Relaxation

Pilot perched himself up on a branch, enjoying the shade and the pleasant breeze. It wasn't often that the Taillow got to sit back and relax, but he had recently quit his job as a messenger.

However, his unemployment was going to be short-lived; the bird Pokemon planned on joining Grassveil's guild. After hearing many tales of exploration during his work as a messenger, Pilot was enticed. Between exploring new regions, catching outlaws, and rescuing Pokemon trapped in Mystery Dungeons, Pilot was sure that the job would provide plenty of excitement.

Just think about it put Pilot in a good mood. He began to whistle loudly, blankly staring at the pond.

Imari let out a quick sigh as he walked along the path to the pond, staying relatively quiet as he did so. He decided that today, he'd take it easy and just relax before seeking out info about how to join the Grassveil guild. The promise he made to his older brother was one he planned on keeping, but there wasn't any reason why he had to rush this. Although, the closer he got the pond; the louder a certain sound got.

When he reached the pond the first thing he did was look around, trying to find the source of the noise he heard earlier. It really wasn't any of his business on who was here or what they were doing, but he was curious.

His eyes fell upon a Pokemon up in a tree. He didn't stare so much as just glance at him before shrugging lightly and moving to find someplace to relax.

Pilot began to whistle louder and louder, completely oblivious of the Shinx's presence. He rocked back and forth as he passionately nailed the pitches and rhythms that his mother had taught him. Just as he was about the break into song, he heard a twig snap. Surprised by the noise, the Taillow fell off of his branch, plummeting to the ground in a spectacular fashion. Luckily, the bird was able to catch himself, and flutter harmlessly to the ground.

Completely flustered, Pilot searched for the source of the disturbance. I hope it was just a feral, he thought to himself, only to find himself feet away from a Shinx, who had witnessed the entire ordeal.

"Uhm, l-let's just act like that never happened," Pilot said, his face becoming bright red. His affinity for whistling was one of his many insecurities; he would much rather be known for his flying abilities. To him, music was "girly", and he did not want to be associated with it. Thank Arceus I stopped before I started singing...

Imari's head was tilted after...whatever just happened was over with, leaving him with a flustered bird who was trying to play it off. To be honest, he enjoyed the music the Pokemon was producing, despite how loud he was getting towards the end. Although, he couldn't figure out why the Taillow was like this. Perhaps the bird thought he was going to get laughed at or something? Whatever the reason was, Imari shrugged, waved a dismissive paw at him, and added in, "Sure."

Since this Pokemon was so close, Imari took the liberty of looking him over. Coming from a place filled with Shinxs, Luxios, and Luxrays did make one curious with meeting a new Pokemon that didn't seem bad, save for a little clumsy. "No need to be embarrassed," He said and made sure to add in, "I'm not going to laugh." Imari hoped that this would be enough to ease the Pokemon. However, the Shinx did move back just a little to get his space back.

"Well, in that case... I hope you enjoyed the show!" Pilot exclaimed, before laughing nervously and bowing. He looked around again, just to make sure that nobody else had heard him. Thankfully, the Shinx seemed to be the only witness. Pilot sighed in relief.

"Name's Pilot, by the way," The Tailow said, trying to change the subject and forget about what had just happened. He felt as if his ego had been slightly bruised, but it could have been much worse. What if someone he didn't like had seen that? He thought back to the irritable Charmander he had met a year ago. If that 'mon had seen him whistling like that, he would have never heard the end of it.

Realizing that he was intruding upon the Shinx's personal space, Pilot backed up. "Sorry about that," he murmured, taking notice of how uncomfortable the feline looked.

"I... guess so?" Imari said, tilting his head a little at what the bird said. He wasn't really to sure on what show he witnessed, unless the Taillow meant how he caught himself before he fell to the ground, and this whole bowing thing was also really...odd. Bowing was what one usually did when greeting an important Pokemon, like how he would greet some of the older Luxray's in his pack, back when he was still staying with them. Still, he managed a somewhat small smile to appear friendly towards him.

Now Pilot had moved on to greetings and it seemed that it was his turn to do so. "I'm Imari," he responded back, still having a certain look of curiosity as he looked at the Taillow, though Imari was quite pleased to know that some Pokemon respected one's space. Although, it could be because Pilot seemed to be a little more on the shy side, unless he was still embarrassed about the whole little thing. Whatever it was, the young Shinx wouldn't pay too much mind to it and simply waved a paw to dismiss the apology.

Still, now was a good a time as ever to ask questions about this town, since he still had the bird's attention. "So, you a local to this town, Pilot?"

Now that the subject had changed, Pilot seemed much more comfortable. His body language had altered; the bird held his chest out, giving him an air of confidence. It wasn't in a threatening way, but rather, in a proud, showy way. The bird was revealing his true personality to Imari.

Pilot shook his head in response to the inquiry. "No, I'm not a local. I've visited a few times before, though... Why, are you looking for something?" He asked, tilting his head. As far as he knew, the Guild was the only thing notable about Grassveil Town. Perhaps the feline was thinking about joining it...

His mind drifted, and he began to think about the guild. What was it like? Pilot had never been inside, nor did he even know the requirements for joining! One thing he had heard, however, was that most Pokemon joined with a partner. Obviously, exploration would be much more fun with a friend. I should probably work on getting a partner, he thought to himself. I guess I'll look for one tomorrow.

Imari seemed happy now that Pilot wasn't acting so strange now, since that made it easier for the Shinx to talk to the Taillow. He couldn't say he was much of a conversationalist, especially with new Pokemon who he didn't know. The Shinx was always used to knowing everyone around him and everyone being family as well.

"I see..." He said, slowly nodding his head at the bird, though he did shake his head. "I am, yes, but its nothing you have to concern yourself with, Pilot." This Grassveil guild his brother told him about was his goal and really the only reason why he was in this town. Imari didn't know anything about this place or the guild, save for the fact that he could potentially get stronger. Still... at the rate this was going, that task looked impossible.

With a little sigh; the feline looked over at the bird, noticing that he seemed to be deep in though. Now normally, Imari wouldn't bother him, but he needed results soon and despite Pilot not being a local to this town, there was still a chance he knew some things."...Hey Pilot. You know anything about the guild they have here?" The Shinx asked, trying to get the Taillow's attention once again.

"...What?" Pilot chirped, zoning back into reality. "Oh, yeah, I've heard a couple of things about that place. It's north of the town, and... I heard that their Guildmaster is nice. Other than that, I don't really know, because I've never been there..." The Taillow sighed, knowing that there was no way he was getting his job as a messenger back anytime soon. If he didn't get in the guild soon, he would become broke.

Of course, there was always the possibility of returning to his mother.

Pilot shuddered, not even wanting to think about that option. He didn't even consider it an "option"; it was more of a nightmare. If he were to come home and tell his mother that he had failed, his pride would be permanently bruised. On top of that, he knew that he would be babied, just like before he left.

That can't happen, Pilot thought, frowning. I need to become an explorer soon.

Directions to the place was...well, it was helpful at least. Hearing that the Guildmaster was nice as well could also be a benefit, it it meant that he was more likely to get accepted into the guild. So, his search for information was successful, to say the least.

"Alright then. Thank you, Pilot. You know any rules or guidelines about joining, or do I have to ask the Guildmaster about them?" The Shinx asked, noticing that the bird was starting to act strange once more with the sudden shudder and the frown that appeared on his beak. It wasn't his business to delve into his life and he was going to keep things professional between them. He had no time whatsoever to waste on other matters.

I still wonder if it was something I maybe said... He shook his head, focusing once more to await Pilot's response to the question he asked.

"Uh... No, you're gonna have to ask the Guildmaster about that," Pilot said, still looking a bit distracted. He was still deep in thought about his mother and siblings. Maybe I could go beg for my job back at the Messenger Union if things go wrong... I think I'd rather do that than go home.

Of course, why would things go wrong? The bird had impressive flying skills, which he assumed would be enough to get in the guild. You'll be fine, Pilot. He chided himself, trying to put himself at ease.

Eventually, the bird regained his composure, and put his focus back on Imari. "...So, you're thinking about joining the guild?" He asked, curious. Maybe I could go with this guy, and find out what I need to do to join... Pilot thought the himself, seeing an opportunity. While he wasn't necessarily thinking about teaming up with the Shinx, he did think that it would be a good idea to go down to the guild and find out what the guidelines were.

Well... nothing is ever that easy... He thought when he heard the Taillow's answer, letting out a small quiet sigh. It would seem that now, he'd actually have to take a quick little visit to this guild if he wanted to learn anything else, but Pilot did save him the trouble from having to seek out information from others.

"Well, thanks anyways, Pilot. I'll go check this place out then." He said, now starting to stand up on all fours again. There was no reason to waste time! Imari had a reason for being in this town and not back home!

Before he could get anywhere, the bird asked him another question, one that he shrugged at. "I am, yes. In fact, that's really the only reason why i'm in this town." There wasn't any reason to keep this extra information hidden from the bird anymore, and it'd hopefully stop him from asking the reason why he wanted to join the guild, hopefully.

"Sweet! I was thinking about joining, too!" Pilot exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly. He was completely oblivious to the fact that the Shinx probably just wanted to leave and get on with his life. Imari obviously wasn't much of a talker, but he hadn't picked up on this yet. Being a bit of a loudmouth, it was difficult for Pilot to simply end a conversation.

The bird began to think of ways he could take advantage of the situation presented to him. Perhaps if he tagged along with Imari and found out what the guidelines were, he would have an easier time getting into the guild. If he knew what the standards were around there, it would certainly make training much easier. "Hey, would you mind if I came with you?"