all the proper etiquette, how to tilt your head ever so slightly in a bow all the way down to the subtle nuances on how you should smile. Feeling slightly invigorated about the challenge in front of him and the opportunity ahead, Jeremy was about ready to put forth his own greeting as the door slowly creaked open. Opening his mouth in preparation of his first word, it came out in a pained, mortified gasp at the sound of certain sneasel's pained yelp and barrage of complaints.

Jeremy fixed Kuro a sharp, horrified look as she came around the bend. No words really needed to be exchanged in that particular glance, it pretty much covered every little reprimand or rebuke that could be thought of.

Kuro seemed to compose herself though as she stepped beside him… Though Jeremy wasn't sure if that was her own initiative or that she noticed his disapproval… Come to think of it, her wide smile and generally far off expression probably meant she barely noticed him at all.

Letting out a small exhale through his nose, and trying to get rid of the noticeable grimace in his smile, the Grass Snake Pokemon went to work trying to salvage their reputation and picking up the pieces of their now transparent professionalism.

The guild leader who stood before them was a meganium. Finally, a species he actually recognized in this place. There was a noble family of them back home.

She introduced herself as Faye, and for some reason, Jeremy found himself relaxing somewhat. He was not sure why, but the warm smile and welcoming expression helped put his mind at ease somewhat. A faint memory of someone he knew tried to surface up, but he shook those thoughts away quickly.

Stepping forward, Jeremy put a leafy hand on his chest, and the other arm behind his waist as he offered a small bow, smile reserved but seemingly friendly. With a clear, concise voice Jeremy continued. "Greetings Madame Faye. My name is Jeremy Blackwood and my… Compatriot is Kuro. As she has stated, we express interest in forming a exploration team."

As the door was suddenly met with some resistance, the guildmaster quickly realized her mistake and began to apologize:
"Oh, dearie, I am sorry. Are you all right? Would you like some ice?"
As the Sneasel did not seem to be hurt too badly, the Meganium breathed a sigh of relief.
Focussing her attention on the Snivy again, she continued to speak:
"My, aren't you a polite one, dearie. Of course you can sign up to form a rescue team here. If you would please step inside so we candiscuss this further. Oh, and would you like some tea, you two?"

Kuro nodded with her same energetic smile. She decided for once she wouldn't be 'so' reckless and stepped back "After you" She said to her future partner politely, giving a slight bow and closing her eyes respectfully. Normally when she acts like this she would simply be mocking a person, yet the combination of Faye's calm aura and Jeremy's regal air had a slight effect on her, making her... think more than she normally would.
Of course while on a journey all of this would most likely go out of the window, as enjoyment would take over and so would the adventure. But that was for another time

Relief flooded the mind of Jeremy Blackwood when he realized that there didn't seem to be a problem with either Kuro or the Guild Master Faye. Good… That little spectacle was a little embarrassing and the male snivy knew all too well how back home even the smallest things could look bad on you.

Still playing up on the polite, professional front as it was only proper to do so, Jeremy smiled. "Yes please, if you do not mind."

He raised a scaly brow at Kuro's strange permissiveness but decided to let it go. Anything was better than what happened just a second ago. So Jeremy decided it was best to move on, and entered the room, following after the meganium.

It was nice, cozy little place and Jeremy huffed as he jumped in a seat, giving a small, curt nod when he was offered a teacup and took a gentle sip.

It was very nice. Sighing in relaxation for the first time in months, the male snivy tried to put his mind at ease.

As the duo made themselves comfortable in her quarters, the Meganium wandered to the back of the room again, retrieving a rather large book from one of the various shelves adorning the wall.
While she set it down on her desk and opened it, the guildmaster began her usual routine of signing the soon-to-be guildmembers up as a team.
"So, dearies, first I would need your names. Don't worry, this shouldn't take long at all."
Glancing over the names of all the other Pokémon, who had joined this guild already, the Grass type found a wave of nostalgia rise within her. All of them had accomplished so much already. They had discovered new lands, made new friends and helped many, many other Pokémon. What would these two do?
Faye already knew, that they would make a great team.

Kuro sat down into the snug seat, sinking into it and getting comfortable. She begun sharpening her claws again, people who didn't know about Sneasel would think she was simply trying to get on peoples nerves, yet if she didn't keep her claws sharpened 24/7 they could easily go dull, even through the night she'll be quietly sharpening her claws.

"Kuro, not as long of a name as my teammates... well future teammates here" She restrained herself from going on, already feeling a glare into the side of her head from the snake pokemon.

Jeremy supposed good things could not last forever. Just as he was getting relaxed, a sharp, scraping noise slowly started to grate on his nerves… Slowly turning his head to Kuro, the male snivy fixed her with a stern glance. She must have noticed it, because she kept her head firmly set forward, innocent, toothy grin on her face. The male snivy snorted somewhat before turning to face Faye once again.

"Jeremy Blackwood ma'am." He settled himself into a pleasant smile once again. He waited for her to record their names down… So this was it… Very soon a Blackwood would join the famous halls of Guild Explorers. Trying to dispel some of the anxiety somewhat, Jeremy tentatively took another sip of tea, enjoying the warm, invigorating feeling it brought.

Trying to start up some polite conversation, the Grass Snake Pokemon turned to the female meganium once again. "This tea is delicious Miss Faye. It has been some time since I was able to get my hands on a good cup like this."

Months actually… Tea drinking was a missed hobby, and doing it right now reminded him of home.

He looked thoughtful as he gently swirled the amber/green liquid in his cup. "If you don't mind Miss Faye, would it be alright if I asked some questions relating to guild life? I thought it might be pertinent to know a few things."

"Oh, thank you, sweetie. That is awfully kind of you to say.", Faye replied as she made note of the new recruits' names in the Guild Member Records.
"Now you'll have to decide on a name for your team, you two. Feel free to take your time. This step usually is the one to take the longest. And as for your questions, Jeremy, feel free to ask them. There is no need to be this polite. I'm just a normal Pokémon too after all. So just speak your mind and I'll try to answer your inquiries to the best of my ability."

Kuro took this moment to finally drink her tea, gulping it down with a smile. She hadn't had tea before in her life and she wished she had before. She watched Faye and Jeremy converse as she drunk her hot beverage. It was strange to her to not being the one talking yet here she was, sat silently as she listened to Jeremy ask the Guildmaster questions

"Oh! Thats right!" Jeremy stated, clapping his hands together once. That was perhaps one of the more important things of all! Some of the greatest teams were known because of the names they made famous.

The male snivy, despite himself, was actually starting to look about as excited as Kuro was… Or was… In fact, she was more composed than he was at that moment, with sparkling amber eyes and wide grin.

He seemed to realize what he was doing however, and gave a polite cough as he turned to Kuro. "Lets put my questions on the side for now. We can get to them later." A pause as Jeremy composed himself. "I suppose with you as our founding member as well, you have a right to offer advice on a name as well." Jeremy smirked, reptilian gaze intense. "Something noble… Powerful… A name that will be remembered for generations as we make our first mark here."

"Hmm... Powerful eh?" She tapped the table with her claw lightly as she pondered, deep in thought. Her claw stopped as an idea popped into her head "Well you want noble correct? You're part of nobility. How about Blackwood?" Kuro could already see that Jeremy liked the idea but for some reason thought he didn't "Nah you probably don't want that huh?"

The sneasel returned to her thoughts of a good team name, speaking aloud to herself "Maybe Valor... Heroism... no too long... Bravery... Boisterious...?" She continued to mumble to herself, just saying random words that sounded cool to her

Jeremy's amber eyes widened somewhat at the suggestion of Blackwood as a name… Team Blackwood… Yeah, he liked the sound of that. It had a nice ring to it, and if he was leader of this team (As he rightfully should), then it would make perfect sense to attach his family name to it. Yes… Perhaps that would work after all…

He frowned somewhat at the female sneasel's latter comment… Was she teasing him? The male snivy gave a sniff before moving on. "Boisterous? Ignoring the fact you can say that word, I don't think that sounds very fitting. Besides the obvious one you listed earlier, Valor is an idea I can get behind… What about éclatant, inlustris, inluster, or magna? All words from the old and cultured languages of greatness and notability?"

A pause. "I suppose such words carry a note of impression among the common people, and having such notable words for a name would spread our renown. It would be a name that would not just fit in a category to describe us, but what we live by itself!" Another pause and Jeremy gave a snaky grin. "But then again, I also like Blackwood."

"I like the sound of Magna! Although it sounds a lot like Magma which is pretty scary for us... bit still pretty cool" She let out a small giggle and looked at Jeremy, her future partner and her future leader.

"So Blackwood or Magna? They both seem like pretty good names... although I understand why you'd want it to be Blackwood, so not just our fame and renown would spread, so that your family would know how well you were doing and be proud of you" She smirked and looked at the thin air "Atleast that's what I think"