Braviary, side by side with his small companion, wandered down a forested road. The gaze of the guild's manor faded further behind the treeline with every step they took, and soon enough they were deep within the evergreens to be far away from the Guild's ear. A cool breeze shook through the trees; small flying pokemon sang their songs to the forest. It's quieter in this stretch of road than the stuffy guild hall. Had they spent another hour in the guild to eat they would've been able to behold the forest's tranquility, but Prinn can't so much keep his head straight when he has to hear the constant crunches of barely-cooked Leppa Berries.
The old fool took his meal to go. He had the contents of his bowl poured into a big leaf which he now carries like a paper bag. He'd pluck out one of the berries, crunch down the softened up exterior in his beak, then swallow. Repeat again until the huge goblet of berries set aside for the massive pokemon has been drained. He's certainly taking his time too, munching down on the stubborn outside, savoring its sheltered interior. It's obnoxious.
Braviary temporarily calls an end to his assault on his meal as he catches the dour look on Prinn's face.
"You want some?" he asks.
"No, I had some before we left."
"Ah, alright." A crunch rings throughout the forest as he pops another berry into his beak. "Ya look miserable, I just thought you were hungry. If you have something to say you can tell me, it ain't like the Guild can hear us trashing them from all the way here."
"I'm not gonna trash them!" Prinn protests. "They gave us a bed and some breakfast, what more do you want?"
"It wasn't me who asked." Braviary corrects.
"But they still didn't have to."
"Oh they had to, they're investing in me. They want me to stick around." Braviary devours another Leppa Berry, then crumbles up the leaf and lets the wind carry it off what's left. "All because I have some silly thing on my chest they, for the forty wagon's worth of books they have, don't even know how to make it for themselves. At least that's what their book-lady said."
Braviary didn't strike Prinn as a pokemon willing to stick their beak into a book. He was probably an old-style explorer, by that he means a bounty hunter or another related guildie position. Those ways had their place, mainly in the face of bandit problems or other terrifying catastrophes, but Braviary hadn't really hinted he was much more than the miserable bird he let on. Maybe the medal of his has more to say about him than himself, a story not even Braviary knew.
It dawns on Prinn like many times before; the steady realization he'll make no headway in this conversation. It's as though he's done nothing other than speak to a big feathery wall plastered with slander towards the local guildies. What did they do to hurt this fellow so badly that he can't even accept the idea that a group of pokemon wants to help him out? Does it involve the wing he didn't dare bring up with him? He can't unshake the sensation he's somehow responsible for the state he's in. If he hadn't found him on the beach, if he had kept his mouth shut last night.
"Sorry."
A bewildered "huh?" leaves Braviary, followed by a long period of silence.
"Look." Prinn explains, "I shouldn't have dragged you into this, okay? I didn't have the Poke to afford a room, even at Garl's. I lied okay? So I said what I said to make sure you had somewhere to sleep."
"If you were this broke, you could've told me so."
"But would you have come along with me?"
Braviary shakes his head.
"You did swindle us into getting three days lodging in this place." It sounds better when he puts it this way, like they had triumphed over some sort of bookish evil. "If it didn't come with the caveat of us having to do work for them, I would congratulate you for being quick on the draw. At the same time we wouldn't have been allowed inside last night if I hadn't just talked to Leon and ignored your stupid plan."
The exact nature of Prinn's foiled plan wasn't worth repeating. It was made because of some perceived idea Prinn was unwanted here; a local pest to be shooed away at the earliest convenience. Were it not for a stranger who forced him out of his comfy brambles, Prinn would have never gotten the chance to show the guild his worth.
"We seem to have a real funny knack for improvisation. So now that we've established we aren't out to screw each other over, how about we agree we're at square zero and put a little more faith in each other, alright?"
Suddenly Braviary Isn't some miserable wanderer. His words are as if they were spoken many times before, and bear great authority, one which is well earned, and shines like steel. It tells Prinn one thing: do not let him down.
"Alright." Prinn answers. Square zero was better than wherever he thought they were heading..
The color in his feathers are sucked out of him as they pass under the shadow of a large tree. His lifeless eyes look towards the road to nowhere-town, his voice cracks like an oak.
"Now goodness help us if I don't get paid after this…"
There's a feeling about the adventurer he couldn't quite shake. Prinn sees it when he talks about himself; a clueless look in his eyes which narily shows its face. He's stoic, stuck up in his ways, yet it all fades away the moment someone asks him a question and he falls apart like a stack of empty bottles. Whereas the character of an adventurer he plays keeps others off his trail, Prinn's been the only one around him long enough to have seen the telltale signs of someone who's had some holes carved in their head. Last night was a dead giveaway.
An old, amnesiac flying-type with scorn for the same guild he's spent ages trying to get into was the last pokemon Prinn thought he'd ever be paired with. He'd guess the first step away from the baseline was to see what's up with his supposed partner, the second step would be to drum up a name for their two-man team if the guild hasn't already named their duo already.
He looks up at the strange bird. Now clearly wasn't the time to badger him with questions about his past, so when was the time to ask? A day from now? A week? Till he heroically saves him from certain death? He's intimidated by him. When Braviary glances back at Prinn, a shiver runs through his bones.
"Something up kid?"
"S-Scoria Town isn't far from here." Prinn stutters. "Let's keep going, okay?"
The walk through the evergreen woods was calm. No wrong paths this time, no hidden roots for them to trip on, just a very clear rhomp down a passage revealed by the sun as it sliced the canopy. It was significantly shorter this time, forty minutes at most. Enough time for a pokemon to bemoan how they had managed to enter the guild's snare, and for the other to wonder about his new partner. They can see the town's grassy roofs in the distance. Beyond Scoria was the never-ending stretch of cold black shore which lined the entire coast like the sharp edge of a Samurott's sword. The Obsidian Peninsula.
A few minutes later, they were in the thick of town. Accompanying the crisp smell of firewood was the scent of berries drifting through the town on a salty breeze. They could hear the chatter of the market from four houses away. It was tempting to go straight there, the beckoning of fresh berries did not help, however they needed a plan. The food can wait another day.
The two pokemon stop themselves near an unoccupied home. Prinn dusts off his dandelion cravat, and is first to speak.
"All we have to do is go around and ask a few pokemon some questions." Prinn chuckles, "Shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Shouldn't be. One day we're poking around, next we're having to hunt down a bounty on a famed criminal. But it's not like a Guild to throw some newbies at famed criminals, too dangerous."
This was all hypothetical of course, Braviary thought, they won't get into hot water unless either of them does something utterly stupid. This also assumes someone's actually bold enough to punch two guildies in a town which he can presume was under their jurisdiction, which unless Braviary started it, everyone will gun the miscreant who picked a brawl with their guardians. There's always a way for it to go wrong, but as first missions go they've been handed a pretty benign gig. It's perfect for them.
"Don't say anything dumb, and we'd outta be good." Braviary affirmed, "Since you actually live here, do you have any idea as to where to start looking? Sounded like Guildmaster wants us to check in with whoever handles their wine."
"Yeah, Psyduck handles it. He's Garl's cousin. I bought wine from him last night. It won't hurt to ask Garl either, because if any suspicious guys came in recently they'd have probably stayed at his place,"
Last night there was a second pokemon with Psyduck, the Mienfoo. Didn't he see her at the guild just this morning? What's her deal?
"You remember the pokemon who was with him? I saw her this morning in the guild."
"Eileen?" He sounds surprised. "She's always around here. What about her?"
"If she's been helping out Psyduck with the Enigma Wine she's gotta know something about how it's handled round here. She didn't seem happy to see me for some reason. She gave me this real nasty look when I saw her earlier."
"She doesn't like anyone, really. She's always telling people to buzz off. Or maybe she just doesn't like me, and you, by association." He grins ruefully. "y'know how I can be sometimes."
"That I do."
"When we head back we can always talk to her.." He's crossing off names on an imaginary clipboard. "Is there anyone else I'm forgetting?"
If Braviary is willing to question pokemon for giving him the side-eye, then no pokemon was safe from their investigatory gaze. As long as there was an acceptable enough reason to knock on someone's door they can afford to waste some of their time to tie up each possible thread in Scoria Town. It'd save the whole guild plenty of time when they inevitably roll through town to look for who spat in their wine.
Aren't Prinn and Braviary technically guildies? Aren't they rolling through the town as they speak? There won't be a witch hunt because they are the witch hunt. He just doesn't have permission to burn the whole town to the ground in order to find this thief, he's only allowed to pester pokemon with redundant questions until they get tired of him. Bearing this in mind, Braviary may have someone to add to their list.
"A fairy-type looking pokemon, a bit over your height." Braviary answers, "Pink, fluffy, and looking like they're wearing a mask."
"An Aromatisse, right?"
"I think so. Never saw an aromatisse before. Is she a merchant?"
"Probably." Prinn rubs his temple. "Now that you mention it, I think she does the paperwork for a couple of them. I really don't see her at the town's stalls very often, and when she is out there she's usually selling incense."
"What's a pokemon to do with incense?"
"I know there's some that my family used to use." Pirnn answers, "It came in a little blue burner, and had a real sweet and salty smell. It helps with water-type abilities, I think. I haven't been in enough fights to really know, not that I plan on getting into one anytime soon."
"Yet you still joined a guild." Braviary's feathers bristle with indignation. "What do you think's gonna happen in a couple days; say a week or so from now? You're pretty much on the one-way track to getting yourself into a wagonload of fights, my friend."
"Yeah, but I don't have to think about it for now. We'll worry about it some other time. I can defend myself if I have to.."
Braviary towers over the kid. He's got little to say about Prinn's ambitions which he hasn't already failed to hammer in, but there's still two words he knows which will really get under the boy's skin.
"For now."
Prinn sighs.
"Yeah, for now."
In a world crowded by all sorts of adventurers, guilds and other organizations who entrust themselves to do what's best for the world, Prinn chose to set his sights on this tiny guild in nowhere. No bandits, no myths around town, a place nowhere near the size to bring all the troubles guild life usually brings. It'll just be him with his beak in the books as he maps out the mysteries of the Dusk Continent as all the real problems are handled by pokemon much more skilled than he'll ever be.
"Hey." Prinn snaps. He looks at the older bird with a glint of hope in his eyes. "How long have you been an explorer - adventurer, whatever you call yourself?"
This was a treacherous trail of thought, one fraught by gaping holes in his memory and smeared in bitterness. He knew where this train was headed. Braviary took a deep breath.
"I'm experienced enough to know never to get involved with guild life." Braviary's anger ran too deep for it not to be a mere fabrication. It was too real; too voracious for it to be a paltry grudge. "Why, is there something you wanna know about me? Want to see my record? This badge might have the answers for us, but I've already asked Froslass to look into it. You'll have to wait for her results. That's if she finds anything.
"Oh that'd be nice, but what I wanna know is if you've done a lot of fighting. You look like it, that's all, and aren't braviary kinda known to be really big fighters?"
"We are?"
"Yes…?"
"And it's because I'm some braviary you think I'm a fighter who has traveled the lands, scarred from battle after battle?" Okay, Braviary's just cramming words into the kid's mouth now.
"I said nothing of that sort, sir"
"Okay then!" Prinn's not even given a chance to explain himself before Braviary runs his beak off. "Do you think I'm a disgruntled coot looking to pass down his fighting skills on some youngin?"
"I hope you are, I also hope you're not just pulling my leg.."
"Then can I let you in on another secret?"
There's no pause this time. Nothing can haunt him in a way the mental image of a poor Lucario does now. He's caught onto Braviary's game. If he wants what he's looking for, he needs to keep him talking.
"Sure."
"I'm not even sure how I lost this." Braviary gives his left shoulder a shake. He feels the phantom wing flap in the wind. "And besides, I don't think I can train you without smearing you across the ground like Oran Jelly over bread. I think my age has finally convinced me to treat everything like a real threat whether it is or not. Look for another water pokemon to spar with, at least it won't sting as much."
"What if I got some Reviver Seeds?" Prinn implored, "Just to be safe, just so we can go a round or two?"
Reviver Seeds were always handy to have for any pokemon, one quick pop of those and it'll get a pokemon back on their feet in seconds. They're really potent stuff, perfect for the adventurer who puts his life on the line every other job. In theory; a pokemon could absolutely use a few to keep a sparring match going for as long as they had the coin. But if Prinn's going to throw his well-earned coinage on Reviver seeds, then he'd better not waste such valued medicine on a pointless slug-fest. It was obvious when they spoke to Guildmaster the thought of having to fight another pokemon weighs heavily on the rookie's mind. Prinn likely had planned to nab a few seeds anyways, just in case - just to be safe.
So he may as well give Prinn something to look forward to. Who knows? It might even be cathartic.
"If that's what you wanna waste your coin on, be my guest." Braviary gestures towards the plaza where the song of commerce roars on. "Investigation first, got it?"
Prinn nods, then Braviary continues.
"Now the sooner we get this wrapped up, the sooner I get to show you how much they mark up Reviver Seeds in these towns."
Wooden carts trucked along by their rickety wheels, crates and barrels lugged on the shoulders of large pokemon, and the murmur of several conversions combined to form a cacophonous noise which blanketed all of Scoria Town. The paltry showing last night barely compared to the rabble of town square at peak hour. It's like a whole market constructed itself overnight! Where there were empty lots before, several collapsible tents are now set up alongside an equal number of roofed caravans; telltale signs of traveling merchants.
Why ever live in this coastal town when you can roll up every other day to churn out the same amount of profit without all the dreariness of living so removed from anywhere else?
Most of the stalls were primarily food stalls from berry-farms across the continent, each specializing in specific varieties of produce. He saw a couple of craftsmen vending tools and a variety of sentimental junk, and overheard a lot of chatter about Calico Town, Scoria's closest guild-run neighbour. They got a lay of the market very quickly, but even as they set their eyes on a psyduck next to a mountain of barrels Prinn was still on the search. What was the kid looking for?
He followed the kid's head with his eyes. All he could see were the aforementioned shops, nothing particularly worthwhile other than a food stall taking up the lot where the Aromatisse was supposed to be, but it wasn't even her absence which got Prinn in such a stir. Then it settles like how an Old Braviary throws himself into bed, rough and as though he were a sack of bricks
There's no adventurer supplies! No medicinal shoppes, no rations, no equipment nor orb peddlers, there's absolutely nothing here for a guildmate. This was a guild town, wasn't it? Unless the Scholars have complete control over incoming trade so they can take as they please, which they most certainly don't, then this place should be brimming with folks looking to profit off them. Are the scholars seriously this new? Prinn definitely knew something was up.
He didn't say anything yet. Prinn tugged on Braviary's ragged garb, then nodded his big head to the general vicinity of Psyduck. The pokemon who was dozed off in his rocking chair was startled by the sudden sight of two pokemon rolling up to their store. He scrambled to meet them behind the wooden stall.
"What can I do for you two?" Psyduck puts on a weary smile.
"We ain't here to buy if that's what you're thinking." Braviary grumbles, "We can get what you got here at the Guild for half the price anyways."
"Huh?" Psyduck squinted at him, then slowly turned his eyes to his badge. "Oh...are you part of the Scholar's or somewhere else? I didn't think they had badges…"
"You could say, yeah.." Prinn chimes, "There's been a problem with their wine, and we're here to look into it."
A gulp slithers down Psyduck's fatty throat as dread kicks in. Oh no, he's probably thinking, we royally messed up now. They really didn't need to say a darn thing and he looks like he's about to get onto his stubby knees to grovel. It catches the duo by surprise.
"Hold it, we're not here to hurt anyone. I'm pretty sure you'll only be in trouble if you refuse to cooperate." Braviary glances back at Prinn who nods approvingly. "Tell us what happened, hand me a bottle, and we'll be on our way."
Alright, Prinn wasn't okay with the bottle bit, but Braviary had gained too much momentum for Prinn to stop him. He's forced to watch Psyduck fumble behind the countertop then forfeit a bottle to the grifter. Braviary holds it close to his chest, proud of his victory over a terrified shopkeep.
"We haven't had any problems on me and Garl's end." Psyduck begins to explain. "You know how much we value our friendship with the guild, so we always keep a firm eye on the stuff, and only roll it out here when the traders come through. Same as it's always been."
"You're not aware of the Break-in, then?" Prinn asks.
"What break-in? I didn't hear anything about it."
"It was last night, sometime after the boy got a bottle off of you and Eileen here." Braviary elaborates. "Prinn managed to make a timeframe for the robbery. It had to have happened an hour after they close their library, after the groundskeeper locks up their storehouse, but before the guildmaster does his own spotting."
"So we kinda have a reason to think it's pre, uh…premeditated." It took Prinn a moment and a half to find the word. "It had to be somebody who was here long enough to know the Scholar's schedule, or heck, were part of the guild themselves."
"There was also a big ole padlock keeping the storehouse safe. We found it on the ground, bent like a spoon with no signs a fire-type had melted through it. Prinn and I reckon a fighting-type with decent enough training could've done it." Braviary's long shadow is cast over the yellow pokemon as he leans over the storefront."Tell me, does a fighting-type who's worked with the guild ring any bells?"
"You're not saying EIleen did that right?" Poor Psyduck practically shrinks in size. "She couldn't have, not unless she's way faster than she looks. She left after you guys did, please leave her out of this."
"I didn't say anything like that, friend. Why do you reckon I should keep her outta this? If she's got anything to do with the guild, they're gonna drag her into this investigation one way or another."
Something was up with the girl, this kindly pokemon couldn't bring himself to bring more onto her plate. This was an investigation however, he knew if he didn't comply there he was gonna be in a lot more trouble than anything they could possibly do to the Mienfoo. So like a child playing with a toy, he relented, and forked the information over. Not before he let them both know he wasn't all too happy to do so.
"Alright! She's been worried recently about her family. I don't know what's the deal because it's not my business, not even my cousin's or the guild's." Psyduck warbles, "I know she's not from around here, and she gets mail by Pelipper every week or two from her family. Lately she's been worried about them, and I don't know why."
"I wasn't aware Pelipper Post goes as far as Scoria Town," Prinn sounds legitimately surprised. "I thought Murkrow Mail handled all that stuff around here."
"I guess if you want things done long distance, and you got the coin for it, Pelipper is never out of the question."
The talk has started to go through one of Braviary's ears then out the other, but he still feels like he's learned something. Pelippers are the big shots, Murkrow are likely a thing exclusive to their region. He knows Murkrow are nocturnal pokemon, and this area's called the Dusk Continent for some reason. He's gotta ask.
"Any reason why y'all choose Murkrow over Pelipper? Sounds like the latter can probably do more deliveries and bigger things."
"Well it's not all Murkrow, there's some Noctowl who handle the bigger deliveries." Prinn answers for Psyduck. "Sun sets earlier in this continent, so a Murkrow has more time to make deliveries than a Pelipper. I think it evens out at some point, but I'm really not a numbers pokemon."
"Is your Braviary friend from abroad?"
"I'm right here, idiot!" Braviary blurts, "But yes, I ain't from around here. Now the boy and I are gonna head to Garl's, so if you have something to say about strange things happening to your supplies then you'd better say it now."
Silence. Psyduck wobbles backwards as he drops down into his rocking chair. The pathetic, wooden construct lets out a squeal as he begins to row back and forth, head to the ground, eyes partly closed. When it looks as though Braviary's about to reach past the stall and shake him, Prinn lets out a chirp.
"Come on, I think we got enough."
Prinn points his flipper in the direction of a two-story abode which rests across the plaza. A placard above its swing doors reads "Golduck Inn"
For a moment Bravairy thought Prinn's comments yesterday about this being a nowhere-town were severely understated, but one look into this Inn during what seemed like prime time revealed the truth. As they reached the doors they saw many seats left open. The three who were here sat in the furthest possible corner away from all the Plaza's noise. A bisharp, a pawniard and an out of place combusken. They must've rolled in the rest of the carts. When the duo passed through the swing doors, three travelers glanced at them from their booth. Then they continued to drink and share tales among themselves.
The inn, barring the lattice windows and sea-themed reliefs, looked quite unremarkable. This place wasn't the money maker, the barrels on the other side of the street made all the cash. They saw a blue pokemon behind the barside who greeted them with a grin and a wave of his webbed hand. Braviary moseyed up to the bar, and Prinn flopped down on the closest stool.
"Garl, right?" Braviary asks.
"Yes, owner of this little establishment and distributor of Enigma Wine." He motions to a small window behind the bar, behind which is a clear view of their stall on the other side. "Looks like you gave Psyduck a good talking to, is there anything I can help you with?"
Whether this is just Garl's business face, or his experience with guilds showing through his confidence, any professionalism after Psyduck fumbling everywhere was a welcomed pace. Prinn breathed a sigh of relief knowing there's little way Braviary could swindle his way into Garl's pockets.
"The guild had gotten robbed last night. We have reason to think it was a fighting-type, and whoever did it had knowledge of the guild, or of how the wine's handled around here." Braviary says, "It made sense to ask you if something had been off recently."
"A burglary on guild grounds. You'd think if they had just wanted a drink they'd have stolen it from the cellar under here..." Golduck scratches his chin. "Pretty odd if you ask me, but we haven't noticed anything off with our own supplies. They're typically safe where they are, it's when they leave Scoria Town when problems crop up."
He stops mid-conversation and raises an eyebrow at Prinn.
"Guildmaster sent you, right?"
"Yeup. He told us to see you in particular."
Braviary nods.
"It didn't hurt to ask." Garl laughs it off. "So does this mean you're officially a scholar now, Prinn? Or do they still have you going through the ringer? And what's this new person?"
"No, I'm not yet." He points to the flying-type standing to his left, proud. But this is Braviary, a fellow I met yesterday. Found him sleeping on a beach!"
There was something deeply hilarious about how they came to know each other which turned Golduck's cheeks red with restrained laughter. The act of stumbling on to strangers asleep on beachheads had to be pretty common for anyone to find it remotely funny. Was it some kind of guild euphemism for stringing people along? Who knows at this point?
"I don't get it." Braviary grumbles.
"There's just a lot of bar tales which begin with stumbling onto strangers snoozing in places they shouldn't be. It's a bit like a guild way of saying you just bumped into someone one day, I should know, I've said the exact same thing at least a hundred times." Garl waves towards Braviary. "I thought you'd have something funny to add, unless…"
Prinn gives the barkeep a gaze. Those black eyes tell all. This is a funny coincidence, but he's absolutely serious. He did find him asleep in the middle of nowhere, on a beach, no recollection of who he was.
"Oh that's - that's something. Huh…"
The winds were taken out of Garl's sails. After years of guildwork someone said it, and it wasn't a joke. It actually happened, to a person he knew no less. He's got a look of disbelief one only wears when they're told they're just won the county draw. What's he supposed to say now? Call Prinn a liar? Say it ain't true to the water-type's plucky face? Perhaps the answers lied in the stranger before him.
"Is this true?" Garl clawed for answers. "Did Prinn here really just happen to cross you? Did you just wake up there, in the middle of nowhere, out on the beach?"
"The boy isn't lying. I don't see what's gotten you in a bind though. Reckon stranger things have happened before."
"Said strange things usually coincide with a pokemon being found out in the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what all the Guild stories say." Golduck pours himself a drink from the winerack behind him, and takes one big gulp from a solid brass tankard. Much better. "Call me one of the luckiest pokemon alive, because I'll have won at least five bets if any of this is true."
Golduck has clearly caught on to the drifter's confusion at this point. Feeling bad for him, he looks under the bar and delves through his cupboards. A brown glass bottle clinks onto the counter. It's cork topper is sealed with a patch of green wax, inside several chunks of berries can be seen afloat in a syrupy broth. It immediately evokes the sensation of hardy travails and debilitating battles. It's a max elixir, a guildie's solution for the exhaustion brought on by executing one too many techniques. An absolute necessity for long hauls.
"I don't picture myself needing to go out after I mail some old friends of mine about the news, not for a few months. I have no idea if you two plan to head out, but I felt I owed you a little something."
Braviary takes it, gives the bottle a shake, and watches as the chunks inside it whirl around like grain in a sandstorm. This is the second time today he's gotten a freebie off of someone. A bad precedent is beginning to take shape. How long will he mooch on handouts from townsfolk before Braviary asks the wrong pokemon and they make a fool out of the Scholars? Braviary isn't part of them, but if Prinn's future lies in the Guild then he'd rather it not go up in flames before he's even accepted.
It's not like a drifter pestering a few pokemon for freebies is going to burn the entire guild to the ground. If anything is doomed to them, it's his attitude. Having an outlook like his on the Dusk Continent or any place where guild-types span every corner will inevitably land them in hot water no matter what happens. He could tell Braviary to keep it to himself; bottle up all the frustration, to ignore the constant string of people who believe his only possession makes them part of their troop. It's futile however, Braviary sure won't change because a little blue pokemon said so.
Braviary slides the flask over to Prinn. There's barely enough room for him to stuff it with the rest of his things inside his tube.
"Thanks. Can we get back on track now?" Braviary taps the hickory counter. "You seem certain nothing's gone wrong on your end, so how about everyone else? Do you ship this stuff anywhere else? Any oddballs staying here as of late, fighting types in particular?"
"I'm not at liberty to give you a full list of everyone who's had a room in the last few weeks, it's too much to memorize, and I respect my customers' privacy. I can tell you no fighting-type has stayed here in the last week other than the mienfoo girl. This isn't about her, though."
Clearly there was something about her which the two water-types knew about. But what do they expect these investigators to do, not ask her questions? Any nugget of information, even confirmation she has nothing to do with what's gone down was a step closer to finding who did this.
"What you wanna know is how we handle the wine around here. You probably know me and my cousin store the stuff, are the town's vendors, but we also handle its distribution to other towns. Once it leaves Scoria Town though, it's out of our hands. So if there's been any unusual activity, a caravanner would know."
Wasn't Leon part of them at one point? Didn't he handle wine as well? A former guard like him would possess knowledge of the movers and shakers, and know plenty more about robberies than Prinn's regurgitated rumors about bandits in the night. There was no promise he'd take part in the investigation itself, but he was a trove of information waiting to be opened the moment they got back.
"Can you point us towards them?" Prinn asks, "There's a lot of people out there, can't tell caravanners from the traveling traders, and the traveling traders from the regular old traders."
"Don't worry, it's something you'll get an eye for. You won't find her though, she left two hours ago. She didn't seem bothered by the bandit rumors up until this morning, which I thought was strange at the time. I guess someone in the guild must have tipped her off."
"Probably Leon, or maybe the guildmaster. Makes sense they'd wanna warn the fellows handling distribution." Braviary looks to his partner, "What do you think, kid?"
"You're probably right." Prinn taps the barside. "What about this trader anyways, where did she go?"
"Where else? Down to Calico Town to give to the guild who just ordered a couple barrels. She's a fairy-type if you happen to cross by her, purple-pink, and very fluffy."
Looks like Braviary won't be talking to her after all! Gone like the wind.
"Aromatisse, right?"
Garl gives a thumbs up..
"She never gives out a name, confidentially and all that. I know her family's been in the merchant business for a really long time. I guess she must've gotten tired of this place and used this week's order as an excuse to hop towns for a bit. The Scholars never pick any merchant off the street to handle their wine." he elaborates, "I may not know her well, but I'm sure someone in the mansion does. They might vouch for her."
Garl takes another long swig of his tankard.
"So, run me through this. Stop me if I get anything wrong." Braviary clears his throat. "It seems to me like the second the wine's carted out of town, it's no longer guild business. It's something only the guild makes, so they got anyone who likes this stuff feeding out the palm of their hand. Given there's a whole seering trick you can do to test Pokemon with it, Guilds rather much prefer this Enigma-stuff."
The barkeep hasn't said anything yet, but Prinn is listening to him intently. The Boy waits for his moment to lend Braviary a hand.
"So it's always in demand, and there's only one way to get it."
"It'd be like Reviver Seeds, right?" Prinn adds, "The guild can price the wine however they want. But if you, a thief, got your hands on a bunch of this stuff you can probably sell it for half the price, and make a bounty's worth of coin. And who's to blame if that happens?"
"The guild wouldn't take responsibility, they'd place all that blame on the poor caravanner delivering the goodies. And let's say I was a caravanner and this did happen to me, and the guild didn't help me at all…"
"You'd probably know how they handle their wine, and you'd really want to get back at them, and make 'em hurt. So you'd go straight for their wine - the big money maker."
A mental image of a disgruntled trader begins to form, one with hired muscle, perhaps even from a different Guild who didn't quite like Scholar's stranglehold of this type of wine. Get the barrels, flip them for chump change, and use this to bully the Scholar's into giving other guilds a better deal next time. Do this however many times it takes for the Scholars to be sufficiently harassed, then make off having made a hole in the guild's pockets big enough to last the next century.
Braviary looks out to the plaza, past the highways leading into Scoria, to the town miles away from their own. His back won't appreciate it, but a walk won't kill him.
"I think this is enough questions for now, Prinn?"
"Yeah, more than enough. Really didn't think we'd find anything, but I'm all for surprises!"
Surprises which surely don't involve duking it out with several other pokemon. Braviary steps away from the bar.
"We'd best head back to the guild, then."
"And after that?"
"A trip to Calico Town."
Trepidation sits on the boy's beak and makes it clack in anticipation. A trip? So soon? Weren't they only supposed to ask the town some questions? Who will be coming with them, and can they be expected to defend themselves when bandits see their green flags as an invitation to threaten their lives? No matter what however, they can't possibly be in more danger than the Aromatisse out there on her own, wheeling a cart full of luxurious wines down an empty road.
Prinn swallows his fear. They have to do this. At least they could try their luck with the Merchants from Calico Town for the guildie supplies they're in a sore need of.
"Alright. Let's go." Before Prinn slips off the barstool, he swerves and smiles at the water-type. "And thanks, It means a bunch."
"Anytime!" Garl smiles, "You two stay safe out there."