First Visit to the Guild

The day was yet to be over as Tina, upon which Varda was still roosting, strolled into Grassveil with the intent to find the Guild. The Fennekin mostly allowed herself to be led by the chirps and pointings of the bird upon her back, much to the various interests of any spectators. She paid them no mind, though, proving to be a good actor of the nonchalant.

With their combined efforts, the pair soon reached the Grassveil Explorer's Guild. With afternoon now making way for the streams of sunset, they had come at an opportune time. Tina trotted into the main area of the Guild's hall, a sort of entry foyer, and stopped about in the middle, taking in what was around her.

She had to say, Tina had never quite ever seen architecture like this. Born and raised in the forest areas, the Fennekin had never personally seen anything much more complex than a particularly adorned den. But here was a whole building, all rather impeccably furnished (to her knowledge) and brimming with a sort of professional air she couldn't quite grasp...

"Wow," Tina said, finally and simply.

The little Pecha Forest exploration trip Varda and Tina had earlier in the day had come to a stop. It had been a long and eventful day, first starting with the bird looking for berries and then getting stuck – and finally meeting Tina in the forest, who helped him a lot! Even in the end as the Swablu had been completely exhausted after all the walking, flying and battling, the kind fox Pokémon had offered her own back for him to sit on as he let his tired feet rest. And it was a great thing she did, too! It was actually quite funny to ride on Tina's back all the way back to Grassveil Town!

The sun was already starting to set as they made their way to the Guild with Varda providing instructions from the fox's back. He could remember the way well enough now after going through the same path multiple times. While it would have been nice to stay outside for a while and watch as the sky was being dyed beautiful shades of oranges and reds, but Tina was surely dying to get inside and take in the sights already! And the bird didn't want to make Lance wait for too long either, what if the leader wanted to go to sleep early?

A great big smile was on the Swablu's face as Tina stopped and looked around, amazed at everything she saw. The Guild wasn't feeling as busy and full of life as it did earlier in the mornings with everyone ready to take on their new jobs, but the Pokémon were starting to return from their journeys and slowly but surely, the Guild was starting to fill with people. This was a good opportunity for Varda to finally disembark and the little bird slowly slid off the fox's back, landing on the floor.

"It is pretty great, isn't it?" He chirped happily, enjoying that he got to show something that Tina actually seemed to like. While his own little trip had technically been a failure as he found no rare berries, he did find Tina and she was a really nice Pokémon to be with!
"I hope Lance is around here somewhere... We should probably go look! I think heading towards our room might be the best idea for now, he might be in there. I'll show you the way!" Varda nodded as he started to slowly waddle forward, glancing back to see if the fox was following him.

Lance was looking at the bulletin board, studying each mission. He had gotten back from his stroll around town not too long ago, and he desided to spend some time looking at the boards and seek out a mission that he and his team could take on. He didn't know where Dawn or Varda was, but Lance guessed that they too went on a stroll, so he wouldn't worry untill it was dark. Lance heard a familiar voice, and he looked around and spotted Varda. There was another pokemon with him, one he had never seen before. He walked over to Varda and the mysterious pokemon and smiled. "Hey Varda! Who's your friend?" He looked at the pokemon next to Varda. He had seen many pokemon on his long journey from his home to the guild. But even so, there was a ton of pokemon he had never saw, and one of them was standing here in front of him. He shifted his bag from one sholder to the other, and studied the new pokemon.

Tina returned to attention at the cotton bird's words, as he slipped his weight off her back. "Yeah, I haven't seen anything like it," Tina commented unabashedly. Before she could marvel too much over it, Varda commented on trying to find Lance, the bird's friend and apparent founder of one of the rescue teams. Perhaps he might've been in the resting quarters, Varda suggested. Reasonable enough, from what Tina had learned so far.

As the Swablu began to meander towards that direction, Tina stood poised to follow. They didn't have to go far, as another Pokemon turned the corner to notice them. From her memory, it was a Riolu, those fighting-type canines who grew to learn control over the 'Aura'. He was quick to greet Varda, and when he asked who the new friend was, Tina took the liberty to answer for the bird:

"My name is Tina," the Fennekin introduced herself with little hesitation. Good first impressions on people you wanted to impress were important. With that in mind, this leader of a rescue team was definitely someone she wanted on her side for a lot of reasons.

"If we don't find Lance fast enough, we could go take a look around," Varda offered his new friend as he glanced behind him, knowing that she most likely was curious about the Guild as well. He would gladly show her around of course, but he did feel like letting her meet Lance first was more important! The birds steps weren't very quick however, he was in no hurry as he waddled forwards with Tina in tow, his tail feathers bobbing from side to side.

The two of them didn't manage to walk very far before the Swablu seemed to perk up, noticing a very familiar Pokémon approaching them. It seemed like Lance had managed to find them first! How lucky they had been, not only was the Pokémon they were looking for present at the Guild, but he had been right next to them all along! It made everything so much easier and Varda took a couple of faster steps towards Lance, smiling happily.

"Oh Lance! Hello," the blue bird chirped his greetings as he looked at Lance, quickly nodding towards Tina as he opened his beak to introduce her and answer the team leader's question. However, before he managed to actually say anything, the fox had already done his work for him, saying her name.
"Oh! Yes, this is Tina. And Tina, this is Lance, the leader of our team," Varda at least got to introduce one of the Pokémon, though Lance's identity was probably very obvious to Tina. Still, the Swablu seemed to be quite happy as he got to handle the introductions in some way at least.

"I met Tina in Pecha Forest while I was looking for berries! We had a lot of fun," he added, nodding a couple of times as if he agreed with himself.

(Actually Penultimate, Lance isn't wearing a bandanna. Right now, he doesn't have anything equipped.)

"So Tina is her name?" Lance thought. He smiled. "Hi Tina. As Varda has already said, my name is Lance. I lead team Mystical." He turned to look at both Pokémon. "So you've journeyed through Pecha Forest? You two must be exhausted. If you want to rest, feel free to rest in the team room." He turned to look at Tina once again. "Tina, what is the name of your species?" He decided to further explain. "I have never seen one of your kind. I have seen a lot of Pokémon, but you are one of the many Pokémon I've never seen before." He looked slightly curious about something else. "Also, what brings you to the guild? I haven't seen you around before."

Varda had already piped up to complete the introductions, so Lance's expansion upon it just cemented the whole deal. Team Mythical, huh? A bit uncanny, to Tina, but who was she to judge?

Tina shook herself a bit while the Riolu was talking, trying to pump a bit more energy into herself. The journey overall had left her pretty tired, especially given her detour with Varda in search of some things. She really did find herself jumping on the opportunity for a proper bed, however basic, but her sense of respect cut short her eagerness.

"Hah... that's a nice offer. And I'm not even on your rescue team!" Tina quipped heartily, still trying to control her fatigue. "...Unless you're offering, that is," She added at the end, with a small dose of expectancy, her eyes narrowed and muzzle curved into a smile.

Lance's barrage of questions came first, though, and so Tina want to answer them in quick succession: "I'm a Fennekin. I breathe fire and use magic," she began with a quick synopsis of her species. "Specifically, I'm from a far-off woodland beyond the Pecha Forest; at least, that's where I grew up. I was... well, rescued by a rescue team when I was younger, so I thought I'd join a team myself to return the favor, in a way!" Tina topped off her explanation with a bit of flair, sharpening her features a bit to show off.

Varda seemed to be quite content as it looked like Lance was being friendly towards Tina. He couldn't help but have a big, goofy smile on his face as he looked at his friends getting along, enjoying the moment without joining the conversation right away. Lance explained a bit more about his position in their team, being the leader and all – and then being the kind Pokémon he was, he even offered the room for both of them to rest in! The Swablu of course could have gone there at any time and probably invite Tina himself if he wanted to, but he honestly was more amazed how Lance was willing to let them go rest right away if they felt like it.

"It was a bit tiring," the little bird chirped to Lance as he wondered about the state of the two Pokémon after their little exploration trip. At least he had been very, very tired, though Tina seemed to be less so as she was the one who had basically carried him back to town. As the fox spoke up and mentioned what a nice offer Lance was giving her too, Varda just nodded in agreement, smiling.
"She had a really good nose for finding items," the Swablu was quick to add when Tina was wondering if Lance was offering him a spot in their team as well, wanting to say his compliments that might have affected Lance's decision right away when they were needed.

Varda quite happily took on the listening role as Lance and Tina spoke, having talked plenty with both of his friends and now wanting the two to actually get to know each other as well! Lance actually ended up asking a question the bird had basically forgotten to ask, which was the fox's species. She was a Fennekin apparently, something the Swablu had never heard about... So he tilted his head a bit, curious as he listened to the rest of her story and then turning to look towards Lance, as if waiting for his decision.
"I was kind of rescued by a team before I joined one, too!"


((Well the team is officially called Mystical... But I'm not always sure if Mythical is a typo or if Riolu's thinking of changing the name!))

"Magic? I've never seen a pokemonn use magic. Unless you consider bending a spoon with your mind magic." Lance chuckled a little. He listened to what Varda said, and smiled. "So she's good at finding items?" He looked at Tina thoughtfully. "Hmmm...you might be a good pokemon to have on my team...but I only have room for one more..." He frowned. "But last time I picked the first pokemon I saw, they left." He looked at both pokemon. "I'll need more time to think about it." He turned to look at the bulletin board. "Just like I have to give more thought about what misson I want the team to do. Ever since I got back from my walk yesterday and went to the only avaliable bed, I laid down, thinking of what type of mission we should do. I haven't looked at the exact missions, just what type they are." He turned to look at Varda. "I think trying to stop an outlaw would be too hard as a first mission. I think searching for an item would be simple enough." He smiled. "How does that sound to you Varda?"

Lance seemed especially contemplative of Tina during her's and Varda's explanations. The first confusion he addressed was Tina claims of 'magic'. He'd never seen someone use magic; Tina would've went to 'demonstrate' had the Riolu not immediately followed up with the idea of psychic powers being magic. Caught mid-breath, Tina could only smirk in defeat and shrug a bit.

As Lance pondered over his options aloud, Tina sat on her haunches, patiently grooming herself in wait. The Riolu's experiences with his rescue team seemed... less than favorable, given how one of their recruits seemed to drop out almost immediately. Though, she had personally known some Pokemon who just tended to be either not committed to anything or just a plain jerk, so she gave no blame to the Riolu for this.

Plus, the team seemed to be in the midst of selecting their first mission. Not wanting to interfere at all, like a respectable little cute fox, she simply remained as she was, alternating looks between the two other Pokemon with her tail swishing idly.

Varda had metaphorically stepped aside for a moment as the other two talked, quite happy to see how well Lance was taking Tina. He gave a nod to the leader as he questioned the fox's item-finding abilities, as her nose had certainly led them to many different items they might have missed otherwise! Of course, they hadn't found what they actually were looking for... But then again, Tina had nothing to use to learn the scent of certain berries back then. Maybe that would have helped. The point stood however, and her nose had managed to lead them to something at least.

The Swablu seemed to become quite a lot brighter as Lance even considered asking Tina to join their team! To him, that was a great idea of course! She was such a kind and smart Pokémon, after all, truly a good addition to any team. But a slightly worried coo escaped the bird's beak as Lance frowned, telling the story of his earlier recruits that had just plain left his team and he was a bit worried that this stranger would do the same. It was understandable, but a bit disappointing – yet soon Varda seemed to perk up once again, getting an idea.
"Maybe you two could go exploring together one day? You both would get to know each other and know if you can trust each other!" He chirped his suggestion, excited.

The bird Pokémon couldn't help but coo a bit in excitement once Lance brought up their first mission – well, their future first mission of course, as they hadn't ever done one... And hadn't even chosen one, either. Once outlaw missions were brought up, Varda looked a bit concern and nodded, thinking that those most likely would be too dangerous as a first mission – or as the second mission, for that matter! Outlaws were just that for a reason, they were dangerous Pokémon that could lash out if their team went bothering them!
"Finding items is fine, I think! I think anything you will choose will be fine to me in any case, just make sure Dawn thinks she can do it too," the Swablu nodded in agreement to his team leader's thoughts,
"Do you think we should pick a mission that is close or far?" He tilted his head with a smile. Giving a quick glance at Tina, he realized that he was starting to ignore her a bit, which he certainly didn't want to do!
"Oh, Tina, what kind of a first mission would you pick?"

Lance smiled when he heard Varda's idea. "Exploring with Tina sounds like a great idea! Though that might delay the first mission...But we have all the time in the world for that." He thought for a minute. "And I think we should do the mission somewhere close. We'll have more energy then." He turned to Tina when Varda asked her a question, and waited for her responce.

Tina perked up at the mention of her name again; Varda had just brought up a clever idea for the team. If Lance and Tina went on an exploration together, then they might get to know each other better and ensure that Tina herself be better enticed to commit to the team. It was certainly something novel enough to try, the fox figured, and so too did the Riolu agree, in spite of wanting to soon choose a first mission.

The Swablu then went on to elaborate on what he thought would be good for a first mission in any case. Finding items could be easy enough; in the same vein, Tina considered the idea of trying to find any lost or missing Pokemon. In Tina's mind, it seemed similar enough, and could even be more rewarding overall. Of course, this problem ultimately was the decision of the team leader, so she didn't dwell on it too much.

The final matter was location: how far was the team willing to venture for a first mission? While Varda seemed content with any situation so far, Lance figured it would be more convenient to work closer by, for the sake of having more energy for it. The Fennekin aside had a second guess herself: how far was SHE willing to go for a mission? A several-days hike not dissimilar to how she got here in the first place? Not so much, probably. But there only so many missions close by, she figured, and eventually the team would have to move out to find the bigger stuff. Tina would just have to deal with it, she supposed.

Then she found herself on the receiving end of expectant stares from Varda and Lance. What did she want for a first mission, they asked. Tina quickly repriced her earlier thoughts and brought them out. "Well, I guess I can deal with anything, but finding an item, or even a lost Pokemon, would be a good start," the Fennekin said, trailing off a bit.

Varda smiled in return when Lance replied how his idea of making the team leader explore with the possible new recruit before making any decisions sounded excellent, and the small bird's eyes seemed to be sparkling. He nodded, happy that his idea was being considered and most likely actually put into motion, considering Lance's own reaction. Tina didn't seem to be against it either, as she stayed quiet though she still clearly heard it and was a part of the conversation, as she seemed to be concentrating rather than daydreaming.

"We do have a lot of time," the Swablu chirped cheerfully when Lance did mention that exploring with Tina would, obviously, use some time and make starting their Guild mission be pushed back. If the two Pokémon wanted to check if Tina would be good for the team first, then Lance couldn't very well be in two places at the same time! The question of course was if Lance wanted to recruit Tina before the first mission or after it, as both could work depending on what the other two Pokémon wanted.
"If you go with Tina first, then the mission will wait. If you want to do the mission first... Then Tina has to wait, I suppose," the bird cooed in thought, a bit concerned. He wasn't sure if he wanted to make Tina wait himself... But did he want to make Dawn wait for a mission either?

"Close sounds good!" Varda seemed to perk up once the topic returned to the first mission they will have to do eventually, nodding in agreement. Lance did have a point. If they had to journey very far to get to the mission site, they would most likely be very tired after that! All of the Pokémon in their team were small and had rather tiny feet, so travel wasn't going to be all that easy – though the bird obviously could fly.

The bird Pokémon looked at Tina as she mentioned another type of mission that an early team could do easily – a rescue mission! Pokémon could get lost and then sending a team after them to help them to bring the Pokémon back would be a great mission, very helpful! And much, much safer than going after an outlaw – right?
"Oh, oh, that sounds good, too. Lance, if you happen to find any missions about lost Pokémon, then we should probably do that first! They're very urgent, I think."

"Ok, so the mission will be close, and we will be looking for a lost item or Pokémon." Lance said. "But first, Tina and I will be exploring a dungeon to see if she would be a great addition to our team." He turned to look at Tina. "Tina, I'll give you the choice of what dungeon to explore. I really don't care which one you choose, as long as we can both make it there without passing out." He smiled. "When you decide what dungeon to go to, you also need to decide what time we'll be departing. We need enough time to prepare ourselves." He turned to Varda. "By the way, what will you and Dawn be doing while I am exploring?"

(Fall break is coming up for me, which means I'll have a full week away from school. I'll try to change the color of my character's text during that whole time, since I can't get on the laptop when it's a school day, and my other device doesn't have that option.)