Tenacinde Modareno Outskirts

[Sinderella]

Guzma squared his shoulders. All he could think about was how cool Golisopod would look in samurai armor like what Ibuki was wearing. And that just made Guzma feel small in this tiny, unevolved badger body. Which made him all the more susceptible to running his fat mouth.

"Look bro," he said. "I know you're all out here aura farming to hell and back, but we ain't here to play games."

Odette glared at Guzma before sliding a side-eye at Blue, both looks barbed. But she kept her lips shut tight. Lillie also did her part in absolutely grating on her already-thinning patience. Did nobody here have any faith in her?

Actually, that was a stupid question. Of course they didn't. She did pull a gun on Gladius. Even if it was justified in her head.

She didn't shy away under the Kingambit's leer, squaring her shoulders to rise to it instead.

There were two ways this could go. Esperanza said she took it upon herself to ensure the guards on duty would be in on the charade. However, she also couldn't promise it would come to fruition, as she'd offered a contingency about bribing them if need be. Fortunately, she knew just enough about these samurai that regardless, her ties should work either way. Regardless of what they were actually up to.

"Nothing's amiss," she replied with a partial shrug. "Was just making an observation. Us Wayfarers need to stay on our toes, you know?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

"You were expecting a delivery to pass through. Here we are, as expected. It's not that hard. Now, unless your little reunion or whatever's related to that, if you could step aside so we could stay on schedule, that'd be great."

"Our passage through here has been planned for some time now, and we were expecting to see some border guards. If you were expecting a carriage, that’s us. It seems to me like everything is going as we both want so far, no?"

"You'd think," muttered 'Lucario Iridium'.

Kyoko – the Samurott – gave him a hard look. "We have to be sure you're who you say you are," she said, coolly. "It would be a terrible thing to let the wrong carriage through – or the wrong people on that carriage."

Gladius gripped one wrist in his other paw, and scowled.

"The hell do you mean by that?" he growled.

Kyoko's paw tightened around the hilt of her weapon. "I mean that we'll do our duty as border guards... and as Knights of the Lantern."

Gladius' eyes widened slightly; noticing this, Kyoko's narrowed. She was testing if he knew about the Knights, and he did – she must have recognised him as Ser Iridium. The samurai certainly wouldn't have expected a Covenant Knight to be here, and if they were on duty as Knights, they couldn't very well openly accept bribes in front of a higher-ranking knight...

"Look bro," he said. "I know you're all out here aura farming to hell and back, but we ain't here to play games."

Ibuki laughed uproariously at this, slapping his knee.

"Yes!" he declared, "I am a farmer of Aura! Most excellent!"

Kyoko shot him a Look, and he reduced his guffawing to a mild chuckle.

"Nothing's amiss," she replied with a partial shrug. "Was just making an observation. Us Wayfarers need to stay on our toes, you know?"

"So, you're all Wayfarers, are you?" asked Kingambit Kotetsu, with an armoured hand framing his chin. "How interesting. There seems to be some confusion! We were not expecting Wayfarers on this fine day. We were expecting someone else, someone we recently had contact with. In her apparent absence, I can only wonder what may have happened to her..."

So, they'd been expecting Esperanza to be here in person. Perhaps they'd have let it slide on the basis of knowing Odette, if it weren't for the complication of Gladius' chosen disguise. What were the odds...? The Zoroark-as-Lucario looked aghast, staring into middle distance with his hackles up and wishing he'd chosen some other illusion.

 

[JFought]

To think, Twig would wake up from his 'nap' just in time to find the situation complicate before his very eyes. How rude. It seemed that Esperanza had not expected her appointed guards to be such martinets about the exact details of their arrangement. They seek El Espino, do they? That can be arranged...

He had not yet made his presence known to the trio, so he remained covert within the carriage as he approached the disguised Gladius from behind and reared up to carefully place a paw on his back.

"Zoroark," he hissed, his volume precise. "Quickly, disguise me as the Thorn. Don't ask questions."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Gladius, to his credit, didn't make a fuss. He understood the plan at once, and he was willing to try for the only route to deescalation available. He responded quickly, closing his eyes and concentrating on the task at hand...

Moments later, he'd extended his illusion to 'Twig'. This would normally be a seriously challenging task, but when the target was already a Sprigatito, it was well within his abilities to improvise.

Task complete, he twisted and thumped the passenger compartment.

"Boss, you're needed up top!" he barked, playing his part.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"So, you're all Wayfarers, are you? How interesting. There seems to be some confusion! We were not expecting Wayfarers on this fine day. We were expecting someone else, someone we recently had contact with. In her apparent absence, I can only wonder what may have happened to her..."

Blue stared at him. Or maybe just past him. Esperanza tell literally one single person what is actually supposed to be happening today challenge (impossible).

 

[JFought]

"Boss, you're needed up top!"

A paw landed on the lucario's shoulder, and a floragato's head poked out from behind him. "Am I needed? Very well!"

And so from the coach exited the Thorn, garbed in a soldier's hat and sash. She jumped up onto the roof of the carriage, where she sat herself on the edge with legs dangling. "No need to worry about my well-being, guardias; as you can see, I am quite well-rested!" She chuckled and casually leaned on an arm. "And worry not about my compatriots either, would you? There was a, ah," -- she lifted a paw and rocked it pensively -- "change of plans, you might say. Maybe I should have sent you a letter?"

Already, she felt quite natural settling into the character, barring a few eccentricities, perhaps. "I was led by a vision to meet with these 'Wayfayers,' and I found them quite fascinating, so I brought them along with me," Esperanza continued to explain (rather truthfully, she might add). "The coachmon can attest to this. Pardon me for not clearing up the confusion sooner: I had thought they would be suitable to handle this task without my assistance, but I hadn't expected you would be so particular about what we had agreed upon." She held out her arms in an open gesture, as if the inconvenience had already been forgiven. "Consider it a test, 'uh? You pass!"

 

[Phoenixsong]

It took Blue a sec to register what was happening. He'd almost forgotten Twig was even here, napping in the corner or whatever—whose brilliant idea was it to ask a baby to participate in like three simultaneous heists at once, oh gee wonder who that could have been—and then bam, outta nowhere, it was like El Thorn in His Side was right there on the roof, voice and everything, even quicker on the uptake than "Guardia Vedette" the "cold-blooded killer". Where the hell was this coming from?

He had no idea what the expression on his face currently looked like, but as there was a ninety-nine percent chance whatever it was was too stupid to actually sell the bit he gave himself a quick shake before leaning out of the coach again. "W-well, thanks for the show of confidence... boss," he said, covering his surprise with an irritated huff. "But whatever. Everything's how it's supposed to be, see? We on the same page now or what?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

This new development took the samurai completely off their guard. What could they say that wouldn't sound stupid or obstinate after that?

"Hmph, it would seem so," conceded Kotetsu. "The same page, yes. Very good. It is well to see you, Thorn of Modareno. Were you able to relieve your opponent of his precious thing...?"

Isabella didn't move a muscle.

Ibuki, keen to seize the opportunity to not expend effort in a needless fight, lumbered off the bridge and sat himself back down at his little camp, returning a brace of small fish to a campfire grill.

"Excellent!" he declared. "I would invite you to join us for a meal, but I have not enough for you all. The politest thing to do is wish you a swift and pleasant journey, is it not so?"

"Will that be all, then, Knight-Sergeant?" said Gladius, a tiny smirk flickering onto his face as the tension bled away.

Kotetsu scoffed. "What is a Knight-Captain doing all the way down here?" he asked, adopting a more casual tone and stance as he leaned on the bridge railing. "With a Wayfarer, at that."

Gladius grinned. "Never you mind that, and I won't make time to let the Grandmaster know about whatever the fuck you lot are up to while bearing the Lantern badge."

"...Very well."

Kyoko pushed forward. "But for the sake of our vow, I must ask – are you here searching for the Saint of Victory?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Lillian scratched the back of her head. The guards made this sound like a formality, like they were literally bound to ask even though they either didn’t care or already knew the answer would be no.

“Uhh, nope! No idea what you’re talking about.”

 

[Phoenixsong]

"Uh... nnnno?" Far as he knew, at least. Neither of the two who'd already been stuck here for ages had said anything about any saints or whatever. (But why were they acting like that was something they should know?) "Just helping out since we were... passing through. Shame an' all we won't get to see the look on his face when he sees just how thoroughly he's been had, but, y'know, got better places to be and all that." He glanced at Isabella. "For, uh, everybody."

Blue could smell the big bug guy's fish from over here. He had half a mind to ask if he had just enough to share with someone who hadn't gotten enough sausage for breakfast, but forced himself to focus on the part where they could leave.

"So, yeah, sure, pleasant journeys... uh, guard duty?... to you guys, good luck with your victory thing, have a nice day okay bye."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Suspicious though they were, and presumably for reason enough, the reactions from Lillian and Blue were sincere enough to convince the samurai.

"Well... That's disappointing, but things are as they are," mused Kotetsu.

Kyoko glanced sidelong at him. "This is fortunate for us, I would say. Fewer 'mon to contest our search."

Ibuki grunted and scratched at a chitinous plate. "Hey, you fine fellows – if you hear anything about Victini, try to send word our way, if you can. We'll do any kind of favour for you in return, and that's a promise from Big Ibuki himself, so you better believe in it."

At this, Kyoko rolled her eyes, but she let the Wayfarers pass all the same.

"Uh, thanks," muttered Gladius, rubbing the back of his neck. "Appreciate the lack of trouble."

"May our paths never cross again!" shot Kotetsu, with a broad, deeply ironic grin.

Somehow, it felt entirely possible they might.

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