I was inspired by The Office for this one. Just... humor me.
Interlude: Just...Cut That Part Out.
"Okay, you're the first one for today. So, as we discussed, I'll just ask a couple questions and take notes. Feel free to get up and move around too. If that's where things go, I can keep up!" stated the Pachirisu, Pepin.
"Sure thing, I guess," responded the Audino, Bell.
"Great, so for your first question,"
Tell me about what a typical day looks like for you.
"I'm guessing you mean before we got the news yesterday that we're apparently criminals, right?" She asked. She was seated at a loom by the front of the Tailor Branch, other guild members working behind her in the background.
"Well, to be honest, it doesn't look like a lot has changed. I wake up, attend the morning gathering, and then either pick a task from the board or work on whatever I was doing yesterday."
"What, you want more detail than that? Nosy. But, that's your job, so fine. I'm comfortable working with fabrics and I've studied how to interweave Energy patterns into the material, so I spend alot of time here in Tailor. I was a little put off by how weird it is, you know..." she threw a paw back to gesture to the giant cauldron in the center. "But, I got over it, and you know I can spend hours in this spot, trying to get that right stitch or weave. It's soothing..."
"It's like that for alot of things here, you know. It all seems so magical and out there the first time. Almost forbidden in a way. But then you learn, and you study, and you realize there's a science to everything. We take from Dungeons, and we can even give back. Did you know that? Why items we make just appear randomly in Dungeons on their own?"
"Yeah, figured. Say I take this," she held up the half-finished scarf. "It's been prepped with Aether and it has its effect, and you, you know, wear it in a Dungeon. The place remembers that. The item is...saved, in its collective memory, so to speak. It's like the latent Aether has a new form it can choose from when it chooses to take one. Of course, it's random. Almost everything having to do with those places is random. But, it's a nice thought, right? That I can make something that someone somewhere could find and use..."
"Huh. You know I've never told anyone that. About the Dungeons, that is. You might just be the first person outside of this tent to know that little tidbit. Congratulations, you're a freak now."
"My fellow apprentices? Wow, so formal. Um, let's see. How would I describe..."
At that moment, a Vulpix walked up from behind her with a bundle of cloth on his back, a giddy grin on his face.
"Yo, Bell," he greeted. She turned to him.
"Hazel, perfect timing. Would you say we're friends?"
"That depends. Would you wear this little outfit I just finished!?" with a smooth motion, he stood on his hind feet and proudly presented his creation, visibly holding back laughter. Held between his paws was a skimpy piece of cloth that would snugly fit both a quadruped and biped.
Bell smacked a paw to her open mouth, eyes wide in astonishment. Her eyes flicked from the garment, and then back. An amused huff of air could be heard.
"...What the hell is that?"
"How's it look? It's that project I've been tellin' you about for the past couple weeks."
"I'm literally in an interview right now. Why even..."
"Oh, hey interview guy. Check this out," he held it closer. There were pink frills along the black lace, thin silk interwoven and-
"Okay, wait, stop looking at the bedroomwear. Why did you even make this, does it actually do anything?" she asked. Hazel nodded with a smug grin.
"Boosts Defense and Special Defense."
"...You sat there and worked on defensive lingerie for two weeks. Then, still made the decision to complete it knowing we are wanted by the authorities?"
"Yup."
Bell stared at him with eyes furrowed in incredulation for a few moments, before her eyes looked up in thought and she rubbed her chin. A devious, evil smile crawled its way across her face, and it was like all hesitation was thrown out the window once one, specific, thought entered her head.
"Where's Esther?" was all she said.
"Esther? Why do-" he was cut off as Bell leaned over and placed a paw on his shoulder, staring into his eyes intently. He frowned in confusion at first, before understanding bloomed on his face, and he hopped away with a raucous laugh.
"H-holy shit! Come on, now!" he called as he trotted away, down the row of looms.
Bell chuckled and stood up, giving a wave to follow. She walked down the row of looms, passing by working Pokémon as she made her way down toward the crafting tables. She hung a left and made her way towards a tent flap in the back corner of the room, where Hazel stood in front of, hopping in place. The Audino took her place beside him, and Hazel poked his head through the flap.
"Hey, Esther? We need your help with, uh, something!" he called, then stood back. Moments later, the Banette floated out of the flap.
"Greetings. What is it?" she looked down. "Oh, the Pachirisu. What brings you to our humble domain?"
"He's interviewing us, but that's not important," rushed the Vulpix. He handed the lingerie to Bell, who unfolded it without preamble.
The Banette merely gave a bemused smirk.
"Are you propositioning me?"
"Close. Can you get him to wear this?" requested Bell, nodding her head to the flap to the side.
Esther paused for a bit, before she threw her head back and let out a loud cackle, legs flailing in the air. Once she had calmed a bit, she floated over and grabbed the garment from Bell, a wicked smile on her face.
"You've made me very proud today," she stated. Bell and Hazel preened at the praise.
"How are you going to get him to go through with it?" asked the Audino
"Charm Specs?" questioned the Vulpix. Esther 'hmmd' in thought.
"That would be easiest, but I can't overuse the joke. Let's see..."
"...Oh, Amnesia? That's a thought...there's a deviant underneath that adorable hat isn't there? It just so happens I have a scarf imbued with the move. Come along, put this in your notes, hmm?"
She burst from sight, only to return a second later with a deep pink scarf in her clutches. With a wave, she urged them on towards the flap right next to hers, this one colored in a similar deep pink color. She floated in, the other two stood with bated breath to the side.
Once the flaps were opened just wide enough to peek through, Esther could be viewed floating towards the Sylveon who was currently working at a loom while simultaneously reading a book on the side. She held the two pieces of fabric behind her back. At her approach, he looked up with big, blue eyes.
"Oh, Esther. Were you able to scout out who would be good to take along with us yet?"
"In a moment. I have a surprise for you."
"That's horrifying," he muttered, focused on his task.
"Look." She held out the black lace piece.
In an instant, Purl shut off the loom and stared with a blank face at the garment. Esther's face couldn't be seen from this angle, but it could be assumed she was cheesing like a madmon.
"Put it on," she commanded.
The flap needed to be closed a bit once Purl's eyes flicked to the entrance, so this next part could only be heard.
"I can't believe this," said Purl
"Somebody made this excellent piece, and I think you shou-" she stopped mid-sentence, and a sound like choking could be heard.
"Ooh, you remembered! My birthday isn't for another month, but this is exactly what I've been wanting~"
"...Yes. Happy early birthday," she squeezed out.
o - o - o - o - o
"For the record, I did in fact remember his birthday. I had purchased tickets to this one play he'd been wanting to see, "Darkrai of the Opera." So, ideally, we would be over and done with this whole wanted situation before then," stated Esther, seated in her workshop.
She grinned.
"I hate seeing him upset, after all."
o - o - o - o - o
The next thing Purl said implied that he had managed to put the thing on.
"Ooh, tight fit. How do I look?"
"Like a full course meal. I'm sure everyone else would think so too if you took it outside."
"Oh hah hah. You know I can't do that, I'm indecent!"
"Everyone is naked all the time."
"Well...it's the principle of the matter. I think..."
"Maybe this will give you the push you need."
"Pu-what is that scarf? Wait, hold o-"
Silence. The Audino and Vulpix crept closer to the entrance. Seconds later, the flap was thrown open, and out pranced Purl with a grin on his face, pink scarf wrapped around his neck. For the purposes of this record, it would be unprofessional to document the way the lace hugged his form, or how much of a natural he looked as he sashayed forward, particularly with the sway of his hi-
"Hello everyone~" he called. Bell and Hazel looked on with wide eyes, and waved back numbly.
"H-hey, Purl. Um, where are you going?" asked Hazel. The gorgeous Sylveon giggled in reply.
"Oh, you know. Figured I'd take a little walk around, relax a bit before we head out. I'll be back later, ciao~" With that, he walked off. Esther peeked her head out and watched him go.
"Well. That was easy." She turned to the two stunned apprentices. "I can't be the only one who hates seeing him go, hmm?"
o - o - o - o - o
Purl lounged on a cushion in front of one of his mirrors, twirling the pink scarf in a paw while still in the skimpy garb.
"Just so we're clear, this didn't work," he stated, an impish grin on his face. "Amnesia scarf, meant to increase Special Defence by making the wearer forget their concerns. Too bad Esther messed up the stitching and never bothered to fix it. I am completely in my own mind~"
"Why am I pretending? Darling, I saw my opportunity and I took it. Who's going to blame me if they think Esther pranked me again? Like this, I can boost guild morale by giving them something to laugh at, and feel absolutely delicious while doing it, all with no consequences!"
"Oh. And don't think I'm not catching where your eyes are landing, you little pervert squirrel~. Feel free to look, but don't get any ideas. Unfortunately for you, all of this..." he gestured to all of him, "Is taken. Or I guess haunted. Just waiting for Esther to be a bit more upfront with me about her feelings is all. Not every Partnered pair here dates, mind you. Just look at Brook and Willow. But, it's hard to resist someone who knows just which buttons of yours to push."
"Did you just write that down? Ooh, I see. A fantastic journey of true love on the run~. So romantic...well, don't worry pervert squirrel. I'm sure if you stick around, you'll find someone. Now if you'll excuse me," he hopped up and began to walk to the door.
"As per my self-care, I'm going to go bend over provocatively in front of whoever crosses my path, and pretend like I don't know what I'm doing. See you!"
o - o - o - o - o
Why did you join the Absol Guild?
"Simple, but honestly a pretty good question. Do you want to start, Reed?"
"Gill, interviewer, can we do this later? Preferably when my tail feathers are not sunk in this...gunk."
Within a Proto Dungeon in the Dynamo branch, a Totodile stood next to a concerning pile of white...something. The substance currently contained the struggling form of a Hoothoot, who tried with all his might to wriggle out of the stuff. Gill, the Totodile, simply side-eyed the bird.
"Damn, that's crazy. It's almost like I told you we needed to offset the amount of Normal-type Ener-"
"Oh my Arceus, just answer the question..." groused Reed. Gill smirked and turned forward to answer.
"Well, for us it was the allure of the...strange, that made us want to join. See, Reed and I used to be with Mienshao's Explorer guild a while back, but honestly? There are so many mon that go that route, it kind of felt like we were just doing the same thing as everyone else. Absol's though, that gave us the opportunity to really find that feeling of discovery we'd been searching for. Isn't that right bud? " The Totodile leaned up against the lumpy surface. Reed sent him a dry glare.
"...Really? You're just going to stand there? Pachirisu, you'd rather take notes than assist me? Ruffians, the both of you." The owl sighed a bit, before he continued in as dignified a voice as he could.
"Yes. You see, it was more so a chance we didn't want to pass up. There isn't always a Dungeon Research and Development guild, you see. Unlike the others, which typically have a seamless transition from one leader to another, the line of succession for guilds like Absol's is more spread out over time. It's not always deemed necessary to have one, according to the council. We were all a bit younger when it was announced, but about a little over a decade ago, it was decreed that one would be instituted again, and Vert would be leading it. After that, well...
"It was mostly for curiosity's sake," picked up the Totodile. "I mean, what kind of place could Absol's even be? How do you study a Dungeon? By nature they don't make sense, at least that's what we thought. But as it turns out there's all kinds of stuff you can do here! Who'd have thought all it took was a little instruction and you can make, well, almost anything!"
"It's a shame that there are times when we as a society have decided to drop funding for an institution like this. The potential is almost limitless."
"Like, just look at what we've managed to create! Let me just..." he hopped out of the Dungeon, and returned moments later with an off-white colored orb. He held it up with a proud smile.
"Look, you seein' that? We call it an Obstruction Orb! For when you're tired of being chased through rooms by ferals and need to give yourself some breathing room."
"As you can see," muttered the Hoothoot trapped in the hardened substance, "There are still some...kinks that need to be worked out. But the point still stands, this is the result of many nights of careful preparation and study. Diligent focus all in the name of scientific purs-"
"Trial and error. Lots of trial and error. He just likes watching this thing explode into goop over and over."
"Sh-shut up! Don't tell him that..." whined Reed.
"We actually didn't even get that far before Damia stepped in a few days ago to help us out with the formula."
"I would smack you if I could."
"Yup. Love you too, buddy."
"Oh? What do I think of our boss? You mean the Guild Heads or Vert?"
"He might just be referring to Damia, I believe."
"...Uh. Well, 'boss' is a strong word. The guild heads are more like supervisors with either the most experience, or who are good sources of instruction."
"Oh I disagree, my friend. Referring to Damia as our boss might not be too far off the mark."
"I mean...Ok, don't, um, don't write this down. If we're being honest, Damia is nice but she can be kind of..."
"Militant? Cold? Harsh?" offered the bird. Gill flinched.
" I was going for 'intense.' But come on, you can tell she has a soft side, I mean she's friends with Clara, right?"
"Clara could befriend the bad side of a Morpeko."
"Even still, you have to admit that nobody in Dynamo would have gotten as far with their projects if it wasn't for her help."
"True. And it is a bit easier to handle her if you show some backbone. I think she challenges people in part to test them."
"Yup. Which is exactly why we're not going to be the ones to join her in fighting those guys who started this whole mess. We're leaving that to those poor guys over there."
He pointed to the side, and a swivel revealed Damia stood over Van and Lumi. She seemed to be staring the two down as they performed pushups, and it was clear they were struggling. Gill audibly winced at the sight.
"Mew bless em', they're trying."
"Perhaps this might finally be Van's chance to get on her good side," piped the bird. The Totodile chuckled.
"I dunno about that one chief. Poor guy's had it bad for-"
"Gill, Reed! Do I need to come over there and teach you how to mix orbs again!?" yelled Damia. She stomped over with clear frustration in her eyes, and Reed began to frantically wave his wings.
"Pull me out, pull me out!"
"I'm...trying..." grunted Gill as he tried to pull his friend out of the gunk. After a tense struggle, he yanked the bird out hard enough to send them both careening out of the Proto Dungeon, and they bid a hasty retreat.
"Sorry about the interview!" yelled Gill as they sped off.
Damia trotted up to the front of the Proto Dungeon and sighed heavily, claws pinching her forehead.
"...Dammit. Was hoping to see that finished by today. Those Obstruction Orbs sounded useful."
She glanced down.
"Oh, the journalist. You were serious about scheduling interviews for everyone. Can't say I'm surprised those two flaked on you, they have trouble focusing on one thing."
"No, I'm clearly busy. I can't just push our meeting up early because this one got cut short."
"Look, I said no."
"Ask me one more damn time and see what happens..."
...
...
...
"...You're really about to throw paws over this? Ugh, if it's that serious to you, fine. Just means I don't have to waste time later...Come on."
o - o - o - o - o
What would you say is the overall purpose and function of the Absol Guild?
"Boring, do your own research. Next question."
What do you enjoy the most about working here?
"I thought this was your job, and this is the best you can do? Next question."
The Absol Guild is widely distrusted due to its close connection with the Mystery Dungeons that plague our lands. What is your response to those that believe tampering with Dungeons will lead to ruin?
"They're cowards. All of them. And hypocrites too. They'll gladly take what we produce, but then turn around to cast suspicion because they don't bother to learn anything themselves. The Guild system could barely function if it weren't for Pokémon like us, and getting through tougher Dungeons would probably be impossible."
"That one wasn't bad. Keep those up and I might not kick you out."
Are you concerned you might draw attention from the Haxorus Guild on account of your conne-
"No comment. Next ques-"
"Uuggggh...Damia! Is it time?" whined Van from the side. Damia's head turned to address him.
Inside a Proto Dungeon, Van and Lumi were currently engaged in intense physical exercise. Van was in a plank position with sweat coating his forehead, and Lumi's ears and paws shook slightly as he struggled to rotate four dud orbs suspended in his psychic grasp. Their eyes were glued to books open in front of them, words and diagrams on the pages. They were both breathing heavily.
"That depends," remarked Damia. "Tell me the infusion procedure for an All-Protect Orb."
"Uuuuh. Aw fu-"
"Wait, wait, I just read that one..."
"It's thirty push ups from both of you if you don't answer in the next ten seconds."
"Wait! I got it," exclaimed Lumi, eyes scrunched in concentration. "It's, uh, first you blanket the dud with a light layer of Fighting-type Energy. And then allow Normal-Type Energy to flow from...uh...hold on."
"Then you allow Normal-Type Energy to flow from the top, meld, and then from the bottom. Repeat until it's one solid color..." groaned Van.
The Dragonite walked over to them and leaned her head down, looking each of them in the eyes. She let their bodies hang in exertion for a few seconds more before she pulled her head back up and nodded.
"Good. Break."
At once, the two dropped their poses and flopped onto the ground, taking in gulps of air. Van was lain prone on the ground, and Lumi crawled over to rest his head on his back.
Stepping back out of the Proto Dungeon, Damia crossed her arms.
How do you plan to combat the unknown threat that is causing Dungeons to behave dangerously?
"What, finally believe us now? The plan is to beat the crap out of those terrorists and get them to tell us how to reverse it. At least that's the gist." She pointed a digit to the gassed out duo.
"I'm bringing these two goobers with me, so I need to make sure they're in fighting condition. I'm going hard on them, but that's because we're going to head out later tonight, so I want to get them in the right headspace quickly. Especially Lumi. He got his feet wet, but I can tell he's got some fight in him. Scrafty too, although I can see he's not giving me one hundred percent."
"I'll change that."
o - o - o - o - o
Leaned up against the wall next to the flap entrance of his workshop, Van had his head down, panting for breath. Lumi was at least able to sit upright with a tired grin on his face.
"How's my experience been as the newest member of the guild? Heh...hoo boy," he sucked in a breath.
"I feel like I've gotten the crap kicked out of me since I stepped in. I've been blown up, assaulted by almost everything, wrongfully convicted, and Damia's idea of preparing me to fight terrorists is to kill me before they can. So all in all..."
He thought for a bit, before he smiled wide.
"I'm having the time of my life. How bout you, huh?" he asked the slumped Scrafty to the side.
At his weak groan, he chuckled.
o - o - o - o - o
"Actually, that question reminds me of something," muttered Damia. She walked off toward her workshop, throwing open the flap as she stepped in. She stood still to scan the room, before she moved to a crate containing dud orbs next to her desk. She bent down to reach a claw in and began to shift around for a moment, before she paused with a dry look on her face. She pulled her arm out.
A Spinda was attached to it.
Damia stared down at Clara with a half lidded glare, and she could only giggle nervously in response.
"Oh...wow, what a coincidence to meet up with you here! Heh, heh..."
"This is my office."
"Yup! I was just cleaning the, um, orbs..."
"This is the best hiding spot you could think of, really?"
"Well you thought it was stupid, didn't you? I figured you wouldn't check such an obvious spot!"
Damia brought her closer to stare her down. Clara brought her paws up to smoosh the Dragonite's face in response.
"Damiiiiiaaaaaa! Pleeeeeaaaaaasseeeee...don't make me do one of your workouts. They. Suck. So. Much..." she whimpered pathetically. Damia slowly removed her paws from her face.
"Clara, I need you to set a good example for those guys out there. We're going into uncharted territory soon and I need to know that I can trust everyone coming to pull through if things get tough. That goes double for my Partner."
"Uuggghhh. You know I can't say no when you call me that...alright, but on one condition," she stated. Clara then spread out her arms wide, with a goofy smile on her face.
"Hug."
"No. Not in front of the-"
"Huuuuug. For your partner."
The Dragonite rolled her eyes at the grinning Spinda still held in her claw, but turned her gaze to the side.
"You. Turn around for a second."
The sound of brief shuffling could be heard, before Damia and Clara started to walk out of the flap.
"Alright. Now that you've gotten that out of your system, thirty...no, forty burpees. To make up for hiding."
"You're so mean to...me...ooh la la~"
"Why are you-"
Damia paused in disbelief once she stepped past the flap. Beyond her, Purl could be seen performing a downward dog pose inside the Proto Dungeon. Van sat off to the side, a bemused smile on his face while Lumi bowled over in laughter.
"Ayo Purl!" called Van, elbowing Lumi in the side, "Come back that ass up!"
"Oh my God..." uttered Damia. She stayed still, eyes flicking from the incredibly confusing sight to her side.
"Don't...don't write this...Purl what the hell are you doing in my Branch!?"
The scantily dressed Sylveon let out a loud exhale of breath, and shifted to a casual lounge.
"I saw these two working up a sweat and figured I could get in on the action. Is there a problem?" innocently replied Purl, batting his eyelashes with a devious grin on his face.
"Yeah Damia, is there a problem?" sweetly asked Clara. She stepped closer to the Dragonite and hissed lowly to her. "Don't ruin this, please. I'm trying to get a closer look, do you see those thighs?"
"Nope," stated Damia, abruptly stomping forward into the Proto Dungeon.
"What's the matter? Oh, do you want to join too~" coyly asked Purl.
"Nope. Not doing this. Out."
She made to snatch him by a ribbon, but he slinked out of the way just in time
"Purl, why are you wearing lingerie and mooning my teammates!? Get out!"
"Why, whatever do you mean?" responded Purl.
She tried again and met with the same result. A strange game of chase began inside the Proto Dungeon with Damia progressively getting more and more frustrated. Purl evaded her lunges with little effort and took every opportunity to wiggle his hips at those watching when he did so.
Biting her lip and eyes swirling rapidly, Clara briefly looked to the side from the action.
"Oh, hi! Yeah, so, I don't think we can take any questions right now. We're a little busy."
"Hold still you pink twink!"
"Very busy."
Are you bothered by the fact that the Absol Guild is the smallest and least popular of the four Guilds?
"Bothered? Nope!" remarked the Gligar, Basil. He was sat up against the trunk of a tree, high above the natural floor of the Bio Branch. His pincers were held behind his head as he lounged in the shade of the leaves above him.
"Actually, I kinda like the guild how it is! From what I've heard, the other guilds have thousands of members, so many that they can spread out over all the other continents. But, it doesn't sound as fun as having everyone so close, like it is here. Imagine having to remember thousands of Pokémon's names!"
"Yeah, you could say that. Everyone is so nice and easy to talk to, they're all like a family to me. I thought Vert would be mean at first because he looks kind of scary, but he's actually really nice! If Miss Willow or Mr. Brook is busy, he always makes time to help if I'm stuck on something with my homework. N-not that I need a lot of help or anything! Miss Willow says I have 'prodigious adaptability,' which I think means I'm smart."
"Huh? I'm twelve, why do you ask?"
o - o - o - o - o
"Basil appeared to us roughly four years ago," remarked Willow. A light haze permeated her greenroom, the source coming from a thin wooden pipe she held up to her mouth with a tendril. The large snake was coiled lightly on the dirt floor, plants and vegetation growing seemingly at random throughout the space. Some were in bins, but others bloomed from the ground and walls themselves.
She sucked a drag from the pipe, and took a moment to let out a low, smooth exhale, eyes closed in relaxation. The aroma of sweet berries that blanketed the space became stronger. She offered the pipe forward.
"Do you partake? No? Acceptable. I myself only do so on occasion. The current situation presents many different factors, and I require something to calm my thoughts. This is the quickest solution."
"As I was saying, it truly was a serendipitous turn of events. We had ordered a standard shipment of food supplies, and upon opening one of the crates, this small Gligar tumbles out, having eaten a substantial amount of the apples inside. Of course, he had no answer when asked about parents, and apparently he had been stowing away on ships for food and shelter for as long as he could remember. I suppose the mercy of the seafaring Pokémon kept him from seeking stability on land..."
Her eyes rolled up in thought for a moment, before she shook her head slightly and returned her focus down.
"Despite his confusing and unfortunate past, he was remarkably well-adjusted, and nothing but friendly to the other apprentices. Once he showed interest in our operations in Bio, it wasn't long before Vert declared him to be the youngest member of our guild. Brook and I see to most of his instruction, but I suppose everyone has taken to the responsibility of raising him in some way or another."
"As he is too young to realistically Partner with anyone here, and dislikes sleeping by himself, he has taken to lodging with Brook and I in our room. I find the arrangement most agreeable."
o - o - o - o - o
"Hey, I know that look! Just cuz I'm young doesn't mean I can't do stuff! I probably know more about how to use seeds and fruits better than most explorers, plus I'm tough!"
He jumped up on the branch and punched the air a few times, then struck a pose.
"Miss Willow let's me practice against ferals when I go with her for testing, so I know how to fight too. I'm basically a bada- oop..."
He flinched and darted his eyes around, then said in a more subdued voice.
"I'm basically really awesome. I was gonna volunteer to go with Mr. Brook and Miss Willow to go fight those bad guys!"
"Fortunate. I was just coming to request your assistance," stated a smoothly monotone voice from above. Basil turned his head up and smiled at the sight of Willow coiled around the tree, slithering down to meet him.
"Oh Miss Willow! You mean it, I can really come?"
"Truthfully, you were my first choice. Let's confirm the arrangement with Brook, I am sure he will see things my way."
"Yay! I'll go find him right now," he hopped off the tree to glide the rest of the way down. Willow made to slink down before she paused.
"Come if you must, observing Brook might prove helpful. His leadership style is fascinating."
With that, she slithered off the branch and was followed down the length of the tree to the grassy ground below. She continued on through a seemingly random cospe of bushes deeper into the shade of the trees. Voices could be heard further ahead, and past a veil of leaves, the forms of a Wartortle, Emolga, and Morpeko could be seen.
"...if you c-could just, consider..." asked Brook. His claws were clasped in front of him in an almost pleading fashion. The two small Pokémon looked to glance at each other with a wince.
"Well, uh, we'd love to Brook. Really." uttered the Emolga, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's just...y'know, we have a bunch of work to catch up on, and, uh..." the Morpeko trailed off.
"But, you two a-aren't currently assigned to anything, and didn't report that you had decided on a project to p-pursue."
The Emolga and Morpeko paused, and began to stammer out vague replies. Willow chose that moment to break out of the bush and approach them.
"Is something the matter?"
At the sight of her, the mouse and squirrel audibly 'eep'd' and stepped closer to each other. Brook sighed and gestured to them.
"I was just a-asking these two if they'd be in-interested in joining us to the Dungeon, but..."
"I see. And their response?" she turned to face the smaller Pokémon. Her face was neutral, and yet they still wilted as if struck by a harsh glare.
"We...um...would just slow you down!" exclaimed the Morpeko. Emolga decided to follow his lead and step forward.
"Y-Yup! We're not really, uh, combat mon', you know? Don't want to cramp your style or anything..." finished the Emolga with a desperate smile.
"B-but I thought it was becau-"
"Logical. If you are not combat-ready then your accompanying us would simply heed progress. It is best to stay here, where you can contribute the most. Agreed?"
"Uh, yeah! Agreed. So we'll just stay here, away from yo-danger! Away from danger," finished Emolga. The squirrel threw up a wave and the two scurried off.
Brook audibly groaned when they left and rubbed his head in his claws. Willow looked down at him.
"I do not believe they wanted to come in the first place," she offered.
"You think?" muttered the Wartortle.
"This is acceptable, I have already sourced a suitable third for us."
At this, Brook whipped his head up at her with wide eyes.
"Wait, really!? Who?"
"There you are Mr. Brook! I couldn't find you for a sec," called a voice from above. Basil swooped down into the clearing and landed in front of Brook and Willow. Wordlessly, she extended a tendril out to gesture to the young Gilgar. Brook looked between her and Basil before he sighed heavily.
"Umm, hello Basil..."
"Miss Willow says I can come, so when are we leaving!" he asked, eyes wide in anticipation.
"Right. Well, about that. Uh, w-wait here." He turned to Willow. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked in a lower voice, gesturing with a claw to the side. She shrugged as well as a snake could and followed him out of the clearing.
Basil crossed his arms and looked around for a moment before his eyes landed on the bush Willow entered from.
"Mr. Interviewer guy! Were you...there the whole time writing stuff? That's a little creepy, but also gives me an idea! Let's go follow em."
He rushed off the way that Brook and Willow went, hopping through the brush and around trees with practiced ease. They arrived in front of a tent flap that almost blended in with the greenery, vines covering its side and caked soil on its rims.
"This is Mr. Brook's greenroom," explained Basil. "He grows all sorts of cool stuff here. Oop, wait, we gotta be quiet..." He hushed himself and creeped forward to pull the flap aside just enough to see through.
In front of one of the plant beds, Brook faced Willow with his arms crossed, gaze on the ground as he visibly struggled to begin the conversation. Willow glanced his way while she curiously inspected a fruit she had plucked from its stem.
"I assume this is about my decision to allow Basil to accompany us?" she started.
"Well, yes! That's...Willow you had the entire branch to choose from. There was nobody else who you thought could come?"
"As agreed, I spoke to half of those who spend substantial time in our branch. Some gave a similar excuse as those two before. Most simply stammered and backed away once I approached them with the offer."
"Ugh," he groaned. "I wonder why..."
"This outcome is not surprising. I have known for some time that many of those in Bio do not share my passion for practical testing. This opportunity is not for everyone."
"You do know we're not going on a 'test,' right? This is serious! Even Vert struggled with one of the guys we're going up against."
"So you'll agree with me that Basil is the optimal choice for a third."
"H-how!? He's twelve!"
"He is also the most experienced of those under our watch when it comes to excursions outside of the Guild. You should know that he quite enjoys being my assistant when we go to assess the efficacy of our creations in a hostile environment. He is no stranger to danger."
"But you only ever took him out once a month, like we agreed."
"I may have increased the frequency of our outings," she replied. He gave her an incredulous look.
"Are you serious? Increased them to what?"
"Multiple times a month."
"Willow!"
"Often multiple times a week." Her expression did not change as he held his head in his hands and groaned.
"If I'm being completely honest, many times I do not even have a particular test in mind. I simply enjoy his exuberance. It is also incredibly difficult to say no to him."
"J-just say no! I couldn't handle it if he got hurt."
"You doubt my ability as a guardian?" she asked, eyes narrowed slightly.
"W-well...erm, you don't exactly inspire, uh, confidence...there was also that whole situation with Lumi a couple days ago," he replied, claws tapping each other nervously. The snake rolled her eyes.
"If you are so certain you do not want Basil to come, then you can tell him yourself."
Abruptly, she extended a vine to the side, out of the tent flap. It coiled around Basil in a firm grip and with a surprised yelp, he was yanked inside the room. Willow held the gligar with her vines under his arms and held him out to Brook. He flinched back from the sudden appearance of the young bat.
"Go on. Tell him what you decided," she stated.
"B-Basil! I thought I said to, um, wait where you were..." he trailed off at the downtrodden expression on Basil's face.
"Is it true Mr. Brook? You don't want me to come with you two?" asked Basil. He looked up at Brook with wide, sad eyes.
"N-no! Well, it's not that I don't want you to come, of course I'd like to! But, um, you see it could be dangerous, and..."
"No, it's okay, I get it," meekly responded the boy. His lip quivered and his eyes shone with the promise of tears. "It's just that, it would have been nice to get to spend time with you Mr. Brook, because I think you're really cool like Miss Willow. But..."
Brook clutched an arm to his chest and winced. Willow watched with judgment in her eyes.
"If you think it's not safe..."
"NO! No, wait," Brook threw an arm out in desperation. "I-I never said you couldn't come!"
Basil looked up with hope in his eyes, and Brook had to avert his gaze.
"I just wanted to make sure you were prepared! For the trip! S-so you should go...get...ready," he finished, a resigned tone in his voice.
He jolted at the impact of the Gligar launching himself at his body and wrapping his arms around his shell in a hug. Basil looked up at him, smile wide and eyes full of joy.
"Thank you Mr. Brook! I'll go get my stuff ready now!" With that, he zoomed off, the flap thrown open in his wake.
o - o - o - o - o
Brook hunched over a table in his greenhouse, his head held in one of his claws. The Wartortle shook his head to himself before he looked up.
"Okay, so I caved a little bit, but in my defense! Basil might be the only person besides me that Willow listens to, so having him with us might actually make things run smoother. At least with him around, I can share the burden of being most of her self-control."
"...I uh, realize now that those puppy dog eyes were probably just for show. You saw how quick he went from depressed to happy, right? I gotta stop letting him hang around Willow for so long, she's starting to teach him how to sniff out weakness. Then again, maybe that's a good thing, will help if we run into dangerous Pokémon when we arrive at..."
His eyes slowly widened before he closed them hard and plonked his head down on the table.
"...Did I just try to j-justify bringing a kid to help fight criminals? Arceus...don't let me turn into Willow..."
o - o - o - o - o
The greenhouse was silent as Brook stared down at the floor while Willow sent a vine to open the flap further.
"You can come in, if you want. Basil will be too occupied to continue whatever line of questioning you were on."
Brook looked up and flinched, letting out a yelp.
"You! Oh, I f-forgot about that, I don't have my notes ready...don't, um, write down we're bringing him with us, okay? Ugh, there's so much going on..."
He rubbed his forehead hard with a claw before he blew out a puff of air.
"Everything is out of control...I don't even know where to start."
"You made Basil happy. I think that is a good start," offered Willow. Brook glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Y-you're insane, you know that?"
"I know that right now, the pot is calling the kettle black. I see this as an excellent learning opportunity. Both for Basil, and us." She leaned down until her head was right in front of Brook's. He only leaned back a little bit.
"All those theories and speculations you keep hidden in that mind of yours. This is an excellent chance to stop holding back and experiment."
He placed a claw on her nose and gently pushed her head back. He kept it on her head, however.
"Before anything, I-I want to focus on keeping us safe. Just promise me that you'll make that a priority, okay?"
"Putting safety above science. I am not sure I agree with this arrangement."
Brook stared at her. Eventually, her eyes flitted to the side.
"But, as long as Basil is with us, I suppose I can make some sacrifices."
"Thank you," he replied. "Maybe I'll even let you test this new brew I've been working on, since you're being so cooperative."
"You likening me to some kind of feral wounds me, but are you certain you wish to discuss your less than reputable projects in front of our company?" she inquired, gesturing to the side. Brook glanced over, flinched again, but then sighed heavily.
"Y-you're still here...whatever. I'm kind of tired of worrying about things, we should just relax before tonight," he muttered, making his way out the flap, Willow following behind.
He was promptly bowled over into the grass by a lewdly dressed Sylveon.
"Oh Brooooook~ so glad I found you! I was thinking of having a little going away celebration tonight, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing some of your 'special' wine, hmm? Whaddaya say?" he asked happily.
"Oof, P-purl, what are you-" from his position underneath the eeveelutions' paws, Brook had an up close view of just what exactly Purl was wearing. His blue face erupted into a blush and he was reduced to a stuttering mess.
Willow reached a vine out to fiddle with the lingerie. She pulled and prodded at it, before letting it snap back against Purls side.
"Ow!"
"As I suspected, it's been enhanced in some way. Are you planning to use this to distract our enemies with infatuation?"
He looked back at her with a smug smile.
"Hmm? Am I planning to use what?" he made sure to adjust the scarf around his neck, and Willow squinted before nodding her head, as if in understanding.
"Oh wait, Mr. Brook! I had a quick question!" called Basil's squeaky voice.
Everyone went still once the child glided through some trees into the area. Brook ceased his stammering, and scrambled to push Purl off of him.
"What should I- woah! Mr. Purl, what are you wearing?"
"Hmm, unacceptable," uttered Willow. She sped forward and grabbed Basil from the ground in her vines, placing some in front of his eyes.
"What, what'd I do?"
"U-um, oh, d-damn...uh, Purl is wearing..." he looked to the Sylveon with desperation in his eyes. Purl looked just as frazzled, smirk gone, and shrugged helplessly.
"A..uh...superhero costume! Yup..."
"Ooh, really?" asked the Gligar in a giddy tone. He fought with the vines to lift them from his eyes. "So, if I wear that, I can act like a superhero too?"
"NO!"
"Nononono!"
"You don't want to be that kind of superhero."
"Remind me again what the purpose of this little diversion is?" asked Pandora. She was seated on one of the cushions that dotted the main room of the Residential wing. "You must realize by now we are all quite occupied."
"Simple! I want to capture what life is really like at the most infamous guild, and what better way than to ask the residents here what it's like." replied Pepin.
"You picked a rubbish time to do so."
"And you agreed! Speaking of, where is the Guildmaster? He was scheduled alongside you at this time."
"He had to deal with a complaint. Something about 'indecent exposure." She grinned, "Seems our members are getting a bit rowdy before the excursion."
"Hmm, that's fine! It might even be better for this question I have for you."
"And what would that be?"
In your honest opinion, what is it really like working under the enigmatic Guildmaster Absol? Is he as unnerving as people say?
She scoffed
"Enigmatic? His resting face does him no favors, but I assure you, Vert is easy to understand if you just take the time to listen. And so we're clear, I work alongside him, not under him. This guild is both of our visions realized."
"I get where the suspicion comes from though. Really, I do. Would you be old enough to remember...possibly not. But Dungeons have a history of being temperamental, and the guild was sworn in at a time when distrust for them was at an all time high. Vert's intentions on utilizing them for the betterment of others may be taken with a grain of salt by most Pokémon, particularly the other Guildmasters. His tendency to break away from the public eye to focus on research has encouraged all sorts of rumors of what his plans are. All of which are unfounded by the way, the only child we conscript for our nefarious schemes is Basil, and he quite enjoys it."
She smiled and rested on her side, letting out a wistful sigh.
"For better or worse, he is no stranger to Pokémon refusing to look beneath the surface. Of course, it's their loss. You won't meet a more gentle soul, I assure you. Go to any other Guild headquarters, and tell me if their Guildmasters remember the names of each of their apprentices? Or forego sleep in order to stay up and study with them? Vert never demands anything, he knows everyone here has passions that they can't pursue anywhere else, and so does everything in his power to make them feel supported and welcome."
"Honestly, between you and me, he's really just a big Teddiursa at his core. Much too soft to enforce any real disciplinary action. Not that it's required often, but anytime someone gets a bit overzealous, I'm happy to step in to make sure nothing explodes."
She grinned
"Too much."
At that moment, the entrance flap flew open and Vert sped walked toward the stairs. The black lace was spread over his back, and Pandora's eye's widened slightly as he passed by her.
"My," she started, "If you wanted to try something different, you might need to get that in a bigger size, love."
"I'm confiscating this. Purl thought it was funny to prance around with this thing on."
"Ah. And, was it funny?"
"Yes."
"Marvelous. I'll go have a word with him."
He sped off and Pandora rose to her feet. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a content sigh.
"As you can see, we try to enjoy ourselves, even despite the current circumstances." She turned to walk to the entrance flap, and called out as she threw a hand up.
"You can put that in your article!"
Feedback will be appreciated. I know this was a little different, so let me know what did and didn't work.