It was practically night as Flocon lagged behind Frukkshin, mulling over his next move. Before he could speak up Frukkshin paused outside a small restaurant and remarked, "This seems like a nice place to stop at." The place itself was nothing too remarkable. Wooden entrance, cement floors, and barred windows gave the place a somewhat modern feel for the time period.
Flocon looked around as they entered out of idleness rather than anything else he saw groups of pokemon talking and eating. Though at least this time his nagging and worried feeling came from another place. I suppose that's a good thing. He thought to himself as they sat down.
The group sat down and all but Flocon began looking at the menu. Flocon's mind flowed from one point to the next, a grimace crossed his face only to be replaced by a sullen frown moments later. Tears began to run from his face. They were after me. Then that means… he broke from his train of thought to look up at his fellows who returned his glance with a worried look. That means I put them in danger. Flocon leaned on the table as he thought this, he felt sick. Sick with himself more than anything else wanting to simply disappear then and there, never to be seen again.
"Flocon," Frukkshin began as he looked over to him. "you can talk to us."
The Ninetales looked up at them. He tried to form his words but every attempt he made was met with failure. He knew then that there could be no moving around the point, that he had to just come out and say it. "That Decidueye." Flocon stuttered for a moment. "He was after me. It's because of me—th-that you were all put in danger." Flocon doubled over his own words as he continued, his voice a pained whisper, "I'm so sorry."
Frukkshin placed his hoof on Flocon's shoulder and gave it a rub. "Your life matters Flocon. Like I promised when we met. I'm not going to abandon a pokemon in their time of need." he said quietly as he gave him a slight push in an attempt to knock the Ninetales out of whatever stupor he was in.
Flocon looked up in confusion and Sylpheed spoke up. "I promised to help too." she said as she reached over a claw to touch Flocon's chin. "We're not going to leave you."
The mood darkened a bit when Frukkshin spoke once again, "If what you're saying is true, then there's something far darker going on behind all of this." He hummed in silent deliberation, before letting out a single grunt and sitting back down at the table.
Their waiter came over to them and they quickly ordered. The waiter shot them a glance back as he walked away, surprised about their lack of subtlety of wanting him to leave them be.
Frukkshin grunted a bit. "If someone wants you dead, that means that there's at least one person who knows what's happening."
"But why would they want him dead?" Sylpheed asked as she jumped out of her chair. "It just doesn't make sense to me." she fell back into her chair and crossed her arms in a pout.
Flocon scratched his face a bit. That's a really good question, why would they want me dead? He thought as he looked out the window as he thought aloud, "What's going on?" The other two perked up for a moment, seemingly puzzled by his short question. The two of them exchanged a glance, the Ninetales too preoccupied with whatever was in the distance to pay any mind to them.
Frukkshin opened his mouth to speak but was shortly cut off by their waiter returning. "Just leave them in the middle, we'll sort them out." he ordered as the Pawniard gave him a harsh look as he set out the glasses before shrugging and wandering over to another table. "That's what I'm saying. There's at least one person involved that knows what's happening, and that's the one behind that letter. We have to find them but I'm not sure where to start." he explained before looking off.
Sylpheed stared at Flocon scrutinizingly before nodding and returning to her previous position of laying back in her chair.
"Now where were we?" Frukkshin pondered. "Right." he said as he started to officially speak, "Flocon, you've always struck me as strange for obvious reasons. But now, more than ever, try to remember something. Anything." the Rapidash put heavy emphasis on his last words, beggin Flocon to dig up something in the depths of his mind.
Flocon gave him a surprised look from across the table before considering it once again. He racked his head for any information. "I know there was at least one other pokemon, but there may have been… two?" he sounded unsure of himself as he spoke. "Er, no, that doesn't sound right. There was more than one, but less than five." he finished up as he let his head fall to the table in exhaustion, "That's all I can remember."
Frukkshin shifted a bit in his cushion before muttering, "Any information is good information. We'll have to talk further tomorrow." He looked off, oblivious to their waiter returning with their food.
"Are any of you going to drink?" he asked, pointing to the full glasses.
Frukkshin took a moment to look up in confusion before saying, "Right, yeah. We'll eat."
Flocon awoke to the sound of commotion. Stretching as he glanced around, he blinked away his fatigue. It was only a few seconds before he realized that Frukkshin and Sylpheed were nowhere to be seen.
Ohm peeked his head through the door. "He's up." the Ampharos called over to the others before motioning for Flocon to follow him outside. His hair wasn't sparking at all, which was a relief to the Ninetales.
The Ninetales stood there for a few moments, worried and confused about what might happen next. He walked outside to see that the rest of the Modern Crusaders were discussing something at a table. At his entrance Irukan turned aside and motioned him to a cushion.
As Flocon sat down Fringe began to speak, "Ninetales, the events of yesterday have come to my attention." he paused for a moment as he let out a breath and interlocked his ragged hands. "You understand the gravity of this situation, correct?"
The Ninetales flinched at Fringe's tone, but nodded and said, "I do… I had no idea." his head fell low in shame. A torrent of guilt threatened to drown him and all he could do in response to it was shudder.
The Banette refrained for a moment. "Tell me, what was on that note you read." What should've been a question came across as a command.
Flocon hesitated, trying to recall what was on the note, he had only caught bits and pieces of it but he had to speak, "It was mostly destroyed, but there was one piece of information that I haven't told you about yet." Flocon stuttered as he spoke and struggled to maintain any reasonable eye contact.
Fringe noticed his expression. "Ninetales, I hate doing this to you as much as you hate being in this situation. We're all willing to risk our lives to get to the bottom of this, but we need you to work with us." his voice was noticeably softer, his expression friendlier as he tried to calm down the shivering form of the Ninetales.
Flocon let in a gulp, Frukshin approached him from behind and gave him a confident nod. The Ninetales saw, let out a grunt, and faced Fringe with renewed confidence, no matter how frail it was, and told them, "it was a writ of execution, it identified me as this Jack Flash, but—I don't know who that is."
Sylpheed jumped at the mention of the name. "Isn't that what the Frillish asked you about a few days ago?" she reminded him and the others turned to face Sylpheed who shrank back at the sudden attention.
Bancho took a moment to think. "There's no way it's a coincidence." he mused as he scratched his chin.
Visibly shuddering Irukan looked down, though she quickly recovered her composure. She caught the eye of Sylpheed who gave her a suspicious look before turning back to the ceiling. Irukan still had a worried look spelt across her face, as if she'd done something wrong, but none of the others seemed to catch it and it disappeared only moments later.
Ohm piped up after giving it a moment of thought, "You can't exactly trace handwriting to a single pokemon in a city as large as this. Who were the pokemon at the cafe? If we can find them, we could talk to them."
Frukkshin glanced over at him and gave him a disappointed and somewhat chastising glare before saying, "Yeah right, we'll just sit down and have a pleasant conversation with the people who sent actual fucking assassins after us." He put a huge emphasis on the latter half of his statement. Continuing to give Ohm a harsh glare he said, "What we're dealing with here aren't petty thieves. They're hardened criminals, we can't just approach them and ask questions."
Sylpheed and Flocon exchanged a nervous glance but said nothing as Ohm leapt out of his chair to chastise the Rapidash, "Alright then, what's your plan?" He gripped the table harshly with his fins.
Fringe looked between the two pokemon arguing across the table and said in a loud and firm voice that stopped the two from continuing, "Frukkshin has a point, talking to them is out of the question." He paused as he put some thought into what he would say next. "But whoever they are, they have the best idea of what's going on, and they might be the only ones who do." he remarked. "We may not be able to get a direct answer but we can at least get an idea of the situation."
Bancho spoke up in response, "Then we have to find them. If we know the part of Galet they live in, we can find them."
Flocon rested his head on the table, his ears flat as he waited for them all to be finished.
The Rapidash gave it a moment's thought. "They didn't seem poor, in fact, they may have been from La Premiere Quartiere. But how the hell would we find out?" he asked the question mostly to himself as he mulled over the thought.
Fringe nodded. "I had a slight suspicion that Flocon may have some ties to said district. I was able to get in contact with a client that lives there who can help us. Though we need to know with absolute certainty whether this will be a good idea or not. Their reputation will be on the line after all." he said as he waved his hands dismissively.
Irukan hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip. A long silence had fallen between the table as all of them tried to think of a way to move forwards. She knew she had to say something. "I... I think I have an idea of where to look." she said quietly.
The rest of the group looked over to her expectantly. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to find her words. "I don't know for certain, but if the assassin was as efficient as you say, I think it has to do with a group that calls themselves Requiem." she spoke slowly and softly, as if she were being forced to talk at gunpoint.
Fringe looked disturbed by the information. "There's a possibility isn't there?" he remarked. "What gives you this idea?" he asked in return.
Irukan froze, unprepared for the response. But she knew that she had to say it, for the sake of her teammates she had to speak up. "I saw a pokemon who associates with them on my way to find Frukkshin. I knew him at one point." she looked to the ground as she spoke. "His name..." her voice trailed off into the distance before finally returning. "He was a Malamar. I know it was him."
The rest of the group took the news in a stunned silence. Hours seemed to pass before Flocon asked, "What do they want with me?" his voice was desperate for some sort of answer from her.
Irukan only gave a sad glance to the ground, her eyes wet with unshed tears before she finally found her pained voice, "I wish I knew more."
"Thank you, Irukan." Fringe remarked, trying to be understanding of her situation. She gave a slight breath of relief as she saw the solemn faces of the others, grateful for her trusting but seemingly sorry for her. The looks made Irukan frown but she refused to say why.
The Dragalge didn't wait around any longer. opting to leave her chair to go to her room, none of the others voiced any issue with her action.
Fringe hesitated for a moment, waiting a few moments. "If they're after Flocon then we need to be ready. I will begin preparations to get him into La Premiere Quartiere, everyone else is dismissed for the day." he said before leaving his chair and walking away.
Ohm and Bancho exchanged a glance and nodded, getting up to go back to their rooms. This left Frukkshin, Flocon, and Sylpheed to their business.
Casting a sympathetic glance at his companions Frukkshin remarked, "I believe we should get moving for the day. Prepare for anything, I doubt they'll let up until we take them out."
Flocon winced at the remark as Frukkshin trotted over to the job board. Damnit, damnit all. he thought as he cast a sorrowful gaze to the ground. I never asked for this. He started tearing up, he tamped down a scream that threatened to escape his maw. Sylpheed touched a claw to his leg and he shot his gaze upwards to meet her eyes. She gave him a small and reassuring smile but the Ninetales didn't return it back to her.
"We'll get through this, we promised, remember?" she reminded him.
Flocon gave her a weak smirk but said nothing in reply. I keep hearing you say that. I know why you're saying it. But this, all of it, it's my own damn fault and I don't know why. If only I could tell you what happened, if only the answer was so clear. his thoughts were bittersweet. He could only hope that he wouldn't be such a burden in the near future.
By the time they got to Frukkshin he seemed a bit lost in thought. "Shit, we have to go back to Verdant Marsh." he said, frustration in his voice.
Flocon and Sylpheed looked at each other and sighed.
Ohm overheard their conversation and chipped in as he walked back into the room, "Seeing as Irukan won't be coming today." he looked behind him and continued a bit sadly, "Or Bancho for that matter. Would you mind if I tag along for today?"
Frukkshin gave him a confused look before finally saying, "Sure, but if you're coming, we might as well pick up a few extra jobs." he turned back to the board and began to scan documents.
After a few minutes the quartet was off for the day. And only minutes later, they were dropped off.
Flocon gave the edge of the city a few glances finding nothing in particular. But a soft sound caught his attention. None of the others seemed very interested in it however.
An old Alakazam sat at the entrance of an alley, their appearance was a ghastly sight with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. "You." she beckoned with a frail finger towards the Ninetales. Signaling for him to come closer.
Flocon stared scrutinizingly towards caught no distinct signs of danger. He looked at his group, who were beginning to get impatient with him. "I'll be just a few minutes." he replied.
The trio exchanged a few words and glances before Frukkshin finally nodded. Ohm walked out and said, "In light of recent events, I'll be going with you."
The Ninetales gave him a slightly confused look before realizing the implication and nodding. The two walked over to the old Alakazam to whom Ohm gave a foreign look towards.
The Psychic-type was delighted to see him. "I knew it. You're different, aren't you?" she said in a sage voice.
Flocon gave her an unconcerned look. "Yeah, I get that a lot." he replied. Seemingly bored already. The Alakazam gave him a slight psychic nudge that restored him to life.
"More than you know." she said as she looked deeply into Flocon's eyes.
Flocon returned with a blank stare. "I'm an amnesiac, of course there's more going on than I know." his voice was impatient and fast. "Are you just wasting my time?" he half-shouted.
Giving a short but haughty laugh the Alakazam told him, "I suppose you are, yes. A shattered past haunting your every step."
Returning a confused and angry look Flocon gave a terse reply, "Yeah."
Ohm gave her a scrutinizing look up and down. "Who are you anyways?" he questioned.
Rising to her feet, she exposed her even stranger stature. Age weathered away her body, her ribs practically showing through. "I am a seeress. Come just a step closer, you-"
She was quickly cut off by Ohm's remark, "I believe in fate like everyone else, but I do not believe in fortune-tellers."
Alakazam's eyes twitched at his remark but she otherwise maintained her composure. Flocon looked back at Ohm but decided against his remark and approached the seeress. "I see one of you has the sense to listen." she said in a gentle voice as she held a glowing hand in front of his face and after a few moments she told him, "I see a grim sight. There's a figure, two figures in fact, on the horizon, they cast a long and dark shadow that seems to converge at your feet. You're pulled into it but something grips you and pulls you away as a blinding light enshrouds the sight." She leans in closer. "But that is where even my vision ends."
Ohm and Flocon stood for a moment. "Sounds like a load of shit to me." Ohm said as he turned on his heel.
Giving him a harsh look, Alakazam said, "You seek a way out." Ohm paused at her statement as she continued, "The past stalks your every move until it finally leaps out to entangle you."
Ohm shivered for a moment before continuing his walk, never turning around or looking back.
Flocon watched Ohm wander back to the group before turning to face the seeress once again. He perked up and looked around but she had disappeared on him, nowhere to be found.
Frukkshin came over to him and gave him a nudge. "Are you done?" he asked.
Taking a few moments to peer around him. "Yeah, I think I am." Flocon replied as he cast one last look behind him before walking away.
Just one more NaNoWriMo update and then I'll return to the original schedule, I'll admit that this was incredibly difficult to keep up with, but not impossible.