Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Lobby

[Ambyssin]

"Artists can be heroic. Inspiring people. Bringing joy." Nova's tail wagged slowly. The rocky gems scraped against the floorboards. "When my boyfriend was in his painting phase, I'd model for him." He flicked his head, swishing his gray neck ruff. "So, what kind of art is it? Abstract? Landscapes? Modern? Post-modern? Post-post-modern?"

 

[canisaries]

"Artists can be heroic. Inspiring people. Bringing joy." Nova's tail wagged slowly. The rocky gems scraped against the floorboards. "When my boyfriend was in his painting phase, I'd model for him." He flicked his head, swishing his gray neck ruff. "So, what kind of art is it? Abstract? Landscapes? Modern? Post-modern? Post-post-modern?"

Andre smiled. "Portraits is how I make my money, but expressionism is my true calling. Back home, I was aura-sensitive and had aura-color synesthesia, so I kind of 'saw' people's emotions in color. Seeing that much color all the time does a lot to inspire an artist."

He looked elsewhere. "Very useful ability to have, to sense auras... used to be able to tell when anyone was lying or hiding something. But I'm guessing that ability didn't cross over to this body. Maybe if I'd been a riolu, things would be different." He looked back to Nova. "I guess I'm gonna have to try to figure out who I can and cannot trust on my own, like everybody else."

 

[Ambyssin]

A human that could sense auras? Not unheard of. They existed back where Nova was from. Usually in the company of the eponymous aura dogs.

"Riolu are overrated. I'm sure there's a reason your soul gravitated to deerling," Nova said. "Maybe it's your sunny disposition."

 

[canisaries]

"Riolu are overrated. I'm sure there's a reason your soul gravitated to deerling," Nova said. "Maybe it's your sunny disposition."

Andre grinned. "I'm happy I come across as friendly. I try to be."

The sun feels warm from afar, but it's a terrifying beast up close.

He shifted his weight. "Honestly, my first thought was that I'd been changed to a cervid due to visiting a bar named Antlerlock the night before. But the Voice then suggested it might be because I 'change my appearance with the seasons'. If we interpret that liberally, it could refer to my hobby of dressing up each Saturday." He shrugged. "Who knows, anyway. I'm just glad I came with vines to help me grab things." He frowned. "I just wish the dexterity was better. I've found myself unable to draw, which means I can't do that to earn my keep here."

 

[Ambyssin]

"I wouldn't rule it out." Nova licked his tongue underneath his helmet. "The dexterity thing, I mean. There are ways to train your vines to loop around things. You could start with sticks and rocks. Graduate to a pen. Then go from there." He held up a foreleg and wiggled his talons. "Or, if push comes to shove, make your vines the brushes. You could probably buy a little felt or fur tip to cover one. Would simulate a brush."

 

[canisaries]

"I wouldn't rule it out." Nova licked his tongue underneath his helmet. "The dexterity thing, I mean. There are ways to train your vines to loop around things. You could start with sticks and rocks. Graduate to a pen. Then go from there." He held up a foreleg and wiggled his talons. "Or, if push comes to shove, make your vines the brushes. You could probably buy a little felt or fur tip to cover one. Would simulate a brush."

"Hmm. Yeah. Like finger painting... that could help." He looked up at the ceiling. "Though I don't know if folks here would be eager to buy such messy paintings. Maybe I'll keep practicing with pen and paper. I did manage to draw something before - it was just rather sloppy." And producing something sloppy was among the things Andre hated most. He should be good at art. He was the art guy.

Well, it seemed like he'd have to go back to the days when he hated everything he produced. He made it through that phase once. He should be able to do it again.

He looked back to Nova. "How about you? Any ideas on what you'll do for a living?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"For now? Construction work, probably." Nova puffed his chest out. "Big guys like me are good for moving heavy things around. Pretty much doubles as training, too. And serves an extra purpose.

"There's more developed land on this continent. And a railway is under construction linking that place with this town." Nova leaned over. "My guess? Our intrepid summoner is over in the more developed land. Since it'd be a long trek full of mystery dungeons to get there on foot, the faster I can help them get the railroad set up, the better for everyone. Especially us."

 

[canisaries]

"There's more developed land on this continent. And a railway is under construction linking that place with this town." Nova leaned over. "My guess? Our intrepid summoner is over in the more developed land. Since it'd be a long trek full of mystery dungeons to get there on foot, the faster I can help them get the railroad set up, the better for everyone. Especially us."

"That's... quite smart. You're a clever one." Andre really hoped it didn't come off as patronizing. "I hope your plan succeeds."

He headed for the door. "I hope you don't mind if I take my leave now. I'd like to find as many others of our group as I can and make sure we're all coordinated. I'll pass on that warning about blabbing about humans, too." He opened the door. "And, hey, if you ever feel like talking some more, I'll lend a listening ear." He flashed one last smile. "See you around, Nova."

 

[Ambyssin]

"See you around."

A pause, then, "Oh, and don't go lending your ears. Grass-types can grow some things back, but ears aren't one of them."

Nova tapped the floorboards like he was playing a rimshot. Nailed it.

<><><>​

 

[Inkedust]

It was a slow morning for Bellatrix. The maus of the Traveller's Haus were busy as always, squeaking away within the walls, and it seemed that most of the group were already out and about on their business. The zorua sat in the common area besides a stack of requests she'd pilfered from the bulletin board the other day. None of the locals had any work for her today, leaving her morning completely free to figure out what jobs to do in the afternoon.

Her tiny claws clacked against the wooden floorboards as her forepaws drummed in thought. Most of them were just various shades of the same request; fetch an item, escort someone (typically the very young or elderly, ironic how she fit into both), look after some goods, and so on. All menial, but at least it was reliable.

Bellatrix looked as if she was finally about to settle on something until she heard a door creak open, losing her train of thought. With a frown, her ears flicked towards the source of the sound. The wind or had someone joined her in the common room?

 

[Weazel]

To be honest, ‘up late’ was something of an understatement for Archie. He’d kept on at the Gazette until they’d requested, firmly, that he leave so they could close for the night. Then he’d found his way to the local inn, where apparently the majority of the Nexus group was being put up with the patronage – and likely expectation of later repayment – of the Prinplup marshal Lorenzo had mentioned. The Oshawott was well used to having to rough it, so to speak, but if he didn’t have to, he wouldn’t. And besides, owing the marshal was likely a good way to get close to the Pokemon, which he would have to do to keep up his agreement with the Spidops.

But, suffice to say, when he arrived at the common room that morning, he was still half asleep, coat slung over his arm, hat in his other paw. Although he heard the strange mouse housekeepers all over the place – another Pokemon species he was not familiar with – he had not seen hide nor hair of any other Pokemon since he’d woken up. So it caused him a bit of a start when he saw the common room was occupied.

“Oh!” He said, quickly putting his hat in place and tugging his coat on, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone was –”

It was only then he got a good look at the Pokemon he’d found. It was the strange almost-white furred Zorua from the Nexus! He hadn’t recalled seeing her at the big Frontier Square meet up, and she certainly hadn’t been at the Wandering Zera when they first arrived. They’d only met briefly, and Archie probably didn’t make the best first impression, but it was still nice to see a familiar face, however slight.

“You made it! I haven’t seen you since, well, you know,” the Oshawott said with a grin, making sure he looked properly presentable before padding up to the Zorua. “I don’t think I caught your name back there? I’m Archie – but, I’m sure you heard that already.”

He looked from the Zorua to the stack of papers sitting next to her.

“Sorry, hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix acknowledged the oshawott with a nod. "So I did," she replied. "It was a bit of a journey to get here, whatever that cloud was had a very poor aim, but we managed." She placed the paper she was looking at back at the top of her stack, if Archie were to steal a look, he would find that they were mission requests that offered Poké as a reward.

"No, I don't believe you have," she then answered. "My name is Bellatrix and no, there isn't much to interrupt. It hasn't exactly been the most eventful of mornings." She skimmed over Archie's appearance once more, noticing his rather scruffy state. "Slept in, have we?"

 

[Weazel]

“I… Had a late night,” he grinned, somewhat bashfully. And a busy day the day before. Back at the lodge, he and Spencer had gotten very good at making sure they were both up well in time for breakfast – a first come, first serve affair – but he’d always struggled keeping the routine away from home, and it seemed like this place was no exception. His body was just naturally so used to functioning during the dark hours after, well…

The Oshawott’s eyes drifted again to the stack of papers, his curiosity getting the better of him. They seemed to be job postings, of the sort he was more familiar with from adventuring, offering monetary reward in return for some amount of danger. That definitely caught his attention; he wondered where the Zorua had found these?

“Looks like you’ve got a full plate,” Archie mused. “Were you an Adventurer, back home?”

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix let out an internal sigh. Home. What did home mean anymore? "I had been apprenticing at a local guild," she answered. "My training specialised in bounty hunting as neither rescue nor exploration work caught much of my fancy." She tapped one of her bracers with her paw. "So I was only allowed to take on jobs that were not only approved by the Guild but also didn't exceed a certain rank. It doesn't surprise me that a similar bulletin board exists here given that I haven't noticed too many differences between this world and the once I came from. On a fundamental level at least."

Her head tilted at Archie's terminology. "Come from a similar world by any chance?" she asked.

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott nodded, excitedly! “Yeah, it’s pretty similar back home. Search and rescue tends to be a more dedicated field, so there are Rescue Teams that specialize in that specifically. And we don’t really have any Exploration Teams ever since the continent was fully mapped out. Instead, what we have are Adventurers, who are members of the Adventurer’s Guild. We do a lot of dungeon delving, but we also hire out our services as bodyguards and caravan guards, and even hunt down outlaws like you do.”

It was nice to hear that at least some of his fellow multiverse travelers were from worlds that weren’t completely alien to his own. Having that little bit of common ground would definitely help them all bond, which was necessary if they were going to work effectively as a team! Or, at least, Archie thought so.

“Though, we never had a job board or anything like that. Most of that sort of stuff was done by contracts our Branch Master would negotiate. It was all very top down. He’d also pick the best members for the job based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. Or based on how much the guild was getting paid,” the Oshawott folded his arms and frowned, “Actually, I think it was usually based on how much the guild was being paid…”

Certainly, an Oshawott and a Treecko weren’t the best choices to take on a Toxel, but Tarahn hadn’t been a high value target, and they were the newest guild members, so their going rate was the cheapest of the bunch. They’d managed to get it done in the end, of course, but...

 

[Inkedust]

"Mystery Dungeons too?" Bellatrix asked. That would make navigating this discussion significantly easier. It seemed they had a lot of common ground between worlds. "Well, back in my world, Exploration Teams aren't solely dedicating to map-making but also locating and scouting Dungeons to determine their general safety levels." She put a paw to her chin in thought and hummed. "Though when I lay it out like that, I suppose 'Research' or 'Survey' is a more apt title for them.

"From what I know, bulletin boards are simply the universal standard for all Guilds back there. Far simpler to throw up a system that is first come, first serve than trying to specifically delegate specific missions to certain teams. Allows for freelancers to get into the field too. Though sometimes the Guild Mistress would put out special requests for some teams."

She shuffled through her stack of requests. "I will admit, it is somewhat nice to build up some momentum here with something I'm already antiquated with. That board might be of interest to you too."

 

[Weazel]

“Oh yeah, the Exploration Teams used to do that sort of thing too. We actually inherited our guild hall from an old Exploration Guild. When the last guildmaster died, they left behind a treasure trove of documentation on pretty much every Mystery Dungeon that was known to exist on the continent in that time, including a few that were kept secret from the general public. That information has been a real help,” the Oshawott nodded. “We inherited those sorts of scouting missions from the old Explorer guilds, but, at least in our case, a lot of the work is just continuing what they started.”

The Adventurer’s Guild, in comparison to the Exploration Guilds of old – and seemingly the guilds of Bellatrix’s world – was a much more centralized organization. One single main headquarters, and branch offices in towns on several continents, all working under the same banner. Though, the branches did have a high degree of independence, if for no other reason than the sheer distance between them and the main office. It wasn’t without faults, as far as systems went, but it seemed to work well enough.

“Where I’m from, most Mystery Dungeons appear and disappear on a fairly regular basis, in roughly the same locations, and the interior usually matches the environment of the exterior. You can’t exactly set your clocks by it, but it’s pretty close. It’s all very…” The Oshawott tapered off, holding up a paw to trace a circular motion in the air, “Cyclical? Every so often new ones appear, and then they join the same cycle. Sometimes one will fade, and never recur again, or it recurs on such a long cycle that it’s only ever around once in a person’s lifetime.”

There was, of course, one major exception to all this regularity. “If dungeons start to recur ‘out of season,’ or lots of new dungeons start cropping up within a short timeframe, it’s usually a sign that something bad’s happening.”

Archie studied the stack of requests again. It did seem like that sort of thing would be right up his alley. A good way to make some money, regain his strength, and build a name for himself, too!

“Are you going to do all those requests?” he asked. “… Do you… Want some help?”

 

[Inkedust]

She listened to Archie's explanation with great interest. "Fascinating," she began, "from what I've read, dungeons tend to be far more... permanent - back where I came from, of course. Once a dungeon forms, there is nothing that can get rid of it. In fact, older dungeons tend to be far more active and dangerous as the fabric of spacetime has been torn up for so long that any threads of stability have no chance of repairing themselves."

Her tail swayed from side to side and she shut her eyes in thought. Tears and distortions in spacetime that would patch up naturally? She'd never heard of such a thing back in Kythra but for whatever reason, the concept wasn't unheard of to her. Maybe if the tear was tiny it would patch up naturally, like a light graze and it was nothing more than simple inference, but something about the idea nettled at her and Bellatrix couldn't place why.

Thankfully, before she spaced out too hard, Archie was more than happy to provide a distraction. She looked at the stack of papers, then back at Archie. "I am," she answered. "You can find the board just beyond the town, surrounded by tents."

She didn't answer his second question.

 

[Weazel]

Man, if only Corey were here – his Corey, not the one from the alternate universe that had also arrived in this world. The Ralts was the real expert on all this stuff, and he’d probably find the deeper mechanics and differences between the dungeons of their world and Bellatrix’s just as fascinating as she seemed to. A lot of that sort of stuff just sailed over the Oshawott’s head. Archie raised a paw up to his muzzle, frowning again.

“Where I’m from, it’s thought that dungeons aren’t tears in the fabric of spacetime, they’re more like… Creases?” He grimaced a little. Probably not the best metaphor, but he was stuck with it now. “Places where reality folded back on itself. Eventually, it stretches back out again and everything returns to normal. Only a few things can actually punch a hole through that fabric.”

He shivered a little, “You don’t want to meet those things.”

Just imagine what sort of things might come pouring through the holes in space the dungeons were leaving in Bellatrix’s world. And the dungeon never disappeared, it remained there forever. They must be up to their eyeballs in the things. How many holes could the fabric of spacetime withstand before it fell apart completely? What a horrifying sounding way for a universe to end.

“Uh,” Archie shook his head, trying to banish that train of thought before it could pull any further out of the station. “A-anyway, I’ll keep that board in mind, thanks. Good luck with... All your jobs!”

 

[Inkedust]

If only you knew, Bellatrix thought in response to not wanting to meet anything that could tear holes in spacetime. If only you knew.

"Well, it's fortunate that your Dungeons seem to have been created through more natural causes," Bellatrix said. "It's mere conjecture on my end but I get the feeling that whatever can tear those holes was ultimately the one responsible for the Dungeons back in my world." Her ruff rippled for a brief moment. "I don't exactly want to think about the alternative."

At his wish of luck, she responded with a satisfied nod. "Thank you for both your well wishes and offer for help, though I won't need the latter at all."

It was a pretty big pile, though...