Decisions

First topic message reminder :

not ooc. It's just alot of first post stuff... It helps me think... If you have some similar tactic I wont mind it. It may even give me an idea.:

[starting type: Normal]

Just outside the Guild, not even... Leaning next to the doorway, was a semi-Purple Kecleon. she's had so many tough times that the color just became a norm for her. Especially after a quest involving scaring things. She ended up being the most effect by the end. Yooka's practically always on edge now and still never really cares for things unimportant.

Right now she lost her defense scarf due to her last mission. Having to use it to tie up the target sense it had some form of mortal disease that probably would have killed her if she got bit, scratched, or whatnot. So she's looking through some of her stuff to replace it, she didn't find much though. She even found some TMs she could sell.

She wasn't happy as of the moment. only 3 things could replace it but none looked right. Reaper Cloth sounds fine but its practically a tattered hooded cape. Lunar ribbon is just a ribbon relating to the moon, apparently able to evolve some pokemon. Special band, well... is just a glorified band.
Yooka left her backpack and stuff on the ground and was leaning on the wall next to the entrance. "I figured something like this would happen. I should just go to the market and 'get' a scarf. None of these have any use in dire situations like 'that' time... mmrrr." She moaned looking down at the sprawled items. The special band looks like the only choice here.

"Ah, I see. Of course," Faye smiled with a soft chuckle when Darcy told her that the trio was quite busy anyway, but would probably love to have tea some other time. She had nothing against that. She was a bit behind her own schedule as well, so hurrying up wasn't an issue at all! Morty didn't seem to be having any questions, either… But perhaps he was just nervous. The Meganium was sure Darcy and Alki had explained the basics to him, so he wouldn't be going into this completely blind.
"You can always ask me later, if you ever have a question," she reminded the Skorupi with a smile.

Using one of her vines to open the large tome and browse through the pages until a familiar team caught her eye. The team Darcy and Alki belonged to, the team Morty wanted to be a part of – and soon would be, if no one stopped the process.
"Ah, here we go," Faye hummed as she dug her drawers for both a well of ink and a quill pen, which she then dipped into the ink so she could write.

"I'm going to write your name here now, Morty," she explained as she brought the tip of the pen to the page and started to move it along, gently scratching the surface of the paper,
"And there we have it, sweetie. You are now a member of Team Friendship Alliance."

Alki watched with wide, scared eyes as the guild-master put pen to paper. She was making Morty a guild-member. Part of her and Darcy's team. But it wouldn't be any more, and Alki was going to be replaced sooner or later... she supposed it was to be expected, especially with how she'd behaved that day. She'd ruined it. The pen slid across the paper, dancing and twirling in the elegant handwriting of the Guild-master. At least, she imagined it to be elegant. Surely it was better than Alki's. Wasn't everything?

Alki stared forward, numb to whatever was going on around her. It was over, it was all over, she'd smiled, and Darcy wouldn't like her as much anymore. Morty definitely wouldn't, and now he was part of her team. A small, almost inaudible whimper escaped her. What was she supposed to do? She hadn't thought of any sort of apology. All she'd thought of was what she'd do if she got kicked off, if she got in trouble or if Darcy was mad at her. She swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

She needed to get out. She couldn't be there with the Skitty and the Skorupi and the Meganium and books and ink and paper and chairs and desks and tea... she needed to leave. Alki stumbled towards the door. "E-Erm, I... n-need to go, r-real quick, I-I'm just... c-congrats, M-Morty" She mumbled a nervous, rushed explanation before she escaped the room and waited for the others to come out. She could fix this, she cold expplain, because if she didn't... if she couldn't... she shivered. Alki didn't want to think about that.

And so their team officially had a new member.  "Welcome aboard, Morty!" Darcy said with a small laugh as she gave the Skorupi a cheerful nod.  It was wonderful even to meet a new member of the guild, so being in a position to show him the ropes and learn more about him left Darcy feeling giddy with warmth and excitement.  Maybe it was because of how Faye had inspired her, or maybe it was simply because she liked to meet new Pokemon, but Darcy couldn't help but feel sort of protective towards newer guildmembers, ones that might feel intimidated or worried, just like she had once been...  Morty was no exception.  She already couldn't wait to spend time with him.

Now that his name was registered, Darcy hopped down from her chair in anticipation of what usually came next.  Once she reached the ground, though, she met eyes with Alki, standing rather far behind everyone else.  Darcy wondered briefly why the Igglybuff was keeping her distance, but before she could reach an explanation, Alki did something even more concerning...  She whispered a quiet goodbye and stumbled out of the room.

"H-hey, Alki, what's wrong?" Darcy called, her cheerful mood suddenly dampened. She took a few steps towards the door, but then came to a halt, torn about what she should do.  Something was clearly bothering her teammate.  Alki wouldn't have wanted to say goodbye to Faye so soon otherwise.  But Darcy couldn't leave Morty here all alone with the guildmaster, could she?  The thought felt cruel.  She couldn't abandon him like that, not when he was clearly so very anxious...

...It was a difficult decision.  But eventually, she chose to return to Morty's side.  "I don't know what's gotten into her.  I-I'll have a talk with her once we're done here," she said.  She paused for a moment, but then shook her head and forced a smile as she glanced up at Faye.  "So, umm...  Only one thing left now, right?  Pick something that will look good on him, okay..?"

...Her mind drifted back to Alki, though.  Did she...  Simply not like Morty?  It seemed that way, between laughing at his nervousness and not wanting to stick around for his registration.  ...Darcy hoped they would warm up to each other over time.  She didn't know what she could do, otherwise...

Time slowed for what seemed to be forever. The pen elegantly danced along the paper's surface. It felt like it would never end. The tension ate at Morty's soul almost as much as his fear did. But then, finally, Faye gave those relieving words: "You are now a member of Team Friendship Alliance.". Was it over?

Alki, nervous as ever, meekly congratulated Morty and dashed out of the room. Darcy congratulated him with her expected cheeriness, which soon faded when she noticed how quickly Alki had left. She was now obviously hurried to go see what her problem was, but apparently keeping him company was a priority as she didn't immediately leave. "Pick something that will look good on him, ok...?" What did Darcy mean by that? What was happening? Apparently, he wasn't out of the woods yet, because there was one more step left that he didn't know about...

Even if he was still scared, he managed to push this new dillema to the back of his mind, and focus on Alki. Seriously, what was eating up at her? Was she just really nervous again? Or was it something else...? Was it him? Did she not approve of him? Back when they first met, she was obviously uncomfortable. Was he scary her? Fantastic. Now he was terrified and confused. This day really needed to do Morty a favor and just end as quickly as possible.

Faye smiled as yet another new member had joined the Guild, happy that their little family had grown. Morty still seemed nervous, Darcy was happy, and Alki… Well, she had been a bit distant. All of a sudden, even though she congratulated the newest member of their team, she dashed out of the room.
"Oh dear," the Meganium frowned, though she couldn't exactly just rush after the Igglybuff when the registration was still unfinished. Darcy almost did, but decided to not leave Morty alone – and the Skitty too seemed to consider this turn of events quite strange, promising to try to talk to her upset team member.
"Ah, thank you, Darcy. That would be a great help."

Even if the air was tense with worry, the Guildmaster walked to the closet where she kept the supplies so Morty would be outfitted just like the rest of the members of the Guild. She didn't waste much time just so Alki wasn't left alone for very long, opening the closet door and snatching a small bag for the new explorer. The basic supplies were quickly put in it with dextrous vines, though at the end, Faye always added something extra that wasn't just the same things everyone got. Her large box of various colorful ribbons had many options for her to choose. In this case, after a moment of pondering, she settled on a lightish blue color, a bit similar to the Skorupi's eyes.

She closed the bag and the door before she turned to Morty with a gentle smile, offering the bag to him.
"Every new member of the Guild gets some supplies to go, dearie. I put your Guild badge and map in the bag already, and a little extra surprise gift from me."

Alki could hear Darcy call after her, walking after her. She decided she'd wait. She wanted to talk to Darcy, she could trust Darcy. Darcy would know what to do, how to fix this, she wouldn't kick Alki out, she couldn't! She still cared about her. Alki held her breath as she waited for the door to open. But that didn't seem likely to happen. A second, five seconds, thirty seconds, a minute passed and the door remained closed. Alki waited, growing more desperate as time passed by. Darcy still cared about her, she had to, she was like a sister, she'd said so herself!

The more seconds passed and the longer the door remained closed, Alki realized that clearly, those words didn't apply anymore. For whatever reason, Darcy didn't care about Alki anymore. She was alone again, and she didn't matter. She'd been replaced. Alki lowered her head, staring at the floor beneath her. She was stupid. Why would she have thought anyone would care about her for long. That was going to stop once a bigger, better Pokemon came around, and it wasn't hard to find someone better than Alki. She was stupid to think she'd ever matter. She felt too tired to cry. She was used to stuff like this. At least Darcy would have a better team-mate now. Darcy deserved better than her, after all, she wasn't wrong. Alki deserved to be replaced.

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. She felt almost... no, she did feel betrayed. So much for promises and words. All of those things Darcy had said in Shadowhue... what did they matter anymore? She had Morty now. Alki's eyes lit up with the fire of betrayal. She didn't have really any ill will towards the wall in particular, but she had to kick something . Maybe she'd kicked it a bit too hard... she found herself on the floor. She'd lost her balance. She couldn't even kick a wall right. The tears finally escaped her, slowly at first. It had just been a smile... she'd just felt relief, she hadn't intended to make Morty feel bad. But intentions didn't matter. All that mattered was what she had done, and because of those actions, she was going to be replaced. Alki was too tired to sit up, so she sat there, as she observed the world upside down. Everything had been upside down for a bit, but it was natural for good things to come to an end. She just wished it had lasted a bit longer.

What was she going to say? She didn't want to make herself seem like any more of a fool when Darcy and Morty came out of the guild-masters office. She slowly picked herself up and placed herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes slowly, trying to calm herself down. She wanted to apologize, she'd been a horrible team-mate... Darcy was right to replace her. Alki wanted the Skitty to know. All that remained was waiting for her to come out.

hello. ♪:

Just down the hall not far off, a door opened. Yooka was packed as if heading off for an adventure. The hall seemed pretty empty and quiet, except for a few muffled sobs. Distracted, Yooka noticed the sound was Alki infront of the guildmaster's door. She wasn't exactly crying but more of disappointment and downcasted. Like something wrong just occured.

This confused Yooka but only for a fraction of a second as this seemed pretty common from her point of view of the igglybuff. Interested in why she's acting that way considering things, Yooka called over to Alki from her door. "Uh... You alright over there? Did something just happen?" Yooka had that neutral face she usually had with her usual neutral tone aswell but the Purple coloring still remained from before. She walked over to Alki about halfway and stopped. If something was wrong, Yooka would be able to tell. A lie doesn't pass by her very easily.

Perhaps nothing was wrong. In which case, She'll just carry on with her plans for the day. No biggie. Not like Alki to be alone for a long while. Perhaps that's all that is happening. No, Yooka shouldn't assume that just yet. There's probably something bigger occuring here. More personal.

Darcy watched patiently as Faye sorted through the closet and prepared Morty's supplies.  The guildmaster's vines worked quickly, and in just a moment or two, she was done packing a bag and presented it to the newest member of the guild.  "That's the last step," Darcy said to him with a small laugh, suddenly smiling again as she imagined how relieved he would be to hear those words.  "You can look inside your bag right now if you want to.  But otherwise, we're all ready to go."

She turned back to the guildmaster and gave her a respectful little bow.  She wished that they could have spent more time together, but it couldn't be helped.  "Thank you very much, Faye.  I think we'll be okay from here.  But if Morty ever has any questions, we'll be sure to come ask you."

And with that, she hopped closer to Morty's side, ready to escort him out of the room if he was still feeling too nervous to move around on his own...  "Ready when you are," she whispered to him, hoping that her presence would help soothe any remaining anxiety.  Although perhaps he wouldn't need it now that his registration was done and he was officially a member of the guild.  There wasn't too much left for him to fear, right..?  Maybe he wouldn't be worried anymore, and then they could speak with Alki, and everything would work out fine...

(late night sadposting)

The atmosphere of the room had changed. Everyone was quite obviously worried about Alki just running out. Morty was becoming especially worried. For once, he was concerned about someone else's opinion on him. Was it something he did? He saw her smile before they walked into the office, and he still didn't know what that was about. Did she not like him? He really didn't want Alki to hate him. This was turning into the worst day ever. He felt every kind of negative emotion overcoming him; fear, sadness, concern... what would he do with himself?

He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he could barely pay attention to Faye anymore. She had reached for some type of bag and filled it with supplies, presumably for adventuring, before topping it off with "a little extra surprise gift". Normally he would have been curious about it, but he didn't care right now. Darcy helped to confirm that the process was over. Morty was officially entered into the Grassveil Guild. Such a big step for such a small Pokemon. It felt like a privilege to be here. And he himself felt different, too. A strange sense of renewal... like today was a brand new day.

Unfortunately, his positive emotions were still overshadowed by the negative. He felt sick to his stomach, and Morty didn't know if it was because of fear or worry. Just outside that door... he prayed Alki was still there. If he had made her run off... he just didn't know what he would do. This sucked. Why did he care so much for this almost complete stranger? Why? Morty hadn't ever felt this way about anyone besides his dad... he just felt  so confused and distraught and sick about everything. Even a small hint of shame was somewhere inside him. The same shame clouded his eyes as he put on his brand new travelling bag. It was light, and easy to carry. There was no comfortable way  to wear it, though... he awkwardly placed it on his back. That was about as good as it would get. He was ready to tell Faye that he was set to go... but he couldn't bring himself to turn around. Morty really wished no one could see him like this. Right now, he hated himself.

Faye nodded Darcy and Morty. It was done. At least, from Morty's side of view. The Guildmaster still had more to do, but that could wait a little. She still had her walk to go to, after all.
"Do take care, both of you. Good luck on your future missions," she wished to the two, offering them some words of encouragement. Unfortunately Alki wasn't there to hear them too. Whatever was going on… Well, both the Igglybuff and Morty had been acting a bit strange the whole meeting. At first the Meganium had just assumed he had been nervous, but he knew…

She bid the two farewell as they left.


((Guess it's time for Faye to leave unless someone needs her to react to something, so do keep on going without me!))

Alki laughed, despite her situation. She considered the irony of it all. Yooka was the one who'd brought her into the Guild, who'd talked to her in the Grassveil market, and now she was going to be the last Pokemon Alki would get to talk to before she had to leave. "D-Did something just happen?" She repeated, laughing cynically.

Should she answer honestly? Maybe she shouldn't... at least she'd be able to keep some shred of dignity before she had to leave. Then again... Darcy respected Yooka. Maybe this was a chance to stay? She could feel her heart thumping in her chest, as her left foot began to shake nervously. She took a deep breath, doing her best to regain some of her composure.

"Y-Yeah... e-erm, y'know... you know Morty? He's a Skorupi, I-I mean, h-he's r-really big, and w-well, h-he's joining Darcy's team... I-I'm g-gonna be replaced, Y-Yooka,   She explained, desperation seeping into her voice. I mean... i-it was bound to happen eventually, but..." Why so soon? Why was Darcy so eager to replace her? She'd stayed with Morty, and she hadn't checked on Alki... she still hadn't come out, had she? Was Alki really so unimportant? After what had happened on their last mission in Shadowhue, Alki had hoped she'd get at least a few more missions with her before she had to go... Maybe Plusle and Minun would take her? She couldn't go back home, and she definitely couldn't go with Melanie...

Alki sat against the wall, her eyes clouding with tears that she desperately didn't want or need. Darcy was bound to come out of the guild-masters room at some point, and if Alki were crying when that happened, it'd be the final nail in her coffin. She looked up at Yooka as she tried to force the tears back. She opened her mouth, but closed it again. What could she say? It was embarrassing to be around Alki. She began to use Defense Curl, hoping that Yooka would get the hint. She should just be alone. She hated to admit it, but it would be for the best if Yooka and Darcy and Morty just forgot about her, just made her leave. She didn't deserve to stay, she deserved what she was about to get. "I-I'm sorry I'm so annoying... a-and useless..." She whispered. Yooka would be better off leaving her alone, there wasn't anything she could say that could fix it. Alki was doomed...

The roles seemed reversed! Is Alki going mad? Why is she laughing like that? Yooka blinked, caught somewhat off guard by the change in Alki's behavior. Actually, it was funny. Yooka smirked to what Alki did. What Alki said next practically confirmed what was on Yooka's mind. So it WAS personal. "PFFF... heheheh"

Yooka actually chuckled. It's not common for Yooka to show this type of emotion, or any... except maybe looking bored or annoyed at all times. Right now, Yooka was actually smiling. "Replace you? PFF, that's certainly not happening... meh! If anything Morty would be replacing me! mmm... I'm not staying long for I got things to do in town, so just listen... alright? I'll answer any questions when I get back." Yooka got closer to the guildmaster's door to listen in, somewhat.

"Now, If I remember right... you didn't want to go back to your family, yes? Now why would Darcy hand you over to them now? Especially since your her practical best friend within the guild that she actually enjoys being with. I mean seriously... If she's not with you then she's probably doing something important, just have patience. She's the leader, she's bound to be doing something you cant quite understand. The more peeps in a team the more that can be done."

Yooka paused for a second because she thought she heard something close inside the office. She shrugged to herself before she continued. "Btw, what do you think I was doing during that shadowhue quest? Pretty much nothing and because of that, Darcy got injured..." Yooka suddenly pointed to Alki. Which you fixed. I can't do what you did and I know scorupi cant do that either. Darcy will need that, but she will also want you to be happy. I'm more of a nuisance than you are in that regard. I'm happy towards others through dark humor. Something Darcy doesn't really, uh... do. Heh, and-" Yooka meeped and nearly cringed as she refrained herself from saying, 'I find things that are cute or nice to be sickening' "meh, that's me. You don't see me complaining about it. No one can really get what they want... Ah, right! You shouldn't really assume Darcy's replacing you, oh no. Assuming things can be wierd sometimes. Just ask what her plan is if you don't know. She'll explai-"

Yooka paused and looked towards the door. She didn't even notice the two in the room had been finishing up this entire time. She could clearly hear Darcy's voice behind the door and started to back away. "Uh, you know what Alki... Give Morty a hug would you. heheh and also say, 'If you got my back, I'll get yours.'..." Yooka started to turn and walk. "You'll be fine!" she rushed off as she was expecting the door to be opening soon. She was trying to not be seen but it was just barely if anything. but yea... what IS darcy planning? not like her to make Alki like this... I'll find out tomorrow I guess.

((OOC: ok. nuff seid. I cant see the future (Not as of now) but there ya go. One un-needed little snippet of Yooka intervention. If yooka made it worse, she's more useless than Alki! /shot))
(σωσ)

Darcy's hopes for a smooth departure already seemed unfounded.  As Faye handed over the bag and bid the two of them farewell, Morty only grew more and more somber.  He wasn't simply cowering with fear anymore, either.  He seemed plagued by something else, too...  Something like sadness.  Or maybe...  Shame?

...Darcy didn't know what to do.  There must have been a lot on his mind, and she could understand that, but...  She still didn't understand why his energetic spirit had so completely vanished over the last few minutes.  It hurt to see him like this, especially since she didn't know what was wrong or how she could begin to help...  "H-hey, it's alright," she she said in a gentle voice, a hint of desperation in her words as she sidled up close and wrapped her fluffy tail around his armored one.  "Please don't be sad, Morty.  ...Um...  Let's go visit our bedroom, okay..?  It's quiet there.  Maybe we can take a break, and talk a little bit..?  How does that sound..?"

Keeping her gaze fixed on him the whole time, Darcy took a small step towards the door, hoping he would follow along...  They needed some privacy right now.  She couldn't bear to see her new teammate like this any longer.  As his senior, it was her duty to watch out for him and make sure he was feeling okay...  They hadn't known each other for long, but Morty was placing his trust in her by joining her team, right?  It was something she took seriously, just like she took Alki's wellbeing seriously.  ...Although she hoped Alki would be alright on her own for a while.  She wasn't sure she could comfort both of them at once...

((Alright Yooka.  And thank you for joining us, Bird~))

(thanks bird and yooka)

This feeling... if there was one thing Morty was not, it was himself. Over the span of just 5 minutes, he experienced many different emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time. And they were over a stranger, too! This day had taken so much out of him. Thankfully, at last, this whole mess was (hopefully) coming to an end. Morty doubted that he could take anymore stress today.

Faye gave her farewells. He muttered a short "goodbye" just loud enough to be heard, and scuttled towards the door, leaving the room. He had finally escaped the giant. A gigantic weight flew off his shoulders. Morty could finally look straight forward again, though he was still sweating and panting. Thank Arceus his pain had finally ended.

Darcy was trying desperately to raise Morty's spirits. "H-hey, it's alright... don't be sad..." Nobody had said things like this to him since... he couldn't remember when. He certainly wasn't used to it. He wasn't even used to feeling sad. It felt almost degrading to be spoken to like this, and he wasn't sure why. He almost had time to feel a bit mad too, but Darcy's offering of a bedroom was enticing. Now that he thought about, all he wanted was to just get some sleep. Surely a nap would sort out whatever the heck was going on with his head. Morty faced her and said between breaths, "B-Bedroom? Yeah... yeah, that would be nice. I think I need a nap...".

As the door began to crack open, Alki considered simply running away before either Darcy or Morty saw her. If she knew what was coming, it'd be easier to just leave. But what would Yooka say? And Nightingale too. And besides, after what had happened at Shadowhue, and after everything Darcy had done for her, she felt she at least owed the Skitty a good-bye. “D-Darcy? M-Morty?” She called out, as she saw the Skitty and Skorupi come out of the Guild-masters room.
 
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized she didn’t really have much more to say. How could she explain what was going on? She didn’t want to make Darcy feel bad over her decision. And she didn’t want to make Morty feel bad over being chosen to replace her. “Well… I just wanted to say. G-Good-luck to you two. She began, looking up at the larger and better Pokemon. I mean… w-well… I-I understand what’s going on. It’s… I mean, I understand why y-you’d want Morty over me, Darcy. She looked up at the Skitty. She realized that she didn’t have a plan. What was she supposed to do? If Morty was replacing her, she wouldn’t be protected from Melanie or her parents, and the guild was her home… she didn’t want to go back to sleeping alone, on the streets or on the outskirts of town. I’m sorry I-I wasn’t a better partner, I-I really am, a-and… w-well, I guess I’ll go now. E-Enjoy yourself, Morty, the G-Guild’s a great place… y-you deserve it.” She said cynically. She tried to look into Darcy’s eyes, but the shame she felt didn’t allow it. She looked at her friends paws and then at the ground, before beginning to bounce away, towards the door and away from her only chance to ever matter.
 

She realized with disinterest that she was shaking. What did it matter? What did anything matter? As far as she was concerned, it was over for her, either she was going to live out the rest of her life alone in town, or she’d have to go back to her parents in Pecha Forest and no one would ever care or remember or worry about her ever again. And it was all because of a smile. She hated her smile. She looked stupid and mean when she smiled. She hated everything about herself. But what would anyone care? Why should anyone care? She was a nobody and that’s all she’d ever be. She heard the almost imperceptible sound of a teardrop falling onto the wooden floor. Where would she go? Maybe she could live in a forest or in the mountains far away from Grassveil. Maybe she could build a treehouse like Plusle and Minun and live alone. At least she wouldn’t bother anyone like that...