Sanguine Rose

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

Excellent, they were going to skip the forest for now. It was best, given how both teams seemed shaken to go in much less how amateur Tristan skill came off despite all his posturing. Maybe this would give her time to go back to King's Cross, or maybe stop by one of the other towns' libraries, and see if she could find a lead on that talisman she remembered reading about in that one lore book she read. It had been poetic dribble so she hadn't given it much thought, but maybe it was the way. Some regions had their ancient talismans that helped would be trainers best otherwise insurmountable odds. At least that was how the story went.

Shit, was he monologuing again? She supposed a fresh start meant actually introducing themselves to each other, but by all that was above...this guy love to hear himself talk. It took all her control to not physically roll her eyes and huff at the attempt for showiness not only the puss of a trainer displayed but the arrogance his Murkrow did as well. Honestly, his one saving grace was that Rilou. How he got that, she didn't want to ask and deal with another droning sermon of how awesome he was and everyone else sucked; that would absolutely cause her to revoke her invitation to travel together. So, ultimately, how he managed to get Princess would have to remain a mystery. At least she knew exactly how he got his Torchic. He could try to brag about that all he wanted, but from what she saw he'd metaphorically tripped over someone trying to give away the Pokémon. (Given how much of a coward Ace was, she wasn't entirely certain her assessment was entirely wrong.)

She waited a moment after he opened the floor to her, arching a brow as she waited to make sure he wouldn't butt in. Of course, he seemed to be fully content to not even pay her any mind so was an introduction really worth it? Whatever. He'd just forget her name anyways. But at least she could give their Pokémon the benefit of the doubt they might care. "Welp, I'm Faye Wrexlyn. This is Tilia, and this is Sage." She motioned to her Rowlett and Eevee when she mentioned them; Sage gave a cheerful yip while Tilia raised a wing with a hoot. "So, yeah, we'll continue on to Florasong, then. Route 2 takes us out of there and I was planning to continue on to Rheinvale then north along Route 8 to cut through Frostford and Route 9 to get to King's Cross. Hopefully my egg will hatch by then so I can show my dad the Larvesta. But, if you decide you don't want to follow me up that way, then we can part ways on Route 2 where it connects to Route 3, or in Rheinvale." If I don't ditch the jackass sooner.

Okay, so, introductions were done. Why the hell did she want to travel with him? Oh yeah, because traveling in pairs would be more fun than just traveling alone. Boy was he aiming to make her regret it. She hadn't been to Florasong in years, she only remembered the tourist bits about it, but she knew it was big enough that she could probably just lose him among the crowds if he became unbearable. She'd just have to hope he didn't get some cocky plan in his head about how he could brave the forest without someone to stop him from getting lost forever. That was future her's problem though.

"Right, so we don't need to be waiting around outside the ominous forest while a guardian stares at us...." And that was how she was leaving it. She just turned and started on her way back toward the main path, and furthermore to just continue on down it on her way to Florasong. Yes, there were pokemon along this route - ones she wanted - but it wasn't until just then she'd even remembered she'd skipped a stop at a Pokemart before leaving Grand Glory. Of all the things she didn't see a point in telling him, she certainly didn't want to admit she only had a grand total of 4 pokeballs, all of which were her starting set, on her. He already looked at her like she was trash, she wanted to keep the upper hand of clearly knowing more than he did about being a trainer.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Interactions: Nolan @hatakekuro

There had been a warmness and softer expression waiting, even if only revealed for a quick moment, under that gruff exterior. It was one of those 'listen carefully and don't blink, or you'll miss it' things but she caught it. As scatterbrained as she could be, she tried to notice things from people she was already talking to. Probably better to not draw attention to it. She had found people that were gruff didn't like things like that pointed out to them, not usually.

"Never assume a job to be easy. It's always those that say that that freeze up when things go wrong." That was Nolan's initial response upon her description of the job.

Ria nodded, keeping her smile in place but a pang of worry that it might not be genuine fluttered through her head. Did he notice? Hopefully not; he was studying the description on the posting. She shouldn't have been so shortsighted to say it would be easy. If it was going to be easy, then the guards could handle it alone. What if she did freeze up? That would just be right in line with her father's assumption of her abilities. One big act of magical prowess and suddenly she thought she could do anything? Dealing with attackers was far different than just watering fields and dealing with pests getting into produce. If she couldn't efficiently train with her father, could she actually handle helping Nolan protect the shipment if they got attacked? She didn't want to rely on him to keep it safe by himself while she stood there pretty much doing nothing but failing to get her magic to respond like usual.

That was all thoughts passing through her head in the moment between his comments though. Pushing those thoughts down was far easier than breathing. More years of experience getting it right. "Well, it's not so much that anything in particular is happening. It is just that here have been more attacks than usual for this time of year and the guard is diminished in strength." A soft laugh helped brighten the smile back to its usual glow, even if he had seen the slight force to keep it there before. "Actually, it's kind of a good sign that they reached out to ask for assistance. But yes, I am certain they have been waiting on this delivery long enough."

She waited just long enough for Nolan to start walking before walking along at his side. Just remember to breathe and let your magic act naturally. She didn't want to keep reminding herself that - she was supposed to be a competent mage if she was part of a guild - but now she felt she had to. The fact that people seemed to part away from Nolan's path, and thus hers, made it easier to be lost to her thoughts as they walked. Once they were out of the guildhall and starting down the street toward their contact, the smell of some fresh cooked pastries from a nearby shop drifted into her nose. The distracted smile on her face was replaced by another radiant one and excited mismatched eyes turned on Nolan. "Oh! Have you had much chance to explore Rembrandt? I know you've been here a bit, but I would imagine you haven't really gone out exploring it. Maybe after the mission I could show you around a little. There are some wonderful little hidden spots around town that you might enjoy visiting. That's if you are up for it, that is. Just, you know, think about it and let me know." It hadn't even occurred to her how the proposal sounded; then again, she also hadn't seen that Kiba had intentionally abandoned Nolan with her.

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

Walking silently to the next destination was the absolute best thing that could have happened. Faye wasn't interested in any more chatting with the prick. No, no, she chided herself. The guy clearly wasn't from the region, had some kind of image to maintain from his own region, and didn't realize nobody gave a shit who he or his family were. There was also the little fact it was majorly apparent he was in over his head with this whole being a trainer thing. So being a prick was probably his coping mechanism for being uncomfortable and trying not to show it.

The point remained, however, that it was far better they did walk without talking to each other. What would they talk about anyways? How much of a douche he had been since they got their starters? How much he doesn't know about this region and its history? Would be more useful to just go over fundamentals with him: explain different pokemon diets, proper grooming for different types, and other basic concepts that would help him improve as starting trainer with basic moves before his pokemon start getting into advanced techniques. But, that would require him to be tolerable.

Faye's pensive mood changed when Tristan stopped before the forest path. She stopped as well, peering beyond him at the mist pouring forth from those woods. Sage hesitated, tucking a step back behind her as Tilia ruffled then resettled her feathers. Neither seemed too interested to get much closer and she couldn't blame them. It wasn't exactly the kind of place she figured most would want to go. At least the guy wasn't stupid enough to go marching straight in. If he was that brazen - she wasn't sure she would have been able to run fast enough to make sure he was okay after he got through the first row of trees.

She had prepared a snippy retort to the start of his little speech, but his quick coverup to refrain from calling her frumpy again caught it up in her throat. She blinked and just listened, trying to swallow down her surprise. Was he...trying to be nice? Now that was a first. The prospect of foolishly heading straight into the unknown in a region he knew little about just to get one up on her was obviously enough to scare him if he was rescinding his challenge to propose they work together instead. Partners until a discovery then battle to see who gets to claim it? What did she have to say to it?

"No." She blinked as she looked from him to the forest then back to him. "Okay, so let me expand on that. If it comes to a discovery - no, I'm not going to battle you for the right to claim a discovery. First of all - you wouldn't make any discoveries about the forest if it wasn't for me even suggesting you come with me to do it, so if you want to continue to join me on the adventure into it, you can at least agree to sharing credit like I was going to do. But yea, for the rest of it - we can train if you think that will make you any better equipped at venturing in. Until you change that attitude of yours though, I think you'll have a tough go getting far in that forest even if you do train up."

She looked at Sage, who nudged her leg. He yipped softly then nudged her again. The purple haired trainer sighed and looked back at the city boy across from her. "So, I think the better compromise is: we start fresh. Proper introductions, bit of respect, and move on equally from here. You're not from this region and don't seem like you did much homework on it, whereas I'm from here and I know a decent amount about points of interest and where I grew up. Seems like you benefit more from the deal given you're not exactly bringing much to it aside from just traveling company. Then, when you're attitude is better and you're ready to handle the forest, we can do it together with equal credit to anything we discover in there. How does that sound?"

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Interactions: Nolan @hatakekuro

"Wonderful!" Ria chirped with delight. Her cheerful smile brightened more. She never fully got a handle on exactly what Nolan could do aside from that he was definitely not a pushover in a fight, but she was certain that they would do well working together. Okay, well, not so much well but - she wanted to help him get out of the bar where he seemed displeased to be and knew he couldn't exactly take a job the city guard had posted without someone there to help act as the middle man for conversations between them. There was also the slight fact that, while she was absolutely certain she could help and complete jobs there was the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she'd mess up something and that could lead to someone that she was supposed to be helping getting hurt. Nope, that wasn't going to happen. She had this. Just like watering plants. She just had to breathe and treat her magic as natural as breathing. There wouldn't be any problems.

"Yes, I certainly remember the terms you have with the guards," she caught herself from giggling. "But I generally have a good relationship with most of the townsfolk and many of the guard. I would be more than happy to do all of the talking and keep their attention toward me to help draw any undue tension and trouble from you. We'd be there to help, after all. And I know just the job to help start improving things!"

She didn't wait for him to get up from his seat. She'd heard of a job getting put on the board that she figured she could actually manage to do. It was just a matter of ensuring it was still available. The water mage wove between bodies and ducked under a gesturing arm of an unaware patron before popping up at the job board. A quick scan later, she'd found exactly what she was looking for, snatched up the listing, and wove back over to stop beside Nolan.

"Here! She slammed the paper down before him with a grin once again radiating on her face. "This is the perfect job for us. It should be pretty easy, but it is specifically helping the guard bring supplies to another garrison - which is a wonderful way to remind them that you're here to help, not cause problems. So the way I envision this working out is that I can help drum up the good faith between both parties and that completing this job, successfully delivering the garrison their much needed supplies, should help ingratiate you with them with very little effort on your part or even needing to speak to them. Like you suggested and I agreed, I can do all the talking. Easy peasy, yes?"

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

Faye's arched a brow when he first poked her shoulder. Again, posturing. Who was he performing for? Or did he think this was really going to make her change her opinion of him? So far, she was still markedly unimpressed.

"Well, for starters, I called you asshole - not a coward. So there's that," she said as she turned and just crossed her arms, watching him walk off without her. "But sure. You go right ahead and do that. I'll hang out in the field with Sage and Tilia, and you can go tempt the forest guardian with that shit attitude of yours."

She shrugged in agreement with herself and summoned out Tilia, who landed on her shoulder with a curious hoot, and Sage, who yipped with a curious tilt of his head before trotting along beside her. There had to be something to this prick that Adriana saw in him that indicated he'd be a good trainer - potentially a champion (though that thought made her stomach roll). For the life of her she was having trouble figuring it out.

For now she regrettably tied herself to this guy. She supposed she was bound to make a bad decision or two her first days as a trainer. It just sucked that being saddled with such a jackass was one of them.

The purple haired trainer sighed softly as she walked with her pokemon. She needed a better attitude for their sake. Tilia had been bristling until Faye stroked her feathers and offered her a soft smile. "It's fine. For as much of a chore as that guy is trying to be, we won't actually let him get hurt," she whispered. Sage gave a relieved yip to match Tilia's hopeful hoot.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Interactions: Karma @Zarkun, Adelyn @Lunarlord34

The place was still too noisy. Maybe a few less people, and it would have been easier to hear himself think. A few less people, and he would have been able to tune out what was going on around him and actually read. There were a lot of jobs, many things the town guard were ill equipped to handle at the time. Likely all of them could end up being things he was more than capable at handling. Did it really matter what one he picked?

In the end, he just read the job names. They held most of the information in those few words, a summary of what might come. That was the point of titles, wasn't it? To help someone understand what they might be getting into without needing to read more details in a quick glance?

He'd spent too long staring at the board as it was. Markovis had little interest in spending any longer there. It wasn't so much a worry someone would think he was having trouble picking a job. He was alone there at the moment. That would eventually change. Might as well just take something that sounded interesting at look at the details in a quieter setting.

The lackluster mage pulled the Suspicious Monster Sighting flyer from the board and wove his way over to the counter. He was going to just tell Ria, but she looked to be in conversation with Nolan - a strange concept for sure but one he had no inclination to interrupt - so he headed for Karma. Stopping in front of bartender, he held up the posting. "Karma, I'm taking this job. I'll be back when I have completed it."

That was all there was to it. He told someone, so he turned and made his way for the exit. Adelyn was so small he almost tripped over her when he did, though. After the momentary collision and catch to ensure neither fell, and even a fleeting "Didn't see you but forgetting the apology, he continued on his wha out the door. Hopefully he could manage to get out without any trouble. Then it was just a matter of time before he could find quiet and actually read the description of the job.

---

---

Interactions: Nolan @hatakekuro, Kiba @Cello, and Adelyn @Lunarlord34

Ria listened silently, her smile undeterred by the long winded response she recieved from their other resident reading fanatic. Adelyn may have had a proper upbringing but the girl had very little sense of refinement. Still, there was a genuine approval masked somewhere in the otherwise condescending words. Much like the mild approval Nolan gave their guild master's performance.

In fact, to say her smile was undeterred may have been an understatement. Whenshe smiled more, casting away the melancholy thoughts drummed up by - specifically - Adelyn's critic. "Dear Adelyn, music isn't just about pomp and serenity. It's about emotion and connection. What may be melodious to one is grating to another. But it does not lessen the emotion it invoked for the artist that created it, nor give privilege to another to strike down their efforts for sharing it simply for it not being what you prefer. Any musician that truly appreciates their art can appreciate that of another whether they are opposing interests or not.

"Nolan's critic on the other hand is much better aligned." She laughed softly. "Perhaps our guildhall is not properly suited for a concert like this. If I had remembered, perhaps I could have invited you to join me at the farms. It would have been nice to have an extra set of hands when bringing in the bushels of produce they gave me, and would have relieved you guys of the din of the festivities for at least a little while."

She thought for a moment, humming thoughtfully while tapping her chin. Her gaze locked on the counter as thought. It made her oblivious to Kiba gesturing Adelyn out or the encouraging thumbs up he gave Nolan. Even if she had seen it, she wouldn't have realized what he meant.

"I got it!" She snapped her fingers as she focused on the group. Only to find it was just Nolan. "Huh. Where'd they go?" She blinked then shook her head and hands, erasing the momentary slump in energy and replacing it with her cheery rays again. "Oh it doesn't matter, I suppose. But! There are a few jobs on the board, ones that'll help get you out of here and even help garnering some better report with the town guard by helping them with a job. I could join you to help quell any potential misunderstandings before they start too. If you wanted."

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

Despite how indignant the pompous prick sounded as he shot off demanding, if not slightly nervous, questions the point remained: Tristan was joining her. He'd followed her as she left and even while presenting a front like he wasn't planning to continue traveling with her, he was still following as she backtracked a little toward the forest. Tristan joining her was just as good as her going it alone, though.

"No, no one told you about the disappearances. But yeah, I knew about it and withheld that information because, despite how awful you are at polite conversation and your overall rude physical demeanor to - just guessing but I'm assuming - everyone you've met today aside from Mr. and Mrs. Andersen, I wholeheartedly do not believe you would be abducted by the forest. At worst, we'll get turned back to the wood edge. The only ones that are never seen again are the ones that the forest guardian thinks are too awful to return. I don't think you're actually as nasty as you try to be, and I have a feeling the forest guardian will sense that too."

Faye let out a soft sigh and stopped walking for a moment as she turned to face him. "Look, if you're scared of potentially disappearing or not cool with traveling with me because I didn't tell you something that won't be a problem anyway, just keep going that way - " she pointed down the road past the daycare - "and you'll end up in Florasong. It's nice, and pretty, and safe there. No one will ever know you were too afraid of a stupid legend to try to see what lives in the Forest of Fae.

"I have a plan, so I'm going to go see if I can get in that forest and at least see what pokemon libe there. Fairy-type do live there but people only really see glimpses. But, if we can get the forest guardian to welcome us, we won't get lost or forced to leave. And if it doesn't, I'm coming back here once I find out more about the talisman that supposedly helped ancients enter it and get my hands on one.

"So, what's it gonna be? Gonna play it safe, or are you gonna join me in being the first ones to get proof of what that forest is actually like?"

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

It hadn't even occurred to Faye that in her amazement over the egg getting identified that she might offend the daycare runner with her reaction. She blinked at his coarse reaction then finally tore her eyes away from the egg. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just that my dad has worked with pokemon for, well, since before I was born and he's always wanted get a chance to work with one, so getting a shiney as an egg is pretty amazing for me. I hope it hatches before I get back to King's Cross so I can show him if he's not out on call."

And then the poser coverboy had to go open his mouth and remind everyone he existed. He couldn't have spared her the reminder of how much of a chore he was? No, had to go continue proving he was as pompous as he was ignorant of the region. Which of course turned into the old man trying to dissuade them of even trying to enter the forest to test the legends she'd read.

She knelt and carefully stored the egg back into her pack. "Unlike pretty boy here, I have researched plenty and I'm confident we'll do just fine in making it back out. Whether we manage to get a pokemon that lives there or not is entirely up in the air..." She stood and got her backpack settled back on her shoulders. "But I'm not exactly looking to catch any pokemon. Just want some pictures, proof of what the forest looks would be amazing for researchers."

"At any rate, I'm sure we've taken enough of your time. Thank you for helping identify the egg. What do I owe you for that? Then we'll be out of your hair." She figured it was the polite thing, offer payment for a service even if she wasn't using the daycare. Once that was settled, they'd set out. If the city boy was too much of a wimp to follow her, then she'd just set out on her own. Maybe he'd even survive making it to Florasong without being traumatized by how far he had to walk.

Pokémon: There and Back Again

Faye Wrexlyn

Inventory

Pokédollars: 3,000
Egg in Egg Case
1x Potion
Camping backpack with a cold weather sleeping bag with a sleeping pad added to it, waterproof canvas tarp, 50 ft of rope, mess kit, extra clothes, a week of food (granola, jerky, a few canned soup, pokemon food for Sage, etc), water purification kit and canteen, compass and maps of the region, magnesium fire starter, multi-tool knife, and a camping saw.

Pokemon

On-hand

Sage

♂

Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Level: 6
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand-Attack
Ability: Adaptability - Increases STAB from 1.5x to 2x
Held Item:

Tilia

♀

Species: Rowlet
Type: Grass/Flying
Level: 5
Status:
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Leafage
Ability: Overgrow - Powers up Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.
Held Item:

PC

@samreaper

Faye blinked and would have laughed about trying to impress Tristan - much less that the guy thought they were friends - if not for the way the man reacted to the egg. He looked amazed, shocked really, to see the egg she pulled from her bag. A Larvesta egg? No way Basil gave a first day trainer a Larvesta egg. She stared at it a bit stunned. She had no doubts she would be able to handle it, but to get one out of one chance meeting was mindboggling. Her father would never believe her that she already managed to get one. Then again, it didn't seem like this guy believed her either.

Her attention turned back to the guy with his more pointed accusation. "Well, I'm not sure if I should be insulted you think I'd be incompetent enough to steal an egg and bring it to an upstanding citizen to identify my haul, or relieved you believe that believe I'm not making it up. But, as it turns out, I do have proof of my tale." She pulled out her phone and brought up her account to show the old coot the post she made of the picture of Basil and her together, as well as his response below it. "My name is Faye Wrexlyn. I met him yesterday shortly after I left Professor Kapoc's lab yesterday. Basil's yamper was interested in my camera - a pretty photogenic pokemon - and after a bit of a chat, Basil said I should take the egg. He apparently got it from Adriane Brand, so at least that mystery is solved."

She put her phone away and picked up the egg. "Wow, so you're sure it's a Larvesta egg? Man, my dad would be thrilled to actually get to see one up close. Maybe it'll hatch before I get back home. Do you think you can tell how long before it might hatch?" The fact that there was even another person around completely slipped her mind. Tristan could be on the ground screaming in pain and her focus would be on the egg in hand and the man that knew about it - though who could blame her for ignoring him?

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

There was something going on at the guildhall today. Which meant adjusting routine. Not that some would consider getting dressed, going to the guildhall, then drinking until either something caught his attention or they kicked him out was a routine, but for Markovis - that routine was grounding. He would have kept to it if not for the understanding that the festivities Jenna had planned would draw in more people than he cared to be around. Too much high energy in a place already bustling with bodies eager to prove themselves.

No, he needed to not be in there. Not until he'd had a few drinks. That always helped calm his mind after a night of restless insomnia. Reading hadn't helped much the night before, and Penelope tired of playing. He supposed he could head to the forest outside of town to train, but the last time caused such a hassle with the guards that it seemed like far too much effort than he wanted to put into anything yet.

A heavy sigh escaped him. Markovis rubbed a hand in his face then ran it back through his raven colored hair. The only real option was routine. As bothersome as it was to be amongst the bustle of festivities it was far more troublesome to figure out a way to avoid them in the first place.

He got off the couch and grabbed a full bottle of everclear off the counter on the way to his bedroom. No time like the present to condition himself for a crowd.

* * *

The bottle was half finished by the time the apathetic young mage entered the guildhall, bottle corked but still in hand. Some would think he dressed to impress, with a dark blue turtle neck that brought out the blue of his eyes, black slacks, and what might appear to most to be nice shoes; in reality it was just clothes that felt comfortable and he could move easily in, including the shoes that had comfortable inserts and a cushioned heel. His steel blue blue gaze passed over the throng of people to ascertain the best route to his usual spot away from most. But in that assessment, it became clear even his usual spot at the bar was crowded with people ordering drinks and guild mates talking. At least the music died down.

Jenna said something about jobs. That was probably the only thing he could do that didn't involve a desire to kill off the bottle in his hand in as few chugs as possible. So instead of heading to his usual spot, he veered off course over to the collection of jobs to see if any caught his interest.

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Interactions: Karma @Zarkun, Nolan @hatakekuro, Kiba @Cello, and Adelyn @Lunarlord34

Ria was up, dressed, and out before dawn just like every day. There were enough farms around that she could start each day visiting one to help get fields watered. It was just the right amount of exercise and cheerful help she needed to start the day off well regardless of what dreams found her the night before. It wasn't hard work or involved, but the contract with the Rembrandt farmers both ensured a steady source of revenue for the guild and allowed her to even have a small parcel of land to use for her own gardening.

So like every morning, there was Ria, humming to herself and dancing amongst the drizzle as a rain cloud followed her through Farmer Sadie's field. The water was warm, so it didn't matter that it soaked her hair and dress (and made the fabric contour to her curves more than usual). Who didn't like enjoying a quick sprinkle on a beautiful day?

By the time she had finished, and received a small bushel of vegetables with this month's payment for her services, the sun was already up. Her sundress and hair dried by the time she skipped in the door of the guildhall.

Only to pause in confusion. There were far too many people and too much noise to be just any day. And when she spotted Jenna on stage, it clicked. "The festivities were today??" She almost facepalmed, if not for the act of starting to put the bushel off balance and she almost dropped it all to the ground. Well, no time to waste.

The water mage wove her way skillfully through the crowd, dodging elbows and ducking under arms, to get to the bar, and furthermore back into the kitchen. Only once the vegetables were stored up did she return to them bar. "Good morning, Karma. Anything I can do to help?" It was only after her greeting to the lead bartender that she noticed several of her guild mates all looking miserable. It didn't stop her from giving them all a cheerful smile. "Hi, guys! Seems everyone liked Jenna's song. Doesn't she have such a lovely voice?"