Determined to Help, Determined to Fall

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Mission Details:

The Frozen Stream, a rather dull area of the Icy Lands named for the continuously frozen stream that ran through it.  Of course, it wasn't JUST a stream, since streams weren't very big.  The stream flowed into the Descant River, though, so of course it was the most noteworthy feature of the area.  It also happened to be the most fun part of the area.... if one was an Ice-Type, that is.

Sova was a bit excited to be back here, since the only other time he'd ever been to the Frozen Stream was when he was an eevee and it was.... less than fun.  Now, though, he was an Ice-Type with a body so well-adjusted to the cold that he could probably swim in the water under the sheet of ice covering the stream.  The swablu with him probably didn't enjoy the cold nearly as much, but at least a bird could fly over the stream and not risk breaking the ice and falling in.  Though, honestly, he doubted someone as small as Varda could even break the ice with weight alone.

The little bird probably wasn't enjoying being in such a cold place and the glaceon knew it, but he never asked for help.  Varda had offered.  Actually, Varda had insisted.  It wasn't like he was bad company either, the swablu was fairly nice and not annoying.  He even liked to give out compliments, so the glaceon wasn't going to complain.  Sova was just glad he didn't have to put up with someone like William following him.  That gengar agitated him to no end.

"So, how're you feeling?", he asked, rather rhetorically since he knew Varda was probably not enjoying himself.
He looked around for any sign of the stream, but it was currently snowing, which obscured vision a bit.  If the stream was nearby, he couldn't see it.  He could see a few trees though.  He was content with just staying here, but he wanted to get to the stream to practice skating on ice.... and they had a mission to do there, that was important too.

(Ninja Edit - 38 energy)

"I don't know..." Varda cooed quietly – or tried to, before Sova dashed off and caused him to just chirp in surprise instead. He a bit apprehensive about his friend's plan of accusing first and then checking and apologizing if they had been wrong. He didn't think he liked the idea of making possibly innocent Pokémon scared of false accusations! And, what if they didn't believe that someone was innocent because there wasn't enough proof? It seemed pretty awful! Shouldn't Pokémon be innocent before proven guilty and not the other way around...?

Sova was running despite the injured paws, and to the bird the pace seemed fast enough. The Sneasel hadn't seemed to notice them yet as it was just walking normally, but it stopped when his friend ended up calling out to it and mentioning that they were from the Guild – and had some questions. It actually was pretty cool! The Swablu was pretty much bouncing up and down on the fox-like Pokémon's back and wasn't able to do much... But he did notice that instead of stopping, the Sneasel ran away! It was suspicious, but not yet the exact proof like Sova seemed to think it was.

"Oh, oh, um, alright!" The bird chirped as Sova realized he would need less weight to catch up to the runaway. Probably, at least he asked the Swablu to get off. Varda opened his wings and let go of the collar with his feet, letting the wind catch him as he soared up into the sky. His muscles were in pain and flight wasn't the easiest thing in the world, requiring his entire body to work together to stay in the air... But he did his best to stay up and glide after Sova and the Sneasel.



((Yaaay))

As soon as he felt the bird release him, Sova's fur flash-froze as his body temperature dropped rapidly. He bolted after the sneasel with Ice Shard and within seconds, was in front of it. The suspect stopped and almost fell backwards in surprise. It had a long ear-feather and was holding a blackish colored stone. This was DEFINITELY their suspect. It turned in an attempt to run the other way, but the glaceon's tail wrapped under its legs and tripped it, stopping that plan and causing it to drop the Moon Stone in front of it.

As the sneasel tried to get up, Sova pressed one of his injured paws to its back to keep it on the ground. "Look what we found.... An outlaw.", he said in a rather sadistically joyous tone as he pinned the thief to the ground.

"N-no, wait, I need it! I need that stone to pay off some bandits, I didn't have any other choi-", the sneasel tried to explain, but was cut off by the paw on its back pressing down harder.

"I don't care what your problems are. The guild and the police will figure out what to do with you, it's just our job to bring you in, not issue a verdict.", the glaceon replied, clearly more bored than moved by the outlaw's explanation.
It probably would have tried to reply, but it was having difficulties breathing due to being pressed against the ice. Not enough to put its life in danger, just enough to make talking difficult. Sova was sick of hearing it talk already and didn't want it to end up guilt-tripping Varda into wanting to let it go.

Varda was much slower than Sova, unable to push himself much harder. The fox ended up catching up to the Sneasel, jumping in front of it and then eventually tripping the suspect when he tried to get away. A stone of some kind fell from its claws, the ice it landed on making a rather follow sound when it hit. It... Could have been the Moon Stone. The bird watched from the air as the rock slid across the slippery surface, but the Sneasel wasn't going anywhere with Sova on its back, pinning it to the ground. The Swablu had more than enough time to make his entrance and land near the snow, sliding a bit when his feet touched the ice.

"W-Whoa," he gasped as he struggled to maintain his balance, but eventually he managed to stop himself teetering from side to side. The stone was right next to him and he pushed it closer with his beak as he walked closer. It was quite probable that this was the correct Moon Stone, the one that had been stolen, the one they were looking for... But perhaps it was still a good idea to double check.

"Um, I think you shouldn't push him that hard. We need to ask him some questions," Varda chirped as he looked at Sova and then down at the Sneasel on the ice. Was this... Truly an outlaw? One of those thieves he had heard of? Honestly, he had thought that they would be scarier...
"Hello, sir, could you answer a few questions?" The Swablu tried, his voice careful but his eyes seemed rather curious and innocent as he smiled,
"This... You took this stone, right? Without permission? From a little Pokémon? She's very distraught over the loss of the stone..."

Sova sighed and rolled his eyes as the swablu tried to get even more verification than they already had that this sneasel was their thief. They'd already basically gotten a confession, it matched the physical description and it even had a Moon Stone. As if that wasn't enough, it had tried to RUN when it learned they were from the guild. Why did they need to listen to it talk more? The only thing it could even hope to do now would be to falsely clear its name through lies.

"I-", the sneasel tried to speak, but a more intimidating voice than Varda's made it decide to silence its self.

"I'd stay quiet for now if I were you.", Sova bluntly advised, resulting in the sneasel ceasing all attempts to communicate, taking to looking scared instead.
"Varda, he's clearly our guy. As if the voice didn't make it obvious, the feather shows he's a guy. That stone right there is a Moon Stone. He ran from us when I said we were from the guild and we basically already got a confession when he tried to make an excuse for why he took the stone. The only thing he can give us now that we don't already have is doubt. You don't want doubt, because then you'll start wanting to let him go.", he explained to his friend.

The sneasel seemed absolutely terrified of him, shivering slightly, but the glaceon didn't care. It surely knew the risks when it took to stealing. It was lucky to be dealing with guild members and not mercenaries right now, as mercenaries would have likely been much less kind.

Varda smiled gently as he urged the Sneasel to speak and it seemed to be working, the suspect opened his mouth and let out a sound... But it was Sova's voice that overcame it and suppressed it, ordering the Sneasel to keep its mouth shut. And so he did. The suspect once again closed his mouth and didn't even make a peep, the bird looking saddened and a bit desperate at this turn of events. They had been so close but now the Sneasel had been intimidated into silence once again!

Sova didn't need to hear more. He had heard enough, he had already made his decision. He had caught the bad guy and already knew what to do. There was no more room for suspicion. And the Swablu had to agree, everything pointed at this Sneasel being their target and he couldn't say he exactly doubted that. But when it came to crime, they had to be more than sure. Could they base this, well, arrest on nothing but pure conjecture and possibly ruin an innocent one's name? And... Well, even if this one was the thief, did it make him a bad Pokémon?

"Um, but, wouldn't it be better if we got a confession?" The bird tilted his head as he looked up at Sova's face, looking deeply into those dark eyes of his,
"And... If we heard a motive. He's not going anywhere, see? You're pinning him down, it's not like we would lose something!" Varda chirped as he worked that little birdbrain of his to work and come up with something. With a wing, he motioned towards the helpless Sneasel on the ground.
"There could be something bigger behind all this and if we close our ears from it, we might run into it again when it's too big to be stopped!"

Sova sighed once again and shook his head in disappointment before raising his paw a bit, allowing the sneasel to breathe and speak freely. "Don't go getting sympathetic with him. After he "explains", we're arresting him. The authorities can decide what to do with him from there.", he stated to the swablu. After a moment of silence from the suspect's part, he looked down and tapped the sneasel on the back.
"Hey, you heard me, speak."

The sneasel turned his head slightly and glanced up at the glaceon still hovering over it before looking back to the swablu and beginning to speak. "I-I wanted to buy something, but I didn't have the money for it at the time so I took a loan from a mobster, as a "favor." To repay the favor, he asked me to get a Moon Stone and I couldn't find one on my own. So I stole one. Y-you can't NOT pay him back, that's a death sentence!"

"Then why didn't you just get some help from authorities?", Sova questioned.

"YOU'RE authorities and instead of going after him, you're arresting me.... Besides, I'm not a snitch.", the sneasel retorted.

Varda brightened up as his friend seemed to give up and actually give the Sneasel a chance – to speak, that was. Not a chance in general when it came to what he had done, that would have been too much. But the bird nodded happily, thankful that Sova was willing to do this. He took a couple of steps closer so he could listen to the story, watching as the fox urged the Sneasel to talk with a pat on his back with a paw.

And he listened. As expected, there was always a story behind every crime. Selfish reasons perhaps, but still, a reason. And this Sneasel was in trouble with no easy way out. He was scared, that much was obvious... And he didn't really look like a criminal of any sort. It was no wonder that he had gone after an easy target. Sova quickly butted in and wondered why the Sneasel didn't try getting help, but it seemed like the Pokémon had no trust when it came to the authorities. And another surprise was that he said the two of them were authorities!

"W-We are? Varda chirped with a surprised voice and expression as he looked at Sova, amazed at this turn of events. He didn't know what to do with all the power that was suddenly thrust onto him!
"You're... You're not really a criminal, are you? You know that it wasn't right to steal, the Swablu seemed to calm down and let his eyes fall down as they looked at the Sneasel. They couldn't let him have the stone, it did not belong to him or the mobster he was supposed to take it to. No matter what happened, the stone would be returned to the original owner... But if they did, this Sneasel was in trouble.

The sneasel stared at the much more sympathetic swablu, seemingly glad at least one of the two was listening to him, if only a little.  "N-no.... I'm not.", he replied.

Sova rolled his eyes once more and took his paw off the sneasel as he reached for his badge to warp the sneasel out of here.  It wasn't really surprising to him that Varda was being so soft with the sneasel.  "He is a criminal, because he made bad decisions and did it poorly, just like all criminals.  Now, we have his story, so it's time to get him out of here and let the real authorities handle-", he was abruptly cut off as he reached for his badge by the sneasel spinning around and trying to slash at him with steel-glowing claws.

A very loud *thud* sounded out as Sova slammed his paw down on the sneasel's arm, crushing it against the ice.  His glared and growled at the petty thief who'd just tried to attack him as his body temperature dropped and dropped, to the point it began to become uncomfortable to the sneasel.  He pressed down harder and harder on the little criminal's arm, causing it to begin whining in pain.  "Oooow- AAAAAHGG, STOP STOP PLEASE!"

"Why?  You think I'm him?  You think I have ANY sympathy for you?  You think I care whether or not I break your arm after you tried to attack me with it?", Sova replied in a scarily and deceptively calm tone.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, PLEASE!!", the sneasel pleaded.

Sova seemed to completely ignore the pleads as he slowly increased the pressure on the sneasel's arm, looking up at Varda and tilting his head as if to silently question what the little bird's view on the situation was.  As if to say, "What do you think?  Should I break his arm?", without words.

(Good cop bad cop tho)

Varda certainly was feeling it. The Sneasel's story and feelings, those large eyes of their suspect not hardened and cruel like one might expect. It all was like a big misunderstanding, except it wasn't. Bad deeds had been done, deeds that could not be forgiven or waved away like it was nothing. There was nothing he really could do about it, not the way things were going. The bird's gaze fell to the ground, defeated and saddened by it all. He wanted to do something, but like Sova said... What else could they do except go back to the Guild with the stone and the Sneasel? With a sigh, he already bent to grab the Moon Stone, opening his bag to...

The way his friend's sentence got cut caused him to turn around just in time to see the Sneasel trying to hit Sova, most likely to escape. But Sova... Was faster. The suspect's arm was trapped under the other Pokémon's paw, causing the Sneasel to cry out in pain and plead. And apologize.
"T-That's enough, Sova! You're not... Supposed to hurt others like that!" The Swablu chirped in panic as he waddled closer, clearly scared and worried about what was happening to the Sneasel. He didn't like causing others pain or watching others be in pain, either!

"W-We're civilized! Not like those feral Pokémon, we should leave this to the police!" He added... But he had seen the Sneasel trying to attack. It's not like Sova was completely wrong doing what he was doing and the suspect didn't exactly help his case by trying to retaliate.
"Please sir, you shouldn't attack others, either! There's... You won't be getting anywhere like that. Sova won't let you," Varda sighed, clearly a bit disappointed in the way the Sneasel was acting. Not that he could blame him for the way he acted, either. He was scared and caught, people did very stupid things in such situations.
"...And if we did let you go, he would find you, wouldn't he? If you let yourself be caught then... Maybe you would be protected?"



((Maybe they can become a comedy cop duo one day.))

Sova seemed completely unfazed by the situation, not seeming to care in the slightest about the pain he was inflicting on the criminal. Upon Varda's request, he released the sneasel, though he acted as if it was a chore to do so, seeming very disappointed. "Try to run or fight again and I promise you, I'll break something to make sure that doesn't happen any more. I'll let you choose whether it's an arm or a leg.", he threatened. Actually, it was more of a promise than a threat.
The way he spoke nonchalantly about it all, not really trying to look intimidating, made him look far more serious. It seemed like he was used to behaving like this.

The sneasel grabbed onto its arm with its other hand as it was released, glancing up at the glaceon with a fearful look before looking back to the swablu. "Y.... you're right, that's why I wanted the stone, so he wouldn't come after me. But I guess that's not an option any more.... so just take me away.", it said in a rather defeated tone.
It know it had lost and it clearly wasn't interested in having a limb broken for trying to resist more.

Sova watched as the sneasel rose to its feet, prepared to attack it, but it didn't try to run. It just kind of stood there, clearly waiting for a cue to get moving. Sova decided he'd let Varda decide when to go. Unless the bird took too long to decide.

(Dark comedy is like dark chocolate; it's the best kind.)

Varda pretty much ignored his friend's threats, happy enough that he had complied and let the Sneasel go without injuring the poor thing. Actions spoke louder than words after all, he had no reason to berate Sova for doing the right thing in the end, even if he was a little scary about it. The Sneasel's arm seemed to be hurting a bit considering the way it was being held, but it seemed like it was still moving normally. Nothing had been broken in the end, the bird hoped. Looking up at the taller Pokémon, he just smiled. Perhaps his eyes were a little sad considering the whole situation, but otherwise he tried to look gentle and understanding.

"Maybe... When we get back to Grassveil Town, you should definitely tell about this all to the police! And maybe you should meet with the Pokémon you stole from. She might like to hear your reasons too. And an apology?" The Swablu offered carefully with a little smile an a tilt of his head. He hadn't dealt with outlaws like this before. Actually, he hadn't really dealt with outlaws at all. The Sneasel wasn't really a thief deep down, either. Maybe it would make him feel a bit better too, maybe it would be easier for him to confess and let it all off his chest.

"Maybe you should tell us about the Pokémon threatening to harm you, too! Think about it, if that Pokémon is caught, then there's no reason for you to be afraid anymore," he chirped as he got his supposed master plan that would fix everything and make everyone happy.


((But I get a headache from dark chocolate... Also so close to a full page, wanna derp around for a couple of posts?))

Sova began walking and glanced at the sneasel to signal it to move as they talked.  It of course complied, still terrified of having a limb broken for being difficult.  He'd already proven multiple times he far outclassed it and was not remotely afraid to inflict serious pain.  After all, he couldn't even get in trouble for attacking someone for resisting arrest.  He quite literally had immunity to punishment for over-abusing someone as long as they refused to cooperate otherwise.

The sneasel seemed to hesitate before replying, still worried of agitating the glaceon.  "I....  That sounds good....", it admitted, still clearly a bit worried about the backlash of ratting out a big mobster.  Then again, it was also worried about being tortured by a certain psychotic glaceon.
This kind of thing was what the sneasel had been trying to AVOID, getting hurt.

Sova rolled his eyes and spoke up, "You can stop being such a wuss.  I'm not gonna start breaking bones if you behave.  So, unless you're planning to do something stupid, you've got nothing to worry about.", he explained, though he obviously wasn't really making much of an effort to be reassuring.
He was actually kind of disappointed the sneasel hadn't tried to run, as well as a bit surprised.  Though it came as no surprise to him that it wasn't interested in trying to fight again after almost having its arm snapped.  Still, it was probably for the best, since he didn't want to terrify Varda of him.

(You get a headache because your head can't comprehend how delicious it is.  And sure, I'm up for a free page.  I like how we planned on this being 3 pages and it's gonna be 6.)

Varda nodded happily as the Sneasel seemed to be agreeing. While the poor thing still seemed rather tense and hesitating, he was sure that the Pokémon was already feeling much better – or would be, soon! Even if they were on the opposite sides of the law, the little bird certainly wasn't treating the Sneasel like a criminal despite the circumstances.
"I'm sure it'll all be fine! If this is your first time, you confess and you have been blackmailed into doing it, I think they will go really easy on you!" The Swablu chirped cheerfully, feeling like what Sova had already done to the Sneasel was most likely the worst punishment he would be getting from the authorities,
"And I don't think there's one criminal in this land that could escape from the Guild!" He added with a chirpy laugh, urging the other Pokémon not to worry about the mobster too much.

While Sova's tone was rather rude, the way the bird looked at him with his sparkling eyes only spoke of admiration. He knew that his friend had an odd way of saying things... But still, he did try to reassure this Pokémon, saying that there was nothing to worry about as long as he behaved! The poor Sneasel was so jumpy that Varda couldn't help but appreciate the help in trying to get him to calm down.
"That's right! Sova might look like he's evil, but he's actually very nice. You just shouldn't annoy him too much," the little bird Pokémon smiled and nodded. It seemed like the three of them had come to some kind of agreement and no one had to get hurt any more than they already had...


((It keeps happening!))

Sova seemed to ignore the swablu's comment about him, though inside it made him feel a bit nice. He had pretty much a 0 tolerance policy for those he didn't like, but for those he did like.... he'd put his life on the line in a heartbeat. So he couldn't really argue that Varda was wrong, even if he wanted to, at least about him not being evil. He wasn't so sure about "very nice" though. He didn't feel that he was all that nice, even to his closest friends. Caring, sure. Nice? He had doubts about that.

The sneasel saw no reason not to trust its captors, given they could have obviously killed it at any time. They had already proven to be far superior.... or at least, the glaceon had. "What if you all can't catch him?", it questioned.

"Tell you what, if you behave your self and a mission gets put up to arrest this loan shark, I'll go after him my self. I assure you, if this happens, I will find him and he will receive FAR worse treatment than you.", the glaceon assured. He had no problems with promising to beat such a crook within an inch of their life if it came to it.

The sneasel smiled slightly and rubbed its still hurting arm. The glaceon's words were a bit comforting.

("Notice me senpai!" - Varda 2015 never forget. Also I think after your post we'll have a page so if I'm right, feel free to end it there.)

Varda looked at the Sneasel and then at Sova with a big smile on his face, feeling so proud about how things were going and how Sova was reassuring the suspect even more. The little bird gave some excited nods after that, agreeing that no criminal would be too much for the Guild and that the Sneasel shouldn't worry about it!
"There's nothing the Guild can't do!" He chirped cheerfully as he flapped his wings in his excitement. This was the exact reason the Guild existed, as far as he knew. Helping Pokémon in need, even if it meant catching bad Pokémon that were hurting others.

The Swablu finally picked the Moon Stone off the ice and placed it in his bag for safety – and so that they didn't go back to Grassveil Town without the rock. That would have been bad and extremely silly, they would have had to come all the way back to try to find it again! How lucky they had been that it wasn't used yet, it was a good thing the Sneasel hadn't managed to gift the stone yet to the evil Pokémon after it.

"A-Alright! I think it's time to go now," Varda turned to look at Sova and nodded that everything was ready. His feathers were still puffed out from the cold and he even let out a little sneeze, feeling very cold at this point. And so very, very tired... But that was probably the Hyper Beam, right?


((Yep, should be it. Now go and get this thread locked so Varda's team will hopefully have the points to be able to take higher ranked missions, hah.))