Phantom Roses

Alki hadn't ever been too fond of exploration things, but when she had heard of a brand new dungeon, curiosity had gotten the better of her. And what made it even better was the company she was in! She'd met the fire type, ironically, in a snowy forest. That had been a rather pleasant encounter, and ever since, she had considered the Vulpix to be a very dear friend. Not to mention she had allowed her to join the phantom thieves as well, and even trusted her to have responsibilities in that group! To be completely honest, the Jigglypuff wasn't 100% sure if that was a good idea, but it was nice to be trusted like that, so Alki had never complained.

"H-Hey, Synd'r, what's a phantom anyways?" She asked, wearing a small smile. She'd never heard that word before joining Synd'r's... Organization, and it would probably be a good idea to know what she was calling herself. "Just wondering," She said after, nestling closer to the Vulpix as she enjoyed the warmth she gave off. It must be nice to be a fire type... Did they ever get cold?

Synd'r padded lightly through the conifers, glancing up at the trees above. This land truly was vast. Although there were conifers here, there had been a large grassland a hundred paces or so to the north and she'd heard rumours of large plumes of water spouting from the ground.

The Vulpix wasn't usually someone who would go wandering for the sake of exploring, but by nature of Eversping Vale being so huge, she was drawn to the idea that there were areas of this dungeon that had gone undiscovered. It had sounded worth scouting, either for treasures or a potential hiding spot for if anything ever went wrong and the Phantom Thieves had to flee Grassveil Town.

Synd'r was roused from her thoughts by Alki's question and blinked, glancing to the Jigglypuff as she nestled closer to her. It was a little too close, but she supposed Alki wasn't being too much of a bother, so let her be, turning her attention back to the forest and answering the question as she walked.

"It's sort of like a ghost, but it can also mean something illusory, or not real." She replied, humming briefly as she thought of how to elaborate. It was easy to guess that Alki was questioning the name that she had chosen to give her organisation and so a lazy reply just wouldn't do. "I thought it was fitting as it is in the nature of a good thief to be in and out, acquiring their prize before anyone notices they're even there."



Nearby, an orange-winged bug fluttered upwards through the trees, reaching the canopy of the conifers and hovering above them. Russell's eyes widened at the view and he grinned widely. The Vale seemed to go on forever. They could probably be here for weeks and not see everything that this place had to offer! Sketching a quick version of what he could see, the Mothim then dived back down below the trees, excitedly fluttering to land next to Deimos.

"I could see for miles up there!" he grinned, excited about his ability to fly as always. Russell opened the double page in his sketchbook that he'd drawn on and held it out for the Absol to see. "This forest goes on for a while longer, but if we go this way -" he paused and one paw let go of the book to point north, "There's a huge grassland. I think I saw a geyser or two over in this direction too-"

The Mothim continued to point out various landmarks excitedly, indicating their directions relative to their current position as well as their simplified locations on the mini-map he'd drawn. After a few moments, he seemed to have pointed out most of the landmarks he had spotted and grinned to Deimos.
"So whaddya wanna explore first?"

Whereas his boss was scouting from up high, Deimos had naturally kept his feet and mind on the ground. Moving at a fairly lax pace, the white furred Pokemon calmly walked through the treeline, taking the time to enjoy this little field trip. The idea of exploring an entirely new dungeon, barely touched by explorers had proved to be far too tempting of an idea for the Absol to resist. On the contrary, he'd metaphorically jumped at the opportunity to accompany Russel on the trek.

Taking a moment to pause as he witnessed his boss return from the conifers, Deimos couldn't help but grin at the Mothim's excitement. Carefully examining the sketch that was presented to him, the sheer size of the region only caused his grin to widen. If one could only map a small part of the area from up high, that could only mean the vale was truly vast. That meant more to explore, more to find and more memories to make. It'd already checked every box as far as he was concerned.

The comment regarding geysers most certainly piqued his interest. The details of such natural phenomenon were unknown to him, having never personally encountered one in his prior travels. "I've never actually encountered a geyser before, so i do admit the idea of going to see them is quite tempting. I doubt we could explore the entire region in just one trip, so it would be nice to focus on the landmarks for the moment." The Absol spoke, with clear enthusiasm behind his words. It was undeniable that he was looking forward to seeing them up close.

"Mmmm... I s-see." Alki said, looking up at the Vulpix with a small smile. She liked that name quite a bit! It made a good amount of sense, not to mention that it made her feel good about herself too! She probably wasn't a good enough thief to merit such a title yet. But for once in her life, this was something she felt good about! In time, the Jigglypuff was sure that she could be a proper phantom too, like Synd'r or Vesper. Maybe even a good one! And in the meantime, Phantom Thief was as pleasant a title as any! These thoughts put a bit more bounce in the girl's steps, and her smile grew wider as she turned her attention back to where she was going. "I-I like it! It makes sense, and it sounds really cool!" She said, the most cheery voice she'd had for quite a while now.

Her attention turned Northwards, away from the Vulpix towards a loud sound behind her. A huge plume of water seemed to rise up behind her, hurtling upwards and upwards, and Alki wasn't sure if it would stop until, eventually, it did. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped, shocked at the sudden, unexpected sight. It seemed to be quite far off, but not far enough to discourage Alki from investigating it. She supposed there was still a small part of her that belonged to the guild. So much time around Darcy seemed to have rubbed off on her. "What was THAT?" " She cried out, pointing in the direction of the geyser.

It was at this point that the girl separated from the Vulpix and teleported off, eager to see what exactly was going on over there. She didn't know water could just do that! She ran off towards it, but dismayed by her slow speed, the Balloon Pokemon started to teleport to speed herself up. She couldn't go very far yet, maybe... a fifth of the way at a time? It was better than the Balloon's slow running, though! It might be a Mystery dungeon, but it's bright, open areas and natural beauty served to quell her usual nervousness at being in one. So long as nothing scary happened, she'd be more than eager to explore!

A smile reached Russell's eyes as the Absol chose the geysers as their first stop. "Geysers it is then! This way!" The Mothim gently closed his sketchbook, tucking it back into his bag and pointing out the direction that he'd spotted the giant pillars of water in. It wouldn't take long to be able to see them, they only needed to reach the treeline.

Russell matched Deimos's pace as he lead them, having to pick their way through the trees rather than just fly over them as the Mothim had done a few minutes previous.



The loud sound behind them also drew Synd'r's attention, her ears twisting towards the sound before she herself turned to look in that direction. The Vulpix blinked at the towering pillar of water, visible through the thinning woodland. She'd heard of them before and had a name to attach to them, but had never seen one in person.

Though she wouldn't say it out loud unprompted, Synd'r thought the burst of water was just as impressive as Alki's reaction had made it seem. She found herself wondering just what was happening in this area to cause such a phenomenon to occur, but before she could give it too much thought Alki disappeared from her side, running off before teleporting away.

"Alki!" She found herself calling out, the sound echoing through the trees as she darted off, following the direction the Jigglypuff had gone. Her tone wasn't angry, but it was loud and surprised. She knew that Alki was young, but hadn't expected her to just run off in unfamiliar territory without any warning. Neither she nor the Jigglypuff had been here before. They weren't familiar with the territory, nor the pokemon that lived here and there was no way Synd'r felt safe leaving her to run around on her own.



Russell's antennae twitched and he froze as he heard the sharp, loud cry from within the forest. It was short, and he hadn't heard what it had actually said, but the sound breaking through the peace had startled him to a stop as he attempted to pinpoint the direction it came from.
"Did you hear that?" he asked Deimos.

Deimos nodded without a second thought, perhaps a little too excited all things considered. Pausing for a moment so as to grant his boss the time to get reorganized, He carefully glanced around in order to ensure the duo hadn't missed anything in the surrounding area. Momentarily manifesting a singular blade of shadow, Deimos carved a simple cross into the dirt, intending to use it as a point of reference in case they got lost. Never hurts to be prepared.

Once he was certain that Russel was prepared. Deimos resumed his advance, moving at a similar pace as before after having removed the spectral claw. He didn't see any reason to run the entire way there, figuring that the Geysers would still probably be around even if they took their time. Rushing caused mistakes, a lesson he'd learned well, along with it being nice to take a calm walk through the trees every now and then.

His appreciation for the their quiet walk through the woods was soon shattered however, With Deimos stopping entirely as he heard a loud cry. "Yeah i heard it. Sounded like... Maybe a short name? Honestly i didn't catch the exact wording, sorry." He replied, taking a quick glance around. He wasn't entirely sure of which direction the cry had come from.

Alki slowed down at the sound of her own name being called out so loudly, but she didn't quite stop. She was still excited to see the big water thingy, but it did prompt her to reconsider her actions. That was... probably a bit uncalled for. Not to mention somewhat dangerous... considering where they were. Oops. Alki turned back to her friend and smiled sheepishly. It really hadn't been a good idea, huh? "A-Ah... Sorry..." Alki said, her voice betraying a mixture of embarrassment and fear. She certainly recognized that she might have acted a bit recklessly, but... was she mad? She was certainly speaking rather loudly. People speaking loudly to her tended to accompany some rather... well...

Was she mad? Alki slowed her own pace, her eyes losing focus on the geyser, and instead focusing in on... well, nothing in particular. Her voice didn't quite sound the same as those of her parents when they were upset, or of other people who got mad at her, but... still. It was loud. Suppose she'd somehow ruined everything? She had done something pretty stupid... suppose Synd'r was having second thoughts about her as a thief?

Alki finally stopped, a ways away from the geyser. She didn't feel all too interested in it anymore. It was certainly pretty, and usually, she'd still be pretty excited. But what with the weight of her memories, and of the possibilities that lay before her, Alki was beginning to feel rather nervous... "Sorry..." She repeated softly, her voice almost pleading. She didn't want her to have second thoughts, she liked Synd'r!

Russell nodded as Deimos acknowledged the sound. It had been so loud, and sudden, that the mothim had to consider the idea that it was something they should check up on. They weren't exploration team members and weren't bound to help stray travellers as they were, but that didn't mean they couldn't do their best to help someone if the occasion arose.

"I think we should keep an eye out in case we find out what it was," Russell replied, not able to tell the exact direction it had come from to investigate further, but it seemed to correlate roughly with where they were already going. "Even if it's a native pokemon, that could be valuable information," he commented.



Synd'r darted forwards, catching up to the jigglypuff as she slowed and slowing her own pace to match Alki's once more. She shook her head lightly, but her tone was neutral as she spoke, not scolding but serious as to make sure the younger pokemon knew she meant what she said "You surprised me," she commented, "We need to stick together since neither of us are familiar with this place."

The vulpix paused, glancing from the jigglypuff to the geyser and realising what it was that had triggered the incident. Synd'r looked back to Alki, the ghost of a small smile appearing for but a brief moment before she continuing on towards the rush of water. As it extended into the sky once more, it showered a misty spray across the surrounding area.
"You wanted to see it up close, right?" she asked, not glancing back at Alki as she looked up at the powerful column of water. "I've never seen one before either."

"Agreed, any information we can acquire is a definite improvement. Make sure to stay on guard however, for all we know that scream might be due to someones ally falling into a trap. Until we have confirmation on how dangerous the area is we can't relax completely." Deimos spoke with a soft nod. For the scouts, Information naturally was a critical resource. Helping people if the chance appears is a good thing to do, but any ally gained could also be a walking treasure trove of knowledge. That was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Turning towards a Nearby tree, Deimos summoned forth another set of spectral claws, slicing a deep cross into its bark. This was soon followed up with a crude Explanation mark, to note down an event being detected. Leaving a trail that could be followed later couldn't hurt, right?

"I'll keep leaving marks so that we have a trail we can take to leave in an emergency. With this one done, shall we resume heading towards the Geysers?"

Alki nodded softly, avoiding eye contact as she took the lecture from the Vulpix. What she said made sense. She was right, Alki had been quite dumb, but at the same time... at the very least, the Jigglypuff wasn't as upset as she could've been. Synd'r's tone had been neutral and calm and while Alki knew she'd been stupid, she didn't really feel stupid. And that was a nice feeling! It was a pretty rare one too. Not a lot of Pokemon could keep her feeling alright after she'd done something so dumb. Synd'r was a good companion to have around. The jigglypuff however, still avoided eye contact, still quite ashamed of what she'd done, even if Synd'r herself wasn't shaming her.

Alki noticed motion from the Vulpix out of the corner of her eye, but was still too embarrassed to look up, or really, do much of anything. The balloon pokemon simply stood there, blushing, only looking up when she was finally spoken to. "You wanted to see it up close, right?" Alki paused for a moment, still avoiding eye contact, but nodding carefully. It was true... Was the Vulpix asking for further explanation? Alki's ears twitched as she hesitated, but eventually, spoke up. "Y-Yeah... I... thought it looked pretty." She said quietly, taking another look at the geyser. It still looked quite pretty, honestly. It was prettier up close, even! Alki stepped forward shyly, towards, the water, marveling at it's size. She felt even smaller than usual beside all this water. She wanted to touch it, but she kept her arms by her side, quite nervous. Better to not risk anything after her earlier outburst... SHe didn't want to do something wrong again.

Russell nodded lightly in reply to Deimos, watching lightly as he scratched deliberate marks into a nearby tree trunk. The mothim tilted his head in curiosity for a moment, before smiling lightly at the absol’s idea.

“Ah, that’s smart!” he praised happily, glad that his trusted second in command was taking such a precaution. Russell hadn’t thought to do anything similar, after all he had his wings to help him when he was lost, but if they were to get separated, this would mean Deimos wouldn’t need to rely on him to find his way.

When the absol was done marking the tree, Russell lead the duo onwards, eager to see the geysers, but keeping himself alert and cautious of his surroundings.


Synd’r hummed in agreement with Alki, “You’re right. They are… incredible,” she replied quietly. The vulpix found herself halting near to the geyser, wrinkling her nose as a few droplets of the water landed on her coat. Even for just a few drops, she could feel the heat coming off of the water. Synd’r glanced around, noticing that the pool of water the plume originated from was steaming. She tilted her head to one side in curiosity.

The Vulpix wasn’t familiar with geysers or how they worked at all, only that they were large plumes of water that shot upwards into the sky. It had never occurred to her before that they might be warm. Glancing back to Alki, Synd’r spoke again, “Be careful coming any closer, the water is… very hot. You don’t have natural burn-proofing like I do.”


After a little more walking, or flying in Russell’s case, the mothim could see past the edge of the trees and towards the open area nearby to the geysers. Slowing down, the mothim spoke in a hushed voice, “There’s someone over there.” It was an odd pair, a Vulpix and a Jigglypuff. Silently the mothim wondered if the two were native to the vale, or if they too were visitors.

With his current markings complete, Deimos softly pushed the tip of one of his spectral talons into the dirt underfoot as he received praise. There may have been the possibility that others could use the trail to track them but that was a small price to pay for knowing how to get out of the huge region they had wandered into so excitedly. "Never hurts to be prepared. Even if this region is quite visually appealing, there's still the very real risk that it might be a mystery dungeon. Knowing our way out in the case of an ambush is going to be critical" The Absol spoke calmly with a small grin.

Deimos followed along happily as Russel advanced, tracing small marks into the dirt underfoot as they walked so as to ensure a way back. Russel didn't seem to have the moves for this kind of work, though it seemed as if the Mothim didn't particularly need it due to the ability to fly. The Absol didn't have that luxury, rendering trails and mapping an important task in event of emergency. In the event of a crisis the Mothim could evacuate by air fairly quickly. For one that would have to escape over land, running around like a headless Torchic would only get him hurt. Ensuring an easy way to avoid running into hidden traps and the like was far too valuable to ignore.

Once Russel came to a stop, Deimos quickly deformed the spectral talon to avoid standing out too badly despite his fur not exactly being well suited to hiding in the trees. Resisting the strong urge to just rush over to the Geysers without a seconds notice, he nodded as a response to Russel's call out. An odd duo to be sure. "Wait a minute. That name earlier was a short one right? We know a Jigglypuff with a short name. The one that attempted to prank you before, remember? It might be the same one" Deimos spoke in a similarly hushed tone, figuring that they shouldn't alert the duo until the scouts were completely certain it was safe.

Alki had been so enamored with the sheer size and beauty of the geyser that most concerns for her own safety had been more or less disregarded. She'd never actually seen a geyser before, and she wasn't smart enough to read, let alone read about something as specific as a geyser. How was she supposed to know it was hot? Why was water hot? Every other kind of water she had ever encountered was usually cold... in lakes, and in rivers, and... well... everything!

So when the water splashed onto the jigglypuff's slightly outstretched arm, even if it was only a few droplets, it proved to be quite the source of unexpected pain. Her eyes widened, more in surprise than actual pain. She had heard Synd'r's warning earlier, but to be completely honest, she still hadn't quite expected it. Besides, she thought she'd been far enough away! She stumbled backwards, falling to a sitting position, hoping that this time she would actually be sufficiently far from the stupid, hot water. Alki looked up at the huge geyser, her mouth in a small frown and her eyes filled with betrayal. It looked so beautiful...

"Y-Yeah..." She responded softly to Synd'r, quite a bit late. She'd already been burnt, but hey, it wasn't anything that bad, and she'd already wiped the droplets off. If worst came to worst, she could just... find an ice pack when they went into town or something? Honestly, she just hoped Synd'r hadn't noticed her...

"You mean Alki?" Russell blinked at Deimos's words, his eyes widening as he looked back, squinting at the Jigglypuff figure in the near distance. "Oh! You're right! It really could be!" he replied eagerly, initially loud in his excitement at the prospect of running into a friendly acquaintance in such an unfamiliar place, but voice lowering as he continued.
"They definitely look similar. Although i've not seen many Jigglypuff to compare it to..." he trailed off, gaze landing on the pretty red feather tucked behind one ear.

"She's wearing the same red feather though," he mused, taking that as confirmation and wondering what Alki might be here for.

Russell's orange gaze flickered over to the Vulpix that seemed to accompany Alki as the fox turned, ears swiveling as they glanced past the Jigglypuff. They wore a similar feather to Alki's, as well as three others with a different pattern. Before he could voice his curiosity to Deimos, Russell's eyes met with the fox pokemon. It was only for a moment, brief enough that Russell wasn't sure if he'd imagined it, the Vulpix's gaze skimming over him as if it had never really happened at all... But the Mothim was sure it had.

"I think we've been discovered," he voiced quietly.



Ears swivelling as she listened to Alki's reply, Synd'r caught the sound of something else. Glancing past her companion, she skimmed her gaze  across the tree line, catching sight of two individuals hidden in the brush. The Mothim was looking right at her, and she at him.
Tch.. she thought vexedly as she skimmed her gaze further across the treeline. The Mothim definitely knew she'd seen him.

Glancing to Alki, oblivious to the other's reactions to the small burn on her arm due to the new danger that had presented itself, Synd'r spoke quietly to try and alert her to the situation. "We have company."

Chuckling softly at his companions eager outburst, Deimos softly nodded his head at Russel's realization. Yelling happily outloud at a familiar obviously wasn't stealthy, though Deimos didn't feel the need for stealth at this point, nor was his body particularly well suited for it in such an environment. Calmly stepping forward out of the brush, Deimos looked back to his partner with a grin. "Well, lets go say hello. Alki's not the only one that has something for visual identification. How many Absol's can you think of which have a pink ribbon around their horn?" He spoke with a chuckle. He didn't particularly mind the coloration of his joy ribbon, honestly figuring it might help offset the intimidating presence he often seemed to give off.

Deimos honestly didn't recognize the Vulpix with who they presumed were Alki, but judging by the similiar accessories he guessed they must have been a something shared between friends or a travelling group, not so different than the journals the Veteran's of Windrose owned. With that in mind, fighting was the furthest thing from his mind as he casually began to walk over, still interested in the Geysers that Alki and the new Vulpix seemed to have been drawn to. "Alki?" He asked calmly as he approached, wanting to make absolute sure that they'd gotten their assumption correct. even if they turned out to be hostile, being in close range benefited the Absol greatly. In his mind, approaching was a win win situation, especially so since he trusted Russel to watch his back if a fight broke out.