"I've heard a thing or two about your union. What I want to know is what it takes for a sapling like me to become one of you. I may not look like I pack the biggest punch, but I can fend for myself and I've got decades of tracking experience."
"I've heard about the stuff you do around here to keep everyone safe and travel the dungeons, from Nico and from other folks, and that's what I want to do. I— we— we came here to help solve problems. And the rangers seem like exactly the ones who're best at staying on top of all that. I want to learn about the frontier and the people who live here and help make sure everything stays okay."
"I'm here for the same reason. To lend a helping paw and try to make a difference. And it sounds like the Rangers are doing a lot. I would love to learn from you. I believe that one 'mon can make a difference and I want to do my part."
"My interest in you is straightforward. Your group's reach stretches far and wide across the Sojavena, right? That comes with many advantages. We can reach more places that need our help beyond Frontier Town, and that's not mentioning the ease of getting information we could benefit from."
Ayda gave a low whistle, though her face didn't show any sign she was impressed.
"Well, I sure didn't expect to get a set of pitches like this was a damn jobs fair. Here I was, wonderin' if you folks were fraudsters or troublemakers of some variety – now it turns out that it took y'all all of one goddamn week to turf that conceited shitbird out of his office, and you're askin' for... what, exactly? To sign up with the rangers? Work with us jointly? Well, I guess we'll see."
She sniffed, and tapped two digits rhythmically against one of the shells on her thighs.
"What d'you reckon, Razael?"
The Haxorus carefully bent down, resting an arm on one knee, and lowered his great neck to examine the offworlders more closely. His face looked perfectly unemotional. Stoic.
He rumbled thoughtfully. "They may have... potential," he said, in a surprisingly quiet voice.
"Sure," agreed Ayda, evenly. "Still gotta see it for myself, though."
The otter tilted her head and folded her arms.
"The Ranger Union gets by on the reputation of its members for dependable competence and upstanding conduct," she declared, as if she were already training the group. "We don't just take in every fresh-faced recruit that shows an interest – our resources are too limited for that, and anything less than an outstanding ranger is at risk of getting flattened in the field. So I can hardly take in the lot of you, let alone more of your group... at least before you show your worth. If half of what I've just heard about you from Voclain the younger is true, I'm sure he'll sponsor you... but I still wanna see this mettle of yours up close."
Ayda smiled, and it was a hard, joyless smile, but not a cruel one.
"You gotta prove to me that you got what it takes."
