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Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Dining Hall

Reader mode
Bellatrix paused to think for a long moment. "I see."

Her tail brushed up against the table. She would need to look into it more, she couldn't just buy into a secondhand claim sourced from Sonora herself as there was always the off chance that she was trying to appeal to them, making herself sound more heroic. But if it was true...

"Unless you have undeniable proof of her motives, I cannot immediately spring onto it as truth or fact. However, if this claim does end up being true..." Tap. Tap. Tap. Bellatrix paused to think. "Then we let her go. I will still do the job that was asked of me, mind you, but the arrest was not part of that offer. And besides, we can always make it look like we caught her," she added with a shrug.
 
"Hm. No objections, with the time we have," Mhynt said, turning around.

"I'm going to scout the gala to find good Teleport spots for some sleuthing in the meantime. Perhaps I'll gain some last-minute knowledge."
 
Inkedust said:
"Unless you have undeniable proof of her motives, I cannot immediately spring onto it as truth or fact. However, if this claim does end up being true..." Tap. Tap. Tap. Bellatrix paused to think. "Then we let her go. I will still do the job that was asked of me, mind you, but the arrest was not part of that offer. And besides, we can always make it look like we caught her," she added with a shrug.
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Odette sighed deeply. “I understand. Even though she felt quite earnest, I cannot fully corroborate her story without factual evidence…of which I unfortunately don’t have right now. But I can spot a liar from a mile a way, and I’m not just saying that to gas up my ego. She’s either a really good actress, or there was at least majority truth in what she said.”

She paused to consider what to say next, raising her thumb to her lower lip. “But, the thick of the rumors I’ve been hearing all having some flavor of similarity, and now Sonora coming forward with more info on this gala that weirdly aligns with them…I know rumors can be misconstrued, but it all feels weirdly coincidental and weirdly…bad.” Though, all she had to go on at the moment were gut feelings and hypotheticals. Which…was pretty much the norm.

“That aside, I don’t want to play into the pockets of a rich fuck, but I also don’t want to get dunked on by a criminal. I also am not looking to do anything that’s going to get our little group shunned by the whole town…”

Maybe playing neither side was the hidden move. But why did that decision feel wrong?

Another thought occurred to her and she frowned. “Wait. Did Mayor Birdshit ask you all to kill Sonora? I heard a lot about execution and the gallows, but let me mention that Sonora made it clear she wasn’t looking to hurt anyone. So unless that was a lie, it’s a little extreme that he even threw that on the table.”
 
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Bellatrix nodded along to Odette's explanation. At her question, Bellatrix made a so-and-so motion with a paw. "He didn't directly ask us, no, but he was not subtle about preferring her dead in the slightest. He strongly encouraged us to claim the bounty and that we were more likely to get it if she was brought in dead - something I feel rather strongly about. I'm a bounty hunter, not a hitmon. If she was somehow caught alive then it would've been a trip to the gallows for her per Ignatius' judgement."

Bellatrix sighed and shook her head. "I agreed to it initially because he was more or less asking me to do my job for an even greater pay than I am already making, on the assumption that Sonora stole from anyone and was thus deserving of arrest. But even then, I cannot stand behind the steepness of this punishment which was why I hoped to stall and interfere with the proceedings as much as possible upon turning in the bounty. If your claims are proven true, then things will be worse off with her arrest, which is why I will need to look into it myself tonight."
 
Wes’s eyebrow raised higher and higher the more Odette spoke. Stars above, she sure had some nerve to waltz in mid-conversation and assert herself so completely. He wasn’t sure whether he respected it or was irritated by it. “You sure have a lot to say for someone who just arrived to this conversation.”

He drained the last of his cider and thumped the glass down with a sigh. “Look, we’ve done a whole lot of chatting and haven’t really gotten anywhere. What we need is a plan.” He looked at Bellatrix. “I don’t care about catching these bandits, myself. But if you’ve got a specific plan for how to nab em and then give them the slip, I’ll listen.”

He then turned to Mhynt, internally grimacing. This Treecko was certifiably nuts, but she seemed to be the only one interested in Wes’s theory… “If you can scout out some information about the layout of this gala, I’d like to know what you find. Just…don’t get caught or cause a scene, yeah?” Gods, he hoped he could trust her. He was really losing it if he was trusting in someone so…unhinged.
 
Namohysip said:
"I'm going to scout the gala to find good Teleport spots for some sleuthing in the meantime. Perhaps I'll gain some last-minute knowledge."
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She looked over at the treecko again, pursing her lips. "That might be helpful. I'd like to be kept in the loop on that, if possible--"

She went to say a name, but realized she didn't know it. "Sorry, uh...what do you like to be called?"

Inkedust said:
"He didn't directly ask us, no, but he was not subtle about preferring her dead in the slightest. He strongly encouraged us to claim the bounty and that we were more likely to get it if she was brought in dead - something I feel rather strongly about. I'm a bounty hunter, not a hitmon. If she was somehow caught alive then it would've been a trip to the gallows for her per Ignatius' judgement."
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"Again, I'm shocked," she said, continuing to stroke at her temple. "If we could avoid sending anyone to their deaths, that would be great."

Inkedust said:
"I agreed to it initially because he was more or less asking me to do my job for an even greater pay than I am already making, on the assumption that Sonora stole from anyone and was thus deserving of arrest. But even then, I cannot stand behind the steepness of this punishment which was why I hoped to stall and interfere with the proceedings as much as possible upon turning in the bounty. If your claims are proven true, then things will be worse off with her arrest, which is why I will need to look into it myself tonight."
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So, she was in for it for the pay, something Odette could not say she could agree with.

The steepness of the punishment was plenty of reason as to why even considering turning Sonora in was a bad move.

"Stalling and interfering have multiple ways to go wrong, and it's a lot to bank someone's life on," she said pointedly. She felt that no money was worth that when death was too severe a punishment. Or, she could have just been jaded by the tips she was making at Sun Stone.

"Even so...would it be possible to tag team on that? I'm trying to gather as much information as I can, and if I can get more factual evidence that what Sonora told us was true, it'll help me figure out how I want to proceed."
HelloYellow17 said:
“You sure have a lot to say for someone who just arrived to this conversation.”
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The look she gave Wes was a perplexed one. "Huh? I--" she stammered, truly caught off-guard by the quip, "I've been here the whole time."

She nodded her head to the corner where she had been sitting. Her teacup was still sitting on the table, the steam rising from it long gone. "Creeping, yes, sorry, but I've been listening along," she added. "So I figured this was relevant information to what was being said."
HelloYellow17 said:
“Look, we’ve done a whole lot of chatting and haven’t really gotten anywhere. What we need is a plan.”
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Well that's the shit side of info gathering, you talk, she thought. But she didn't have any room to disagree; they did need some sort of mode of action to proceed. It was one thing to loosely say "I need more info," but it was another to discuss how to do it.

"I can't say I have anything in mind in terms of the gala itself because I don't fully trust everything I heard. If Sonora is telling the truth, then I could live to see someone ruin Ignaughty's day, but if she's conveniently left some stuff out, then...I don't want to see her sent to the gallows either way, but it would make me less inclined to take her up on her offer, that's for certain." And that was the gods honest truth. She didn't want to spurn her own intuition, but she also wasn't so naive that she'd jump on the first thing she heard.
She looked down at her invitation again, her gears turning for a long while before she looked back at Wes.

"You said something about getting multiple people inside, right?" she asked before looking back at the invitation. She also shot another look at the treecko.

Would it be smart to say this out loud? With Bellatrix leaning so far toward helping the mayor? If the money was an important factor to her, she could out them easily. But if there was a way to convince her that the bounty was not worth the potential punishment...

"I don't know how strong your Teleport is, but assuming it's not enough to get a group in...what are the odds of us finding a way to copy these," she raised the invitation a little, "as authentically as..." she trailed off, cringing over what she was going to say next, "...Pokemonly possible and use those bootlegs to maybe possibly get a group of us inside? Then we can scope the actual full event, maybe hear a thing or two from Sir Birdshit, then somehow relay that to anyone who should remain outside to intercept Sonora and go from there."

That is, provided she didn't decide to just...help throw a wrench into the whole event. As was asked of her. As what her gut was feeling.

Plan a means of intercepting her and give her another opening when they let her go? she thought.

But it was still too early to make that call.
 
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"Calligraphy is not my strong suit," Mhynt said, "and at most, I can only Teleport one person with me. Objects are easier if they're on someone or they're small. And, you may call me Mhynt. I'm called that for exactly why you think."
 
"It was on the assumption that she was deserving of arrest," Bellatrix clarified, "the only thing I knew of Sonora beforehand was what was on the posters." She tapped her paw on the side of the table. "I had agreed to do the job before I learned of the penalty. After that it was a game of stringing the mayor along."

She looked at Wes and replied with a thoughtful nod. "Yes, that is why I need to learn more to verify the claims, but if they are true, then I am happy to let her go. I will inform you of any further approach once I have gathered the sufficient evidence."

Towards Odette, she said. "Yes, that would give us more ground to cover. We can compare notes at the end of the night."
 
Oh. She’d been here the whole time, lurking in the shadows. Wes covered his embarrassment with a small cough and moved on.

The point about making copies of the invites was a compelling one…but…

Wes shook his head. “I dunno about that. Ignatius is pissed enough already knowing that some of the invites were stolen. Enough to want people dead over it. I think he’ll be prepared to thoroughly search for counterfeits.”

He glanced at Mhynt. “What are the odds you’d be able to…scope out the area before the gala? Or obtain any info about the layout? I can’t say the idea of Teleporting in blind sounds like a particularly smart one.” But if we have no other choice…
 
Of course the grass lizard is named Mint, Odette thought as she sent a nod toward Bellatrix.

“Sounds good. We can rendezvous back here,” she said.

She looked back at Wes as he began to speak again, but visibly bristled when he mentioned the stolen invites. “Wh—stolen? What like he took a fucking inventory of them?” she asked. She looked back down at her own, flabbergasted for a moment before realization seemed to hit her. Sucking her teeth, she huffed.

“Mm, yeah. Guess that tracks. Fuck me.”
 
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Bellatrix responded to Odette with a nod, hopping off the table to set out. Towards the rest, she said, "You will know what I have uncovered by the end of the night and we can discuss any further plans during the day. Make any additional preparations you need and then we can formulate a plan over that."

With little more to cover, Bellatrix trotted out of the hall having finished her meal while nobody had noticed. She seemed to have been quite partial to those hash browns.

<><><>​
 
[Ch02]: A small boulder blocks the path ~ Aige & Wes
  • Threadmarks
    • Aige wandered through the hall idly, casting a few quick envious glances at the food being served. She hadn't said much since the fight at the gala, content to run over the events in her head for posterity.

    "Mmm, this is all very complex," she murmured to herself. The Roggenrola was impassive. "I don't think I can mess around as much now. Oh well, it's just like work."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Wes was sure he would wake up the next morning feeling like death warmed over, given how bruised and battered he was the night before. Experience had taught him that you always felt significantly worse the morning after a scrap.

    But, surprisingly, his bruises and minor injuries seemed to have almost completely healed up overnight. Damn. Was this just part of being in a Pokémon’s body? Wes could certainly get used to that aspect, at least. It was almost worth being turned into a stupid puppy to get such nice healing abilities. Almost.

    One thing that didn’t fully recuperate, though, was his energy. He practically staggered into the breakfast hall, still bleary-eyed and exhausted despite a good sleep, and just about faceplanted into a nearby table when he suddenly tripped over something round and rocky.

    He stared down at what initially looked like an inanimate boulder just sitting in his path. “The hell?” Then the boulder turned and…blinked up at him, or what he could assume was a blink with only one eye, and Wes realized it was a whole damn person down there. “I, uh. Sorry,” he mumbled.
     
    "Oops." Aige was caught off guard as someone fell over her. She looked at the Rockruff curiously. "Oh it's no problem, sorry to have been in the way."

    The Roggenrola looked at him closely. "You were at the big battle recently, no? I was there too, you may not have seen me though. I can keep a nice low profile when I'm small like this, ha!"

    "I know it's a bit forward of me to assume, but there's not much harm I suppose. I'm Aige, by the way," she added lightly.
     
    Oh, gods, she was a morning person. Great. Spectacular. Wes certainly loved nothing more than being around overly chipper people while still blinking the sleep from his eyes.

    Still, she meant no harm, and it was his own fault for tripping over her, anyway. Sort of. She had been in the way, but…ugh, whatever. Not worth debating over when he hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

    “Yeah, I was there,” he said, trying rather unsuccessfully to inject some energy into his reply. “Name’s Wes. Are you…new in town?” That seemed to be a safe way to ask if this mon was part of their “crew.” He then glanced at the nearby serving tables. “I, uh, was just gonna grab some food. Don’t suppose you’ve already eaten…?” He trailed off and glanced at Aige uncertainly. Did…did this mon even eat food? What was one’s diet like when they were a pebble with feet?
     
    “No, I haven’t.”

    Aige tilted forward in an approximation of a nod. “I don’t think I can either. I only ate in the past as a luxury rather than a necessity, and that was when I was a Gigalith.” The Roggenrola paused. “Now that I’m like this again, there’s not much for me to do but lay in the sun and enjoy myself- at least, as much as possible.”

    “Maybe I’ve been jealous of pokemon who can eat, you know?” Aige laughed. “But I guess I don’t have to experience hunger. I’ve heard a lot about how that feels.”

    “Anyway, nice to meet you, Wes, I am ‘new’ in town, as you might guess,” she continued, “It might be kind of tone deaf to ask after the mood from recently, but are you doing well?”
     
    Whatever the hell a “Gigalith” was, it must have been some kind of…evolution? Wes blinked, suddenly realizing he hadn’t thought about what coming to this world must have been like for those who were already Pokémon. “So, you were a Pokémon before coming here, right? But you were a different one?”

    He sidled over to the food tables while Aige talked, but she seemed happy to follow along while she chatted. He frowned at her statement about food. “I…oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend or anything.” Although, she seemed the furthest thing from it. She was a rather unruffled mon all around, it seemed.

    Wes was even more taken aback by her next question. “I’m…doing all right. I guess.” He hadn’t really thought about it much. It hadn’t occurred to him he should care about how he felt, much less whether anyone else would care. “Just…tired. It was a lot.” He piled his plate full of berries and threw Aige a sideways look. “Um. How about you?”

    Then, absolutely hating the incoming blow to his dignity, he used his mouth to pick up and carry the plate to a nearby table. Gods, this is stupid. I miss having arms.
     
    “Me? I’ve been worse, I’ve been better, so I’ve hardly a right to complain nor to be overtly content about it.”

    Aige paused to consider Wes’ earlier statement. “Before I came here I was different, yes. I evolve into a Gigalith- eventually at least. Now I’m back to when I was young. Somewhat nostalgic, sure, but I’m not sure yet if it’s welcome.”

    The Roggenrola tilted to one side. “I take it then that you are one of the ones who were human before? I guess such an abrupt change is rough, so feeling tired sounds like a perfectly normal response, especially given recent events. Now that I think about it, I haven’t a clue what a human is supposed to look like.”

    “I’m, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong for assuming you are a human,” she added quickly.
     
    She was quick to catch on. Wes found himself smiling ever so slightly as she chatted. Somehow, morning grumbles aside, he was finding her cavalier attitude somewhat infectious.

    “Yes, I’m one of them,” he said, glancing about for potential eavesdroppers before saying so. “Though don’t be quick to spread that around—I don’t think it’s safe to trust everybody around here with that information. Unless they’re…part of our group, I guess.” Though, granted, the jury was still out on some of them, in Wes’s opinion. He did give a small snort of amusement at Aige’s wonder, though. “Humans are nothing special. Take it from me.”

    He decided to change the topic to something a bit lighter. “So…I take it you’re a rock type, yeah?” He nibbled at an unknown berry before deciding it tasted fine enough to eat more heartily. “Don’t suppose you have any tips? Gods know I could use some.”
     
    Glancing at Wes' berries, Aige rocked on her feet. "While I can take your word for humans not being special, do you have any frame of reference as to how they look? Like, are they generally tall? Short? Just a bit curious!"

    "As for tips, um, use your weight to your advantage." The Roggenrola looked over Wes appraisingly. "I don't know if you're as... well, 'rocky' as I am, but when you don't really bleed the same way as other pokemon, not only is it easier to hold down opponents, it's also something of a psychological element when they can't see their struggles having a noticeable effect."

    Somehow, she looked thoughtful despite her face remaining the same. "I won't say that we're tougher in general because it all depends on the fight. But- if you are coming from a position where you were more fragile, I'd say don't be afraid to push yourself slightly to see how tough you are now," she said brightly. "While we are different species, I'll say in my experience that most rock pokemon, or the steel ones too, have a good intimidation factor."
     
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