Beedrill questioning is not at all what I'd have expected if someone tossed the phrase my way to analyze. My impression was something more in line with the victim with his or her back to a tree, with Beedrill stingers lined up in front of him, which would slowly press forward the longer the victim didn't answer in an appropriate fashion.
Firing line imagery aside, the reality involved the two of us being led to another area, where we were told to wait there, in an extremely serious, 'run and you die' sort of way. Then they disappeared among the trees, with only the buzzing in our ears reminding us that we were in Beedrill territory.
Neither of us spoke to one another. I could be taking this time to work up something to throw in Brio's face regarding the Servine and the fact he seemed to know her personally, yet never said anything, but in the same vein, it just wouldn't do any good and I might be jumping to conclusions. I probably wasn't, but... I really didn't want to hurt my friendship with him over something like this. I mean, it's not like he was helping her steal from Aeris, and he genuinely seemed to want to help out.
As for the Glaceon, he was looking around anxiously, his ears straining to catch some specific sound beyond the background noise. I opened my mouth to say something, but he suddenly held up a paw and shook his head slightly. That's when I heard the buzzing growing louder, and within moments, one of the Beedrill had returned, followed by a Pokémon I honestly could not say I was expecting.
Toxic spores of some sort drifted around its lavender body with every flap of the insect's wings. It was not a Beedrill; it was not even a bee-like Pokémon, but much more like the opposing counterpart, the Butterfree. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the regal-looking Venomoth, and a tremble of fear worked its way down my arms.
"Good morning," the Venomoth's power was easily apparent in its tone, feminine and confident. She fluttered nearer, keeping us just out of range of inhaling the dust from her wings. She did not need to sound threatening to instantly implant into my mind one very crucial tip: Do not mess with her.
"Hi?" Brio said blankly, cringing away from the light dust. I covered my mouth with my paw, wary of accidently breathing in too deeply. The Venomoth noted our reactions with visible indifference, clearly used to this type of response around her.
"I didn't say 'hi'," the Venomoth said coolly. "I said good morning, but if you wish to dispense with pleasantries before the questioning, then fine. You know the Servine who attacked us. You know what she wanted, and you know the Gligar who stole it from us. Yet you come here to mock us, knowing of our loss. Do not interrupt me, Buizel," she snapped, flapping her wings in my direction menacingly, my mouth snapping tightly shut.
Brio winced. "About that...um, we actually don't-"
"No need to lie," the Venomoth said quietly. "I don't care much for lies or excuses, and I'm not in the mood for roundabout answers. You will answer my questions promptly and without obscuration, or I'll make things much more... uncomfortable." There was a delicate malice beneath the words, like needles pricking at delicate skin.
Brio just nodded, avoiding eye contact. As much as I wanted to pity him for receiving the bulk of the Venomoth's venom, no pun intended, I also wanted a few answers from him.
"That's better," the Venomoth murmured, fluttering closer still. "The Servine who attacked us... what is her name?"
"Huntress," Brio answered, subtly backing away from the moth.
"How do you know of her?"
"She's just an acquaintance," Brio mumbled.
The Venomoth seemed skeptical, but did not press the subject yet. "Why did you come here, Glaceon? I can only assume it was to mock us, but I'm sure you have a much more entertaining answer for me."
Brio shot a glance at me nervously, but I held my tongue. Now was not a time to bait tempers with snarky comments, no matter how fun they are to make.
"We...wanted to ask, um...just things like where that Plate came from, or what it's for," Brio said, fidgeting under her gaze. I almost wish I had given him a better explanation for my interest, since my actual reasoning was that I thought the Beedrill had tried to retrieve it through the offending Servine, something that seemed incredibly stupid with present knowledge.
"Really? Our hive artifact meant that much to you?" the Venomoth practically sneered. "And the girl who stole it from us, who is she?"
Brio took a breath. From the corner of my eye, I saw the lone Beedrill making lazy circles around the two of us, stingers poised to strike at a moment's notice. If they're going for intimidation, the Venomoth alone served that purpose beyond what was necessary.
"Aeris. A friend of a friend," Brio said. I frowned. That was a dumb answer. That'll just make them ask who the friend is and that's... oh no.
Sure enough, the next question was as expected, and Brio jerked his head towards me. Thanks a lot, buddy. The Venomoth turned to face me, gazing over me in silence. I looked right back at her eyes, my tails flicking in what I really hoped was a nonchalant manner. Judging by the moth's chuckle, it wasn't.
"So this Aeris girl, why did she want our Plate?" the moth demanded.
I gave a shrug. "That's like asking why the sky is blue."
That got me blank looks all around. I tried not to smirk, even when Brio tentatively proposed, "Air particles reflect blue light?"
"Exactly," I said brightly, pivoting to face the Glaceon. "Aeris steals stuff because of whatever the heck you just said. I meant because that's the way she is!"
"Seriously, Sy," Brio groaned. "Do you have a problem with straight answers?"
"Only on Thursdays," I answered, completely deadpan, and turned back to the clearly unamused moth. "She likes collecting stuff, no matter how unnecessary."
"Does she, now?" the Venomoth whispered. The tone alone made my fur bristle. The cold smirk wasn't helping. "Then I'll give you three options."
"Multiple choice is fun."
"Shut up," Brio hissed under his breath. I didn't take it too hard. It's not my fault that I say stupid stuff when I'm nervous. Having a poisonous insect mere inches from your face when scattering toxins is more than a little reason to be nervous.
"Option one," the Venomoth said, raising her voice to silence us. "You bring that Gligar girl here and we'll deal with her. I heard what she said about me, and thieving is just another crime. We'll be sure to administer righteous justice in payment of her atrocities."
I shivered. The thought of Aeris receiving what this Venomoth and the Beedrill hive would consider justice was not imagery I was inclined to browse. Besides, how could I face the possibility of turning one of my best friends over to them? Even if she did steal things and taunt the victims and insult hive queens, she didn't deserve cruel penalties. She was a sweet girl with a bad habit.
"Option two," the Venomoth continued, ignoring the start of my protest. "You, your friend, and that little thief return what is ours, and we may forget this bad business. Of course, you'll be required to pay interest."
"Interest?"
"Yes. The green Plate this Huntress possesses," the Venomoth explained. I frowned. So I hadn't been imagining a similarity between the two, if the Venomoth seemed to know of it as well. But what did that mean? "Bring that and ours back, and your friend will be pardoned."
"And... what's option three?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. So far we had turning Aeris over for punishment, and going out of our way to return the valuable taken, as well as what I assumed was vengeance for whatever it was Huntress did to them when looking for their tablet.
The Venomoth chuckled, the fur on the back of my neck standing up at the sound. "The third option is you refuse and I deliver an excessive dose of toxic pollen directly to your face. You might survive it, but it's the risk that makes you think twice, isn't it?"
I gaped at her, my head feeling light. She couldn't be serious...but there was no joke in her voice. "O-option two...s-sounds great," I said.
"I thought you might say that. Of course, you can always pick one of the other options, should this one not work for you," the Venomoth said smoothly, and then chuckled, as if she was about to tell a fantastic joke. "In fact, if you take too long, we just might end up tracking your tails down and killing you."
"Heh...you're kidding, right?" Judging by Brio's disgusted look in my direction, I was grasping at straws.
"Depends on whether you have a Gligar thief in tow, doesn't it? We'll see you in three days. One way...or another," the Venomoth told us. Without waiting for a reply, the Venomoth fluttered away, the Beedrill darting around her protectively. I watched as they disappeared among the trees.
"What did you just get us into?" Brio demanded.