Cold Feet in the Cold Copse?

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[21-11=10]

Fallen Leaf Copse was not a place Opal had been to before, but the mission she'd accepted had a reward that was too good to pass up. Besides, how would she grow stronger if she never expanded her horizons? The young pup hopped deftly across the set of stepping stones that gave access to the forest ahead. It was such a beautiful forest, with sights and smells she had never before experienced. Autumn certainly didn't look like this in a desert.

As she touched town on the forest floor proper, Opal had a thought. She was looking for a teddiursa, which was sort of brownish. The Copse was sort of brownish, too. Would she be able to find the bear pokemon? After a brief moment of uncertainty, Opal decided that of course she would. Nothing could hide from the tracking power of her nose! She set off along the leaf-carpeted ground, putting her olfactory abilities to work at once.

The Phantump smiled lightly, accepting the berry from the Furret with gentle hands and taking a small bite from it. She could feel the pain from the attack dulling even as she swallowed the first mouthful.
"Thankyou," she replied quietly, grateful for the Furret's thoughtfulness. She hadn't needed to give her the berry after all.

Mille positively beamed at the interaction, glad that there was no bad blood between the two. She looked over to Beartty as the Teddiursa spoke, remembering why they were here in the first place.
"I'm glad you're all safe," she replied, waving to Flower and Dizzy before the trio left them and headed home.

The Phantump had finished nibbling on the oran berry by the point and hovered lightly nearby. The ghost looked to the Growlithe and Fennekin, "Uhm. Thanks for your help. I didn't know what to do when she attacked me out of nowhere. I'm glad it was only a misunderstanding though."

"The important thing is that everyone's alright," Opal replied with a smile. She was glad to have helped out someone else, even if it wasn't related to her mission. What kind of pokemon would she be if she only cared about those who could offer coin?

"Are you able to get back to your place on your own?" she asked. Opal wanted to continue on with her mission and find Percy, but she also wanted to make sure the phantump remained safe and sound. She was plenty willing to put some time aside if it was required of her. Percy wasn't in danger, so he would wait a little longer.

The Phantump nodded lightly. "I am pretty familiar with the forest, so I should be fine getting back," she replied, dipping her head in a sort of bow of thanks. The Phantump then waved and glided off, heading back the way she had come. She'd probably try and avoid any trouble as she went on her way.

Mille waved to the Phantump as the ghost Pokemon left the clearing. The Fennekin then turned back to Opal. The Guild member still had a job to do, after all, so she waited for the Growlithe to take the lead. Well, she supposed that Beartty would be the one leading in the end since she was the one who knew where to find Percy.

After the phantump left, Opal looked to Beartty to lead her to her brother. The teddiursa obliged, and motioned to the two fire types to follow. "This way, ladies," she instructed cheerfully, "Let's hope we don't run across any more trouble."

Opal started after the little bear right away. The impression the growlithe got was that Percy still loved her client very much. If that was the case, the pup believed they should be able to live together without pressure from others, and she wanted to help the pair reunite. This was even more important to her now than the mission reward.

As Beartty took them closer to her family's abode, Opal thought of her own parents. They were an unlikely couple, but they'd fallen in love, and they'd made it work despite the difficulties. It was amazing, and if they could do it, so could Percy and the togedemaru waiting for him back in Grassveil.

"Even if we do come across some trouble, I'm sure we'll be able to deal with it again," the Fennekin replied cheerfully. Although it was true that pokemon would have to watch out for other hostile individuals, Mille was optimistic that they could deal with whatever came their way. Opal seemed to be very serious about her role as a Guild member, and her own capabilities weren't nought as she'd proven earlier.

Mille padded after Opal as Beartty began to lead them towards where her brother was located. She had to admit she was a little curious about how the Growlithe's mission would end after coming this far. She hoped that whatever happened, it would end happily for both parties involved. Marriage was supposed to be a happy occasion after all.

"Here we are," Beartty announced as she led the fire types into a den. It was a simple construction, but still nice and cozy. A larger, brown bear pokemon was checking some of the pots of honey that lined the walls. "Hey, ma!" the teddiursa called out to it, "I'm home! I've brought some friends, too!"

The ursaring turned around as she heard her daughter's voice calling out. "Welcome home, sweetie! How was your adventure with-" The bigger bear had been expecting to see Flower and Dizzy standing there with Beartty. Instead, there were a growlithe and fennekin whom she had never seen before in her life. It was strange, and she didn't like it, but she would remain civil for the moment. "Oh? Who might you two be?" she asked the fire types with some degree of caution.

"I'm Opal," the pup answered politely, "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Mille followed the Teddiursa into the den and immediately her nose caught scent of something delicious. Was that honey? She supposed it was only natural that Urasaring and Teddiursa would collect and store honey. The den itself was cosy and warm as well, perfect for weathering through the cold -  oh but that honey smell was simply divine! No matter how she tried to distract herself, her mind kept coming back to it.

The Fennekin was distracted from her thoughts of honey by the Ursaring speaking. Opal promptly introduced herself and Mille quickly followed suit.

"I'm Mille," she smiled, continuing the politeness that the Guild member had shown, "Nice to meet you too! Do you collect this honey yourself?" The Fennekin couldn't help herself. She really had to know. It smelled like it would be divine paired with her pancakes.

"Of course," the ursaring replied with a little smile, "My darling children help sometimes as well."

Opal knew the importance of diplomacy in what was about to turn into a rather delicate situation. The Guild had been teaching her well. When she saw that the topic of honey pleased the ursaring, she latched onto the conversation. Flattering the large bear before mentioning exactly why she was here seemed like a wise move, especially with what Beartty had told them on the walk here. "I bet it tastes really nice, too. Your family is really lucky to have such a skill." the growlithe said with a smile.

"Why, thank you. I take pride in our honey," the ursaring's smile widened slightly. These young pokemon were polite and knew the importance of this delicious syrupy substance. She still hadn't formed an opinion one way or the other, but Beartty could have done a lot worse with who she'd brought to the den.

"Say, you have more children than just Beartty? She was telling us she has a brother," Opal said casually, trying to be subtle with the conversation shift, "Is, uh, is he here? I'd like to meet the whole family. I'm sure you're all amazing if you can collect all this honey!"

Mille nodded as Opal seemed to latch onto the conversation topic. She had no idea however that the Growlithe did it more as a diplomatic tactic, and so was a little disappointed when a few sentences later Opal had switched the conversation to the Teddiursa she'd come here to see.

The Fennekin couldn't really fault Opal for it. The Growlithe was a guild member after all and was only doing her job. That didn't stop the small breath of disappointment as Mille lost her chance to ask if she could try some though. Perhaps she'd be able to bring the topic back up later.

Opal seemed to be trying a subtle approach to meeting with the Ursaring's son, rather than coming straight out and asking. Mille wondered if there was any way to help her with it, but she didn't want to ruin whatever the Growlithe was going for.

It was then that an idea hit her and she grinned.
"I was hoping I could make you all some pancakes, as thanks for Beartty showing us the way?" she stated, placing her bag on the ground and indicating to the pan that was attached to it. Sharing food was a good way to bring people together after all! And it gave them a perfectly innocent reason to invite the remaining Teddiursa of the family out.

The ursaring looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Beartty, go and fetch Percy, please," she told her daughter. Beartty smiled, nodded and went to find her brother. She was excited to tell him that a Guild member had come to see him. Although not quite sure why the growlithe was there, that had to be a good thing, right? Percy wouldn't do anything bad.

Opal also smiled. Things were going well. She was going to get to meet her client's lover, and Mille had just made a brilliant suggestion. Surely this mother bear could be buttered up over some nice buttered pancakes?

The Ursaring examined the pan as it was pointed out to her. What an interesting device. It looked like it could hold pancakes well, and it was portable! "I don't see why not. Just don't burn the house down, please."

Mille's eyes lit up as the Ursaring agreed to let her cook for them. She quickly ran through all the things she would need to do before she could get started. Lighting a fire was easy, she could do that in a heartbeat with her Ember move. She'd first need to make sure the area was safe though.

"Do you have anywhere that would be good for preparing a small fire?" she asked the Ursaring. She could just do it outside, but if they had anywhere she could use inside the den that was even better since they could all talk and eat next to its warmth.

"Not inside," the mother answered, "Unless you want to clear that space in the middle there."

The ursaring pointed to the middle of the room, where the roof was highest. There were a few leaves about, but clearing them wouldn't take much effort. She watched Mille, not willing to let a stranger cook in her house unsupervised. The fenekkin seemed nice enough, but who could trust a stranger?

While those two were interacting, the two teddiursa children returned. Percy had been surprised to hear that a Guild member was seeking him specifically. He was no outlaw, nor did he know any. What could this be about?

"You're Percy, right?" Opal asked, to which he nodded. The growlithe then spoke in a more quiet tone. "I, ah, come on behalf of someone in Grassveil. They're very worried about you."

Mille nodded lightly, "That would be perfect, thank you!" She quickly got to work, brushing the leaves away with her tail. The Fennekin then began preparing the area, making a circle of stones around the location as extra protection to prevent the fire from spreading. When the fire ring was complete, Mille took out a small pouch of sand, covering the ground inside the ring with it, and extending it to a small area outside of it. This would serve to act as another barrier to prevent the flames from spreading, should they get out of control.

Luckily, Mille was confident this wouldn't be the case. She only needed a small fire to cook on, but it was better to err on the side of caution than be taken by surprise when something went wrong. She was aware of he ursaring watching her preparations, and also hoped that the safety measures would put her at ease, if only a little.

Mille glanced up when Beartty returned with Percy, vaguely listening to the conversation but choosing to leave the details to Opal. The fennekin didn't want to intervene in the growlithe's guild duties, and so set about doing what she knew best.

Setting up the kindling and a few small logs within the ring, Mille breathed a small Ember upon the wood and began tending to the fire. She kept it small and controlled, her careful eye watching as she created the embers needed to cook upon.

The ursaring mother continued to watch Mille as she worked to set up a cooking spot. She was pleased that the fire type was taking safety precautions, but while her concerns were indeed eased at least somewhat by this, the fennekin was still a stranger and therefore not to be trusted right now.

Meanwhile, Opal had explained to Percy about the situation of her client back in Grassveil Town.

"You mean... Sparkle still loves me? After what I did to her? Oh, I feel awful..."

Opal remembered the mission brief stating that Sparkle, the togedemaru's name seemed to be, her then-fiancee had cheated on her. The growlithe had forgotten the fact up to this moment. How terrible! Why would anyone do such a thing to someone they were supposed to love? The pup decided to ask this of the teddiursa.

"Well... I wanted to be with her, see, but mum didn't approve. Said she just wanted to take advantage of me. I got set up with a lovely bidoof, boy, she's pretty, but... Oh, what should I do?"

Percy buried his face within his paws, looking like he was about to cry. Opal went over to give him a reassuring lick. It seemed his actions hadn't been with ill intent. Rather, it looked like there had been parental pressure.

Keeping one eye on the fire, Mille began to take out the ingredients from her bag. She combined them before putting the mixture aside for a short while. Mille listened quietly to Opal and Percy's conversation as she worked. She couldn't help but be a little curious about the details now that she'd heard so much about the situation.

It seemed the poor young Teddiursa hadn't wanted to hurt Opal's client. It was an unfortunate situation.

When the fire had calmed, leaving only smouldering embers perfect for cooking on, Mille took her pan and placed it upon them. She warmed the pan and melted a little butter into it. When she was satisfied with the preparation, she looked up to the mother Ursaring.

"Do you have anything we could use as plates? Perhaps we could all talk together over these fresh pancakes," she smiled, realising that the mother would likely have to be included in this conversation somehow for there to be some form of resolution for Percy and Sparkle.

In her opinion, Percy should be able to make his own decisions about who to spend his life with, but it didn't seem like Percy was the type to cut ties with his family just to do what he wanted. Mille couldn't help but wonder if Percy's mother had ever met Sparkle; if she'd made a hasty decision far too soon, or whether it had been based upon something the rest of them didn't know.