Blaguarro Town Town Hall

[Inkedust]

Second to only the Dragon's Cellar, the town hall stood as one of Blaguarro's liveliest locales. Situated close to the centre of town, it was a simple, wooden single-storey building. The interior saw many seats and tables irregularly scattered about (with most folk being more than happy to do their business on the floor) whilst the exterior had clearly seen better days. Little care had been put into its upkeep for it was a town hall in name only, the title having stuck around from a bygone era. These days, it was a hub for gamblers and con-artists looking to make a quick buck.

Almost everyone who frequented the hall always stopped by the Dragon's Cellar beforehand for a round of drinks or three. Naturally, this meant that almost everyone there showed up drunk which made for a rather raucous experience. Seeing less than three fights a night after a stroke of bad luck that costed a small fortune was considered an oddity. However, this in turn made the town hall an ideal place to listen in on any potential gossip. Many of the regulars seemed to have loose lips and were more than happy to talk about happenings around town, especially after a few drinks - provided that they were in a good mood, of course.

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[Inkedust]

Ever since the raid on Terminal Two, Blaguarro Town had been livelier than ever and there was no better place to demonstrate this than the Town Hall. The first few days had been rife with celebrations until Tala and Anite had to storm in to ruin the fun, something about 'getting acts together' and 'cleaning up after themselves'. Still, that was not enough to cause a certain noctowl from moving from his position of looking wistfully out the window to the empty watchtower of the night.

Reno had long gotten used to the shifty gazes the other townfolk gave him due to his condition. When asked how he was, he would only reply with a curt "Waiting". This evening had been no different, his talon tapping the side of the crate as he was left to wonder how much longer he would have to remain in his Shadowed state.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven had been back to Blaguarro several times in the wake of the raid, but hadn't ever set foot in the Town Hall. Or, what the locals called the Town Hall. A far cry from the one in Frontier Town, although that probably had to do more with Ignatius than the state of Blaguarro. Or maybe not... Either way, when Steven was unable to locate Anite elsewhere in town, a visit to the run down building was a last ditch effort to see if she was there before he turned in for the night.

She wasn't. However, someone else he recognized was. It was hard to forget those corrupted Noctowl eyes, especially when they'd glared at him with such disdain. Things hadn't been too tense when he last saw Reno-- he'd accepted Steven's apology, after all-- but it would be foolish to say that things between them were fine. Especially with Reno still living with the constant reminder of what he'd endured at Cipher's hand.

It wasn't hard to approach Reno; most of the other occupants were giving him a wide berth.

"Reno, good evening," Steven said with a short wave. "It's been some time. How are you holding up?"

 

[Inkedust]

Reno acknowledged Steven with a grunt, closing his crimson eyes. "Better but not great," he replied, gesturing to the room around him. "They don't trust me all that much and I get why, only Mav's been 'round to talk these days, so I'm still waiting for that cure. Have ya found it yet?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Reno's mood was somber, understandably, but when he mentioned a cure, Steven's eyes lit up. Finally, something promising to share!

"Yes! Or, well, we think so. But..." He trailed off.

They had cured those infected with Shadows. Koa, Archie, Mhynt, they'd all been freed from Alex's corruption, but at a price. And Leona, she hadn't been able to be cured, but seemed hopeful. There were so many unknowns, not to mention the Relic sat in Sybil's lab back in Ranger HQ, under constant guard from Cipher agents who sought to destroy it.

He grimaced. His fumbling wasn't exactly confidence instilling.

Steven closed his eyes and sighed. "Let me start over. Yes, we now have a way to cure those infected with Shadows. But there's some complications... That's actually why I'm in town. I wanted to ask Anite if she knew of any Shadowed 'mon who were in good enough condition to travel, among other things."

 

[Inkedust]

Reno opened an eye to look at Steven, its Shadowy taint giving the noctowl's expression a harsher edge than intended. "Anite is busy," Reno said. His head tilted to an almost 90-degree angle. "But I imagine she'd like another word with you lot once she's done talkin' to that Ranger-marshal. I'm here now though, so why don't ya take me?"

He glanced at the distant watchtower before he closed his eye again. It was obvious at this point that he tried to hide his state as much as possible when talking. "But ya ain't gonna convince many to go if ya don't explain what these 'complications' are," he added. "To think that being cooped up under a roof would make me miss those rickety ol' lamps there. Surprised the town isn't in a worse state without my work."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

At Reno's insistence, Steven's expression grew apologetic. "Ah, you see, I would wholeheartedly agree under normal circumstances, but..."

"The complications are twofold. Firstly, the Shadow cure is tied to a powerful Saint's Relic; a Relic that Cipher has already tried to destroy once. We can't risk bringing it out in the open. That is the reason we need volunteers to travel."

He held up a single claw before Reno could interject. "On its own, that seems simple enough. But there's something else. We don't know how exactly the Shadow purification works. Only that it does. And that on some of the test subjects, the results were... taxing. Painful."

His gaze slid to the side, worried. "It could be that it was just their specific case, but if it's not... and the purification process is like that for everyone..."

Steven looked back toward Reno, even if the Noctowl was keeping his own eyes shut. "I know that you've already suffered so much. I know you want to be free of these Shadows. But... But I'd hate for you to have to suffer again."

"Knowing all this, does that change your answer?"

 

[Inkedust]

"Why should it?" retorted Reno with a shrug. "What do ya think is worse, a sharp pain that is ultimately temporary or prolonged suffering with a mild pain that don't go away so easily?" He gestured to the metang with a wing. "You know that I can taking a good beating."

He shifted a bit on his feet, his expression pensive. "It being stuck there does sound tricky though. Don't think that's something that everyone here can easily do. Think these Cipher guys are still on the prowl around here after beating them back so thoroughly though?" He let out a small snort. "Anite sure would be making a fine ruckus about that. She's storm straight there to bring it here herself."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

That actually got a short laugh from Steven. "Your sturdiness was never in question," he answered with a hesitant smile. At least Reno was joking about the incident now. "I figured it wouldn't change your mind, but it feels better knowing you're aware. That, and the concern that not everyone who has been Shadowed shares your resiliency."

He didn't doubt Reno's anecdote about Anite. His own Aggron was famously stubborn as well. Even that memory couldn't stop a frown from forming, though. "We're not sure about Cipher. It could be that they've been thoroughly chased off in this region. But there's another problem to worry about; another Shadow user who would want to see the Relic destroyed. His name is Alexander, and he is very much an active and powerful threat. He attacked a group of us who were escorting the captured Cipher Admins. One of them didn't make it."

"So you can see why this is tricky. And why it's hard to get the cure out to everyone who needs it."

 

[Inkedust]

Reno snorted. "Can't say the bastard, whoever it was, didn't deserve it. I only hope that it was painful."

However, as the noctowl absorbed more of Steven's words, he began to shift with uncertainty. "And ya think he knows of this 'Relic' and what it does?" he pressed. "If he's on the prowl, who's to say he won't come after me or any other poor sap lookin' for a cure? Is any travel for us safe?" Paranoia began creeping into his tone, almost certainly enhanced by the Shadows. "I dunno how much longer I can stay like this."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven winced slightly. He didn't think anyone deserved to be rent limb from limb by a shadow dragon, but he wasn't about to tell Reno that. Not when the Noctowl had more than suffered by Cipher's hand, and probably directly by Ein's as well.

But there was little time to linger on the grim sentiment, as Reno began to grow agitated. Which was-- as Steven noted with growing alarm-- not unlike Leona and the other poor souls they'd rescued from Cipher's cells. How had Grace calmed the prisoners? Radiant healing right? Did he know any healing moves? Or was he proficient enough with Radiance to make a difference?

He held up his claws in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry Reno. I don't think it's as dire as I've made it sound. We're working as quickly as we can to figure out a way to get the cure to you without risking your lives, or the Relic's safety. I promise."

Was sound reasoning working?

"Or maybe, if it would help, I could stop by Blaguarro more often, visit you and have a chat? As a friend. So that way more than Mav can see that being Shadowed doesn't make you an outcast. Prove to them that even with Shadows, you're still, well, you." He gestured earnestly at the world outside the window.

"It's not much, but maybe it's enough to make the wait for the cure more bearable." Steven's expression fell. "I'm sorry I can't do more than that at present."

 

[Inkedust]

Reno still looked unsure but Steven's words helped prevent a spiral for now. "I'd still go there," he said, opening his eyes for a moment. "Risk be damned. How long do ya think it will take before you're certain of safety. Ain't everything a risk at the end of the day?" He quickly closed them again, blinding him to what Steven would see next...

When the metang gestured towards the window, he would get a brief glimpse of the distant watchtower and immediately he would notice something that was not there before. A figure, large and certainly avian was perched on the tower's very tip. It was difficult to make out much detail at a distance beyond an illuminative, magenta aura that took the form of flames contrasting against black feathers. It scanned the world below as if it was looking for something or perhaps even someone.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven was about to answer Reno's inquiry about the trek to Ranger HQ, but something gave him pause.

"Reno, uh." He leaned closer to the window, trying to peer through the dusty panes. "Do you happen to know anything about the new watchtower guard?"

 

[Inkedust]

Steven's question distracted Reno enough to respond with confusion. "There ain't any 'new watchtower guard'. I'm expected to resume my post for the nightwatch the moment I'm back to normal." He opened his eyes to take a look. "What in the hell?" he muttered. "Ain't never seen a 'mon like that before. What's it doin' here?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Wait. If you don't know them. And there is no replacement guard, then..."

A sinking feeling formed in Steven's gut, and it had nothing to do with losing his levitation. It was dark, and he'd never actually seen one himself, and he really hoped this wasn't related to what happened in the orchard, and yet...

"The Legendary birds come in threes," he muttered to himself. And then to Reno, "I fear it might be here looking for us."

 

[Inkedust]

"Why would it be lookin' for you?" Reno asked. "You got new fans or-- Hey! Don't do that!"

Reno bristled as he watched the bird start to claw and pull at the wiring around the light causing it to flicker and the tower to tilt ever so slightly. With a sudden jerking motion, the light was sent over the side, leaving it to hang by only a few wires. The avian looked at its handiwork thoughtfully, before leaning over to tear away at the remaining cabling with its beak. For what purpose? Did it want attention or...?

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Fans? Definitely not. What's the opposite of fans?"

He did not want to go out there. Not after the orchard. The sneer on that Zapdos's face. The sound of Dave's body cracking against that tree. But it was utterly destroying Reno's watchtower, and he did say he'd wanted to do more to help the Noctowl.

A metallic sigh escaped him, and he backed away from the window, pinching a claw across the bridge of his nose. He couldn't sit there and let it happen. And there was no way Reno was going to hang back and not protect his territory.

"Let's go, we should try to chase it off. Or talk to it. Whatever we do, though, we're not there to start a fight."

Steven put a hand against the door leading outside, ready to push it open, and paused.

"But before we go... What do you know about the forces of nature?" he asked Reno. "Particularly, those associated with the Saints of this region."

 

[Inkedust]

"Can't say I know much," replied Reno, antsy. "Never bothered with it. That's the barkeep's thing and I ain't visiting her often. Last time I checked, I ain't Mav. Now hurry up!" The noctowl beat his wings, vying to take off but just as the two left through the door, a large CRASH!!! could be heard in the watchtower's direction.

The distant avian figure was now flying off seeing that its work was done and judging by Reno's expression, he was not happy about it in the slightest. "What's its problem?" he growled. "Ain't our lives hard enough as is?" he glanced at Steven, lingering on his first comment. "You know that thing?" he asked. "Did you bring it here?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

He turned to Reno, concern etched across his expression. "I don't know it, no. But I think it knows us."

As relieved as Steven was to see the bird fly off, it was beginning to look like he owed Reno another explanation.

"We recently investigated a disturbance closer to Frontier Town. An unusual storm damaged some of the berry orchards. When we arrived, we ran into a rather unsavory Saint, the Roaming Cyclone. It turns out it had intentionally caused this destruction so us Wayfarers would come to investigate. I can't help but worry this is another such occurrence."

He looked again at the ruined watchtower, and then back at a stricken Reno.

"I don't know why these Saints are taking it out on you and the other citizens of Sojavena, when what they want is to get at us. I'm sorry you've gotten dragged into this mess. I'm sorry we're the cause of it."

He sullenly turned back towards Town Hall.

"I'll send a message to the interim mayor in Frontier Town about allocating funds to repair it."

 

[Inkedust]

"Let's hope it can be done quickly," Reno muttered to himself. "But why now of all times?"

Back at Steven, Reno bore a pensive frown. "Must be doin' a lot to get the Saints interested in ya. Mighta flown off after realising that none of your group was nearby. Ya might wanna talk to Tala or Anite if yer expecting it to turn up again here. Don't think your mayor would be too keen on funding repairs if the bastard is gonna make itself a regular here."