Another morning

First topic message reminder :

North of town, in a small, cozy room at the bottom floor of the Grassveil Guild, a Skitty was curled up in her bed...  Though she wasn't asleep at the moment.  The Skitty had woken up a little early, so she had decided to spend a while studying...  She knew better than anyone that she had a lot to learn if she was going to continue working at the guild.  The day outside was overcast, perhaps promising rain later on, but the coming of morning cast the gardens behind the guild in a soft blue light and just enough leaked through her window to read by.  At the moment she was browsing through a book about first-aid.  Among the books her father had picked out for her, this seemed like one that she should prioritize...

But now the sounds of other Pokémon outside her door had grown louder, and it seemed that the rest of the guild was starting to wake up and go about their morning routines.  Now seemed like a good time to see if her new teammate was ready for the day.  With a smile, the Skitty closed her book and climbed out from the shallow basket full of blankets and pillows that served as her bed, taking a long moment to stretch her body before she trotted towards her bag and scarf hanging on the wall next to the door.  She put them both on, ensuring that her badge was visible on the blue scarf around her neck, then pushed her way out the door and into the hallway.

She came to a stop at the room right next to hers...  The door was still shut.  She briefly wished that her teammate hadn't asked to have her own room.  She didn't want to accidentally awaken her if she was still sleeping, but it didn't seem like there were many options.  "Um...  Excuse me, Yooka, are you there?" she called while softly scratching at the door with her claws.  She wished she could just knock, but her body didn't lend itself well to that...  Hopefully this would be enough to get her friend's attention.

Darcy took advantage of the Igglybuff's pause to answer her first question.  She wagged her tail and smiled cheerfully as she spoke.  "Of course you can join our team, Alki!  That way you'd have somewhere to stay, and you wouldn't have to hide.  And it's always more fun to have lots of company!  You wouldn't be a burden at all."

Then Yooka spoke up, and her words disappointed Darcy a little at first.  The Skitty didn't want to spend all day by herself...  But as the Kecleon continued, those thoughts were swept away with a rush of concern.  "W-what, someone tried to mug you?  Are you okay?" Darcy said while trotting over to Yooka and putting her forelegs up on the bed, staring at Yooka with worry written on her face.  Really, Yooka needed to be more careful...  The Skitty supposed she should be thankful that Alki had been around to help...

And then Yooka mentioned Alki's sister.  "And...  You have a relative here?" Darcy said while turning her head to face Alki.  She was wary of bringing up the Igglybuff's family again, but...  If she didn't want to be seen by her sister, then it was something they needed to talk about.

"A-A Nuzleaf?" Alki offered quietly, as the Skitty trotted forward to look after her friend. I should tell Darcy, I don't think Yooka will... she decided, the Skitty looked really worried and Yooka wasn't going to tell her anything by the looks of it. "Y-Yooka met me at the town center yesterday and then she went to this house that wasn't a house, they sold stuff, but anyways, uh, t-there was a Nuzleaf and he wanted my bag" Alki began, her eyes widening as she realized something. She took a small pause and then continued, stuttering even more than before. "A-A-And I was g-going to give it t-to him... I-I don't like fights. Um. Yooka took it back though... s-she said I shouldn't... a-and then there was a small fight and t-the Nuzleaf hit Yooka but she beat it and it went away b-but they wouldn't have fought at all if I weren't there..." She finished sadly, realizing that it had been her fault that the fight had occurred at all. She looked up at Darcy, hoping she wouldn't see anger. "S-Sorry..."

"I-I don't... I di-didn't mean to get Yooka hurt..." She said, wrapping herself in the scarf again. They wouldn't want her on their team anymore, would they? I don't deserve it, I can't even defend myself or my bag... I needed Yooka to get it back! "I-I'm sorry..." She sat down, letting the Scarf fall off of her. I don't deserve anything... "I-It's my fault... I-I'm sorry... p-p-please forgive me..." She cried, upset all over again. There's no way they'd let me on the team now. I'll have to go back on the street and get in trouble and no one will like me but I guess that isn't much of a change... She thought bitterly. It was her fault Yooka had gotten hurt at all. She shouldn't be on her team after a mess up like that.

But if there was one bright side to this whole situation, it was that she wouldn't have to talk about her sister. The thought of meeting her here made her cry even more. I shouldn't be here, she's better than me, she's the one who's supposed to be here! Not me. Why am I even here? I'm even stupider than I thought if I believed I could join this guild... She hugged the scarf like she would a pillow, aware of just how childish and petty she seemed but for some reason unable to stop. She definitely didn't belong here... "I-I'm sorry Darcy, I'm sorry Yooka... t-thank you for being nice... you two are more than I deserve." She said, bouncing to the door as she continued to cry quietly. I need to leave... She thought, but the sound of voices outside the door scared her too much to leave. She sat down by the door, trembling as she tried to not look at either of the other two Pokemon. And I'm a coward to boot...

From the way the igglybuff said all that she wasn't entirely wrong. Yooka just watched it bound to the door only to stop infront of it, too afraid to actually leave. Yooka took that moment to tell her knowledge of the nuzleaf to the skitty without the igglybuff hearing. "Nuzleaf noses are their weakspot. just grip it and they become powerless... it's just I took a hit before then, I thought I could talk him out of it, but... you know how that goes with me..." she spoke up as to let the igglybuff hear. "I don't 'mind' a fight, as long as I know I can win. If Alki wasn't there I probably wouldn't have won, and anyway the nuzleaf probably would have stopped me anyway, considering I was going to be going this way after I finished with what I was doing. so it's not her fault I got into it." however she made it clear to the skitty she lied about the 'probably wouldn't have won' part. Yooka sat back down on her bed. she contemplated if she should just stop talking for a bit. Then laid down facing away from the two. "Yea... I should probably stop talking."

Darcy watched Alki as she spoke, both eager and worried to hear what had happened to Yooka...  But as everything started to fall into place, and the Igglybuff's eyes filled with tears, Darcy could only think about how badly the situation must have shaken up the poor little thing...  Tears almost crept into her own eyes as well.  No one deserved to feel like that, like being attacked by a bad Pokémon was their own fault...

"Alki..." Darcy murmured as she quietly paced towards the door, then laid down beside the crying Igglybuff.  "Yooka is right, Alki...  You didn't do anything wrong...  Please don't be sad, okay..?"

...Thinking of what to say next stirred up some sad memories.  ...But just one glance at Alki's tear streaked face made it clear that it was something she needed to hear right now.  Darcy turned her gaze downward and her voice wavered a little as she continued.  "...I-I know what it feels like...  Not being able to protect your friends.  I really do."  There was her first mission...  And her visit to Pecha Forest with Cirrus...  And exploration of Shadowhue with Adamantine...  Every time that she had ever had to fight, she'd ended up letting her teammates down, one way or another...  And...  More than once, it had caused the Pokémon she loved so dearly to get hurt...

...And yet...  Remembering how each of them had acted afterwards, when she was so afraid and apologetic...  It made Darcy smile, and she looked back to Alki.  "But...  If there's one thing I've learned...  It's that real friends don't care if you're big and strong or not.  It's just...  Another kind of talent.  It doesn't make you worth any more than being good at card games does, or at baking, or at jigsaw puzzles," she said with a tiny laugh.  "As long as you do your best, and you're honest about what you can do and what you can't, then no one who matters will be mad at you for it.  I promise."

She sat up on her haunches, still smiling gently.  "...You don't have to join the guild if you don't want to.  But if you're ever hungry...  Or if you ever need a place to sleep...  We're here for you, okay?  No one deserves to be all on their own.  I really mean it."

Alki leaned against the door, trying to calm down while the two other Pokemon spoke. They were still friendly. Darcy sat down in front of her and began to talk. Alki heard her voice waver and looked up, whimpering, but managing to stop any more tears from coming out. And she even still invited me? Alki blinked in confusion, looking up at Darcy. Her words really were nice... and Yooka was helping too. Both of them were! Even though she got them hurt... Why? Um... Nevermind. I shouldn't push my luck, this is already too good to be true.

Alki looked up at the Skitty, and then at the Kecleon. Should I trust them? Trust usually doesn't end well for me, but I don't know... this is really good. I don't have any place to stay if I leave, and Darcy wants me. I think. No, she just doesn't mind me... Er. One of the two. Alki sat down, wiping away her tears, and thinking about what had just happened. She... They're here for me... Darcy had been doing most of the talking, but Yooka hadn't objected... Maybe she's telling the truth? Alki fidgeted, wondering what she should do. Well, if she turns around and stabs me in the back, it wouldn't be nothing new... and I don't know. She seems a bit different somehow...

"Erm...  Ah... W-Well, I-I don't know... i-if I had... have... that is... I-I don't know if I should join, b-but y-you guys are really nice and I don't have anywhere else to go..." She began, staring at the ground as she spoke. Her voice was quiet and wavering, and she began to close her eyes, embarrassed and afraid. "I-I'd l-love to s-stay w-with y-you... ah... um, I-I can work, I can be useful! I-I want to repay you, I r-really don't deserve this, b-but I need it, s-so thank you... a-and please let me pay you back!" Alki said, finishing her sentence in a mumble, barely audible. As if to punctuate her statement, Alki walked forward to give Darcy a hug. She was sitting up, so she was a fair amount taller than her, but Alki did her best. I hope I'm not making a mistake...

She heard her stomach rumble again, louder this time. They probably heard that. She blushed, embarrassed, still hugging the Skitty, but didn't comment on it. I don't want to be a nuisance... "T-Thank you, you two... t-this means a lot to me..." She said, giving a small, nervous smile. Maybe they'll betray me, I'm used to it by now, but maybe this time will really be different... She said, trying to convince her inner cynic. Things couldn't be that bad. Things could get better!

Hearing the speech the skitty made almost made Yooka cover her head. I don't care if my friend is big or small? it's more like, who is a friend... the only real friend I ever had went on a quest to find new lands... it's been nearly 2 years since I seen that noisy bat. I miss his aggressive attitude. It fits the way I think. she almost fell asleep from how quiet the two were, but she heard some bit of what the igglybuff said. So, she want's to be in the guild. well she's going to have to get used to peeps... Without turning around, and still laying in bed, Yooka raising one of her arms into the air and pointing towards the ceiling. She called out to the igglybuff, "Well then... for your first mission... Your going to have to get used to seeing the guild while it's active. Don't worry, Darcy would probably go with you on this one." Yooka lowered her arm, then she laughed. "Hey darcy, when is the guild's field open? you know the one outside your window. mine too, but yours has a better view. I think I may head down there in a bit. seems pretty cool."

Darcy listened patiently as Alki spoke, stuttering and stumbling over her words...  And she was thoroughly relieved to hear the Igglybuff accept her offer and step forward to give her a hug.  Darcy smiled and hugged her in return, accidentally lifting her off of the ground a little...  She was so light!

...The Skitty could feel Alki's stomach rumble in addition to hearing it, and she couldn't help but laugh just a little.  "Yeah.  Starting slow is probably a good idea, Yooka," she said while wagging her tail and setting Alki back down on the floor.  "That garden behind the guild is open all the time, as long as you stay quiet if anyone's still sleeping.  Alki, how about I take you out there, then go get us some food, and we can have a little picnic?  If anyone asks what you're doing here I'll just say I'm giving you a tour.  Does that sound okay?" she finished, giving the Igglybuff a warm smile.  Helping Alki become comfortable around crowds seemed like a good place to start...  The guild wasn't the most quiet place out there, and Darcy didn't want her new friend to be perpetually nervous while she was here.

Alki felt herself getting lifted up, away from the ground, her feet dangling in the air. Darcy might be a bit too excited... She squirmed a bit, but thankfully, Darcy set her down before she had to say anything. And Yooka gave her instructions, to get to know the guild. She said that's a lot of pokemon... more than the market! And the market was loaded with Pokemon... Alki's eyes grew wide at the thought of having to go into a place like that. She looked at Darcy, hoping she wouldn't repeat what she said.

But she didn't, not quite. She mentioned a garden, Alki hadn't noticed a garden coming in. She blinked in confusion, bouncing to the window to look for herself. There is a garden, there are a couple of Pokemon walking down there. Maybe they'd leave by the time we went down... went down! I don't want to go down there... but I owe them! "O-Ok..." She mumbled. Alki took a deep breath and nodded, nervous at the thought of having to go look around the guild. If there were really as many Pokemon as Yooka said... "I-I guess t-that's Ok..." She sat down and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the number of Pokemon she was about to see. Darcy was alright so far, but if her sister was here... what if she saw her?

"D-Darcy, I-I don't want to see my sister..." Alki said, her eyes still closed. If my sister sees me I'll get in trouble, my sister would make fun of me or SOMETHING bad will happen... "I-I don't know... I don't know i-if this is a g-good idea. Err... I-It's up to you. Actually... ah... m-maybe I'll... n-nevermind. L-Let's go. I-I was being dumb..." She said, shaking her head and opening her eyes. They're both right, if I'm going to stay here for now, I should see what the guild is like... no matter how scary it might be, or how many pokemon there are in it... She bounced to the door, shaking a bit, but trying to control it so as to not worry the Skitty and Kecleon, but it wasn't working very well. She took another deep breath and waved at Darcy. "L-Let's get this over with..." She said, jumping as she heard a voice from outside the door. What would they say if they see me? She began to shake more, but opened the door just a crack, and peeked out. She couldn't see anyone so far, but that could change...

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ooc:

Noting the garden is open at all times made Yooka snicker. I cant see just how big it is till we get out there. from this angle it looks pretty big. perhaps, I can use it. but... will they be willing to go through with my idea. Yooka got up and walked over to her window. Yooka spoke out as she heard her door open. "I recommend eating first, I will meet you outside then... Don't have too much though. you may get a stomach cramp. heheheh... although do take your time, I do need some time to myself for a bit out there. I got to find some pokemon. "

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ooc:

Darcy watched with a smile as Alki hopped up to the window and looked outside.  Covering a vast grassy plateau on the hill that the guild was settled upon, there was a stunning garden packed with trellises and flower beds and trees and bushes, all probably arranged by the Guildmaster herself.  They hemmed in a large grassy field at the center, sometimes used for the guild's meetings, but more often just used by guildmembers to practice fighting.

It was one of the Skitty's favorite parts of the guild.  Sitting on her windowsill and watching them was a pleasant way to spend her down time...  And she often found herself going for walks through the shady little paths around the garden's perimeter, smelling flowers, chatting with other guild members, or simply curling up somewhere comfortable and taking naps.  She was glad that the guild had somewhere so nice and peaceful that she could take Alki.

Though it looked like the Igglybuff was worried about seeing her sister after all...  "Don't worry, Alki.  If we run into your sister, I promise I won't let her take you home unless you want her to," Darcy said firmly as she trotted over to the door.  ...Though honestly, the Skitty hoped that she could meet Alki's older sister at some point...  She wanted to know just what had happened to make her friend run away from home.  It would sure be nice if she could get the two of them to make up with each other...

But that could wait.  Seeing how nervous Alki was, Darcy settled prone on the ground next to her.  "Want to ride on my back?  That way you won't have to worry about getting lost," she said gently.

Then Yooka spoke up, and Darcy turned her head to face her."Okaaay, Yooka.  I wanted to eat outside, though.  Is it alright if we just take our time getting there?" she asked.  It seemed like her Kecleon friend wanted some time to herself before they got to work today...  It was a shame that she didn't want to tag along, but at least she wasn't planning to stay in bed for any longer.

ooc:

Alki gave a small nod as the Skitty spoke, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her sister... could Darcy protect her? She didn't want to risk it, but at the same time, Darcy sounded confident and she was smiling and Alki didn't want to mess with that. She sighed and stood still, and nodded more, slightly more confident. I can trust her...  

"O-Ok, Darcy..." She said, looking up at her. She bounced onto her back,struggling to balance herself. "T-Thanks..." She mumbled, sitting on her back. What if we do run into Sis? She won't like me being here, and if she finds out I'm here... She shuddered. My parents may not be here, but still... "S-So we're going down to the g-gardens?" She asked, knowing the answer already. She would've preferred to stay in the room, but Darcy wasn't that sort of Pokemon, was she?

"E-Erm, o-of course we are. L-Let's... h-how big is the guild?" She asked, remembering Yooka's earlier words. A lot of Pokemon... but the garden has less, right? "Erm, m-maybe I-I could go d-down to the gardens and m-meet you there?" She asked, hoping the Skitty would agree, but at the same time, knowing she probably wouldn't. I'd get lost... but still! What if I run into my sister at the kitchen? Err... dining hall. Whatever!   "O-Or... I-I just don't want to see my sister at all, D-Darcy..." She said, bouncing off and grabbing the letter that Yooka had written and carrying it with her, folded neatly into a square. She placed it into her bag and bounced back onto Darcy, again struggling to balance herself. "B-But, I... um... y-you won't let her... that is, I-I trust... yeah, I trust you." She stammered, closing her eyes. So please don't let me down like everyone else...

Excitement had already filled Yooka. She already left the room through the window, before the skitty finished what she was talking about. All Yooka needed to hear was that they would take their time. However, she wasnt in the room when the igglybuff said she didn't want to see her sister at all.
Yooka just has to get to the pokemon she was seeking before they did, and she has an idea of where they would be. Let the games begin. If someone listened carefully, they probably would of heard Yooka laughing 'that creepy laugh'.

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ooc:

Before Darcy knew it, Yooka had...  Climbed out the window, with nothing but some creepy laughter to announce that she was leaving.  The Skitty stared after her for a moment with a confused smile, feeling a little exasperated...  Were they walking into another one of Yooka's weird jokes?

Well, for the moment, she was much more worried about Alki than whatever Yooka was doing.  Especially since she didn't want to meet her sister.  Darcy didn't want to push the Igglybuff too hard, but if she was going to stay at the guild, she wouldn't be able to hide forever...  Hopefully they wouldn't bump into each other today.  Darcy wanted a chance to talk to Alki's sister alone first...

"The guild isn't too big.  And most of the Pokémon here are really nice," Darcy said as she slowly stood up, making sure that Alki had a good grip.  "I don't think we'll run into your sister, but we'll stay away from any Jigglypuff we see just in case.  It'll be alright, okay?"

And with that, she pushed the door open with a forepaw and stepped into the hallway.  The guild was always busy during the mornings, and today was no exception, with teams of Pokémon milling about or making their plans for the day.  It wasn't so cramped that she had to rub shoulders with anyone, but it was busy enough that it was easy to blend into the crowd.  Darcy greeted a few Pokémon that she recognized along the way, and while she wanted to stop and chat with most of them, she restrained herself for Alki's sake...  The Igglybuff was already getting some curious glances from Darcy's friends and she didn't think the Igglybuff could handle much more attention than that.

They continued along, up the stairs and into the dining hall, with Darcy giving Alki an encouraging glance every now and then.  The Skitty accepted her food for the morning and placed it into a small cloth-lined basket in her bag that she'd been using to hold poffins up until a few days ago.  She decided not to ask for more food than usual, even though she was planning to share it with Alki...  She couldn't imagine that the Igglybuff had a very large appetite with how little she weighed.

And just like that, they were downstairs again and heading outside through the guild's backdoor.  The instant Darcy closed the door behind them the air seemed much quieter and more peaceful.  "And that's that! Are you holding up okay, Alki?" she said with a smile while glancing at the Igglybuff... She was concerned for her new friend, but pleased that nothing too bad had happened.

Alki was too nervous to hear the laughter from Yooka, but she did notice her climbing out the window. That's weird... Alki thought to herself. But I have bigger things to worry about... She listened closely to Darcy as she spoke. She began to stand up, and Alki, despite her situation, smiled. This is taller than I've ever felt in my life! She was almost two feet taller than usual, and even if they were going to be walking into a guild packed with Pokemon, she could enjoy it , at least for a bit...

So they're nice? Still... they'll want to talk to me and she did say MOST... what if we run into rude ones? She thought to herself, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but she was still shaking, she still felt scared. "O-Ok... t-thank you! L-Let's avoid the Jigglypuff, y-yeah..." She stammered, as they began to walk forward. We'll avoid her, We'll avoid her, We'll avoid her... She thought, repeating that phrase over and over, her eyes squeezed shut as she felt both of them move forward. How is Darcy so comfortable here? She opened one eye, just a crack, but saw a couple of Pokemon looking at her curiously, so she shut her eyes, even tighter than before. But her curiousity of the guild got the better of her, so she tried to look around without attracting any attention. She didn't succeed completely, but she did get a look at the guild, and Darcy's encouragement helped...

And then they went through a door, this time to the gardens. Darcy had food with her, and it felt so much quieter and less stressful being there... Alki bounced off of the Skitty's back, and looked up at her, shaking a bit, but managing a smile. "I-I'll be fine, I-I'm just n-not used to so many... so many pokemon..." She said, sitting down. But it was so nice in the garden! She bounced to a nearby flower and stroked one of its petals, smiling. It's peaceful...   "Erm... t-thanks..." She said, walking back towards Darcy. She hesitated, should she take some? She was really hungry... she finally decided that she might be too hungry to bear it. She reached into the basket, hoping Darcy wouldn't mind, and broke off a small piece of the food and began to eat it. "A-And t-thanks for k-keeping my sister from me..." She said, with her mouth full. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the food, leaning on Darcy. She'd done all of this for her, but she didn't have to...

Spoiler:

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ooc:

Yooka was waiting in the middle of the field for the the skitty and Igglybuff to arrive, however she was in the middle of a conversation with some pokemon.
Surprisingly the field was alot more quiet and empty than usual, and the few that were there, if someone would consider eight as a few, they were standing at the entance near the skitty and igglybuff, watching the group in the middle. The Kecleon was looking at three pokemon infront of her, to the skitty and igglybuff, the pokemon on the left of the kecleon was a growlithe and the one on the right was an abra. However, the pokemon directly infront of the Kecleon couldnt be seen. as the two were on their way out somehow, almost unrealistically, a snorlax decided to rest infront of the door, which blocks the way they came. within the other seven pokemon, there are two audino, a gabite trying to get at the joltik attached to its back, a pelipper who is just landing on the snorlax aswell as a scraggy who is now attempting to move the snorlax with it's head, and a meganium attending to the garden seemingly unfazed by the events going on as if its commonplace.

"So, a team of three, two attackers and one supporter. Seems fair to me, why not." Yooka heard the two coming, due to the pokemon near them starting to complain about the snorlax blocking the doorway. She turned around, she saw the snorlax in the doorway and the skitty and igglybuff."Ah, Perfect timing you snorlax you. heheh. Oi! Darcy, I managed to get another team to agree to a practice sparing match. well more like, two 'v' three when it really comes to it, but hey, it's fun. heheh. Why not say hello? I was about to start if you didn't show up." She didn't move, she just waved them over. Completely unaware that it's Alki's nightmare come true.

ooc, pt 2:

ooc, pt 3, lol: