Mountainous Mischief

It was an overcast day, the dark clouds hiding the blue of the sky from sight. Vesper wandered onwards, glancing up every now and again and holding in a small sigh. It really sucked that there were always clouds everywhere at the moment. It was much harder to photosynthesize food for herself when the sun hardly peeked through to give her a chance to. Honestly, the Roselia just missed the warmth on her cheeks at this point. She could always eat actual food to feed herself when there wasn't any sunshine after all.

Vesper wandered onwards, up towards the mountain. She'd been here once before, but not for very long. There was still a lot she could explore around here. New things were interesting to Vesper, though she still wished she'd picked a better day to come and be nosy. That said, every day was this cloudy at the moment so better now than never, right?

Humming pleasantly as she walked along, Vesper wondered what sort of pokemon actually lived around here. The last time she'd been here she'd met quite the variety of individuals, although neither seemed interesting enough for her to consider meeting with them once more.

Alki grew up not knowing anything existed aside from the trees and plants in Pecha Forest, and a far away town known as Grassveil. She’d escaped from her house, from her parents, and she’d grown more than they ever wanted her to. She’d grown more than they even expected her to. Now she was the same species as her biological sister; perhaps not as strong as Melanie was, but with assistance from Synd’r and from Darcy, she could get there. Eventually.

The rocks of the mountain felt rough and uneven under her feet. She’d never visited this sort of terrain. The pebbles and dust that were kicked up as she scrambled up, towards the top of the mountain, closer and closer towards the peak, and for what? Why? As the humid, cold air seemed to wrap around her, prompting her to draw her hat in tighter, closer over her head, but the cold mountain air still got the best of her. But the view! Already, it was so great, she could see so much, and she wasn’t even close to the peak! What would it be like at the top? She’d feel huge! It’d be great… if she could get there. Alki wiped away the dust from the thin layer of fur that covered her body, before continuing upwards.

As the climb exhausted the Young Pokemon more and more, as the rock-dust and the sweat began to overtake her, she paused and sat down, leaning against a rock that was about her height. She observed the straw, and the dark-blue band that wrapped around the crown of that hat, and then the feather that was carefully held in place by the band. She’d gotten the hat herself, but the gift that Synd’r had given her, the invitation to the Phantom Thieves that Synd’r had trusted her with… she was a thief. A rookie thief, perhaps, but just like the guild, she had to start somewhere, and she felt so much more confident doing thief-work than guild work anyways! The bright red feather was real pretty…

Alki sighed, before looking up as she heard the sound of footsteps. Who was there? A feral? Maybe. But she could defend herself! She was in such a nice mood, there wasn’t any harm in trying to meet someone new! And even better, she began to hear humming from the same direction. Ferals didn’t hunt! Alki’s ears perked up as she ran to meet the source of the noise. “Hey! Who’s there?” She called out, as the Jigglypuff began to jog towards what she managed to identify as a Roselia, with no regards towards safety and noise. The child was simply eager to meet someone new, to enjoy the day with. “What’re you doing, out here?”

Vesper's humming stopped abruptly as she heard a voice call out. She hadn't really been paying attention, so the sudden call caught her by surprise. Turning around though, she continued humming a few more bars of the tune in her mind as she watched a Jigglypuff jog over towards her.

The Roselia's humming stopped again as the Jigglypuff spoke once more, and Vesper shrugged in reply, "Not too much to be honest. Just exploring. Seeing the sights. Finding new things." She paused, waving one of her rose tipped arms at the scenery around her as if to signify the area she was exploring.

"So, what're you doing out here?" she asked in response. This Jigglypuff had been so candid in revealing herself that Vesper didn't feel any animosity or caution towards the individual at all. Anyone who had been intending to cause trouble would have just ambushed her already. Especially considering the fact that there had been such a perfect opportunity for that already.

“Me? Oh… it’s a bit silly, but… I really want to climb this mountain. It’s… well, I recently evolved, and I guess… I don’t know. I want to see what it looks like. Being so high up.” She said, taking the hat off of her head, and performing a small bow in front of the Roselia. First impressions mattered, after all! Although the bow didn’t seem like much, what with her being so round. And small. Oh, how wonderful it’d be to look over the world! She wouldn’t be so small when she could see for kilometers in every direction!

“My name’s Alki, though… it’s really nice to meet you! What’s your name?” She said in her usual, silent voice, as the stillness of the mountain encompassed them. It was so peaceful, this high up. A bit chilly, sure, but it wasn’t anything like the woods where she’d found Synd’r. She could still remember the snow jumping up around her as she walked, unable to bounce due to the thick, powdery snow. The cold had felt like little pinpricks, sharp needles poking her, not painful, but not exactly pleasant either. This breeze felt like a stream, perhaps a bit cold at first, but she could get used to it. And everything else, the fresh air that she just couldn’t find in Grassveil, or the rocks and plants disturbed only by explorers and perhaps the occassional feral.

“Are you from the guild? They tend to like exploring too, y’know.” Alki said, teasing, a small smile on her face as she placed the hat back onto her head. “Maybe you should consider joining?” She said, laughing. She’d felt quite a bit more jovial, recently. It was rather pleasant, to have the shroud of self-doubt that had been plaguing her at least somewhat lifted. Although there were new problems she had to worry about in its place. “I actually used to be a guild-member… Sorta am, still, I guess. I don’t know. I hope you don’t mind the company? I’d… I like company.” She mumbled the last few words, suddenly nervous about what this Roselia she had never met before would say. Why did she feel this way? It shouldn’t matter so much… yet for some reason, it did. It bothered her. But what could she do? The smile diminished, replaced by a small frown of confusion. It didn’t sit well with her, not understanding this. Maybe she’d ask Synd’r, or Darcy. Someone had to know, right?

((Completely forgot to do energy lmao so 22 - 16 = 6 xD))

The Roselia stood thoughtfully as she considered the Jigglypuff's answer. She chuckled lightly at the small bow, lightly waving one of her roses as if to demonstrate how embarrassed she was by the action. Vesper honestly couldn't remember anyone bowing for her before, stranger nor friend. Even if the gesture was a little awkward due to the balloon Pokemon's body shape.

"I'm Vesper," she replied with a smile, "And wanting to see the view is as good a reason as any to climb a mountain!" She seemed enthusiastic, spinning in place to expend some of her extra energy, "Hell I just wanna climb it because I haven't climbed it before, so it's better than my reason," she laughed, raising the red rose on her left arm to her face.

The Roselia paused as Alki asked more questions. Vesper couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the idea of her being a part of one of the local exploration guilds.
"Ahaha. I'm the furthest thing you could get from a Guild member, my friend," she smiled. "Not really my kind of thing. I don't think they'd have me even if I asked."

Vesper shrugged lightly, turning and continuing to head onwards, "I'd honestly appreciate your company," she replied over her shoulder, an amused smile on her pale green features, "Exploring is much more fun with someone to share it with after all! C'mon lets go!"

Alki gazed at Vesper, smiling as the energetic, smaller Pokemon spoke, her words sweet and kind with her, as the Roselia twirled about. She was nice, and they had met only a couple minutes ago. The Pokemon was more open than she was used to, and Alki found herself loosening up as well. Confronted with such a sweet Pokemon, she had difficulty finding a reason not to be kind in turn.

“V-Vesper's a nice name, I like it…” Alki said, kicking at the ground again, as her gaze lowered. Even when the Pokemon was smaller than her, she still had trouble making eye contact. What did she say? She hoped the nice Pokemon wouldn't be annoyed by that. It was just difficult to overcome the shyness that had always been a part of her. Perhaps it always would be a part of her. But she didn't regret trying to talk Vesper. It was nice to make a friend. Even if she was a bit shy, it was still worth it, to try and talk to others. Who knew what could happen? She was a guild member and a thief because of others, not herself. All she'd done was be around them. Company made her feel better.

She felt great. The Roselia agreed to take her along! Alki hopped in place, her smile growing larger as she clapped her hands. Between the goofy, bright smile, and her little bursts of air time, Alki didn't realize how juvenile she looked and how young age seemed. But it didn't matter all that much. This Pokemon seemed to like her. She was likeable!

“I'm… T-Thank you…” She said, as she rushed to catch up with Vesper, who had already pressed forward by herself. The mountain air felt pleasant on her fur and as it rushed around her ears. She had ears. She still found that hard to grasp. Evolution was such a strange and beautiful thing.

“You're awfully nice, by the way…” Moments of Truth were something everyone appreciated, right? And Alki suddenly felt an urgent need to thank her newfound companion. She felt oh, so grateful towards everyone. Towards Darcy and Synd'r and Yigo and Goro and now towards Vesper as well. She hoped the Roselia wouldn't think she was being dramatic or sappy. “I know it's weird to say, but… I just wanted to thank you, I guess. I appreciate it, it's… still really nice to meet someone like you.” She blushed, not ashamed, but perhaps a bit surprised at her unusual forwardness. But the same sort of feeling she got around Synd'r, and especially around Darcy, she was getting from her as well. It was strange. They'd only just met!

Vesper smiled gently at her name being complemented. She hadn't chosen it herself, but it was part of her identity, her unique being and so felt happy when another praised it. The Roselia didn't expect the praise that came next though, pausing her walking and turning to face the other Pokemon as Alki spoke of how she was 'awfully nice'. Being called nice wasn't something that happened particularly often and the fact that it was for something so simple as letting the Jigglypuff tag along with her. Well, she was a little surprised.

That surprise escalated into pure embarrassment as Alki continued, speaking of how she was appreciative of meeting someone as nice as her. Vesper was speechless for a moment before she finally spoke words of her own.
"T-Thankyou?" she replied quietly, her cheeks still a little red. She quickly tried to compose herself though, scrubbing at her face with her roses as if to try and remove the heat she could feel from being complemented.
"I-I mean! Of course! I'm the best! There's no reason not to let you come along I mean there are so many more benefits to being in a group rather than alone and it's nice to have someone to talk to when you're exploring so it really was the best decision.... Ahaha!" Vesper burst out into a long sentence, hardly taking a breath between her words. She wasn't actually thinking about what she was saying, almost as if trying to justify the compliment to herself rather than fully replying to the Jigglypuff's heartfelt words.

As she stopped speaking she grew even more embarrassed at the hurried mishmash of words that had just happened. She blinked, looking up at Alki who was a little taller than herself and feeling a little awkward in the brief silence that followed her words.

"Uhm. I guess we should... keep going?" She suggested, poking her roses on each arm together, almost like someone twiddling their fingers if she had had digits to speak of.

Alki would've found the Roselia's outburst funny, if not for the fact that she had caused her to be embarrassed, and by extension, this caused her to be embarrassed. Alki began to blush, and she pulled the hat down and covered her face with it, suddenly shy. The Roselia was red in the face, blushing, just like the Jigglypuff, and she rubbed her face with her flowers, and Alki fidgeted carefully, her foot pivoting back and forth, back and forth. Maybe she should apologize. Would that be appropriate? She didn't want to make her even more embarrassment, and Alki felt as though her face spoke for itself.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. I'm... t-thanks... and, err... yeah." The Jigglypuff spoke much slower, taking time between each nervous, stuttered word. The Roselia had spoken in one long, run-off sentence, and Alki found it almost endearing. She wasn't mad at Alki, just a bit embarrassed. Maybe people didn't praise her like that very often? That was certainly a possibility. Alki looked at her curiously, letting go of the hat with one hand, as she pulled her ear down and let it pop back up, without thinking. The hat found itself back on her head, as she nodded at Vesper's words.

"Ok. Well... let's go, then." Alki said, walking forward, her steps light and nervous as she looked back at the Roselia every few paces, as if assuring herself Vesper would stay. These things were difficult, it would seem. She looked around at her surroundings. It was still very tranquil, and she quite enjoyed this setting, even if the air of nervous embarrassment still lingered. Alki attempted to break the ice with some small talk. "You... um, what's it you do, then? If you're not from the guild. A lot of my friends like the guild. I'm... like I said, I'm not really a guild-member anymore. You said you were pretty far from a guild member too, right? If you don't wanna talk, that's ok, I'm just... I'm just the curious type, I guess. I don't mean anything by it. Sorry." She said, nervously taking her words back almost as soon as they came out. All the while, she looked around the surrounding mountain-side, absently searching for ferals, although her mind wasn't completely in it. Vesper seemed nice. She hoped she wouldn't take Alki's words the wrong way.

(Forgot energy as well, lol. 21 - 16 = 5. Feel free to use whatever I roll, by the way ^^)

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Black Mist Mountain :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Black Mist Mountain :

Vesper was most relieved that the Jigglypuff didn't call her out on being so awkward and embarrassed. In fact, Alki looked like she had been a little embarrassed herself. The Roselia followed Alki forwards, hopping until she was in step with Alki and could walk alongside her. For a moment there was a little silence, but Alki soon took the opportunity to strike up some conversation. The questions quickly got Vesper to forget about what had happened a few moments ago. Talking about herself was easy after all.

"Nah, it's fine to ask questions. If you don't ask you don't get, right?" she replied with a chuckle. "Honestly I don't really have a job or role as such. I wander around more than anything and just sorta get by on sunlight and finding fun things to do." Vesper shrugged as she spoke, wondering if there were some sort of job she could potentially take up. It wasn't that she expressly needed money. She often just took things when she needed them, or found them in the places she explored. But hey, it wouldn't hurt to be able to buy the things you couldn't steal right?

Vesper had been about to continue when a squawk echoed from nearby. She startled and immediately looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction that it had come from. She didn't have long to find out, as an Archen glided down from the branches of one of the lonely pine trees. It was surprisingly fast, a blinding white trail following its descent. As such, Vesper didn't have the chance to react to its presence and the attack collided with her stomach, sending her flying a few metres backwards.

The Roselia landed rather unceremoniously on the rock and clutched at her stomach with one arm. The unexpected attack had definitely done some damage, although she could recover from this pretty easily. Vesper counter herself lucky that the Archen hadn't been using a flying type move, else she would probably be much worse for wear.

Vesper used one of her roses to help push herself upwards. Once standing tall on her feet, she glared at the Archen. She stood casually, with both roses pointed towards the sky. The blue and red petals glowed a faint green colour, absorbing what little sunlight poked through the trees to power up her special moves as she spoke, "You're gonna regret that one, dude."

Solilo carried out 2 launched of one Black Mist Mountain :

,

Alki smiled as the Roselia answered her question in the same bright and cheery voice that she'd used the first time they had spoken. The kind and excited voice and the small laughs and smiles she gave were enough to tell Alki that there wasn't anything wrong with the Jigglypuff’s earlier outburst. Alki smiled, letting the cheerfulness of the voice wash over her and help her forget her small mistake. It wouldn't be the right move to repeat that mistake, but she felt like doing so. It wouldn't feel wrong either. It was a rather pleasant experience, having found such a kind individual.

The Roselia was kind. She was also a tad strange and mysterious. She got by on sunlight, wandering around and finding fun things to do. The funny, seemingly complicated word that a Piplup had mentioned to her in Shadowhue crossed her mind: ‘Unemployed’ . Vesper certainly seemed capable enough to find a job at the guild if she so wanted. She seemed skilled, and Alki could assume she was rather confident in herself, if she was comfortable climbing a mountain alone, for no reason other than the fact that she'd never done so before. Faye would be happy to take her at the guild. Why didn't she? It payed well, once a team got to a certain level. Although Alki knew well enough it wasn't for everyone. She couldn't see Synd'r working for the guild for example. Ever. Perhaps Vesper was in a similar boat? Maybe she was some sort of outlaw. Alki smiled at the thought. So was she. Outlaws weren't so scary anymore, it seemed, if Alki was allowed to be lumped into that category. Who was she to judge?

Her thoughts were so rudely interrupted by a loud, primal squawk. The pink, round Pokemon nearly jumped out of her skin as the Pokemon next to her was knocked backwards by a blur. A feral? Probably. The attack was far too sudden and too pointless to be anyone civilized. Alki remembered what had happened the last few times she'd encountered ferals. Did this one know any poison moves? That wasn't an experience she cared to repeat, at all. The way she felt her stomach twist and turn, as if her whole body was being turned inside out and she couldn't tell up and down, the way the colors her eyes received blended and mixed together, so dizzying and confusing. One time was enough to tell her why fairies, even half fairies like her were weak to poison. It felt like hell.

She looked over at the Roselia, nervous at what she might see. As she saw the Pokemon lift herself up, fine, if a bit worse for wear, Alki felt relieved. Perhaps it would've been a better idea to fight first and check on Vesper later, though. The feral began to dive towards her, and while she prepared herself to use Flamethrower, it was a bit too late. The feral arrived, scratching at her with it's large, sharp talons. She lifted her arms, as if to protect her eyes, yet still couldn't help but cry out in pain. She began to use Flamethrower, a strong spurt of yellow-orange flame streaming from her mouth. She stumbled back as the feral released it's painful grip on her. She gazed at it as it flew away, still eyeing her and Vesper, as if unsure on who to attack. Alki wondered what Vesper could do. Maybe if she could copycat something, she'd be better equipped to fight it… Alki gazed at the Roselia, searching for something to inspire a tad more confidence in herself. As it was, the only thing she felt was fear. What if she wasn't up to defending herself? On top of being embarrassing, it’d probably be painful too, if the scratch on her side was telling her anything.

Vesper blinked as the powerful fire type move came from Alki's parted jaws. She hadn't expected that! The green glow of her Growth move subsided as she called out to the Jigglypuff.
"Holy shit! That was awesome! What the hell! You can use flamethrower?!" she yelled, flicking her gaze from Alki to the Archen that had attacked them. It appeared to be keeping its distance and the Roselia wondered if it hadn't quite anticipated her getting up after it's attempted attack. Sure, she might be a tiny grass type but she wasn't a weakling and the thought of the Archen assuming that made her frown.

She watched the Archen for a moment as it considered each of them, Vesper considering it back in turn. She watched the bird-like Pokemon part its jaws, making a mental note to stay away from them in case its bite could pack a punch. Its wings were short and stubby, so she didn't think it could fly very far, however it was clear that it was fast on its feet. And then she spotted it. Just poking out of the ring of red feathers on the Archen's neck was something round, blue and shiny. Vesper narrowed her eyes as she, Alki and the Archen stood in a temporary standoff. She hadn't imagined it. It was definitely there, ready for the taking.

A glance over towards Alki confirmed that the Jigglypuff didn't seem to be making any further moves, and so with a sly grin, the Roselia darted forwards. She could feel the small throb of pain in her stomach, but that would be gone soon.

As she moved towards the feral Archen, it seemed surprised that the choice of its own course of action had been taken from it and Vesper became its focus once again. Not willing to run away when these two intruders were trespassing on its territory, the First Bird Pokemon charged towards Vesper, its wings glowing a pale blue colour. Seemingly unphased by this, Vesper kept running, only to duck at the last moment and skid underneath the Archen's outstretched wings, using her smaller size to her advantage. As she skidded past, the Archen flapped its wings downwards, trying to catch Vesper as she skidded beneath him with her much smaller stature. It missed, although just barely, Vesper reaching up and past the back of the Archen's wings now that she was behind it, to the shiny object that was tucked between its ruff of feathers.

Her prize now in one rose-hand, she pointed her other towards the ground and fired a colourful beam from its petals, leaping upwards at the same moment. Vesper allowed the force of the Extrasensory beam being projected from her blue rose to launch her backwards, further away from the Archen and safe from any physical attacks. She landed neatly a fair distance away, holding up the Trawl orb she had claimed with a smug smile.

The Archen recovered and span around so that it was still facing Vesper, a look of anger crossing its features when it spotted the orb in Vesper's hands. The Roselia didn't give the Archen a chance to recover or charge her though, instead pointing her blue rose back towards the bird-like Pokemon and preparing to use Absorb.

The green glow emanating from Vesper's roses also enveloped the Archen for a brief moment, before the glow seemed to sap energy from the prehistoric bird's form and siphon back towards Vesper. As The glowing blue light enveloped the Roselia, Vesper could feel herself recovering from the Archen's attacks. The pang of pain from her stomach was now gone and she felt ready to tackle anything.

Luckily, she didn't need to and she watched with her prize in hand as Alki used Flamethrower a second time. Vesper was honestly still impressed at the move. Flamethrower was known well as a powerful fire type move and she wondered if perhaps she had underestimated the Jigglypuff beforehand now that this new information had come to light. Alki had clearly put enough thought into her moves to learn it after all, as she was pretty sure that Jigglypuff didn't learn it naturally.

Vesper hopped over towards the grounded Archen and the Jigglypuff holding it down by its wings. It couldn't get anywhere like this, but Vesper was also surprised to see the Jigglypuff using her own Absorb attack. It was smart; recovering using the move after she had pretty much taken care of their opponent and it couldn't damage them further. However, the fact that Alki had essentially copied Vesper's own move made her curious.

Deciding to check the Archen first as the Jigglypuff moved away, Vesper moved towards its front and poked it a little. It didn't seem to respond and it looked like Alki's last Absorb had done the job of knocking it out.
"I think it's gonna be out for a while," Vesper revealed, double checking with a second poke. Once again, the Archen did not move and the Roselia took that as a second confirmation.

"You've never fought a feral before? You did pretty darn well for your first time then!" she grinned, tossing the orb up and down in her rose. "How did you use Absorb though? That was pretty cool!"

(2 + 4 = 6)

Alki breathed a sigh of relief as the Roselia confirmed that the feral would be knocked out for a while. It had certainly been a rush, but the Jigglypuff would prefer the calmness of the mountainside now, compared to the ruckus and tenseness of the fight. Not to mention she’d gotten hurt, and if not for the move absorb, she would probably still be hurting too. The scratch, which had only a few minutes ago been rather painful, bleeding, even, her flank was now practically spotless, save for a couple small, red spots on her usually pink fur. Perhaps a quick shower later would do, but for now, she had to leave them there.

    “O-Oh… Absorb? Well, I don't think my species can really learn that, naturally, so… I just used copycat on you, cause, well, m-my side hurt and I figured it'd be a good idea. It's… that's ok, right? It really wasn't anything special on my part, j-just another move I learned.” Alki said, preferring to stare at the unconscious feral instead of the Roselia. It was pleasant, but at the same time embarrassing, receiving so much praise. Alki lifted her gaze, forcing a small smile onto her face.

“Y-Yeah, It’s my first time ever doing anything like that… I'm a guild member, but I'm a pretty bad one. I guess in a manner of speaking I'm quitting.” She thought for a moment, before her smile grew a bit larger, and her eyes lit up, contrasting with the red feather in her hat. She looked at the Roselia, grinning. “Funny, isn't it? The first time I ever fight a feral is when I'm not doing any sort of guild work.”

Alki's gaze found itself back at said feral, however. More specifically, it's band of red feathers. The Jigglypuff walked over and plucked one from the still unconscious feral. She paused for a second, waiting to see if there was a reaction from it. There wasn't. So she walked back to the Roselia as she removed her own feather from her hat, the one Synd'r had given her.

The Roselia was strange. She said the guild wouldn't take someone like her, but Vesper had never said why. She was clearly capable in a fight. Despite the compliments she had given the fairy, the grass type was clearly better, her grace in battle clear when she had stolen from the Archen. While perhaps it didn't mean anything, the fact she'd chosen to take it's trawl orb from the still conscious feral, rather than waiting until it was unconscious. It was a much easier job, the latter way, wasn't it? How had Synd'r described it, the thrill of stealing something without a hitch? Perhaps the Roselia and the Vulpix were kindred spirits.

“And I sorta want to celebrate winning my first fight with a feral! You were awesome too, I… I thought this feather was really pretty, I'd like you to have it!” She said, offering the Roselia the feather that Synd'r had given her. It was rather different from the other feather Alki had plucked. The Barb had been fashioned to serve as a lockpick. Alki still didn't know how to pick locks. But even if she didn't know how, she could see just how unusual this feather was. Any thief could. Perhaps Vesper would notice?

The Jigglypuff attached the normal, Archen feather to the crown of her hat, letting the dark blue band hold it against the straw. She giggled, making eye contact with Vesper as she held a hand to her mouth. “The way you stole that orb was amazing!” She said, smiling. The Jigglypuff held eye contact perhaps a couple seconds longer than a Pokemon normally would, and the girl found herself hoping for some sort of positive response. How awesome would it be, if two thieves just happened to meet each other, climbing a mountain just for the hell of it. She was so sweet, and cool and confident, and Alki wanted her to be impressed with the Jigglypuff as much as she was impressed with the Roselia.

Vesper stopped throwing the orb up and down as Alki began to explain how she'd use Absorb. The Roselia was honestly pretty impressed. A move like Copycat seemed useful as hell.
"Of course it's okay!" she grinned, "Hell, that's really cool! Imagine all the stuff you could do with Copycat! Someone tries to use Ice Punch on you and you just copycat and punch 'em right back!" She exclaimed, standing in a fighting pose and punching one rose forward as if imitating an Ice Punch move. After two quick punch motions, she returned to her normal stance and giggled. It was really a shame that she couldn't learn such a move, because Vesper could imagine so many ways of using it!

The Roselia blinked as Alki spoke of her Guild work, tilting her head to the side in mild confusion as Alki talked of how she was essentially quitting. She muttered the word, 'Quitting?' under her breath, wondering just why someone would want to quit. Although Guild work wasn't entirely for her, the members that Vesper had met previously were all very invested in their work. Or at least the exploring part of it. Then again, perhaps it just wasn't the right path for Alki, and the Jigglypuff had something else in mind for herself.

Vesper's thoughts were interrupted as Alki continued speaking. The Thorn Pokemon opened her mouth to speak as the Jigglypuff offered her the red feather, but paused when she noticed that it wasn't just a feather. It was actually rather odd. Vesper had never seen a feather fashioned into anything but a quill, but this one was very clearly fashioned into one of the tools of her trade.

The Roselia gently accepted the feather gift, her green gaze flickering from the feather to Alki.
"Is this...? A lock-pick?" She asked. Honestly, the feather was cool as all hells. You could wear it on your person and no one would ever even know you had an essential tool for stealing their shit right there in front of them. Vesper looked up at Alki, catching her eye for a moment. The Roselia's expression broadened into a grin that only grew wider as the Jigglypuff complemented her thieving skills.

It seemed she'd inadvertently found a kindred spirit on this trip. Someone who wouldn't turn on her at the very thought of stealing something right under their nose, has suggested that guild work wasn't the path for them, and was in possession of a lock pick no less.

Of course, there was the chance that Alki was trying to trick her into confessing. But honestly? With the way that the Jigglypuff had been so earnest with her reactions so far, Vesper found that highly unlikely.

"Hehe! Thankyou!" She spoke. She paused briefly, still holding the feather in one rose as she did a rather dramatic bow. As she looked back up at Alki, she winked cheerfully, "I do my best. One must be extra careful in this field after all." She then clapped her two roses together, "But honestly! You must tell me where you got this feather! A tool like this, able to be hidden in plain sight. It's... awesome!"