Team Petal-Purr
"Meets a Real Guild"-Part 3
-Year 2-Late Summer-
Ch. 9
With limited time to get ready, the team was quick to return to their room at the inn. They immediately began sorting through their bags and gathering all the things they had left strewn about the room, making sure everything was in its proper place.
"I can't believe we're having dinner with a real guild." Shelby exclaimed, dragging her little backpack to place it neatly by the door, ready to grab when they set out on their mission the next morning.
"I can't believe we already made a whole friend." Heidi followed her lead and placed her bag in the same spot. "I wasn't even sure they'd let us join at all."
"Why wouldn't they?" Shelby flicked her ears and frowned at the statement. "We're hard workers and we do the right thing. Any guild would be happy to have us."
"They'd be happy to have you." Heidi dropped her head and looked down sheepishly. "I haven't even done anything."
"Don't say that, Heidi! You've done lots." Blossom looked up from what she was doing and immediately replied.
Shelby purred in agreement. "And you'll do so much more. They'll be so impressed, you won't believe it."
The Houndour smiled and lifted her head slowly. She felt better, but it wasn't enough to dispel all her fears.
"But what if they don't like me? What if I'm too shy to talk to anyone?"
Though she wanted so badly to reassure her friend, Blossom couldn't help but admit that she had the same worries.
"I know what you mean, I'm nervous too. The Pokemon there are so different from us. Furret was lovely, but her partner didn't want to talk to me at all. It was like he just wanted me to go away."
As she spoke, her claws reached out to pick up the little Gothita doll that sat by her, one of the last things left to pack. Almost without thinking, she lifted Greta into her arms and cradled her like a baby.
With all this talk about not fitting in, Shelby's mood dampened considerably as she thought back to the first Pokemon they had met at the guild.
"That Togetic that lives there already hates me. I could tell by the way he looked at me."
It hurt her to know that she already had an enemy there. It stung even more to think that he might come to hate the rest of her team, even though they hadn't done anything wrong.
"Even if I say sorry a million times, he might still hate me forever."
For a moment, all three girls sat and stewed in their own self-pity, each contemplating their own personal flaws. What if Shelby was too loud and obnoxious? What if Blossom was too awkward, her frame of reference too small for anyone to relate to? What if Heidi never even worked up the courage to look anyone in the eye? What if they went to dinner only to find out that they truly did not fit in at all?
Though Heidi was no stranger to feeling out of place, the two sisters had never once in their lives felt like they didn't belong where they were. They knew nothing else but the love and acceptance of the community they were raised in. The had simply assumed that joining a guild would feel exactly the same, but now they weren't quite so sure. The thought filled them with dread.
Through the uncomfortable silence, Heidi was the first to speak. She had been counting on the two of them to tell her she was being silly, that they knew better about these things and were sure that nothing would go wrong. When they didn't, she found herself wondering if they had all made a huge mistake.
"Should we not go?" She asked, part of her hoping that they would agree to back out of the whole thing.
Blossom shook her head softly in reply.
"We have to go, we already said that we would. We definitely won't make any friends by breaking a promise."
"I do still want to go." Shelby added, trying to pick herself up with a positive outlook. "Even if some Pokemon don't like us, it doesn't mean we won't have a good time."
"You really think so?" Heidi smiled, admiring the Skitty's ability to find the good in any situation. It was a skill she so desperately wanted to emulate, but didn't yet know how.
"I know we have at least one friend waiting for us." Blossom spoke gently, still cradling the baby doll in her arms, unconsciously bouncing it and patting it on the back. "Think of how poor Furret would feel if we didn't show up for dinner."
Heidi felt a heavy guilt and sadness in the pit of her stomach, imagining Furret sitting and waiting for them to arrive.
"She'd think we didn't like her anymore." The Houndour gave a remorseful whine, feeling sorry for something that hadn't even happened yet.
"Then we'd better head off before she starts to worry." Shelby took one last look in the mirror to straighten out the fluff on her cheeks.
"Should we wear our dresses?" Blossom placed Greta in her bag, tucking her into a pocket that had been designated her special place to travel in. "We should try to look nice and make a good impression. I don't want anyone to think we're not taking this seriously enough."
Ch. 10
The team arrived back at the Clover Guild just before sunset, the golden sky casting a peaceful orange hue over the enormous building. The inside was lit with the warm glow of a hundred candles, shining almost as bright as the lights of the town. The chatter of many voices could be heard from the outside, seemingly all clustered into one wing of the ground floor.
"I bet they're all eating already!" Shelby announced as she broke into a run, speeding ahead as she encourage the other two to do the same. "Hurry or they'll finish dinner without us!"
They all ran as fast as they could through the main doors of the guild, which had been left open as everyone gathered inside for dinner. They were stopped in their tracks, thrown off guard by the flurry of activity in and around the main lobby. An uncountable number of Pokemon were rushing through a large, open archway to their left, where the smell of cooked food that wafted out let them know that this must be the kitchen.
Before long, they caught a glimpse of a familiar set of stripes. Furret leapt from the crowd and hurried over to them, throwing her stubby arms in the air.
"You made it! I knew you would! A bunch of our guildmates said you wouldn't come, that you got scared off and you'd leave and never come back again. But I knew they were wrong and I was right! I'm so glad you're here!"
As excitable as ever, Furret went on and on about how happy she was to see them. The two sisters looked over at Heidi, who was smiling brightly and whipping her tail faster than they had ever seen.
"I told you." Blossom whispered, before giving the little Houndour a nudge forward. This boost was enough for her to skip ahead and greet Furret with a friendly play bow, before the two of them touched noses.
"I can't believe you're so happy to see us!" She let out an excited yip.
"Of course I am!" Furret exclaimed, touching noses gently with Blossom and giving Shelby a big hug.
"You look so pretty tonight! I love your jewellery!" Shelby batted at the golden bracelets that Furret has placed on each of her front paws.
The long, stripey Pokemon was dressed to the nines, with shiny gold bangles and a beautiful white necktie that was folded to perfection, not a wrinkle to be seen. She wore two matching white bows atop her head, tied around her ears to complete the look.
"What, these old things?" Furret laughed and rattled the bracelets, taking a moment to admire them herself. "Just something I throw on when I want to look nice. I love your dresses, by the way! They're just gorgeous!"
"Really? You don't think it's too much?" Blossom sat up on her haunches and dusted the front of her smock, still unsure whether they had made the right choice in dressing up in their fancy festival outfits. "I was worried it might be too much."
"There's no such thing as "too much", only extra fabulous!"
Shelby nodded in agreement at Furret's statement. She'd never thought of it that way before.
As Furret led them all into the dining area, the team stuck close to her side as they did their best to navigate through the giant group of hungry patrons. Right away, Blossom took note of the fact that almost everyone there was dressed very casually, with only a simple scarf or bandanna. Standing among her friends, in their frilly yellow frocks, she felt embarrassingly out of place.
"I knew we were over-dressed...Why did I think we should wear these?" She whispered, doing her best not to notice the few Pokemon that briefly glanced at them on their way past.
Heidi immediately shrunk down in response, taking the comment to heart right away. Shelby shook her head at them, a little disappointed at how quickly the two had lost their nerve.
~'All this over some dresses!'~ The little Skitty thought to herself.
"As if anyone even cares!" She scoffed. "Look at Furret, she's not worried about it at all."
Together they looked at Furret, who was trotting happily a few paces ahead of them. It was clear she had no concern for whether or not anybody thought she looked silly. If she did, she certainly didn't show it. The spring in her step remained until she brought them to a table where several Pokemon were already sitting.
It was one of the shorter tables in the room, built to seat creatures around two or three feet tall. There seemed to be an even mix of shorter and taller tables, so that larger Pokemon were able to enjoy their meals in a place that fit them comfortably.
"Here we are!" Furret said loudly, while the Pokemon at the table turned to look at her.
“Oh. My. Gosh!” A Sandshrew in a fluffy blue scarf was the first to acknowledge them, letting out a delighted squeal as she stared at them with large, sparkling eyes.
“Cassie...don’t.” The little white Vulpix sat next to her mumbled a warning, pulling his tan cap over his face to hide his embarrassment.
“I-I can’t help it.” She replied, pushing her chair away from the table, as if compelled by some force out of her control. “They’re so cute…”
She leapt from the chair and stood facing the three girls. Her arms were outstretched, though she seemed to be holding herself back from jumping at them in glee.
“I need to have a hug! I’ll die if I don’t!”
There was a very brief moment of silence as they looked at the Sandshrew. Heidi shuffled a little closer to her friends. Blossom smiled and looked at her sister, knowing just what she was about to say.
“I love hugs!” Shelby announced brightly as she stood up on her hind legs and threw out her paws. Immediately, the scaly creature was upon them, rushing to embrace them. Though it was a difficult task, she managed to reach her claws around all three of them and pulled them closer with a huge smile on her face.
“My name’s Cassie. Furret’s already told me so much about you! Come and sit down with us!”
So, they sat down on little wooden stools and joined the group, with Furret assisting in introductions. Along with Cassie the Sandshrew, they met Bean the Fletchling, and Kiyo the "Keo-Keo"-A group of old friends that had been working together as a team for a long time. Smith the Skorupi was already known to them, though he acknowledged them with little more than a nod of his head before returning to his meal.
"I can't believe you started eating without me! That is so rude!" Furret scolded her partner, who seemed unfazed.
"You know what time dinner is." Is all he had to say in reply.
"If I wasn't in such a good mood, I might have been angry at you." She turned away from him and patted Blossom on the top of the head to get her attention. "I'll show you where we get the food from."
"Blossom, can you get mine for me, pretty, pretty please! I have so many questions I need to ask." Shelby begged her sister, who had already gotten up from her seat.
"Only if you do the tidying after dinner." The Bulbasaur replied, turning to face her.
"Deal!" Shelby stuck out her paw and the two sisters used their front feet to swipe and each other, a sort of "secret handshake" the two had developed when they were young children.
Blossom looked over at Heidi, intending to ask if she'd like to come with them. The Houndour was thoroughly distracted, engaged in some sort of staring contest with Bean, the small Fletchling that had yet to speak even a word. Though neither of them said anything, there seemed to be some form of communication going on between the two. Blossom thought it best to leave them to it and so she and Furret left together to collect the meals that were waiting for them.
Ch. 11
After taking their place in line and waiting their turn, the two approached a long wooden counter that separated the kitchen from most of the dining area. Blossom was shocked to find only two Pokemon in charge of handing out food; an old Munchlax that scooped portions of a thick vegetable stew into countless bowls, while a sleepy looking Numel slid the bowls to his patrons with his eyes half closed.
What disturbed her most was how few of the Pokemon said "thank you" as they took their food and rushed to find their seats. Neither of the cooks looked very happy and it upset her to think that a man of her father's age was working so hard without being shown the gratitude he so obviously deserved. When it was her turn, Blossom produced a handful of coins from her little bag and placed them on the counter.
"I'd like three, please. For me and my sister and my friend. If that's alright."
The Numel silently did as he was asked and placed three bowl onto a wooden tray, before looking blankly at the coins.
"I can't take that." He replied, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.
"Why not? Who pays for the food?"
"The guild covers the food bill." The Munchlax cuts in, an annoyed scowl on his face. "We don't take tips."
"But my team hasn't given anything to the guild yet. It wouldn't be right to pay nothing."
"It's cool, man. Just take it." The Numel uses his stumpy foot to push the tray towards her.
Just then, Blossom heard a few Pokemon call out from further down the line.
"Jesus Christ, MOVE!"
"What the fuck is the hold up? People are hungry!"
She swung her head around, shocked and horrified by the outbursts. She could do nothing but look over in stunned silence at the slew of angry faces, feeling as if she could burst into tears at any moment. Suddenly, she felt Furret's soft paw grab at her shoulder and pull her closer.
"Oh, everybody shut up and leave her alone!" She scolded, jumping to Blossom's defence before quickly redirecting her away from the crowd.
"Come on." Furret said to her softly. "Don't worry about them, they get upset over everything."
Still feeling a bit shaken, Blossom nods her head and reaches up with her feet on the counter.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hold anyone up. I just wanted to say thank you for all the work you do."
She put her head down sheepishly when no response was given by the cooks, feeling humiliated. She took the tray in her teeth and lifted it gingerly off the counter, walking away with slow, gentle steps. Furret walked with her and the line behind them continued to move as normal.
"FINALLY!"
"Fucking newfags, am I right?"
With her sister away and Heidi still preoccupied with the odd little Fletchling, Shelby had nothing to distract her from bombarding her new friends with questions about life as a guildmember.
"So what's it like living at a real guild? Is it fun? Do you have to go on a mission every day, or are you allowed to take breaks?" She asked the Sandshrew next to her, gazing at her in admiration.
"Oh, it's fine enough here." Cassie answered with a smile, amused by the Skitty's naive enthusiasm. "You haven't been explorers very long, have you?"
"We've never done any exploring, we're rescuers." Shelby replied. "We've only been a full team for a little while, but me and Blossom would help with rescue work back at home. We live near Apple Woods, so there's been a lot of Pokemon that need help."
Bean whipped his head around to look over when he heard the words "Apple Woods", making eye contact with Kiyo for a moment before they both turned their eyes away uncomfortably. Smith was more subtle as he looked up from his meal and glanced at the two, as if subtly warning them not to say anything.
Cassie didn't seem to notice any of this as she was too busy fawning over the new recruits.
"You guys are just about the cutest things I've ever seen in my life! I’m so excited you actually want to join THIS guild!"
“Why would you join a guild like this?” Smith eyed them curiously, the most attention he had paid to them so far. “Seems like the last place a team like you would want to end up.”
“Why wouldn’t we join? We’re as strong as any of you.” Shelby wasn’t sure whether she should be offended by the question, though her bristling tail gave away that she was less than thrilled with the implication.
“That’s not what I-- Actually, never mind, I don’t really care.” The Skorupi shook his head and went back to ignoring the conversation completely.
“He didn't mean it like that.” Cassie reached over and tugged at Shelby’s fur to catch her attention. “He just means we’re in short supply of Pokemon with good taste. You just have to tell me where you got those stunning outfits!”
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
Still on their way back to their table, Furret looked down at Blossom, who twitched her ears and mumbled through the tray in her teeth. "Hm?"
"Why don't you use your vines to carry that? I thought all Bulbasaurs had vines. Is it rude to ask that? I don't want to be rude, I was only curious."
'Oh, right.' She thought to herself, before extending the vines from her back and using them to lift the tray slightly above her head.
"I don't mind you asking. It's just not something I did very much back home. I thought it was bad manners to use your vines when you don't need to, but now I think maybe that was just something our family does."
"I've never heard that before." Furret mused. "Nobody here will mind if you use them. Look, Chespin's doing it right now."
Blossom looked over just in time to see Chespin carrying two bowls on a single tray, balancing perfectly atop the vines that extended from behind his shoulders. His partner Wooper bounced happily alongside him, chattering something she could not hear with all the noise in the room. She could understand the convenience of carrying things for his friend, even though his real arms were not currently being used for anything more than scratching at his little red nose. It seemed a bit pointless, but she knew it was not really her place to question his way of doing things.
~'I guess that means I'm the one that's strange.'~
She held the tray higher in the air, trying look more confident in her movements.
"I'll admit it does make things easier. It could take some getting used to, but as long as it's not breaking any rules..."
Ch. 12
The two weren't immediately noticed when they returned to the table, as the others were currently distracted watching Bean hop around in circles, performing a mysterious little dance. Shelby was the first to take note of them, her keen hearing able to pick up the familiar sound of her sister's footsteps, even over all the chatter. She turned her head and let out a gasp as the Bulbasaur used her vines to place the tray down on the table.
"Blossom what are you doing!?" She whispered sharply, trying not to draw too much attention. She didn't want to make her feel bad, but was shocked to see her sister doing something so out of the ordinary.
"No no, it's fine, I swear." Blossom scrambled to explain herself. "It's alright to use my vines here, nobody will mind."
"Really?" Shelby settled down right away, quick to take her at her word. One thing she knew for sure was that her gentle baby sister had always followed the rules; even when nobody was looking. Even so, she couldn't help but ask. "How come it's ok now? You never did that at home."
"I don't know, but it just is. Furret promised me." They both looked over at Furret, who nodded with enthusiasm. Blossom smiled at her, before turning to Heidi to ask her opinion. "You don't mind, do you, Heidi?"
"Of course not." The little Houndour tilted her head. "If you want to use your vines, I think you should be allowed to. You're not hurting anybody. I think it's a neat trick."
Thoroughly convinced, Shelby reached over and pulled one of the bowls in front of her, inspecting the strange dish. Though she had eaten many stews in her time, this particular mix of spicy berries and root vegetables was a combination that was wholly new to her. It wasn't like the stews her mother used to make, which suddenly made her feel a little homesick. After a moment of contemplation, she began to dig in and concluded that it tasted fine.
While listening to the three prattle on about the intricate minutiae of grass type etiquette, Kiyo the Vulpix seemed to come to a sudden realisation.
"Hang on, I've met you before." He pointed to Blossom with a single white paw. "At the Festival. You had the same freak-out about the vine stuff there."
She knew exactly the meeting he was referring to; when she had visited his stall and paid to throw ice darts at a target to win a prize.
"I wasn't going to say anything." She admitted. "I didn't think that you'd remember me. And I didn't freak out, I just didn't know any better."
Cassie the Sandshrew scowled at him in silence, unhappy with his choice of words.
"Right, sorry." He casually brushed off the remark with a wry chuckle. "You'd think I would have recognised you sooner, wearing all that yellow. I never did have Cassie's keen eye for fashion. How's the dolly?"
Blossom couldn't quite tell whether he was trying to make fun of her, but chose to reply as if he were being completely sincere.
"Oh, she's fine. It's nice of you to ask."
At this, Cassie grew a mischievous smile.
"Aww, that's so sweet! Y'know, Kiyo has a doll, too. It's a little Fletchling that looks just like Bean."
Bean nodded happily and the two giggled to each other, while Kiyo looked flustered. He was obviously embarrassed, but did not try to deny it.
"That's none of anyone's business." He grumbled angrily. Blossom just gave him a sympathetic smile and he seemed to soften a little when he realised she was not going to laugh at him.
"I saw you in that band." Shelby cut through the brief, awkward silence. "Heidi is your biggest fan!"
"Shelby, no!" Heidi shrunk down, trying to ignore the fact that most of the table was now looking at her. "Don't tell them that!"
Kiyo looked genuinely stunned to receive the compliment.
"That’s a first. I’m surprised we weren’t run out of town for that half-baked performance."
"No!" Heidi said emphatically, sad to think that Kiyo was ashamed of his band. "No, it was amazing! Everyone thought so, not just me."
Blossom and Shelby both nodded in agreement right away, to which Kiyo shifted uncomfortably and conceded his point.
“I guess the boys did pretty good. Ross was decent on guitar for only a week of practice, and there’s no denying Trop can sing.”
There was an unmistakable flash of pride on the Vulpix’s face as he spoke of his friends, though he conspicuously left himself out of the compliment.
“Does the rest of the band live here, too?” Blossom asked. “I haven’t seen them.”
“Sort of.” Kiyo explained. “Ross is around here somewhere, but Tropius is too big to fit in the building. He has his own place out back.”
“His own place that we built for him!” Cassie interjected, beaming with pride. “It’s some of my finest work.”
“Ross lives here?” Heidi mumbled quietly, suddenly looking very nervous. Her paws became fidgety and she quickly glanced around to see if he was anywhere nearby. Blossom and Shelby looked at her and Cassie gave them a small nod of acknowledgment, but none of them said anything out loud. As a romance aficionado, Cassie knew better than to discuss crushes while boys were listening. They quickly shifted the subject to something much less serious.
Even though they had finished their supper, the group continued to sit at the table and talk well into the evening. The new team was briefed on just about everything they might need to know about surviving life in the Clover Guild. They were taught who to avoid and who to go to for help, when meals were served, where to gather supplies, and how to properly report and document their missions. By the time they finally bid farewell for the night, their heads were spinning with all the new information. There was so much to learn and seemingly so little time to take it all in.
“Do you really think we’re ready for this?” Heidi asked, her feet dragging as she lagged a little behind her teammates. The walk back to the inn had given time for her insecurities to seep back into the forefront of her mind.
“We have to be ready.” Blossom slowed her pace so that the two were walking side by side. She felt like it was her responsibility to sound confident and reassuring, but it was clear that the Bulbasaur was not without doubts of her own. “We’ve already made a promise to the guild. And to our client. Now we just need to prove we can do it.”
“We can do it. I know we can.” Shelby spoke softly. Her excitable energy had waned considerably, giving way to a calmer, more steadfast determination. As the eldest of the group, she knew that her team would need her strength and morale to keep their spirits high.
“If we work hard enough, we can do anything in the world.”