18th Winter Moon, 907 – Afternoon

"You know, I have to say, it feels good to get back into the action again."

"Oh?"

"I love working in the kitchen, don't get me wrong, but when was the last time I went out to kick some butt?"

"Haha. This is a rescue mission, bucko."

"Rescue missions typically involve the butt kicking."

"Hmm, got me there."

Lambert and Marie limped up the front of Marshland village, setting aside their map to gander at the snow-covered streets of the quaint village. Adults walking about and doing their chores, kids running around in the snow, and noontime drunks stumbling out into the streets with the sense of direction of a Ducklett playing Follow the Leader with a Psyduck.

Lambert stamped his pegleg down, then inhaled the crisp air. "Mmm, I smell some fantastic scents in the air. I'm quite jealous of Fabrice's group. There's supposed to be a cultural food festival next week. Oh, I hope they bring back samples, or at least tell me about the food so I can replicate it."

Marie snickered. "If Melissa's gluttonous appetite is any indication, that shouldn't be too hard. Just be prepared for vague descriptions. She'd probably spend most of her time saying it's so good that I can't even find the words to describe its excellence. It's just so…mmmm! So divine~!"

Lambert slapped his belly and laughed. "No need to call her out like that!"

Marie chuckled behind her hand, then sighed. She dropped the jovial attitude and glared at the village. "Anyway, joking aside, do you smell Thales or Saga anywhere here?"

Lambert closed his eyes and activated Odor Sleuth. He inhaled the air, taking in every single aroma around him in a visible spectrum for his senses only. Thousands upon thousands of unique smells, each distinguishable by the faintest aromas.

He grunted, then opened his eyes. "Whatever they're using to hide their scents is overpowering my nose. I can't pick up their natural scents anywhere in the village."

Marie crossed her arms. "So, I guess that means we have to check all the buildings again."

"We at least know they weren't killed. I would've definitely smelled a fresh corpse and blood if that were the case. Thales and Saga are alive. It's just a matter of finding them before they're relocated."

"Any way of tracking the kidnappers?"

Lambert shook his head. "Our kidnapper likely hid his own scent, especially after that encounter with Hedwig. We should start by asking questions and see if anyone's seen any suspicious activity around here before we start busting into rooms."

Marie nodded as her eyes wandered around the snowy village. She spotted a few kids running out into the street, hauling bags with them. The front of their pack, a Skwovet, tripped over himself due to the weight of his bag and fell face first into the snow.

"Ow," he groaned.

Marie walked up to the squirrel and pulled him up by the scruff. "Careful where you're running, kiddo. The paths are slick with ice."

Skwovet glared up at her. "Don't tell me what to do, old lady."

Marie grinned. "Old lady? How rude." She bent down and poked his nose. "Well, if I am an old lady, I must age gracefully to keep this face looking beautiful."

Skwovet wiggled his nose and pulled away from Marie. "D-Don't do that."

Lambert lumbered up to Marie's side. "Whatcha' kids up to with those bags?"

"Oh, we're just…collecting rocks," the Electrike said, brushing her paw into the snow. "Nothing fancy."

"Ooh, a rock collection? Very nice," Marie cooed. "Well, just remember to stay safe. We wouldn't want you falling into any ditches or quarries by accident."

The Sandygast shook his head. "We won't, ma'am."

Lambert crossed his arms. "While we have you, did any of you kids happen to see a Whimsicott or Lampent in the village recently? Might've been wearing clothes similar to ours. Or perhaps an Accelgor?"

The kids looked at each other, then shrugged. "No, haven't seen any of them around here," Electrike admitted.

Gible raised his hand. "Actually, I think I saw an Accelgor here once, but it was really late at night. I think that's the only time I've seen them in the village."

Marie smiled. "I see. Well, thanks for the info. Run along, you scamps." The kids bowed their heads, then ran off. She sighed and held her hips. "I remember being that young. Carefree, reckless…poor decisions."

"What do you mean?" Lambert asked.

She shrugged. "Eh, something in their eyes told me they were up to something, but that's not important." She glared at Lambert. "We've at least confirmed there was an Accelgor in this village. That's enough to warrant a thorough search, but we'll have to question the rest of the village first."

Lambert nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's try talking to the local constable first."

"Good idea." Marie and Lambert shuffled off toward the constable's station.

"Another!" Regina shouted, slamming down her tankard and scaring the Golduck bartender. Regina had rosy red cheeks, and her body swayed around as she hunched over the counter.

The bartender gulped. "Ma'am, I think you've had enough—AH!" Regina seized his collar and pulled him toward her face, growling at him.

"I'll have enough when I have enough. Now get me another drink!" She let the bartender go, then slammed her face into the counter. The bartender stared at her fearfully before shuffling away to refill her tankard.

Regina had to endure three rough days and nights with her prisoners. Even with the temporary truce in play, they still found unintentional ways to annoy her. The Lampent would keep her up with the compulsive writing on the walls and incoherent mumbling underneath her gag. Regina would do her best to block the noise out, but she felt like it got louder and louder as the night progressed. The scratching and clicking on the walls drove her insane. It took an abnormal amount of willpower to not chuck the lamp ghost out onto the street.

The Whimsicott wasn't any better. Though he didn't have any annoying habits to keep Regina up, what did set her off was his complaining. Everything from a grumbling stomach in the middle of the night to some night terror she couldn't begin to understand the cause of. They were spontaneous and unpredictable, sometimes leading Regina to wake up an hour into her sleep.

Regina also underestimated Katsu's insistence that their prisoners were to be kept healthy. Right before he left, due to the pair of Foresters now on the hunt for their missing teammates, Katsu instructed Regina to dispose of anything that would lead to their location being compromised. She didn't understand what he meant by that until one day where the Whimsicott was crossing his legs and wiggling around on the floor.

Regina shivered at the memory. Of all the lows in her life, she wished to have that memory disposed of.

Even when they weren't being purposefully annoying, the prisoners still found a way to make Regina's life a living nightmare.

She bottled it in for as long as she could, but she couldn't take it anymore. She had to scream.

And so, she did.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Regina screamed, slamming her fists down on the counter. "I can't take it anymore! I'm sick and tired of living like this!"

The nearby patrons looked up from their meals and/or card matches and stared wide-eyed at the distressed Zangoose. She flailed around in her seat, punching the counter or running her claws through her fur in frustration.

"All I wanted was my stupid fortune back! I'm a proud noblewoman, not a nurse! But no, I had to deal with the crying, the whining, the grumbling, the clicking, the cleaning! Oh my Arceus, the cleaning! AGH!"

The Golduck returned with a refilled tankard. "Uh, ma'am, you're disturbing the—"

"Give me that!" Regina snatched the tankard out of his hands and guzzled the entire beverage down. She smashed the tankard to the ground, then stumbled out of her seat. "I used to be someone! I was happy living in my luxurious home, surrounded by attentive servants and enjoying divine meals. Instead, I'm living in this raggedy shack of a tavern eating shit food, and now I have two annoying brats to take care of!"

"I knew you had other people in that room!" someone shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Regina snapped. The same person whimpered and seemed to retreat. Regina rubbed her face and snarled. "I haven't lifted a claw in my life. And…And those ruffians kicked me out of the family! They wanted me to die! They wanted me to suffer! I bet they're laughing at me, already planning for my funeral as I waste away under a bridge. Just another corpse for the trash fire.

"Oh, I can hear my dear sister already selling off my jewelry—oh no, she would never do that. That little bitch is probably keeping it all to herself. Oh, and my elder sister! I bet she's just delighted that I'm no longer around. I was the selfish one for rewriting Great Granddad's will? HA! You would've done the same thing, you selfish wench! And dear ol' mother! I always hated you! You always hated me. Y-You never cared about my needs. You never cared about anything I've done! I was just the mistake in the family, wasn't I? Don't deny it, I heard you while you were drunk and getting frisky with other men behind Father's back!"

"Uh, miss," a nervous Flygon said as he stepped in. "I think you should sit down—"

"Oh Father!" Regina growled, scaring the dragon off. "How can I forget about you, you greedy bastard?! You wanted your grandfather's money more than anything. I heard you. I heard everything. You were always cozying up to Great Granddad so your name took priority on the will. You told him how much you cared and loved and respected him—BAH! If only he heard the shit you said when you got home! It's enough to make a sailor blush.

"You all only got rid of me so I wouldn't squeal on any of you." Regina rubbed her hands together and snickered villainously. "Oh, when I reclaim my fortune, I'm going to make sure everyone knows how rotten you fools all. Then I'll take your fortune and leave you to fend for yourselves in the dirt. How does that sound you selfish, greedy, loathsome, fuc—"

"Lady Elmnou!"

Regina froze, then craned her neck back to see her Hawlucha and Garchomp bodyguards standing behind her wearing shocked expressions. Regina blinked twice at them, then chuckled nervously. "Ah. H-Hello, boys. D-Did you need something?"

The Hawlucha frowned, then gently took Regina's hand. "Lady Elmnou, maybe you should step out and get some fresh air. You've been cooped up in here all morning, and you could really use something to eat other than alcohol."

"I'm not drunk!" Regina yelled, swinging her fists around and stumbling into Garchomp. "L-Leave me alone, Mother…"

Garchomp patted her back. "Uh, Lady Elmnou, I would take his advice. Get something to eat, please. It might do you some good."

Regina groaned and massaged her weary face. "I don't think the bartender will want to serve me food after calling it shit."

Hawlucha pushed her toward the tavern doors. "There's a noddle stand a little way down the village. Best food in the village, you have my word."

"I-I don't know," Regina said, stumbling into the wall.

"We'll keep an eye on…you know," Garchomp whispered knowingly. "Just get some lunch and try to take your mind off things."

Regina huffed through her nose, then sighed. "Fine." She pushed past the doors and stumbled out into the snow. "Probably not as good as Katsu's," she grumbled.

"Other way!" Hawlucha and Garchomp shouted. Regina spun on her heel and marched in the opposite direction.

With their bodies bounded and their mouths gagged, Thales and Saga were stuck on activity to stimulate their boredom. Sage, thankfully, had the means to quell those dull emotions by using the bare floor of their homely prison to engage in a competitive game of tic-tac-toe.

Thales didn't share in her enthusiasm, but went along with the games.

Thales pointed out where he wanted his next 'X' to go, and Saga drew it in with her pointed lower half. She added a circle into the top middle box and drew a line through a line of circles. She squealed through her gag.

I win!

Thales pouted.

Saga shuffled over to the wall and drew a tally mark on their scoreboard. Ten wins for Thales, fifty-seven wins for Saga, and a hundred ninety-eight draws between them.

Alright, again! Saga shuffled back over and looked for a new space to draw their board on, but frowned upon seeing they used up all the available floor and wall space they had available. I knew I should've used a smaller font.

Thales huffed, then fell back into his wool. It was a nice distraction while it lasted, I guess. Back to panicking for my life, I guess.

Saga looked at her glum teammate and frowned. Oh, Thales. She shuffled over to comfort him, but stopped when she heard the guards returning to their posts. She and Thales heard them step away a moment ago due to a disturbance downstairs. It sounded like their drunk captor, in fact.

"Lady Elmnou seems stressed," they heard on of the guards say.

"If that drunken rant was anything to go by, definitely," a deeper voice agreed. "Hopefully some food will make her feel better. Do you think one of us should've gone with her to make sure she doesn't pass out in the snow?"

"I'm sure she can take care of herself. Well…okay, despite what she admitted with the drunken ranting, but you know what I mean."

Saga's eyes glimmered with hope. She left? She's not at the tavern right now? Ooh, this is perfect! Saga wiggled up to the door and pressed her head against it to listen in clearly.

"She said she and her servant will be leaving today once he gets back from the forest, right?" the lighter voice asked.

"Yeah. He wants to round up a few more Foresters or something before they head off. Must be one heck of a bounty if he's willing to go through enemy territory."

The lighter-voiced guard sighed. "What a shame. I was hoping to court Lady Elmnou and win her heart. Maybe I can whisk her away from her poor state of living and give her the life she deserves."

"HA! Please, she would rather go for a stud like me. You're a little chicken next to a dragon!"

"Hey, I'm twice the man you are!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Arm-wrestling match!"

"Prepare to lose!"

Saga deadpanned as she listened to the guards drop to the floor and growl. The shadows coming from under the door showed they were already locking arms. She pulled away from the door and huffed. Weirdos.

Saga shuffled back to Thales, who was standing on his tiptoes looking out the window. Saga nudged his side and smiled through her gag. Thales, isn't this great? With that lady out, we might finally get our chance to escape. We just need to come up with a plan.

Saga frowned when she didn't get a muffled response from Thales. She nudged him again, mumbling to get his attention. A few seconds of prodding snapped him out of his daze. When Thales looked down at his Lampent companion, his eyes were wide and bursting with frenetic energy.

He mumbled something frantically through his gag, which Saga only raised her brow at. What?

He nodded his head at the window and scooched over to make room. Saga stood up and looked out at the snow-covered streets. At first, there wasn't anything noteworthy beyond some kids running around and what seemed to be an enthusiastic man playing sick beats on a jug.

Her eyes soon fell upon a pair of cloaked Pokémon passing by the tavern, and her internal flame flared up in surprise. It was two familiar faces: Marie and Lambert!

Oh my Arceus, we're being rescued! Saga squealed. She pressed herself against Thales and nuzzled under his chin. We're saved!

Thales' face turned scarlet red. S-So close!

Saga pulled away and tapped her head against the window. Marie! Lambert! It's us! Up here! Help! She wiggled her body aggressively and headbutted the glass as hard as she could.

Thales watched their superiors continue walking by, not sparing a glance up to their level. He frowned. There's snow everywhere to absorb the sound. Even if we weren't tied up and hungry, the chances of them hearing us bang on a window are abysmally slim.

Even so, given it was their only option, Thales joined Saga in trying to get their superiors' attention, begging for some guardian angel to lead them in the right direction.

"Well, that was a bust," Lambert grumbled as he and Marie walked past the village tavern. "Guess our bounty hunters are making doubly sure Thales and Saga aren't drawing attention."

Marie sighed and scratched her cheek. "One of them is spending time in the Forbidden Forest, that much we know. With the base on high alert, it's us vs. one guy."

Lambert stopped for a moment and patted his grumbling stomach. He groaned and hunched forward. "I could use something to eat."

"You have all those berries you brought," Marie pointed out.

Lambert chuckled. "Those are for fighting, not for eating. Unless I was on the brink of starvation, I'm not wasting precious fuel."

Marie rolled her eyes. "We can't stop for a lunch break while Thales and Saga are still missing."

"Think of it like this. Our bounty hunters are obviously trying to evade the attention of the authorities, but wouldn't that mean they'd be a little more reckless around the villagers, if only a little?" Lambert lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Perhaps whoever is responsible for that wonderful smell of broth and vegetables has valuable information."

Marie sighed, then shrugged. "Well, not the worst idea I've heard. Plus, I could go for some lunch, too."

"Then follow me!" Lambert marched through the snow with Marie right on his tail.

It didn't take them long before they reached the source of the wonderful aroma enrapturing Lambert's senses: a small stand piping with heat. As they closed in, Marie could also inhale the rich scent of the delicious meals being prepared inside, which made her drool in anticipation.

"Mmm! Alright, now I'm definitely in~!" Marie cooed.

Lambert laughed and grabbed her wrist. "That's the spirit!" He dragged her toward the stand.

There were four stools with one currently occupied by a drowsy, irritable Zangoose slumped over with her head resting on the counter. Lambert could smell the harsh aroma of alcohol coming off her. There was so much of it that he wondered how this woman was still conscious.

Marie and Lambert walked up to the stand, with Marie asking, "These seats taken?"

The Zangoose shrugged and said with a grunt, "Help yourselves, or whatever."

The duo shrugged off her behavior and took their seats just as a Mankey with two peg legs walked up to them. "Aye, welcome to Keith's Hot Soup Hut. I'm Keith, your server and cook for today."

Marie leaned forward on her hands and grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Let me guess: travelers?" Keith asked.

"We're from around, but not from the village," Lambert answered as he took his spot beside Marie. "We're just resting our legs before we get back to business, and we could really use something to eat other the rations we have packed."

Keith snorted in amusement. "You've come to the right place. I've been told I make a mean soup and a killer noodle bowl."

Marie grinned. "You know a way to a woman's heart, good sir. My two favorite words."

"Soup and noodles?"

"Eh…sure, yeah, those are the ones." Marie raised a finger. "I'll take the noodles. Extra spicy if you can."

Lambert slammed his hand down on the table, spooking the Zangoose from her dazed stupor, and exclaimed, "And I'll have your special! The best of the best you can offer me!"

Keith snorted again. "Oh ho! Not even going to bother with a menu?"

Lambert grinned. "I'm a pretty handy chef, I'll have you know. When I meet another chef, I want to taste their best dish. Something of a tradition for myself."

Keith laughed. "I'm no master chef, bucko. I run a shack that sells soup."

"In my upbringing, even the shabbiest of chefs can produce meals that'll make a man forgo sin itself. When I say I want your best dish, I mean it!" Lambert stated proudly.

Keith's nose flared with his laughter. "I like you, stranger! Alright then, one noodle bowl and one chef's special." Keith spun around on his peglegs and marched to the back of the stand. "Kid! Grab the carrots and spices, now!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Marie and Lambert saw a Clobbopus briefly appear from the back of the stand in search of the requested items.

The Zangoose groaned and turned her head around to glare at the Forester pair. "Too loud. Hey old man, when's my food going to be ready?"

"I'm not old!" Keith yelled. "And patience, I just started cooking it."

She groaned and pressed her face back into the counter. Marie and Lambert looked at each other and shrugged. Marie leaned over and prodded the dreary Zangoose in the side. It roused the Zangoose to lift her head and glare at Marie's cheeky grin.

"What?" the Zangoose hissed.

Marie grinned. "Someone looks crabby. Long day?"

The Zangoose groaned and pressed her hands into her face. "Try a long week. I'm just so freakin' stress that I feel like I'm going to explode. Pretty sure I have three new wrinkles in my face from all the scowling I've been doing."

Lambert frowned. "How come?"

"I don't know, everything." She lifted her head and spread her arms out into the air with a dramatic air. "I used to be someone important. I, Regina von Elmnou, had it all. Riches, servants, a bed that wasn't stitched together with the worst material possible, and more. And now I'm stuck out here because of my rotten family. Then you get mixed up with some stupid wager that…well, actually, isn't that stupid because it's my ticket back to success and…" Regina groaned and covered her face. "I don't have the energy for this."

Marie raised her brow. "So, you're a noblewoman?"

"Former noblewoman, apparently, because everywhere I go seems to attract another miscreant who has the gall to insult me. Why are the commonfolk so hostile? I can't even cook without setting the food on fire!" Regina slammed her face into the counter and wept through the boards.

Marie shared an awkward look with Lambert, then patted the weeping Zangoose's back. "Err…there, there?"

"Don't patronize me!" Regina snapped, lifting her head off the counter. "I'm just in a slump! I'll get out of it eventually. I just need time, and patience, and money, and revenge! Sweet, sweet re…venge…" Regina collapsed forward onto the counter again and groaned. "Okay, maybe I have been drinking too much."

Lambert scratched his head. "Eh, sorry, nothing we can really do to help with…whatever this is about."

Regina waved it off. "I don't expect a couple of kids to understand."

"I'm in my twenties," Lambert corrected.

Marie crossed her arms over the counter and grinned. "You're just in a slump. Whatever's eating you up, you need to take the worst of it by the horns and charge through with everything you've got. There's no obstacle in the world that can hold you back."

"Except my lack of money," Regina groaned. "I mean, I do have money from all the gambling and cheating I did, but I'm basically nothing without my status." She covered her face and wept.

Marie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you don't need a fancy status symbol to be someone."

"You've clearly never lived among nobility," Regina grumbled through her hands.

Marie glanced off to the side and huffed. "Well, I'm not a noble, yes." She shook her head and smiled. "Look, sometimes you just need to forget about that stuff and actually do something about it. It's like using a dagger to stab someone. You just got to do it without thinking. Get the task done, then and there. If you fail, you fail, but that doesn't mean you can't stab again to get it right."

Lambert stared at Marie oddly. "That's an…interesting example."

Marie shrugged. "Say it as it is." She poked Regina's shoulder. "Point is, stop worrying so much about what you can or can't do and give yourself a little more credit."

Regina moved her hands from her face and huffed. "I'll think about it once I sober up."

"Here we go!" Keith finally returned to them and slid bowls onto the counter. "Two piping hot noodle bowls for the ladies. And for the gentleman, the chef's special." He pushed a bowl loaded with all sorts of vegetables, meats, and spices that dazzled the air in a breathtaking aroma. "A hearty meal for any soul, no?"

Lambert's nose went wild inhaling the fantastic smells. "Oh, this is divine! Simply divine, my good man!" Lambert took his fork and started slurping up helpings of noodles and fixings.

Keith snorted proudly. "Glad to win the favor of a fellow chef."

Marie snickered at Lambert, then sighed. "Good grief." Marie spun her fork in her hand, then turned to Keith. "Uh, you wouldn't happen to have chopsticks, right? That's how I usually eat my noodles."

Keith reached under the counter, then produced a pair of chopsticks. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Marie took them, dexterously twirling them between her fingers, then started slurping up her soup.

Regina shook off her moody behavior and ate her noodles as well. She hummed a delightful noise, then sighed once she slurped up some noodles. "Doesn't compare to Katsu's cooking, but this is delicious."

Keith laughed. "Glad you're all enjoying. I put a lot of pride behind my…" Keith paused and looked past his customers to see a vagabond Lopunny approaching the stand. "Ah, Fletcher. Coming by for lunch again?"

'Fletcher' shook his head. "Maybe later. I was wondering if I can borrow Charlie for the afternoon."

Charlie the Clobbopus poked his head out from the back with a broom in hand. "Me?"

'Fletcher' nodded, then pointed over his shoulder. "Like we agreed on. We're going to talk to your friends."

Marie, Lambert, and Regina saw the tiny octopus tense up. "Uh, right now? I-I don't know, Mr. Fletcher, I should really stay here—"

"Charlie, I'm serious," 'Fletcher' said with an annoyed huff. "We agreed we were going to confront them and put an end to this mischief making. Now, follow me."

From his face, Charlie didn't look like he wanted to go, but the stern look of the bearded Lopunny was more than enough to break down the resistances. Charlie sighed in defeat, set his broom aside, and shuffled out through the backdoor to join 'Fletcher'.

The vagabond Lopunny nodded. "Good. Let's go." He bent down, grabbed Charlie's hand, and guided him away from the stand.

The trio of customers watched the two leave before facing Keith as he went to wash his pots. "What was that about?" Regina asked.

Keith shrugged. "Couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. Probably has something to do with those troublemaking kids who've been messing with my shop."

"Should we be worried?" Lambert asked.

"No, no," Marie cut in, wagging her finger. "We've got more important things to worry about, Lambert. I'm sure whatever's going on with those two isn't out concern. Just eat your noodles, then let's get back on task."

Lambert glanced one last time over his shoulder, shrugged, and went back to slurping on his meal. He smacked his lips in content. "Keith, you have got to give me the recipe for your noodles. I can trade one of my own recipes."

Keith rubbed his chin, pondering the offer, then snorted. "Whatcha' got?"

Lambert grinned. "Well…"

"I'm nervous," Charlie mumbled as he followed Roscoe through the village.

Roscoe looked down at the timid octopus. "You don't want to help them rob Mr. Tibia, right?"

Charlie shook his head. "No."

"Then you need to tell them that you're out. You can't put it off forever."

"But…what if they hate me?"

Roscoe shrugged. "If they can't accept that you have issues with this, then they aren't friends worth keeping."

Charlie sniffled and wiped his glistening eyes. "But they've always been there for me. I don't want to disappoint them and make them mad."

"Friends don't make other friends assist in attempted robbery. You owe that much to Mr. Tibia for paying off their debts. If they really were your friends, they'd drop what they're doing and help you."

Charlie stared at the snow, squeezing Roscoe's hand for comfort. "Are you sure…I'm not a bad kid, Mr. Fletcher?"

Roscoe sighed, then shook his head. "No. No, you're not, Charlie. Kids make mistakes. Adults, too. Nobody is born perfect. Even with all the wisdom the world can offer, that wisdom will continue to grow through out mistakes. You should count yourself lucky."

Charlie looked up at him. "Why's that?"

Roscoe's brow creased as he glared at the snow. He recalled the chilling dream he had a few days prior. He restrained the building fury in his chest, then exhaled visible mist from his nose. "Sometimes you never get the chance to fix your mistakes."

Charlie stared at Roscoe for a moment, but didn't say a word. He looked ahead, humming to himself to take in Roscoe's advice. Charlie only had precious seconds to ruminate, however, because he caught the faint glimpse of his friends dashing across the street and taking shelter around the corner of a building. He saw they were carrying supplies, too.

Charlie stuck his suction cups into the ground and halted himself from moving further. When Roscoe felt resistance, he let go of Charlie's hand and glared at him. "Kid…"

"I-I'm having second thoughts," Charlie whimpered.

Roscoe reached down, pulled Charlie from the ground, and carried him to the octopus' hidden friends. "Tell them the truth, and it'll all be over before you know it."

"B-But…"

"Charlie, do this for your mother," Roscoe said. "You said you wanted to make her proud and be a good person. This is how you'll honor that wish. Now, enough stalling. You're going to march up to your friends and give it to them straight. Understand?"

Charlie couldn't work up an answer, but his defeated whimpers were enough. Roscoe set Charlie down, gave him a gentle nudge forward, then stepped aside so he was out of view of the street.

Charlie fiddled his bulbous hands together, nervously shuffling on his tentacles, but eventually took a deep breath and scuttled toward the corner his friends were hiding behind. When he rounded the corner, he found his friends rummaging through their bags. Some were empty for storing food, and others were filled with handmade tools like dust bombs and jagged caltrops.

"Looks like we're all set," Skwovet said as he buckled the bag shut. "Now all we need is to wait for Charlie to give us the okay, then we can—" He paused when he saw Charlie around the corner. "Well, guess there's no need to wait."

Electrike slid over and hooked her foreleg around Charlie. "Hey Charlie! Glad you could make it!"

Charlie gulped. "H-Hi."

Skwovet grinned. "We got everything set up for our big heist. All you need to do is keep Tibia while we use our secret tunnel to take everything from his stand."

Gible rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Ooh, I can already taste the wonderful meals we'll be able to make with his supplies."

"You don't even know how to cook," Sandygast said, nudging the dragon's side.

Skwovet gave Charlie a playful shove. "You did good gaining Tibia's trust, Charlie. Soon, we'll be eating for weeks. Happy and satisfied. Won't that be great?"

Charlie considered agreeing, like he always did, but remembered that Roscoe was around the corner listening in. If he chickened out now, he wouldn't hear the end of it. "I-I…um, well…"

Skwovet frowned, then faced Charlie. "Something wrong, pal?"

"I, uh…the thing is, I may have, sort of…" Charlie squinted his eyes shut, struggling to let the words out. "Are you sure we should be robbing Mr. Tibia? W-What if we get caught? He was really mad about last time."

Skwovet waved it off. "Who cares? He's a grouchy jerk. Not like it matters."

"But he can be really nice if you just…show him some kindness," Charlie mumbled, fidgeting in place. "I just don't think we should make him madder."

Electrike glared at Charlie. "You've been spending a little too much time with Tibia, Chars. We've robbed him before, and you never had a problem with it then."

"Y-Yeah, but…I just…" Charlie tapped his hands together.

Skwovet crossed his arms and glared. "Charlie, are you backing down from the heist?"

Charlie squirmed, trying to keep himself from covering his face. "I-I…well, I just…I just don't we should rob Mr. Tibia. I think we should…apologize. All of us."

"What?!" his friends gasped, which made Charlie flinch.

"Apologize? To that jerk?!" Gible exclaimed.

"No way!" Sandygast yelled. "We're not going to let some stupid adult push us around."

"Especially the same jerk who would sooner beat us with a broom than have a heart-to-heart!" Electrike added.

Skwovet leaned in on Charlie, glaring directly into the cowering octopus' eyes. "What the heck, Charlie? Why would you even suggest something like that? We need food to survive out here, remember? Are you saying we should steal from someone else?"

Charlie shook his head. "I'm saying maybe we should…stop stealing completely."

"Stop stealing—" Skwovet grabbed Charlie's shoulders and shook him. "Charlie, we need that food. No one else will take us street rats in, so it's not like we can rely on handouts. We need that food for our sake. Who cares if we're stealing it? Our lives come first over everyone elses."

Tears brimmed from Charlie's eyes. "B-But I don't like stealing. It's mean!"

"Mean? Who cares if it's mean?! Life's cruel to kids like us. We don't even have actual names, just you! We've had to live like this for most of our lives. We've had nothing but ourselves because these people are just as selfish." Skwovet shook Charlie again. "In a world of survival, you can only rely on yourself. If these people don't care about our wellbeing, why should we care about stealing some goods?"

Charlie shook his head. "But I don't want to do this anymore! It wouldn't be fair to Mr. Tibia!"

"It's not fair we need to starve just to keep his business afloat!" Skwovet yelled. "He hates kids. He hates us. All the adults in this village hate us! Are you saying Tibia's stupid stand is more important than us starving to death?!"

Charlie shook his head frantically. "No, no, no, I'm not! I'm not, but there has to be another way. I don't like living like this. I'm grateful for you all taking me in and sheltering me, but it eats me up inside whenever we have to steal from someone who might be struggling like us. I want to believe there's a better way to survive without being mean—"

Skwovet shoved Charlie into the snow. Their friends gasped as Skwovet loomed over Charlie, glaring cruelly at the quivering octopus. "This isn't about fairness, Charlie! Nothing is fair! The rich live in their ivory towers, and the poor rummage around in the dirt fighting with each other for the last scrap of bread. Whatever fantasy you're living in is just that: a fantasy. A make-believe world for babies who can't see just how messed up and unfair the world really is. Until you get it through that squishy head of yours that this fantasy world of yours is a dead dream, you can march yourself back to the stand and wait for us to start the heist."

"B-But—"

"End. Of. Discussion," Skwovet hissed.

Charlie stared wide-eyed at Skwovet as tears started to flood his eyes. Electrike, Gible, and Sandygast stared between the two in disbelief, as well as guilt for their whimpering friend. Skwovet was panting hard from his tired rant that spiked up his fur on instinct.

"D-Dude," Electrike mumbled. "You went way too far with that." Gible and Sandygast nodded in agreement.

Skwovet threw a glare over his shoulder and was about to tell them off, but stopped when he heard Charlie hiccup. He turned back to the octopus and, for once, actually looked at Charlie's face. His eyes widened as tears poured from Charlie's eyes like flooding rivers. He choked with sobs and hiccups as his body quivered like an unstable gelatin.

Worst of all, Charlie stared at Skwovet with a look that stabbed the squirrel's heart: guilt. Fear. Abandonment.

The same look they all saw when they first met Charlie.

Skwovet frowned, then awkwardly rubbed his arm. "Uh, C-Charlie? I…I didn't mean to—" He tried reaching out for Charlie, but he recoiled from Skwovet's reach. "C-Charlie, wait!"

Charlie broke down into tears before picking himself up and darting away from them. He didn't pay Roscoe a glance as he bounded through the snow with speed unbecoming of a Clobbopus, leaving both parties in disarray and shock.

"Charlie, wait! Come back!" Skwovet cried, running out onto the street as tears brimmed from his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean any of that! I-I was just…please, Charlie, come back!" His calls fell on deaf ears as Charlie vanished into the village. Skwovet dropped to his knees, staring vacantly at the ground. "What…have I done?"

His friends joined his side, casting angered looks at their squirrel before looking out into the street with concern. "Poor Charlie," Electrike mumbled.

"You kids." They flinched, then looked up as Roscoe, who was leaning up against the building. Roscoe breathed a sigh through his nose, then walked away. "Just because life's unfair doesn't mean you have to be the jerks that perpetuate that belief. I'd fear the people you would've become had you never learned that."

Roscoe left them to meditate on his parting words, focused solely on finding Charlie. With a stretch of his legs, Roscoe took off running toward where Charlie disappeared to.

I shouldn't have pushed you to do that, kid. You were brave to face it, but you are still a kid. Roscoe bit his lip. You're still a kid…

18th Winter Moon, 907 – Morning

The Forbidden Forest remained eerily silent, exasperated by the sound-muffling presence of the winter snow. The perfect conditions to mask the Weald Rangers as they scoured the leafless trees for their target. However, such advantages were a double-edged sword, for their equally stealthy target was also camouflaged by the snow.

A three-man squad landed on separate branches of a tree, led by Ursula. She pulled the balaclava covering her face down and scanned the snow and trees. There was reason to believe their target could even be hiding in the snow, but there was so much of it that they wouldn't be able to search a quarter of the forest before spring rolled around.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, then crouched down. "Still nothing. Emile, Margot, have you spotted anything yet?"

Hanging from the branches above her was a Druddigon with a large zweihander-styled sword and a Bellossom her bundled herself tightly inside her coat. The Druddigon, Emile, held his hand over his eyes and did a quick search of the land. "Nope, nothing yet, boss."

Margot grimaced. "I hate the cold."

"Hey, how do you think I feel?" Emile grumbled.

"Focus, you two," Ursula said. "We still haven't heard back from Marie or Lambert about Thales and Saga. We need to be completely sure this bounty hunter is removed from the forest. Everyone's counting on us."

Emile bowed. "Of course."

Margot sighed. "The sooner we find that jerk, the better."

Ursula nodded, then pointed ahead. "Alright, let's check out that area up ahead. Come on." She sprang off the tree and dashed across the branches. Emile and Margot kicked off and followed after her.

They sped through the trees, disturbing some snow hanging on the higher branches. Snow sprinkled onto the ground, touching down on the undisturbed snow piled around the tree.

Except the snow only looked undisturbed.

A pair of eyes peered out from the pile and spotted Ursula's team heading off. With a bit of shaking, Katsu pulled himself out of the snow and shook off the stiffness in his body. He picked up his katana and strapped it back onto himself.

"Alright. Let the hunt commence."

He vanished, blowing back a ring of snow with his burst of speed.