Smith and Furret Join the Clover Guild and Form the Luckiest, Most Miraculous Exploration Team to Ever Exist!

by Skorupi-Anon

The sun's light pours through the open window and directly into my eyes, waking me from my slumber. I face away from the window, blinking frequently in an effort to regain my vision. Other than some discomfort in my eyes, thanks to the sun, I feel totally refreshed for the first time in forever. Last night, Furret and I had rented a room at the Blue Claw Inn, and it was the first time I had ever slept on anything other than the hard, dirty ground since arriving in this world. I had sorely missed my bed from when I was a human, and I still do, but right now, this hay feels like the most comfortable thing on the entire planet. It feels so good, in fact, that it takes every ounce of willpower that I have to resist the urge to sleep for the entire day. It's sad to say goodbye, but I force myself to stand up and step away from the bedding.

On the other end of the small room, I see Furret standing near the window, stretching her long body while softly grunting. She notices me rise, and with a yawn, says, "Good morning, little buddy... you look like you slept well, somehow."

"Yeah, I did. This bed is really comfortable," I respond, still facing away from the window. Following her lead, I do some stretches of my own, stimulating my muscles as well as my mind. Mentally, I'm shrugging off the last of my weariness, but physically, I feel ready to take on anything.

Furret looks at me with a raised eyebrow, and says, "Comfortable? It felt like I was sleeping on rocks for the whole night..."

"It's better than nothing. You've seen where I sleep."

"I can't handle sleeping on something so uncomfortable, it's bad for me. I'm delicate, I'll have you know." Once she finishes her stretches, she grabs her bag from beside the hay bedding, reaches inside, and produces a small hand mirror. She examines her reflection, seemingly deep in thought, before going through her bag once more, and taking out a pure white bandana. After some more deliberation, she seems satisfied. "Hey, little buddy," she asks, "could you please hold this mirror for me?"

I use my tail claws to grab the mirror from her, careful to not poke her in the process. It's a bit awkward to hold the mirror, seeing as how it's above and behind my head, so I'm not sure if it's in a good position, but Furret doesn't complain, so I assume I'm doing a good job. She takes the bandana and begins folding it so the corners meet each other, forming a triangle. From there, she ties the longest ends into a knot, and slips it over her head, the neckerchief resting loosely around her neck. Once it's on, she tightens it until it fits snugly. For having such stubby limbs, she's surprisingly dexterous. She admires herself in the mirror one last time, and then turns to me with a grin, asking, "What do you think? Pretty cute, right?"

"You look good. I think it suits you," I say.

A big smile spreads across her face. "I knew it! I'm so glad I bought this one. It's one of my favorites!"

Her choice of words intrigues me. "'One of'? Do you have more of these?"

"Yeah! Here, take a look."

She puts the bag in front of me and holds it open. Taking a peek inside... I see countless pieces of cloth, stuffing the leather pack to the brim. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and lengths, some in solid colors, and others with intricate, fancy patterns. Several of them are also tied into knots, forming ribbons, bandanas, and bows. There's barely any free space left inside of the bag, to the point that it looks like closing the thing would be a challenge. Concerned, I ask her, "How many of these things do you have in here?"

Bashfully, she says, "Oh, I don't know, I lost count around, maybe... twenty-five? Twenty-six?"

I stare blankly at her. "...Where did you get all these?"

Now looking a bit guilty, she elaborates. "W-well, for starters, I found a few of them laying around outside throughout my travels, and I touched them up a little. There's no point in letting such pretty accessories gather a bunch of icky dirt and grime, y'know! The rest of them, though, well... when I first stopped here in Capim Town, I went to that tailor-- the one owned by that sweet Ariados, remember-- and I decided to take a look around and there were so many super gorgeous looking accessories and I had the money so at first I figured it couldn't hurt to grab a few of them but I really really loved all of them and so I kinda ended up buying a whole lot of them and then at a different shop I spotted that little mirror and I thought it would be useful to have so I might as well get that too! And, uh, I spent the last of what I had on this room for us, so, now I don't have any money, ha ha..." She has to stop and catch her breath after rushing so many words out of her mouth at once.

When I finish processing her explanation, my previously neutral expression transforms into a more stern one. "...So that's why you couldn't afford any supplies."

My words form a spear of shame that pierces her gentle heart, and she seems offended. "Oh, hush! If you were there, you would have done the same thing," she pouts playfully.

"No, I wouldn't have."

"Hmph!"

She childishly puffs out her cheeks and turns away from me, crossing her arms. I'm disappointed by her lavish spending habits, but her playfulness never fails to amuse me. I crack a smile, and chuckle, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. They're all very nice, I swear."

She refuses to look at me for a moment, but eventually she turns back around, her positivity suddenly renewed. "Apology accepted! I'm glad you recognize how great my sense of fashion is."

Now that we're done teasing each other, I continue to dig through the endless rainbow of garments within the bag. Purple, red, yellow, black... wait. Red? Upon closer inspection, I see a familiar red bow tie, nestled among the other accessories. It appears to be in good condition, albeit a bit dirty... this is the bow tie that I was wearing before! My mind is flooded with thoughts about yesterday, and of our first meeting. I ponder it, and ask Furret, "Can I hold on to this one? It... means a lot to me."

She puts on a wry face, and says, "Oh, that one is so cute, though... but, okay. You did have it already when we met, so I guess that means it's yours."

"Thanks."

I grab the small pouch near my bedding and put the bow tie inside, which ends up taking up a considerable amount of space on its own. I'll keep it as a sort of good luck charm. It's not much, but just having it feels nice.

By now we're both fully awake, and Furret struggles to fit everything back inside of her overstuffed bag as we prepare to leave the inn. I don't need to put in as much work, as my only belongings are my leather pouch, the bow tie within it, and the pink ribbon, that Furret had given to me yesterday, sitting atop my head. Speaking of the ribbon, I'm still embarrassed at the idea of wearing it in public again, but I think I've come to terms with that, at least for now. As she packs up her stuff, she asks me, “Sooo... where are we gonna go today, little buddy? Do you have any plans?”

We? I'm surprised by her question at first, but after all that she's done for me, it makes sense that she would ask something along those lines. There's no way she'd be willing to let me head out into the wilderness all by myself, just like that. Not that it bothers me at all, I enjoy her company, and getting to sleep indoors more often doesn't sound too bad, either. Plus, she could probably use my help, considering her current financial troubles.

Hmm... a place to sleep, and a source of income... that's it! How had it slipped my mind? It's a huge request to just drop on her out of nowhere, but it can't hurt to ask anyway. After mulling it over for a long time, I finally pose a question of my own. “Hey, Furret... you'll be staying in Capim Town for a while, right? And, we could both use some money.”

She cringes, now that I've mentioned our fiscal situation again. “Yeah, that's right, but I don't know how we'll find enough money to afford another night at the inn, in just a single day...”

“We should join the Clover Guild.”

My suggestion comes as a shock to her, and she seems to have a hard time articulating a response. “R-really?! Are, are you sure? That sounds like a really big commitment to make so suddenly!”

“I'm positive. We can earn some money from doing jobs, and I bet they'll even have a spare bedroom for us, as long as we work.”

“Hmm... that doesn't sound bad, but I'm still not sure... that's the guild in this town, right? I like this place, don't get me wrong, but I don't usually stay in one area for very long,” she informs me.

“It's not like we'll be stuck here in Capim Town,” I remind her. “If we do missions, then I bet we'll get to go on a lot of adventures--”

I don't even get the chance to finish my sentence before she loudly interrupts with, “Of course, how had I not thought about it like that before?! That sounds amazing! Let's do it!” Any trace of skepticism in her voice had vanished, and subsequently been replaced with her trademark bubbling enthusiasm.

I'm caught off guard by how quickly she had changed her mind the instant the words, “a lot of adventures,” had left my mouth. I'm not even sure if anything that I had just said to convince her was true or not; I had based all of it off of rumors I'd heard around town, and the assumption that the guild would operate like in the Mystery Dungeon games. I hope I'm right, even if not all of the rumors were entirely positive, as the prospect of meeting other humans-turned-Pokemon has me feeling hopeful that I can learn more about why I was transformed.

Though, something else about joining the guild excites me even more. Something beyond the money, my transformation, exploring the world, beyond even having a place to stay... no, what excites me the most is the idea of finally getting the opportunity to fight against more strong opponents. From the common ferals that crawl the mystery dungeons, to seasoned outlaws, and any other Pokemon that dedicate their lives to the pursuit of strength... I nearly begin to shake with anticipation at the mere thought of it. However, for the time being, I rein myself in. It feels unfair of me to hide things from her, after hearing her pour her heart into that story yesterday, but I don't want her to become worried for my safety.

I calm down, flash a confident grin to Furret, and proudly declare, “It's decided, then. We're gonna join the Clover Guild. Let's work hard together.”

Her excitement can no longer be contained by her mortal vessel. Practically exploding with energy, she exclaims, “What are we waiting for?! Let's go, let's go!” She drags me out of the bedroom and into a small hallway, from which I can see the inn's main room. From there, we go down a set of stairs, and fly out the front door at record speeds.

Once we're outside, she gasps, and says, “Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I was just so excited, that I, um, got a little carried away, ha ha... Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?”

I brush myself off using my tail, and after a brief self-inspection, I'm unharmed, although a bit of dirt is sticking to my body. “Don't worry, I'm fine. Just, uh, please, warn me before you do that again.”

“Aha, anyway... yeah, the guild!” She chuckles to herself nervously, before changing the subject. “Lead the way, little buddy!”

“Alright, but first, there's somewhere I want to stop along the way. Follow me.”

…

We approach a circular patch of dirt on the outskirts of town, nestled against the edge of a forest. The foliage casts a soothing shade across the plot of land. Half of the circle of soil is bordered by multiple imposing gray boulders, jutting out of the ground like the jaw of some sort of gigantic creature. The tops of the stones reach high enough to gently poke the leaves of the trees from underneath. Many scars and cracks are carved into the bases of the boulders, with some bits and pieces missing entirely. A sizable crater can be found in the center of the circle, and an equally large chunk of earth rests a few feet away, having been forcibly ripped from the ground. While it might not be the most cozy or welcoming place, it's the closest I've had to a “home” during my time in this world.

Initially, Furret doesn't recognize where we are, but once she gets a good look around the area, her eyes light up in realization. “Oh! This is where I first met you, little buddy!” As she looks around some more, her expression slowly shifts into one of concern. “Although, now that it's daytime, and I can see everything more clearly, this place is a lot rougher than I remember... what happened here? Everything's all torn up!”

“This is my training ground. When I'm not out looking for food, I stay here and train my body, by attacking these rocks,” I explain.

“Wow... what about this big rock over here?” she asks, gesturing to the one resting near the crater. “It has two weird-looking holes poked into it!”

“Oh, that. I was practicing a new move, but I ended up overdoing it. That's why I looked so exhausted when you found me the other day.” The nonchalant manner in which I describe the intense scene sounds much stranger than I had expected when I hear it out loud. “Overdoing it” felt like an understatement, as I imagine tearing the ground apart with your bare hands would be impossible for even the strongest of professional human bodybuilders.

Furret is amazed by my feat of strength, and she yells, “That's incredible! Oh my gosh, you must be super strong to be able to do that!”

Her praise makes me feel bashful, and I casually say, “Ah, it wasn't that impressive. I mean, it took everything I had just to do it once.”

“Oh, come on, you don't have to act all modest with me! Seriously, I think it's totally awesome that you pulled that off!” She darts over to the tall stones surrounding the dirt, and studies the damage to their bases. “This is because of your training, right? You've gotta be really strong to do so much damage to a big boulder like this! I mean, just look at all the scratches and cuts you tore into them, and-- ...wait, are those... bite marks?”

“Uh... I'm, uh, not very proud of that part... A-anyway, lemme show you why we came here.”

In an effort to bring her attention away from my primitive “training dummies”, I walk a few feet away, and then stop next to an uneven mound of dirt, with several small sticks poking out. I begin digging through the earth, and before long, many shiny, golden objects surface. Much to my relief, my secret stash of coins had been undisturbed in my absence. I count them up, and they add up to 450 Poke.

As I fill in the hole, I face Furret, and tell her, “It's not much money, but it's better than nothing. And, I'll hold onto it.”

“Aww, really? ...I-if this is about me buying all of that stuff before, I promise that was just a one time thing,” she pouts.

I awkwardly shove the coins into my tiny pouch, and I just barely manage to fit them all inside. She puts on a cheeky expression, and remarks, “Gee, it doesn't look like you have much space in that tiny little sack, do you? Well, I guess you'll just have to let me car--”

“No,” I interrupt, bluntly.

“Calm down, I'm just joking, hehe~! Now, if we're done here, then let's hit the road! To the Clover Guild!”

~Outside the Clover Guild~

I had seen the guild before from a distance, but it's far larger up close than I had guessed. Like many other buildings in Capim Town, the Clover Guild has been established inside of a large tree. A second, smaller tree stump connects to the main guild building, and I notice a long, wooden platform, supported by a network of wooden planks, extending off of the roof, although it's so high up that I can't tell what's up there. It's a bit shabby looking, but I can't complain, as I'm stunned by the sheer size of the guild's headquarters. Around the side of the structure, I can make out trees and shrubs, with dozens of colorful flowers and berries visible amidst the greenery. To top it off, I spot a small area where the sun's light reflects off of what I assume is a small body of water. It all comes together to form the scene of a small, but pleasant, grove.

The tall building, and the humble garden peeking out from behind, come together to provide a striking view. I'm not sure if this is considered particularly impressive by the residents of this world, but I had never seen anything like this before in the human world, and I find myself caught up in the spectacle, just like I had been yesterday. Maybe I had just grown tired of modern architecture, and it was refreshing to see something unique, for once?

Furret is similarly enamored, a childlike wonder in her eyes. “This place looks awesome! I bet there's a bunch of super tough and cool adventurers in there! C'monnnn, let's go inside!” Yet again, I'm forced to pick up the pace to keep up with her as she rushes through the front door. It had originally been my idea to join the guild, but suddenly, she's the one taking the lead. This girl, and her seemingly unlimited reserves of energy, continue to be an enigma to me.

Entering the guild hall, we find ourselves in a large, open room, but it doesn't seem like anyone is here right now. They're probably out working; it's the middle of the day, after all. The room splits into a few hallways, but I can't tell where any of them lead. On a nearby wall hangs a yellow, wooden bulletin board, with dozens of paper notes pinned to it. Another board, this one orange-colored, hangs on the wall around the corner. This must be where the guild members get their jobs from. Furret runs straight over to the yellow board and immediately begins staring at it in awe. With a gleam in her eyes, she says, “Look at this, little buddy! There's so many requests here! Just think about all the places we'll get to see when we're out on missions!”

While she continues daydreaming about going on grand adventures, my attention is drawn to the orange board. Notes and posters from a variety of sources litter this board too, but... none of the text is in a language that I recognize. It had never even occurred to me that English might not be the main written language of this area. But then, that begs the question: how can I understand the natives, if I can only speak English? ...I'll worry about the logistics of that later, when I have some free time. For now, I'll just have to try and figure out what's on these posters.

Examining the papers, most of them feature sketches of a variety of unique Pokemon, but I can't find a pattern in their species, colors, or types. I also can't decipher any of the text, but a certain string of characters seems to be consistent at the top of each note. Are these... mugshots?

Furret notices my struggle to read the paper, and with a confused face, she asks me, “What're you having such a hard time reading, little buddy? Here, lemme take a look...”

She takes a paper from the board, and her optimism swiftly fades. “Oh... this is... an outlaw! Oh, that sounds way too scary... aren't criminals usually really strong, and mean, and... and dangerous?” she wonders, her voice shaking.

Seeing her so worried and afraid makes my gut wrench. “Don't be scared. I'm strong, too, remember? No outlaw is gonna hurt you when I'm around,” I reassure her, in an attempt to quell her fears.

My encouragement works somewhat, and confidence returns to her. “Yeah... yeah. Yeah! Of course, you're stronger than any dumb criminal! What was I thinking? Ha, ha...” Her voice sounds cheery, but deep down, it seems something is troubling her. Are outlaws a sensitive subject for her?

I don't get to dwell on the subject for long, as she gently, yet insistently, pulls me away from the bulletin boards. In an unusual act of focus towards a single goal, she reminds me, “A-anyway, enough about those silly notices for now. If we wanna join the guild, we should probably find whoever is in charge, right? Which way should we go?”

We take another look around the room. A spiral staircase coils around a tall log, leading upwards to the next floor, and downwards into the basement. Nothing about the staircase stands out at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the two of us notice a peculiar, neon green trail, smeared across the stairs. The vibrant trail appears to start from the floor above, before going down the steps, and into one of the halls on this floor. It's like an oversized slug had inched its way through the building. Furret and I exchange brief nods, and we follow the trail down the hallway.

We round the corner, and see a lone Smeargle, trekking slowly down the hall. He appears to be wearing some sort of belt around his waist, and his distinctly paintbrush-esque tail drags limply behind him, paint the floor as he walks. It looks like this Pokemon was responsible for the mess. Furret turns to me, and tells me, “I bet we could ask that guy for directions!”

I try to ask her how we can be sure that he even works here, but I don't get the chance to object before she calls out to the dog Pokemon. “Hey, you, over there! We wanna join the Clover Guild, do you know who's in charge here?”

The Smeargle turns around, and starts to say, What's that, you want to--”

He cuts himself off as soon as his eyes settle on me. The color drains from his face, and he jumps back in surprise, shouting, “Holy shit!!”

Both of us jump, as well, in reaction to his sudden yell. No one says anything for a brief moment, but the Smeargle clears his throat, and meekly says, “Uh, s-sorry about that. You startled me.”

Furret and I collect ourselves, and she speaks up. “O-okay, we're sorry that we scared you... now, like I had asked, do you know who we should speak to? ...And, what's with that green trail you're leaving all over the place?

He appears confused at first, but a grimace gradually forms on the dog's face. “Oh, God damn it,” he mutters, grabbing his tail and stuffing it into his belt. Grumbling under his breath, he informs us, “If you want to see the Guildmaster, then follow the paint trail, I guess...”

Furret's face beams with appreciation, and she graciously says, “Thanks! Come on, little buddy,” before turning around and heading for the staircase, with me following her. I don't know what that was all about, but whatever it was, I hope I didn't we something to disturb that poor Smeargle on accident.

The verdant smear continues up the stairway, passing by the second floor and onto the third, before coming to an abrupt stop a few feet in front of a set of stately double doors. The wood has a distinct, glossy finish, adding a dignified luster to the entryway. A strikingly familiar four-leaf clover emblem is carved into the doors. I know that I've seen that design before, but... I can't remember where, exactly. However, there's something I'm positive about: that design wasn't from around here, no, I had seen it in the human world! Surely, the rumors about the guild members being humans hadn't actually been true... right? Was this just a big coincidence?

Furret suggests, “The paint trail ends here, and these doors look pretty important, so... this must be the Guildmaster's room!” Much like everything else about the premises, she's fascinated by the imposing doors, although she is oblivious to the significance that the clover-like design holds to me. On the contrary, the novelty of the doorway wears off for her rather quickly, and her mood instead becomes one of curiosity. “Do you think the Guildmaster is here right now? I mean, that funny Smeargle did say we would find them up here.”

Keeping the questions I have about the engraving to myself, I say, “Let's find out.”

I rotate in place, my rear end now facing the door, and firmly knock my tail against the hard surface a few times, before returning to my original alignment. There is a brief pause, and from inside the room, a voice calls out. “Come in~!”

If it turns out that there really are other humans here, then that'll be great news, but if not, I'll have to try to fit in for the foreseeable future. For now, it might be best if I just don't think about it too hard. Purging the uncertainty from my mind, I take a deep breath, and with Furret by my side, I enter the Guildmaster's chamber.

Stepping into the office, I see a wide desk made of a darkly colored wood, settled in the center of the room. Towering stacks of disorganized paper rest atop the desk, with some stray sheets strewn about the floor. Bookshelves line the leftmost wall, serving as display cases for countless curious orbs, which bear a resemblance to the ones that I had seen before,. inside of the mystery dungeons. Draped over the wall opposite the bookshelves is a large cloth banner, featuring the same clover logo as the doors. Behind the desk sits a blue Meowstic. He wears a black cloak, with yet another clover attached to it, this time in the form of a badge.

Looking up from his work, he shoots us a welcoming smile, and says, “Oh, you two must be new here~. How can I help you?”

I open my mouth to respond, but Furret beats me to the punch, and she proudly proclaims, “We wanna join the Clover Guild!”

“Hmm, is that right?” he asks, analyzing the two of us. “Now, why is it that you'd like to join? Tell me a little bit about yourselves, please.”

This time, I'm the one to reply to his question. “I'll be frank. We need a place to stay, and some money.”

My bluntness comes as a mild surprise to the feline. “Ah, a bold one, I see. Yes, that can be arranged... though, surely, there must be something in it for me~?”

I keep a straight face, trying to appear professional in the presence of authority. “We'll do any work that you ask us to, as long as we get paid.”

Furret chimes in. “Yup! Job requests, getting supplies, cleaning, anything! You name it, we'll do it!”

Stealthily, I prod her in the side using my tail, and whisper, “I don't think I trust you to get any supplies.”

“Oh, seriously, you still haven't forgotten about that?” she whispers back, wincing.

The Meowstic stares at us without a word, apparently lost deep in thought, for what feels like hours. Eventually, he fixes his gaze specifically on me, and he focuses even harder, like he's trying to peer directly through my body and into my soul itself. The silence is getting to me, so I nervously mention, “U-uh, by the way, my name is Smith, and this is Furret,” gesturing to her. She nods in confirmation, looking similarly anxious.

I'm not sure if he even listened to what I just said, but after I finish speaking, the severity on his face disappears, and his smile returns. He happily announces, “I think you two will fit right in at the Clover Guild! I suggest the two of you take the time to get acquainted with your fellow guild members. They won't bite, I promise~. You can find work starting tomorrow.”

We're taken aback at how abruptly he makes his decision. Furret can only stammer out, “R-really? Just like that?”

“But of course,” the Guildmaster reassures her, “I look forward to your cooperation and success!”

A starry look forms in her eyes, and ecstatically, she stands tall and yells, “It's such an honor! Thank you for accepting us into your guild, Mister, umm...” She trails off when she realizes the Meowstic has yet to introduce himself.

“Oh, where are my manners?” he jokes. “You can call me Lliam. The pleasure's all mine.”

“Right! Thank you, Mr. Lliam! Come on, little buddy, let's go look around some more!” In a flash, she runs out of the office, and down the staircase.

“Ah, just Lliam is fi--” the Guildmaster blurts out, but it falls on deaf ears, as she's long gone. “She's quite the bundle of energy, isn't she~?”

“You're not wrong,” I remark, lightheartedly.

I give an awkward bow of respect, and prepare to take my leave, but before I can get far, Lliam commands my attention once more. “Smith, was it? Before you go, take these with you. Your friend was in such a rush, I didn't have the chance to give one to her!” He sets two green, clover-shaped badges, identical to the one pinned to his cloak, on top of the desk.

I take a moment to admire their craftsmanship, and with gratitude, I say, “Thank you for taking us in. We'll work as hard as we can, I promise.”

Lliam nods, and with a wink and a smirk, he confides in me, “Oh, and one more thing, Smith; there's no need to feel worried. They can be a handful sometimes, but I'm sure you'll get along with the other humans just fine~.”

My mind goes numb when I hear those final words. “Other”... humans...? So the rumors really were true... but, then, how could he have figured out that I was...?

He cuts off my inner monologue, reminding me, “Now then, shouldn't you go catch up with that friend of yours~?”

Still in a daze, I mumble, “Uh, right, thank you,” and I exit the office. My thoughts are all sorts of jumbled, and I have no idea what to make of Lliam's sudden revelation. I stand in the hall, trying to process the past minute, when Furret runs back up the stairs, and says, “Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, little buddy, I got carried away again... it's just, I'm so excited! I can't help it, I'm sorry!”

Snapping out of my trance, I realize that I had been holding my breath subconsciously, so I exhale sharply, cooling my nerves somewhat. I hesitate, and respond, “I-it's alright, seriously. I understand how you feel. By the way, after you left, Lliam gave us these,” presenting the badges to her.

Her eyes resume sparkling, and she gasps, “Oh, wow, these are so cute! And they're really well made, too! These must be proof that we're official Clover Guild members! Here, stay still.” She gets up in my face, and pins the badge to the center of the pink ribbon on my head. “That looks wonderful!” she giggles, after taking a step back. Our definitions of “wonderful” aren't exactly the same, but I'll take her word for it. Once she's done with mine, she takes the other badge and pins it to her own white bandana, and it honestly ends up looking quite nice.

Playing into her enthusiasm, I remark, “It looks good on you.”

“Aww, thank you!”

We stand idly in the hall like a couple of idiots, unsure of what exactly to do next. Aimlessly, I ask, “So, uh, now what?”

The occasionally-neglected light bulb in her head turns on, and she declares, “Of course! We need a team name! In fact, I actually have the perfect name in mind already!” This is news to me, seeing as this is the first time we've discussed this. Whether her suggestion ends up being good or bad, knowing her, it'll certainly be interesting.

I brace myself mentally, and ask, “...What is it?”

“Here goes! Introducing, Team Wonderful... Awesome... um...” Despite her claim of having thought of a name already, it's pretty apparent that she's just mixing random words that she likes together. I'm already too invested to interrupt her, kind of like how you can't look away from a horrific car accident.

“No, no... let's see... Team Majestic, Fashionable... no, not that, either...” I'm not sure I've seen her think so intently about anything before. The gears in her brain grind as hard as they possibly can, and before long, she shouts, “I've got it! Team Miracle, Lucky, uh... Golden?” Yeah, that's perfect! From now on, we're Team Miracle Lucky Golden!” She looks to me expecting praise, seeming incredibly prideful of her own genius.

It's hard to find a response to such a brilliant, thought provoking, emotionally charged moniker for our team. All I can think to say is, “...It's a bit long, don't you think? It's a nice name, it's just, uh, it might be better if we shorten it, to just M.L--”

I freeze. There's no fucking way that THAT, of all things, could be the acronym that she came up with, purely by coincidence.

Furret is, once again, totally clueless as to the name's meaning. In fact, it sounds like she's a big fan it. “Oh, that's perfect! 'Team M.L.G.'... that makes us sound super cool, doesn't it?”

I don't have the heart to tell her what those letters represent, not that I would expect her to understand, anyway. My expression is a mixture of cringing and bewilderment, unsure of how to react. “Y-...yeah. It's badass, Furret.”

Her eyes light up jubilantly. “Yes! I knew you'd love it! And it has a deeper meaning, too! You see, the 'Miracle' and the 'Lucky' part of the name is because it's totally the luckiest miracle ever that we ended up meeting each other, and deciding to join the guild together! Then, the 'Golden' part represents, um... all the awesome golden treasures we're gonna find on our adventures! Pretty deep, isn't it? And, with that out of the way, the legacy of Team Miracle Lucky Golden-- also known as Team M.L.G.-- officially begins, right now!” Just like this morning, she has to stop and breathe after rambling on for so long. It must take a lot of willpower to control all of that energy.

Repressing the embarrassment that comes with unironically being known as a member of “Team M.L.G.”, I break the silence by commenting, “You're way more into this 'guild' thing than I thought you'd be. You didn't seem so sure about it this morning.”

“Well, little buddy, I'll admit, it's true that I wasn't so sure about the idea at first. But, if you spend your whole life being afraid to try new things, just think of all the fun stuff you'll end up missing out on! Now, instead of thinking and worrying so much, just go with the flow, and let's explore some more! There's plenty of sunlight left, y'know!”

I'm truly envious of her ability and willingness to adapt to an unfamiliar situation so smoothly, although, considering my own circumstances, I suppose we're pretty alike, in a strange way, the main difference being that she chooses to adapt, whereas I've been forced to. I've only been with her for a few days, but I feel like I've learned a lot from her already. If joining the Clover Guild means getting to spend more time with Furret, then I can confidently say that it'll be the greatest decision I'll ever make.

“Yeah, you're right. Honestly, I'm still a bit anxious, but... I'm excited to see more of the guild, too,” I respond.

“See, I knew you'd get it! That's why you're my little buddy!”

Together, we head down the stairs back to the ground floor. I can't help myself from smiling.