Chapter 3 - Arguments are free but not for me

A quick snack and a drink later we find ourselves out of the small bar again, a small blush on our faces from the alcohol. Holding onto eachother for dear life, we stumble out into the streets with shaky steps. "Now then," I say, my speech slurred as the ground seems to slip out from under me. "Shall we set off to the guild?"

Gigi, however, seems a bit more uneasy. "Are you sure you want to return wasted?"

"...Good point."

Rummaging through my rucksack, I take out two small yellow seeds and hand one to Gigi, popping the other one in my mouth. "Here, a heal seed."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

After a brief respite we return to the road, the knock-knock of our steps on the cobblestones replying to the busy chatter of the street.

"...Do you think I'll have a quiet return to the normal?" I ask out loud, glancing at Gigi.

"If you have to ask, most likely not."

"Damnit."

"Well, them's the breaks."

"Who do you think will bother me first, one of the factions or the mountains of paperwork that no doubt have been piling up during my mission?"

"Both, no doubt about it."

"One of these days I'll resign, and then I want to see what they'll do."

"Do you really want the guild to crash and burn like that?"

"No, but I don't have any help either and I'm severely overworked."

"Maybe I could send one of my eggheads your way?"

"You could also stop sending your underlings to bother me anytime anything goes wrong."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"Fun for whom, asshole?"

"Me." Gigi replies with a shit-eating grin.

"Figures." I reply, softly punching her arm.

.

The guild, despite the headaches it brings me on a daily basis, is nothing to scoff at: its large stone walls and imposing presence in the middle of town brings both comfort and security to its residents. Large spires in its corners pierce the heavens in a grand show of power, and the orange and yellow banners flowing in the wind remind me of the flames that once ravaged these plains. Most importantly however are the coats of arms emblazoned above the entrance, five of them in total: mine, Gigi's, Curie's, Thoron's and Sam's.

With a slew of 'Excuse me's and 'Pardon me's we finally cross the entrance of the guild and approach the reception, a Tsareena absentmindedly staring at a legion of pokemon around her, all asking questions much to her dismay. I approach the counter and softly knock on it. Tsareena's reaction is instantaneous, from a bored grimace to a swoon of elation.

"Mi-Mi-Mister Rangzhemolt, welcome back!" Tsareena says, stammering her words as she bows time and time again.

"Hello Tsareena, I'm dropping by to clear my mission." I reply, pulling out a yellowed sheet of paper and placing it on the counter.

"Of course sir, sorry sir." Tsareena says, pulling out a brass stamp and a gold stamp, my personal seal and the guild's, respectively.

Two quick presses in the mission letter later and I give Tsareena a grateful nod.

"And how's your sister, everything good with her?"

Tsareena nods rapidly, her hands fidgeting in front of her. "Of course sir, we're eternally grateful for what you have done for us."

"That's great to hear, send her my regards." I say, smiling warmly as I turn around and head further into the guild. Gigi looks annoyed at me, arms crossed in front of her.

"What the hell was that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you putting the moves on the receptionist."

"What the fu-? It's because of all the manwha you read that now you're all loopy in the head."

"My martial arts manuals have nothing to do with what I saw!"

"Of course they have everything to do with it. You saw a non-aggressive interaction between two members of the opposite sex and now you think I'm trying to romance her."

"Well aren't you?"

"Of course I'm not! She has a boyfriend and a sister she takes care of, you think I'm going to get with her?"

"Well, she still made me jealous."

"Oh stuff a sock in it, let her have nice moments too. Poor girl has been through enough already."

With Gigi's grumbling as background noise we ascend the stairs into the main courtyard of the guild. Here, countless teams mingle during their breaks, either for training purposes or just for relaxation, and thanks to our large number of facilities I'm certain they are not found wanting. From dojos to workshops there's something for everyone.

Gigi gazes at her students with a critical eye, silently judging their forms. Noticing this, I turn to face her.

"So, do you really think they deserve a little party for their efforts?"

"...Considering the state they were in when I started teaching them, yes. And don't try to distract me, I'm still mad at you."

"I'll see what I can do when it comes to supplies. If push comes to shove I'll head out myself in search of more food."

"...Thanks."

Countless teams stop to either greet us or acknowledge our presence, before continuing what they were doing before. I stretch and yawn, feeling the cool breeze pass through my body.

"Do you want to come with me to turn in the mission?"

"Well, I have nothing better to do, so sure." Gigi replies, shrugging.

.

We head into the main building of the guild, five floors tall with countless booths and pokemon accepting requests and delivering completed missions, the large boards in which missions and rankings are posted immediately updating after a couple of seconds. I approach the main desk and flash the busy Audino my badge. "Hey, what's the least congested booth here? I want to hand in a completed mission report."

The Audino glances at my badge and back at me, a small smile forming on the corners of her mouth as she points to the booth numbered 23, mouthing a silent 'Good to have you back sir.' before looking down at the stack of papers in front of her.

We climb two flights of stairs and end up in front of booth 23, in which a Smeargle idly doodles on his counter. I rap the counter with my knuckles and clear my throat, catching the artist's attention.

"Badge and mission paper sir." The Smeargle says, looking at me yet glancing every so often back to his doodles.

"Here and here. I think you'll find everything's in order?" I ask while showing him my badge and handing him the paper.

The clerk glances at my badge and hurriedly scrambles to get the paper, looking over it like someone observing an art piece. After a while of checking records back and forth the Smeargle chuckles apologetically and accepts the paper.

"Forgive me sir, I was just making sure that everything was up to par. You have a really beautiful seal, if I might add." He says, blushing slightly as he hands me a wooden plaque with Sam's seal on it. "The guildmaster will see you shortly, please don't leave the building."

"Thank you, have a good day." I reply, turning around and exiting the booth, leaving the Smeargle to enjoy his alone time.

Gigi and I take a seat near a railing overlooking the guild, watching the various pokemon come and go. I playfully nudge Gigi on her side.

"What, not gonna get jealous this time?" I ask in a teasing tone, hoping to garner her reaction.

"Why would I? You're not into him."

"I'm not into Tsareena either."

"Yeah, but she is into you."

"...If I take you out for drinks tonight, will you cheer up?"

"Maybe."

"That's the most I'll get from you, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"Figures."

Even though we're still 'at odds' with eachother, our bodies slowly but surely move towards one another, not an iota of empty space between us by the end of it. Our fingers intertwine and we spend the time with made-up games like 'Find the hidden outlaw' or 'Who tops who', eventually deciding to snuggle on the bench and resting for a while.

Chapter 3 is here, sorry if the descriptions seem a little lackluster, I'm not the best at them. Have a good one.