Magna City Shining Congress – Side Halls

[Chibi Pika]

The shade horse blinked—or rather, his long lashes swished with the motion of a blink, though his eyes were still obscured. "A Saint... I guess that's what they call me. I don't really understand it, but I try to be helpful where I can."

He pawed at the carpet with a spectral hoof, gaseous fetlocks swirling gently. "I come here a lot with my friend. Oh, but I don't like big parties with lots of people... so I just stay out of view." The shade horse tilted his head. "Is that why you're back here?" He glanced around the hallway, as if trying to ascertain some quality that made it an ideal retreat.

"I can show you my favorite quiet spot."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura's tail shot up, and a purr bubbled up in her throat. Whether his 'quiet spot' was a secret the Wayfarers ought to know (doubtful) or just an empty space to relax (likely), it would probably be a good idea to get to know Spectrier, right? After all, he was another Saint in the Covenant, and, well... They'd met Glastrier in Malantau, and that sure seemed like an unresolved mystery. Spectrier could be connected, surely was connected. Was this anxious horse what Ralsen had wanted them to find? There was no way the Saint would have showed his face in the party, after all.

She glanced sidelong at Leaf and Koa. Leaf would remember Glastrier, too – maybe that's why she was still kinda spooked. Laura had talked about the 'two steeds' on the rest of their trek through the Wight Barrens, so Leaf might be thinking the same thing Laura was. And Koa was just a giant legendary nerd, so, maybe him too.

 

[Weazel]

So, definitely a Legendary, then. Though, probably the least impressive one he'd met thus far, and he'd met Moltres.

"It's definitely a lot more people then you see out in Frontier Town," he conceded, rolling with the horse's assumption. He folded his arms, leaning back on his heels.

"Who's your friend? Maybe we've met," he added, with an easy smile. Though the unasked, more important question, was were they nearby, too?

 

[Phoenixsong]

A Saint? This whispery, wavery guy? (Then again, why not? Fair shot any Joe Random pokémon on the street she didn't recognize was one, at this rate.) Laura... Laura had mentioned more than one horse legendary, actually, hadn't she. That was probably why everyone else had gone kinda quiet and apologetic even though he'd been the invisible one. Huh.

Well! That explained... literally nothing about this! But he wasn't trying to drive icicles through anyone's skulls, so most likely they were fine for now. Roll with it, see how things shook out, just another Twenty Saints Tuesday. Talking to this dude would beat the hell out of being condescended to by all the snobs out there, if nothing else.

"Sure, we can go somewhere quieter," she said, gesturing with her head like lead the way. "I'm Leaf. What's your name?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Who's your friend? Maybe we've met," he added, with an easy smile.

The shade horse's mane lifted airily, as if the question had lightened his spirit. "Oh, he's called Arthur, and he's my best friend in the world. He's doing many important meetings today, so you'll probably meet him, if you go to any of those."

"Sure, we can go somewhere quieter," she said, gesturing with her head like lead the way. "I'm Leaf. What's your name?"

The shade horse paused for a moment, shuffling a hoof. "I'm called Spectrier," he said, glancing about the hall as if he had to remember how to get there without walking through the ceiling. Finally settling on a direction, he led the Wayfarers toward some stairs.

 

[Tetra]

He was a Saint. Sick. Even after all these months, and knowing full well Saints were not like his legendaries, meeting another one still sent a thrill from ears to tailtip. He wanted to ask this strange steed all kinds of questions (how did he become a Saint?), but he forced himself to hold his tongue as he followed the Saint.

Nodding in agreement to Leaf, he finally found his words. "Nice to meet you Spectrier. I've heard legends from my world about about you and Glastrier and Calryex..." Then again, this world had to have different legends about them.

"Oh and my name is Koamaru," he added.

 

[Jackie Cat]

'Best friend in the world', huh? The horse talked like a kid. A kid wouldn't become a Saint, right? And his best friend was a Covenant bigwig, from the sounds of it.

Laura bit her lip. Sucked in her mouth. And pushed air through her teeth.

Yep. She had to ask the obvious question. Carefully, though. Like she was talking to a kid.

"So, uh. Spectrier! It's really nice to meet you. I'm Laura. I'm sometimes a little nervous people too; sorry we surprised each other earlier."

'So. Why are you Spectrier?' she didn't say.

"We were on an adventure in Malantau a little while ago, and we met another horse Saint, actually. Have you ever met Glastrier, by any chance?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Ugh, so much for trying to sneak around the place and uncover some dirt undisturbed! Well, at least the whole ‘these snobs bore us to death, give us some silence!’ assumption worked fairly well as an explanation, and in Silver’s case it was partially true, too. Hence, he simply nodded and shrugged, not wanting to deny nor confirm anything.

Still, that horse — Spectrier, was it? — was indeed a legend? The words ‘wraith hippos’ floated idly in his mind, but he pushed those thoughts aside to follow him toward… wherever he was going.

“Heh, might as well give my own name, too.” Silver slipped his hands in his pockets, managing out a neutral smile. “Name’s Silver.”

And with that he simply kept quiet, looking at his surroundings to remember where they came from while paying attention to the conversation.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Spectrier paused walking up the stairs to nod to Koa, Laura, and Silver in turn as they introduced themselves. From his body language, he seemed quite pleased to meet new friends, as well as pleased to be able to show them to a place that he liked. On the mention of Glastrier, however, the shade horse jolted and missed a step, his foreleg briefly sinking through the side of a stair.

"Oh, I don't like her, she's scary, ohhh....." he murmured, shaking his head.

Once he'd regained himself, Spectrier added, "It was very brave of you to go adventuring there. The barrens are so cold, it's terrible. I don't ever want to go there." He shivered, sending a ripple through his mane and tail.

They reached the topmost floor, where the hallway was lined with glass walls surrounding what appeared to be a large rooftop courtyard. Further down the hall, a Flygon and Meowstic were busy chatting about something.

 

[Weazel]

"Arthur, huh? Well, we'll definitely keep an eye out for him," the Dewott hummed. "I'm Archie."

At first he thought the horse was shy, maybe a bit sheltered, but it was starting to seem more like immature the correct word for it.

"So, uh... How old are you?" He asked, in the way one.might ask an exuberant child. "I hear some Saints have been around pretty much forever."

 

[Tetra]

That wasn't surprising, Koa supposed, considering what he'd heard about the others encounter with Glastrier. He felt kind of bad for Spectrier if he was somehow linked to a Saint that terrified him.

As they reached the courtyard, Koa paused to take in the sights. "How did you end up working out here with the Covenant?" he asked conversationally. The idea that the Covenant could be taking advantage of a Saint made him angry, if it was the case.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura quickened her pace slightly, getting ahead of the group. Who were that Meowstic and Flygon...? If they grilled the party about why they were wandering around up here, would that be a problem? Kinda weird to be thinking that when a Saint was the one who invited them up, but then again, Spectrier sure didn't seem especially authoritative. Like, at all. (In an emergency she could try getting a hold of Articuno for advice, but she wouldn't resort to that unless she absolutely had to.)

Coming a little closer, she could make out some clothing. The Meowstic wearing something not unlike her own outfit – waistcoat over a dress shirt – but a little more refined, more princely. It was strangely hard to tell for such a sexually dimorphic species – the fur pattern was an oddly even mix of blue and white – but she thought the cat looked more like a female Meowstic... Meanwhile, the Flygon wore a kind of battered cloak (hard to tell if it was brown, or some other colour beaten into drabness from use), far less regal than the typical Covenant attire, over a simple sleeveless garment in faded black. Both wore sashes across their torsos, with a silver glint at the breast Laura assumed to be the silver 'lantern' pin.

"Psst, Spectrier. You know these two up ahead?" she asked, once the horse replied to Archie and Koa.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"So, uh... How old are you?" He asked, in the way one.might ask an exuberant child. "I hear some Saints have been around pretty much forever."

Spectrier glanced upward thoughtfully. "I've been me since... a few centuries, at least. Two-hundred-eighty years? That sounds about right." The passage of time seemed a bit fuzzier for Saints than it was for mortals. Maybe it was just harder to keep track after a while.

As they reached the courtyard, Koa paused to take in the sights. "How did you end up working out here with the Covenant?" he asked conversationally. The idea that the Covenant could be taking advantage of a Saint made him angry, if it was the case.

Spectrier's ears lifted, and he held his head higher. "Arthur and I have been helping out here for a long time. We heard that it was a society founded for heroes and their families, and we thought that helping them would be a great way to help the world."

The equine moved like he was going to walk straight through the glass door into the courtyard, but then stopped and pushed the door open with his muzzle instead.

"Psst, Spectrier. You know these two up ahead?" she asked, once the horse replied to Archie and Koa.

Spectrier's ears flicked toward the pair of knights who were now quickly making their way down the hall. "Oh, it's Aster. And Zaffre," he said, a rising tone in his otherwise morose voice.

They looked like they were in a hurry...

 

[Phoenixsong]

So much for scoping out a useful hallway; this was just more wide-open gathering space again, complete with hobnobbing partygoers walking right toward them. Other than basic notes about what was labeled what, though, wasn't like they'd been getting anywhere fast. Maybe they'd get a chance at another peek later...

He knew Glastrier, didn't like Glastrier, didn't even like the cold. Why had he been in Malantau in the first place, then? Three hundred or not, it felt kinda like someone shouldn't be letting him wander around someplace like that by himself. (Had he been by himself? Who would've been there with him? This "Arthur" guy? Hm... hadn't Latias and Latios said something about Glastrier only appearing like 200 years ago? Was he seriously older than that thing?)

The flygon and the cat pokémon were getting closer. Hustling like they had somewhere else to be, though, so hopefully they wouldn't hang around and ask questions. Leaf kept her attention on Spectrier for now. "Helping out sounds great," she said, mostly cheerfully. (Helping out with which parts.) "What sorts of things do you and Arthur do here?"

 

[Tetra]

Almost three centuries. So long and yet not that long in the grand scheme of everything. So weird. His grasp on Forlasan history was thin at best, but that made Spectrier older than the Covenant didn't it? The Saint's next words made Koa pause.

Help the world? Help the world do what exactly? It wouldn't be the first time he'd heard a similar rhetoric, about a world without suffering, about fixing 'problems'. He was glad Leaf asked the question before he could, he didn't want the Saint to hear his suspicion or jaded attitude.

"Have you been helping the Covenant for awhile then? Are Aster and Zaffre also friends of yours?" he asked.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Helping out sounds great," she said, mostly cheerfully. "What sorts of things do you and Arthur do here?"

"Have you been helping the Covenant for awhile then? Are Aster and Zaffre also friends of yours?"

Spectrier tapped his hooves to the carpet as he considered. "Well, Arthur's always very busy traveling around, meeting new people, and keeping things running smoothly and coming up with ideas for how to solve problems—it's a lot of work. I help out with traveling, and with keeping him and everyone else safe. We've been doing it for a long time."

From his general demeanor, one could get the idea that 'keeping everyone safe' probably didn't involve a whole lot of fighting on his part. But then, there were probably a lot of situations where the mere presence of a Saint was enough to diffuse things.

At Koa's question, Spectrier glanced away shyly. "Friends... oh, I'd like to think that..."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Okay, so, the smartly-dressed Covenant pokémon were hurrying towards them. Cool, cool, no big deal. It was fine.

Laura, a few steps ahead of the party, gave the pair a little wave. Ah, and now she could see that the Meowstic was wearing a sword at her(?) hip. All thoughts of a smart, thought-out story to spin left her head.

"Uh, h-hi there. Everything okay? We're not, um, in trouble or anything, are we?"

The Flygon pitched up and came to a stop, hovering just in front of the party.

"What? Nah, not at all! Guess we must've looked a bit intimidating coming at you like that, huh? So you must be those new initiates, right? Nice! I see you've already met this big old softie – why the long face, Spectrier?"

She grinned, and gave the horse's nose an affectionate rub.

The Meowstic, now caught up to her partner, gave the party a crisp bow.

"Well met, Wayfarers. My name is Zaffre; my partner here is Ser Aster. I'm already aware of your identities. Don't worry – we're not here to arrest you. If you're looking to get away from the festivities, then the rooftop courtyard is a fine place for it."

Laura bowed back, hoping that was the right move. Covenant etiquette was still a mystery.

"So, what are you in a rush for?"

"Ah, well, it is a little embarrassing to admit, but... we are quite late for this morning's roundtable on the ongoing events in the north. We are just on our way there, but it would be unbecoming not to make a proper first impression."

Ongoing events in the north...?

Laura scratched the back of her head and chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, you know, I think I was supposed to go to that, too? Maybe you can show me the way, if it's no trouble?"

Shit, what the fuck did she say that for?

Zaffre looked over from the rest of the group. "Yeah, sure, why not? Maybe it'll be less boring that way."

"Aster, please."

"Ugh, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it! You don't even enjoy those meetings, Ser."

So, these two were both knights – and had quite the dynamic with each other. The straightlaced one, and the maverick.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Don't worry, we're not here to arrest you was a hell of a way to introduce yourself at a party, especially if the rooftop was a normal place to relax. Leaf just stood a little taller in response. Their fancy legendary boss had invited the Wayfarers here, so they could be wherever they wanted, thanks. Mostly. Close enough. Didn't need to give 'em any reason to think different, anyway.

At least Aster didn't seem too stuck up. It'd be better if both of them just left already, if they were so late, but might as well make the most of the situation. "You work with Spectrier often?" she asked the flygon. Hard to tell, from the ghost horse's answer. "Knight" seemed like it went well enough with a legendary warhorse, though. (Okay, maybe a braver horse than this one, but you work with what you've got.)

 

[Jackie Cat]

The Flygon grinned at Leaf. "Nah. When we're not at the Congress or on leave or whatever, the Order of the Lantern has us guarding and patrolling and chasing down assholes—"

"Villains."

"—bad guys, monsters, you know what I mean – and bring 'em to justice. It's not really his thing, is it, Mopey-Hooves?"

Zaffre shook her head and sighed at her partner. "It's as Ser Aster says. Even so, we do see Spectrier often enough at Congress, and we are often Lord Arthur's first choice of honour guard if he needs to travel somewhere unsafe. Even so, the Order dispenses with us as needs must."

The Meowstic smiled faintly, looking proud but weary. Obviously the more diligent of the pair, that one.

"Villains?" asked Laura. "Like, criminals?"

Zaffre's paw rested on her sword. "We respect the law of the land – the Justiciary of the Commonwealth is responsible for law enforcement. We specialise in taking down those who are powerful enough to escape justice – or whose misdeeds cannot be reported as crimes."

Aster shrugged in mid-air. "We fight a lot of berserking alpha-wildren, honestly. I like those jobs better anyway, since when you beat 'em, they just calm down and fuck off—"

"Aster, not in front of children."

"Shove off, then? Jeez."

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver listened intently to the ongoing conversation, partially grateful that his teammates had asked the questions he was curious about. Weasel-y whistles resonated in his throat as he admired the fancy surroundings, but that inner calm was disrupted by the new ‘mons.

Don't worry – we're not here to arrest you.

Even if that statement was said in jest, a haunting shiver ran down his spine and a single chilling thought echoed in his mind, underneath his carefully held stoic expression.

Damn! They’re cops?!

That lone thought led to a flurry of worries, and Silver had to focus a lot on his body to not let anything slip away (and he found himself thanking the gods that Sneasel had a natural glare). Did stealing a Totodile count as kidnapping? How did that work in a world of Pokémon, humans-turned-‘mons, and their descendants?

‘No. Stop. It’s in the past, and Ordile accepted me as a Trainer and is happy to have me as a partner, doesn’t he? Professor Utsugi saw that.’ A sigh slipped through his lips. ‘And Kotone saw that, too.’

Silver crossed his arms, glancing evenly between the two ‘mons — they sounded more like rangers now? — and he diverted his mind toward what he had done in this world. He fought many dangerous threats alongside the others, proved his heart to folks who dislike humans, helped take down a megalomaniac and genocidal dragon… he had done some good, and he would have continued doing good. So he was far from those ‘powerful enough assholes who escape justice.’

“Huh. Sounds like a tough yet satisfying job,” Silver muttered, before smirking cheekily. “And don’t worry ‘bout keeping a formal attitude around us. These ‘children’ have gone through all kinda crap! We can handle some, ah, foul misbehavior.”