Chapter 15: A Thawing Heart
Red-stained white.
It was always the same sight; a depthless snowy land splattered with red. Small bodies, black and crimson with matted and tangled fur sinking into the tainted snowscape. They were familiar. She recognized their bodies; and yet, she knew none of them. There was no way of knowing who they were. Standing tall or buried beneath the snow, even if the same species, there was no difference. They were the same in body, mind, and purpose. They weren't people.
Was she one of them? The stained patch of red beneath her looked the same as the others'. She was the same, but she was better. She was stronger. It never hurt, did it? It shouldn't have ever hurt like it did now.
Snow from the overcast sky smothered all light, falling silently and relentlessly. Just white dots in the air that added to the white below, ready to be stained. Was she staring at the sky? She shouldn't have been. There was nothing but endless, unchanging gray, yet it drew her gaze.
A sharp cry rang beside her. It was another four-legged body of black and red. It stumbled before falling over, red spilling from the mouth and stomach and staining the snow. More red-stained white, and all because they were weak; she knew by the clear liquid dripping off its eyes and freezing into its fur. Whatever leaked out became a biting cold, digging into its flesh. Every drop that escaped meant surrendering to weakness. Keep it in. Stay strong. Stop feeling, stop caring.
She was better. The cold pricked all over, but she stood. She shivered, but she wasn't weak. She didn't want to stain the snow. What she wanted didn't matter, but it aligned with her purpose. Was it good to be on top? To be the last one standing? It didn't matter. She didn't care anymore, couldn't care anymore.
It hurt to care about them. She was still hurting. The cold within froze her; it seeped into her, to every hair and limb, stifling and prickling.
But she stood tall, and alone. It was all she knew, all she was allowed to. She wasn't allowed to care. It made her strong, just how they wanted her. She could serve well, fulfill that nameless purpose; the same purpose the bodies surrounding her couldn't. They weren't strong enough. They were too warm. If they weren't, they wouldn't have succumbed to the cold.
They wouldn't have been culled.
She let the cold in, bonded with it. It made her rigid, solid, able to survive. There was no need for warmth anymore. There was no purpose in wanting.
"… o… ot…"
Warm… How did it feel? Was that a question? She shouldn't wonder.
"no… not… no…"
Red-stained white. That's all she saw, her whole world. A blank space riddled with the crimson of others. They left her alone, as it should be. They were cold, but she was colder. She let go of the warmth to be stronger, to matter. To keep standing.
She didn't even know them. She couldn't care.
She shouldn't care.
"Not… No…?"
Her paw reached out to the expanse and the bodies leaving her alone. A hollow gasp escaped her tense chest. It all trembled.
Even if it wasn't allowed, she wanted them, she wanted warmth. It didn't matter anymore. She wanted it to matter. She wanted to matter.
"No… Not… No…!"
She was still weak.
"Note! Hey, Note? Is something wrong?"
Note turned to the voice calling her and found Aster waving his arms next to her. His worry-filled face softened with a sigh at her notice, but Note glanced back to what she was originally looking at. She had been staring at a prim white dress with rose patterns woven all over in the front display of a clothing shop. Its colors were mesmerizing, but now her attention was drawn to her dim reflection—a messily short-maned Zoroark staring back with wide eyes. Something had startled her, whether it was her own face, the dress, or something far from her emotional understanding. Nevertheless, her wondering only drew her attention upwards at the eye-catching new GAD hat she was wearing, a particularly dumb one at that.
And with that, the shock turned into plain disappointment in her flat expression. The new hat was an icy silver, like a Calyrex's fur, and the embroidery was less gaudy than the past design. But… it was just a hat, and a mandatory one. Even if she liked it, there really wasn't much to dig into there.
"Are you okay, Note?" Aster leaned in close. "You spaced out pretty hard there. Everyone's moved on."
"Yeah… Yeah, probably," Note answered. Though dishonest, she yawned and rubbed her eyes as she turned to Aster. "Probably just tired from staying up late yesterday; those entry guards were seriously annoying."
"Getting up extra early for Charon probably didn't help either," Aster chuckled.
"Don't remind me." Note rolled her eyes at that. She had it the worst by sleeping late, but Charon visiting way too early to give them the new hats was a real punch in the gut. She yawned again as she dragged her body back to follow Aster and her distant coworkers. The Scrafty came up beside her, twiddling his claws like he was still stuck on something, but a lazy glance from Note made him jolt a bit. "Gotta ask, are you okay?"
"O-Oh, I'm just worried about you, is all. Never saw you freeze like that before, much less stare at a dress…" Still holding his gloved claws close, he gave a glance back to the shop. "I mean, it was a pretty dress. I've seen Coral get stuck looking at them too. Did you want it?"
Note tipped her head to the side and hummed. Had she been staring at it that long? Why? Agh, it didn't really matter. "Nah, I don't really get clothes. It's just cloth and textiles covering you. Doesn't seem like it'd be useful in any way."
"That's not true, they make you look good!" Aster stepped in front of her and slid his claws down his sides to pull on his new red suspenders with a big toothy smile. "Look at me! I had Charon make these bad boys to celebrate me coming out to you guys! They're simple, but I feel great with them, and I bet you'll feel great too with something of your own!"
Note stifled a chuckle at Aster boasting about getting suspenders. They really were just for aesthetics, since his loose scales were already somehow grafted onto his chuckle just turned into a smirk as Aster spun and dashed off to the rest of GAD who were near and had stopped to wait, and all the while he still held and played with his suspenders. Note's companions all waved back at noticing her close by, seemingly happy to have her back at their side.
It was ridiculous, though she was aware of her own smirk. She couldn't deny how happy Aster, or even Coral, got when wearing nice clothes or looking better in general. If they got that cheerful from something so simple as clothes or her presence… Maybe she was missing something there.
Before long, Note rejoined everyone, behind and watching them all talk to each other. It was a familiar situation, and she wondered why they seemingly wanted her around when she was usually distant. Though, there was no point in wondering about any of that. She had no active choice in the matter, so it was better to hope, follow along, and minimize any trouble— even if her presence only drew them more stigma.
Though, her constant impulsive thinking probably wasn't any better than her lack of participation. It was something she had been trying to improve, but independent thoughts were still hard to balance for how recent they were to her. It only meant she was still an incomplete person compared to them all. Maybe that's what she needed to accept to get rid of the intrusive worries.
Thankfully, being around these people meant enough conversation to distract her from those worries.
"Man, I still can't get over how nice these hats are!" Hope almost shouted as they all turned a corner of the streets. "You were right, Coral! Charon really is good!" The sentiment seemed to be shared by everyone else, but not so much by Note. Charon tailored each hat to everyone, so they were at least comfortably fitting. Some like Blight and Iki's hats were hollowed out in the middle and snapped to connect at the back to account for their heads. Coral said they looked like "stereotypical accountant visors" so… Who knew, really.
"That'll show that Leavanny and Sylveon that we can't be messed with!" Ayza cheered while hopping around the group.
Aster shrugged while grimacing. "I'm pretty sure people will still try, though. After all, we're on our way to the guild right now. They're the people that probably dislike us the most…"
"Aww, don't be so down. Atlas and Team Honor have us covered if anything happens, heh…" Hope said with a big smile, though he then glanced away and whispered to himself what only Note's deft ears could catch. "Gods, I hope so…"
Ah yes, the Reefly City Guild. Note grinned to herself. It would've been her new home had Aster not kicked her in the street. In retrospect, it was a stretch that they'd allow her to join, so she supposed GAD was probably for the best. Less people to deal with daily, and a free possessed house were neat bonuses too.
Note let out a small sigh as she glanced up to the blue sky and warm sun above. She supposed she was lucky to be here, lucky to have been fearfully stuck in front of the Kecleon shop back then. Did she deserve that kind of luck? It wasn't like many got a chance like she did. Fought enough for a normal life, and here she was…
"Ooh, guys, look at that!"
"Ohh, yes, yes!"
Lost in thought again, Note bumped into Iki at the back of the group, the Cramorant squawking and turning. Note recognized his expression and lightly held his beak shut before he could start apologizing for the rest of the day. The poor guy was doing better today, but he still seemed spooked by yesterday's event, especially around Note, almost like he was looking for any way to please and make her happy. She didn't mind the special treatment in breakfast, but she wasn't gonna let yesterday repeat itself. He deserved better than that.
"Don't apologize, it's my fault I wasn't looking," Note said as she let go of his beak. She flashed a grin for extra reassurance.
Iki stared at her with those big worried eyes of his while his beak hung open. It took a moment before he shut his beak, shook his head, and then nodded. His worry never left his face, even as he joined everyone else. He looked like a child barely keeping in a secret he wanted to blurt out.
Note's own worry grew, but it was sidelined in favor of staring with the rest at what made them stop. Aster and Ayza were at the front, both pointing and hyping up a poster plastered on the side of a building. The giant Dragonite head of the guild was just in sight, so the poster had better been worth stopping for.
The advertisement was mildly interesting, on account of it seeming to announce some kind of battle. The top-half illustrations of the two participants were the real draw. One side had a confident Felix the Grovyle, ready for battle as he held his goggles with a grin. On the other was a Zangoose who looked deathly serious, glaring at the former human and holding one claw up. The Zangoose had a neckerchief that held some kind of necklaced orb in the middle. The weird part about them, though, was the large tuft of fur on the top of their head, their less stockier than normal build, and their four claws instead of the usual two. Probably a hybrid of some kind.
"What… is this?" Coral asked.
"I-It's an official match between two Pokémon," Iki answered with a slight rattle in his voice as he un-subtly stepped up and away from Note. He narrowed his eyes to read the small script on the poster. "Hmm…"
"The exciting rematch you've been waiting for! Felix the Fearless Hero versus Rhythm the Ruthless Monster! Come to the Shadow Dojo next Saturday to see who will win in the continuation of their roaring rivalry!"
… Huh. So that human really was some kind of celebrity here. It was enough reason for Note's dislike of him to grow ever so slightly more.
"Oh, we have to go see that!" Aster jumped in excitement, but Blight tilted their large head.
"I knew Pokemon fought for fun, but this spectacle seems like a bit much." Their mouth pursed alongside their eyes. "Why spend money to see people beat each other up when it might end in minutes?"
Aster scoffed, and Ayza copied him with a face twisted in exaggerated offense. The excitable ones seemed to be especially in sync today. "Because these fights are legendary, and Rhythm is incredible! She's one of the only Pokémon who can beat Felix in all-out combat! Imagine that, being strong enough to fight a human, and to have a perfect streak of beating him too!" Aster threw quick punches to the air to illustrate his point, which only fired up Ayza as her frills fanned out at the sight.
"I kinda beat him…" Coral mumbled with rolling eyes directed at the ground.
"On a very forgiving condition set by yours truly," Hope added with a bow and a smirk that earned a glare from Coral. The prince shrugged and eyed the poster again with a pursed mouth. "Still, these events get pretty hectic and crowded. I love 'em, but I'd prefer Dad not chewing me out again if I could."
Note gave him a side glance, furrowing her brow at his unusual less-than-ecstatic demeanor. Her, the Zoroark, standing here with him was proof enough of Hope not caring about what his father said, or at least still persevered in spite of it—why would he let that stop him now of all times? Did something happen? Maybe a joke could cheer him up.
"Come on, come on," Ayza cut in, "we HAVE to see it—we just gotta! Indulge in the local culture~" Ayza twirled before facing everyone else, wearing a wide smile as she clasped her claws together. Aster joined her side, copying the same expression. "Who else is with us? It'll be fun!"
Everyone else glanced between themselves, faces unimpressed.
"I'm not that interested," Iki started.
"I've got prince stuff, so can't," Hope continued.
"I've got princess stuff, so can't," Note finished.
Hope shot Note a raised brow, but she just grinned.
Ayza's head darted towards her teammates with a loud and pleading whimper. They exchanged weary looks and sighed. "… I didn't want to see Felix again, but I guess we can go—" Coral's whisper was cut by Ayza giving them both a diving hug that almost toppled them.
"Oh, this is so exciting!" she cheered as she shook her partners around.
By the end, Blight was giggling at the energy, but Coral heaved as he turned to the poster again. He grimaced at the Grovyle. "Still… Felix has some kind of rival, and their fight is some huge public event? I guess that's not too different from back home…"
Aster leaned in close to whisper with a pitch in his voice. "Humans like fighting?"
Coral chuckled. "Oh, they do, mostly for show. But it's more punching and kicking, and less…" He waved his hands around like he was trying to shape something nebulous. "Well, all the stuff that Pokémon can do. It feels like a bigger deal here, a whole lot more dramatic."
"Dramatic is an understatement, wait until you actually get there," Iki said as they continued and finally rounded the corner into the guild proper.
It stood tall as a sort of second centerpiece of the city, surrounded by a bustling plaza full of badge-clad guild members mixed with the general populace passing through or doing business. Each went about their day through talking, eating, or even the occasional haggling with street merchants. At the center of it all stood the real focus with no real way of ignoring it.
The Reefly City Guild, decorated in all its obnoxious Dragonite glory, was a large building mostly covered by the giant tarp modeled after Atlas, so it was hard to actually see anything about the structure itself. The only notable parts were the side buildings of significantly less grand appeal and the horn on the head of the tarp, the tip of it opening to reveal a large bell tower from within that stretched upwards to top the whole building off. The tarp itself was a big, dopey Dragonite head, with a smiling entrance that was equally inviting as it was harrowing.
"This looks… worse than I thought," Blight mumbled through Ayza's audible euphoria.
Sure can agree there, Note thought with a low huff. Just seeing it close now made her regret her original goal if it meant living somewhere so… pronounced.
Hope floated to the front of them and put on his prince voice. "Now, let us make our way in for what you will be doing this week. Don't mind the stares, of course." Just the reminder of the attention tensed most of their chests, but that didn't stop them from finishing their light journey into the guild. At some point, they should've just gotten used to it, Note sure had.
After crossing the gaping entrance, they found themselves in the center room of the guild. It was a large space with plenty of room to laze and sleep on its soft and earthy floor, if it wasn't begrudgingly filled by guild members planning work, receiving pay, or just talking amongst each other. The active scene was welcoming in a way, like they had stumbled into a tight-knit community just going about their day; and the guild itself reflected that, with its walls having multiple busy hallways leading to other parts of the guild and being lined above by railed wooden walkways on the upper levels connecting their halls on either side. Open, but connected on all fronts, it seemed like a home of sorts, and one Note missed out on.
Though, she would've been more comforted by the sight if it wasn't for the reminders that, yes, this was still a workplace, unlike Rune was. The key detractors were the two raised bulletin boards in the center standing apart from each other and facing the entrance, with one being clamored over by guild members on all sides inspecting and swiping job notices, and the other getting only a few stares with its comparably much lesser amount of notices. Past them on the far wall was a concierge desk built into the structure and manned by both kinds of Meowstic, each attending fervent guild members with job offers in hand. Seeing that wasn't as welcoming as the design of the guild made it out to be. Home or not, people were here to get paid, not relax with friends.
"Wow… It's everything I've dreamed of…" Ayza gawked with dilated eyes and twitching frills.
"Welcome to the Reefly City Guild, your second place of focus while working within GAD," Hope announced and extended his paws. "Every other week you will be alternating from here and the lighthouse, got it? Quite nice, no?"
They nodded, more focused on their surroundings. By now the guild had quieted somewhat at their arrival, though whispers were still in the air. She did notice one positive reaction by the bright flame that came from his tail. Newt the Charmeleon was staring at the full board from afar, but now he was sauntering over with a big smile, ignorant of the rest of the guild.
"Oh gosh, hi guys! How're ya doing?" Newt asked as he got close and looked over all of them with an innocent curiosity while he conversed, as if he knew them intimately. The guild continued on its energetic business at seeing one of their esteemed heroes be so close to GAD. Note assumed they just didn't want to get on his or Hope's bad side.
Note tuned back into the conversation once Newt got to her, offering a simple handshake with that same bright smile and waving flame-tail. She could only respond with a light grin at his overwhelming forwardness. After that, he stepped back and pointed to Coral with a wink. "Good to see y'all are well, but Coral here is shining! I love your new bowtie!"
The Drizzile fiddled with his cursed apparel and looked away. "A-Ah, thanks…"
He really does melt with any compliment, Note thought with a smirk.
Coral dismissed his embarrassment by sighing and focusing back on Newt. "It's nice to see you again, but uh… Where's Felix? Isn't he usually with you?"
"Ah, nah, I'm just going ahead and looking at what we can do today besides training while he's having breakfast. Some brief time to myself, is all."
Note gave a low grumble at the thought of nice and easy breakfast without any interruptions to walk through the city to get to work. Felix really was a privileged human, damned relaxed breakfast-eater. If it meant losing out on good food, she could agree with Agaya's view on humans, even if it was petty.
Newt waved away the topic with a chuckle. "Anywho, what're y'all doing here and how can I help? Newest part of the guild finally coming to our home's a big deal!"
Hope floated in front, still using his royal voice. "We're here to talk with Guildmaster Atlas so they could get started with the guild requests. Is he available?"
The Charmeleon's tail swayed with his head as he looked over to a close right hall where a plush purple door with the guild's badge emblazoned on it stood in all its gaudy majesty. "Ah, yeah, he's just in his office. I can call him, wait here!" He sauntered over and casually opened the door before entering. It almost bothered Note how free he seemed here, uncaring of any authority.
After about a minute of waiting in the judgmental hall, Newt came out with the familiar Dragonite keeping up with him, wearing small glasses this time. Thankfully, he wasn't as haunting as the tarp just on top of them. Hope directed them to meet Atlas halfway while Newt ran off, shouting that he'd "find Felix and get everyone back together."
"Hello, good to see you're all okay!" Atlas said with a smile and went to hug Hope, though the prince's image didn't properly connect. Separating, Atlas sighed and his shoulders bunched up. "I heard what happened with Nova, but it's a relief to see you all doing well. I didn't need all of you in danger while I couldn't do anything."
"Rest assured," Hope said, "The situation was resolved as well as it could have been, and we are all the better for it, some of us more than others." He chuckled and pointed back to Aster, who just whimpered at becoming the focus for a moment.
Atlas nodded at the newer Scrafty. "Well, it seems like you've all had an eventful week, hopefully I don't pile on too much stress, haha…" He gave a quick laugh nobody shared before clearing his throat and looking to the boards past them, putting on a weary smile. "E-Either way, we should get you all situated. Follow me!"
He went off with heavy steps, though Note inferred from his stilted stride and quick blinking that he was tired as hell. She had seen it too clearly with Iki. The Dragonite was a tightly wound spring holding himself back from releasing and collapsing. He didn't seem to have an assistant, which likely meant he had the sole privilege of watching over and directing the whole guild. Maybe he was sleeping in his office just before Newt called him? There was a fake vigor to him, so maybe he was used to a routine of napping whenever and being awoken for whatever. All that to hide thinly-veiled exhaustion.
Note huffed as she followed along. She was finding that people tried too hard to hide their faults. Though, she couldn't exactly criticize those people either, not without her new conscience shaming her for the obvious hypocrisy.
They arrived at the boards, thankfully directing themselves to the less crowded one. Despite Atlas talking, Note's attention was immediatelydrawn to the top request of the other board, ignored even through all the clamoring. It was a high-class bounty with a picturesque scene of a snarling and grinning Zoroark with a raised claw prowling in the shadows. They held an especially gaunt frame, and multiple jade beads lined their mane, like sick ornaments and trophies. Inscribed at the bottom was the dramatic title of 'Dizmel, The Dancing Death.'
Good old Dizmel. A notorious assassin who was almost myth by now, known for collecting Zoroark beads from those who crossed them. Not to mention the trail of bodies left in their wake, with a distinct claw marking engraved near them—their pride for all to see and fear. There were little to no notes on their actual behavior, only their mark and sightings, so the evil grin was an artistic touch oozing prejudice. The whole identity of Dizmel was played up by guilds and bounties, both as an attractive draw for someone with an all-too-common hero complex, and a simple way to divide Zoroark from the good-natured everyone else. Who Dizmel was—who any Zoroark was—never mattered. The standard was set a long time ago.
Note, however, knew thatDizmel was an especially detestable person. Her stomach churned at the drawing alone. It wasn't like a Zororark assassin was surprising, but an indiscriminate killer like them was sickening. What good was a life that just snuffed out others? No doubt it was an especially lonely life. Either way, the general hatred against Dizmel was all projection, a focus for distrust of Zoroark in general, even if they had been inactive for over five years. Note held a real disdain for them, though—after all, she knew them better than anyone else could have.
Her claws flexed, a snarl rising from her chest. She looked over to Atlas at the board in front, distracting herself by tuning in to his explanation. She had already missed part of his explanation, but she appreciated the boredom grounding her somewhat.
"—Be focusing on this side, so don't mind the other one. Here you'll find leftover general requests. You know, rescues, exploration, investigations, all that good stuff. But you six will be doing something else…" Atlas grabbed the edge of the board. With a gutsy laugh, he spun it until the backside came in front, a mess of papers plastered on top of each other appearing. A few of the members of GAD yelped in surprise at Atlas' force, but two smaller, yet louder voices joined in. Even Atlas looked startled at the noise.
"C-Careful! We're still looking!" a young and exasperated voice called out. Stepping from behind the board was a weary Ledian with a simple bandana and neckerchief clothing. As they placed their hands on the hinges of the board, Note could see black star prints on the back of each, oddly enough. Trailing behind was a Sliggoo wearing a zig-zag patterned scarf with orange on top and yellow below, folded and tucked into itself to not slip off their viscous body. Green spots speckled their sides, and their eyes were shaped almost like soft tears, not too dissimilar from Blight's own. The two looked particularly young, but their badge-emblazoned bags still denoted them as part of this prestigious place. They must have had some merit to be here, at least.
"Guildmaster, this isn't the first time…" The Sliggoo spoke in a wobbly voice that felt more like on the verge of crying at any point. "We're not as big as most, but please don't forget about us."
"Are you two okay?!" Atlas asked. He knelt down to check the Ledian for any injuries. He almost looked like a doting mother, another thing Note already learned and recognized from Iki. "The board didn't hit you too hard, did it?"
The Ledian looked stunned at the large dragon looming over, but they shook their head. "N-No, we're fine… Though I'd rather not have that or another door hit my head again." As Atlas was already stammering to apologize, the Ledian's antennae twitched. They glanced to the side and finally noticed the odd gaggle that was GAD staring at them, prince included. The Sliggoo noticed as well, and though they whimpered, all the Ledian did was raise two hands to their chest. "O-Oh, wow."
A few of them offered cursory waves, but Note was more distracted by Atlas' head darting between the two groups. He gave another jittery laugh. "A-Ah, well good timing, you two, haha! GAD, meet our newest recruits, Team Starry Smiles. They actually joined us the same day GAD was formed, so you're all fellow guildmates!"
"The same day…?" Ayza echoed with a slight smile as the Ledian and Sliggoo waved back awkwardly. Note almost chuckled at the idea of being guildmates. Team Rogue would be plenty close to Team Starry Smiles had she not been conveniently in kicking range from a wandering Aster. Then again, many things would be different had that not happened, for better or worse. For now, though, it meant a lucky—if uncomfortable and forceful—meeting with colleagues and an overcompensating guildmaster.
"I'm Kiho," the Ledian said, trying to smile, "it's, uh, nice to meet you all."
The Sliggoo wobbled as they shrunk backwards. "A-And I'm Algamade… But just call me Al, it's easier." Kiho pulled Al close with two arms, their attempt at a smile growing. It did make Al soften and less tense, but only until Atlas spoke up again.
"We're pretty lucky you two were here, actually; you can help our guests. See, Kiho and Al here not only joined as you all did, but they've also been specializing in what you'll be doing as well!" He pointed to the board. "These are the city requests, all submitted from the Reefly people. You'll find all sorts of stuff here, from helping in the docks to even assisting someone reorganizing their home. People ask for anything here, so like Prince Hope said, you'll be helping the people of the city directly."
"Why are there so many?" Iki asked.
"I think Kiho and Al can explain that," Atlas said with a wink towards the weary guildmates. They looked uncomfortable as it is, Note almost pitied them for being put on the spot.
"A-Ah, well… They're just not very popular from what I can tell." Kiho put three hands on their side, and one pointing at the requests. "They usually don't pay as much and they're not what the guild is known for. Some of it feels like stuff even the person themself can do, but they still call on us to do it for them."
Kiho pursed their mouth. "I don't think people feel much incentive to go for them."
They lack the fame and fortune, is what you wanna say, Note thought. It was obvious enough. Helping someone clean their house didn't carry the same spectacle as discovering a dungeon or busting an outlaw. People idolized the guild for a reason, and these requests were nobody's dream.
Note frowned. "So, we're picking up your slack."
Atlas' smile fell for a moment but it returned just as fast. "Kind of, but it's still a good cause! As the prince said, the public has been ignored far too often, and that's where you all come in. These requests might be ignored, but they're no less important. Whatever the people need, we should be there to help."
"Sounds like overdependence…" Coral muttered with a side eye. Atlas could only respond with more weary laughs.
"Anyways," Hope said and turned to the rookie team with a smile, "I assume your team chose to start with these requests since you are still quite new?"
Kiho—the apparent face of the team as Note was picking up now with Al behind them—froze a bit at being spoken to by a prince. Still, they relented with a sigh, rubbing the back of their head. "Actually, uh… We're just not very suited for usual guild work, I guess. We're not as fast or strong as lots of people here, probably even you all. We don't really measure up to anyone or what's required."
"I still like it, though," Al said, coming up beside Kiho and bumping them with her shell. "We're not good explorers or bounty hunters, but I'm happy knowing I can still do things here, even if they're small. We've even been helping in the medical ward in between jobs, and we've learned a lot. " Her body bobbed with how happy she looked saying that. "It's really nice. I don't regret coming here."
Now it was Kiho's turn to smile at Al's words. They beamed at Hope, puffing their chest out and putting all four hands on their hip. "You know what? She's right, as usual. We still have our place here, and damn if we don't deserve it."
Hope leaned in. His growing grin was similar to his real self. "Oh, I love that rebounding confidence; you two sound pretty cool in my book! Gotta prove everyone wrong, right?" His real, scrappy voice came through for once, much to the confusion of the rookies and Atlas' instant worry. Most of GAD just stared at the prince incredulously.
Note cleared her throat. It made Hope glance back before realizing the situation and righting his posture, face, and voice. "Hm, yes, yes, right. Well, as any guildmate under Guildmaster Atlas'... uh, tutelage, yes, I expect you two to grow favorably to these surroundings—wait, no. Circumstances, yes, that's better. Certainly." He finished with a smile that was a bit too wide for royal poshness.
Atlas looked downright horrified at Hope slipping up so much, but Kiho and Al were even more bewildered.
It almost made Note laugh at how just a slight show of rebellious confidence made Hope's real self peek through. It was a fun blunder, but she couldn't even blame Hope. She supposed there could be something inspiring in seeing two absolute rookies stand their ground. Despite their perceived weakness, that was something only strong people did. That was something she couldn't do.
Atlas stammered to keep the sinking ship of a conversation afloat. "W-Well, we all learned quite a bit, didn't we? Now, we really should be getting you all situated with this work. If you all could direct yourselves to the board—"
"Hold it right there!" A gruff voice shouted through the bustling guild.
Note already sighed at the prospect of trouble and absorbing more information.
Turning to see their newest problem of the day, a Golisopod and a Cacturne stood at the front of one of the halls. They had an armband and scarf respectively with intricate badges—the same kind Newt and Felix wore. They walked through the paused crowd, who whispered at their arrival. The Cacturne more awkwardly shuffled close behind their partner, but the Golisopod really dug into the attention they garnered if their heavy, swagger-filled stride said anything. Note wondered if they had been nearby for a while, waiting for the perfect timing to interrupt the meeting.
They came close to Atlas and the rookies standing in between, and the Golispod only chuckled as they looked down at the dwarfed Kiho and Al.
"Run along, you two, the adults are talking," the Golisopod said. They waved their large, guarded arm and pushed the rookies into stumbling away. It wasn't a hard shove, but they didn't compare to the Golisopod's size and strength and slid back easily and forcefully. Their yelps and the ensuing laugh at their expense made Atlas glare at his subordinate. Note's own claws flexed at the sight.
"Kymot, that's crossing a line," Atlas said. "We don't hurt our guildmates."
"Ah, don't mind that, Guildmaster, they're just rookies. You gotta pay attention to the real deal here!" Kymot swatted Atlas' warning away as he passed the Dragonite. Why Atlas didn't really intervene was beyond Note, but the more pressing matter was Kymot arriving in front of her and towering over the rest of GAD.
Ah, here we go again.
"We've got a problem with you, Zoroark…" the Golisopod leaned in with narrowed eyes. Forced to get a closer look, Kymot seemed like a typical member of their species, if a bit more battle-worn than usual. Thick, but gashed, plating all over, piercing eyes, and enough claws to shred someone with a twisted embrace. It wasn't anything particularly distinctive, but it was no less imposing to any normal person.
The Cacturne behind wasn't as scarred, but the usual hat they wore was tattered in places and had bits of pink on the edges of those tears, some fresher than others. Their bent and shivering form meant they weren't much of a concern, so Note glanced to Kiho and Al instead, who were picking each other up and glaring back at the team that just arrived. Her claw twitched again, like a spastic muscle.
"Hey, eyes over here!" Kymot said, leaning closer. Note settled her attention back on the Golisopod, but more so on the claws on their abdomen idly curling in and out. Every inch of him screamed a threat. "You really think you can just waltz into our guild? Our home?"
Note just raised a brow. She supposed it was high time she met someone with an inexplicable grudge that wasn't afraid of actually talking to her. It wasn't any less annoying than the usual stares, though.
"Team Vice, what are you doing?" Atlas asked with a sigh. "You guys are better than this. Especially you, Mekoro, don't be a bully."
The Cacturne whimpered. "A-Ah, that was Kymot's idea… We just wanna protect the city is all…"
"Did you need to push around your colleagues for it?" Atlas crossed his arms. Mekoro curled further inwards at the disappointment, but Kymot was more indignant about it.
"Guildmaster, that doesn't matter, look in front of you for once!" Kymot said, pointing to Note and then back to the Dragonite. "I don't care what the prince or king say about it, letting a Zoroark in here is crazy!"
"She's our colleague," Atlas grumbled. Him and Kymot kept exchanging pointless arguing for a bit. Note sighed at the situation. It was boring enough to make her eyes drift upwards, finding one of the walkways with people staring down at the encounter. In that crowd, though, was Newt again, but with Felix beside him now. Newt looked worried, but Felix seemed more focused on the side, Note tracking his stare to where Coral was. Guildmembers were apparently stupidly persistent in their suspicions.
She glanced back at the worried members of GAD and lightly waved to make them feel better. Were they really worried for her because of a petty guy? It really wasn't a big deal. The only reason she hadn't spoken against Kymot was because it'd likely cause problems for everyone else. It was all needless drama, and she was almost glad they weren't stepping in much either. Even if they wore the same badges, it always felt more like they were just guests to the guild, and speaking up like that would be unbecoming, or whatever. She imagined Kiho and Al wouldn't have that problem, ordinarily. She wasn't like them.
"Bah, we're wasting air here!" Kymot finished the argument and left Atlas more exhausted than ever as he twisted back to Note. "I dunno about your appearance, but a Zoroark is still a threat, no matter what they look like. I can't just let you walk around here like you're one of us. So…"
Kymot stepped back and lodged his badge between his thick claws. He flashed it to Note, wearing a thin smile all the while. "I, Kymot, challenge you to an official battle! Winner has the other do whatever they want, even leaving the guild!"
Hushed gasps and murmurs echoed through the guild. They really were enjoying the grilling of someone they didn't trust, huh? Note, however, took a few seconds to realize that she was finally allowed to speak. A fight, though? What a musclehead.
"Nah, I don't want to."
Kymot's multiple claws lowered, almost deflated. The same happened for the expectant crowd. Did the guild usually resolve conflicts by fighting, or did they just want to see a Zoroark get beaten up?
As Note rolled her eyes, Hope floated in front of her, obscuring Kymot. His brow furrowed, continually betraying his princely image. "Hey, hey, why aren't you accepting?" he whispered.
"Because I don't care," Note said. "I don't even know the guy; seems like a brute, though."
"You're probably right, and that's fair… But this is a nice chance, don't you think?" His usual grin returned as he leaned closer. "If you win, you can tell him to just bug off or even do something embarrassing. Plus, he's the leader of one of the top teams of the guild-beating him could make us look stronger, right? People won't mess with us as much then."
"Would that really matter?" she asked.
"Obviously. You're really strong, right? Then go ahead, prove that people can't just have their way with us."
Note's claw twitched. Stronger, leave us alone… There wasn't any chance to even talk. Nobody was interested in that. It was just a command to prove power, to win and stand at the top. That wasn't too surprising.
Hope nodded back to Kymot. "So, you think you can beat one of the strongest people in the guild?"
She peeked past him, studying the Golisopod from top to bottom. He was tapping his small foot and had lost his bravado from the silent waiting. "I'd say even you could beat him."
"I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment, but I'll run with it. Copy his declaration and the match will be on. Let's go, I know you'll win," Hope said. He twisted to the side and tried to push her forwards but ended up pushing himself backwards instead.
With all eyes on her, Note was left standing alone. The guild wanted her to fight and lose, though she was partially sure Atlas and Team Starry Smiles wanted Kymot to go down for his own insolence. She glanced back at GAD to see their own mix of reactions. Some, like Coral, Blight, Aster, and especially Iki looked wary about the whole situation, while Ayza and Hope seemed ever excited to see her fight. The worry was touching, if only because she didn't want to see it. She wanted to see them smile, she wanted to be eating good food and resting with them like yesterday. She wanted anything but this mindless conflict.
But what she wanted didn't matter. Weapons didn't want, they just did as told.
A sigh escaped her as she scratched beneath her thick chest fur, touching the cracked, scarred skin for a moment. She didn't linger on the feeling as she turned to Kymot. She took off her GAD visor and presented it in front. The sight of the token badge made her foe brighten up, and, curiously, Mekoro only shook his head. For once, she agreed.
"I, the Zoroark, accept your challenge."
Note could agree with Coral on this, people really made a spectacle out of a single fight. An "official match," as it were, was a small guild rule that said any grievances or conflict could be settled through a fight. The Guildmaster couldn't even intervene unless someone was in actual danger. Everyone was left to their own matters and grudges—a willing trial of survival and predation, maybe—which led to this. She wondered if this was the first of many fights, or if Hope was right in that her victory would intimidate others into not trying.
For now, though, she was a part of this spectacle where a strong and heroic guild member would take down the evil individual in their midst. There stood Note, on the dirt arena in the back of the guild, with Kymot on the other side of the large field. It was enclosed by a massive tarp with luminous orbs lining each crease of the roof. The sizable arena had plenty of stands by the side for spectators, all of which were staring intently at her. At least a few of them were in support.
Her GAD companions sat clustered between the multiple guild members that suddenly had time to blow off for watching a fight. They were mostly dealing with the cramped crowd, though Iki was doing nothing but worrying about her. Conversely, Ayza was shouting all kinds of cheers. Hope would probably join her, but keeping his image left him staring in fake serenity. Behind them were Kiho and Al, even more cramped between everyone, and Felix and Newt stood towards one of the exits, watching in private.
All eyes really were on her. It tensed her chest more than she'd ever dare to admit.
Without introduction, an Exploud stepped into the center and pumped his fist to the air. "ALRIGHT, ARE YOU REAAADY!" they screamed, everyone following along.
As annoying as it was, it did tear Note's attention away from the stares. She appreciated that and Atlas landing in the arena and guiding out the Exploud with a sigh.
"We don't need that much screaming…" Atlas said as the Exploud left with a massive pout. The guildmaster returned to the center and raised an arm to silence the crowd. "Alright, guildmates, you know the rules. No killing, no serious injuries, no ulterior motives. First one to faint loses," he announced while glancing at Kymot and Note.
"Ready to know your place, Zoroark?" Kymot sneered.
Note just blinked. She thought to counter with her name, but there was no point to. Demeaning as it was, it at least made him groan in annoyance.
Kymot waved his small claws in dismissal and scraped his larger claws against each other. A nasty grating sound rang from them. Normally it was an imposing act, but Note was already expecting it. Golisopod weren't a subtle species. They were hulking fortresses, and lacked much versatility in their offensive potential, stupidly strong though it was. That and their one-trick burst of speed they usually did before exerting their legs was enough to end most fights quickly. If that didn't work, they'd hunker down in their armor and wait for an opening to strike. Ranged offense was ideal against them, which unfortunately meant Note was in for a tougher time thanks to her own restraint.
There was a clear path to victory, though. Golisopod held an image of unstoppable force, and Kymot seemingly was no different. That visage of pure power was completely true, but that infallible guarded exterior was a lie. Images were as powerful as they were deceitful. They were illusions, and nobody needed a bead to project one. It meant instilling a favorable disposition onto others so that one could control their perception. But here, control was only needed to fix what wasn't in one's favor. It always concealed something that shouldn't be seen, something desperately hidden to feign power. It hid a weakness.
She, too, was no different.
Note scratched her short mane with a sigh. Fight preparation always got her thinking too much. Whether it was careful analysis or worrying of what could kill her—and maybe it was both—it was no less a headache. She'd pray for some good food from Iki and a chance to rest right about now. Sadly, that wasn't what was needed of the Zoroark.
"Are you two ready?" Atlas asked. They nodded, but Kymot's thin grin was dripping with the guildmaster stepped away from the center, Kymot shifted his weight back to one small foot. It was a small act, but Note's singular focus on him made it clear- he was aiming to finish her in one go with that burst of speed. She figured he'd go for the most flair anyways. To prepare, she widened her own stance and hunched slightly forwards, tensing her legs to react quickly.
Her chest tensed to the point of shivering. It was odd, she knew the tightness in her heart was anxiousness over the fight. Worries darted through her mind, all about losing and disappointing her companions, going too far, making things worse for everyone. It was nonsensical to think and feel all that about a simple fight. All that was needed were her claws, her body to take down another body. Nothing else but the objective mattered here, not even her own thoughts.
She caught a glimpse of her companions, who were cheering for her amidst the uproar making her eardrums throb. It made no sense. She was just doing this for them, but that sounded personal. She was anything but that at the moment. So why was she even here? Why was she worried over a fight seconds before starting? Why was she thinking so much?
"One!" Atlas shouted and spread his wings. Note's ears flicked at almost missing the countdown. Cheering grew all around her, drowning out her companions' support. She snapped back to Kymot's body leaning forwards, ready to strike. All she could do was tighten her stance before the noises around her climaxed.
"Fight!" Atlas took off upwards. A boom rang out, and through the sand Atlas kicked up flashed a glinting claw. Note leaned to the side, but was too late, as Kymot's claw already connected with her forehead. It only grazed her, but the sheer force was enough to throw her body out of sorts. She saw blood in the air, and Kymot's smile in between. She had been too careless, too caught up in her own thoughts, and was now forced to fall to the side.
But she caught herself, smashing her back foot onto the harsh ground. She raised her body back to move forwards, ignoring the jolt it sent through her spine. The pain didn't matter, not when her target was right in front of her. She forced her body to shift the balance and momentum forwards, carrying her claw from behind.
The arena's sounds were left in a void. All she focused on was her target.
Kymot only managed to glance down as Note's claws dug into her palm, balling into a tight fist. Wind blew past her as she drove her fist into the Golisopod's unguarded underside. The blow pushed deep into Kymot, and his body curled inwards; though whether it was from momentum or recoil didn't matter. Note pushed her hook further, and then swung to send Kymot skidding backwards. He stumbled and wheezed, his smaller claws grasping at the air for any solution. A slight imprint of her fist was left on him.
Note stood upright again, exhaling a long breath. It was supposed to relieve her chest, but she only rattled further. She shook her claw free of the tense fist; the adrenaline and tension releasing all over used to feel good. It was a sign of victory, and victory meant surviving another day. As she watched Kymot crumple and fall with a heavy thud, however, her eyes only dimmed. Now, victory just meant exhaustion.
Atlas hadn't even reached the top of his flight before having to land again, struck with a dumbfounded face as he looked over Kymot. For all his worry, it would realistically be fine. She just precisely struck his unguarded side, shocking his body into what looked to all but her like a limp corpse, but was really just a momentary fainting.
After slow, tense seconds, just as Note expected, Kymot gasped and coughed as he snapped awake, his body's senses returning. With that, Atlas sighed and raised his arm. "Kymot fainted, so as per the rules…" He pointed back to Note, though he grimaced at seeing her.
"Note… is the winner!"
Note's senses also returned as whispers rang through the arena. It filled the air, and Note could hear all of it. Something in her chest bottomed out to a deep pit. Still panting, she stared forwards at Kymot, who was still trying to get up. He only succeeded in glaring at Note. The stabbing stare wasn't dissimilar to the rest of the arena; all eyes were on her, but this time was different. It wasn't unwarranted suspicion or bias—she had shown off the danger they all expected of her.
Her eyes drifted through the crowd, confirming her fears. Everyone blurred into a judgmental mass, all digging daggers into her from afar. She was only slightly snapped out of it as something wet and cold dripped onto her claws. She glanced down to see blood on her arm, seeping into her fur. It was cold—just like her forehead, she was now realizing. She dreaded remembering the cold. A chill rose from the pit in her stomach into her chest, sending out shallow breaths as she stepped back.
What did any of this accomplish? Why did she do this? To get the heat off her and her companions? It was stupidly idyllic. She should have just let Kymot hit her, lose the fight, let herself be thrown out. Then GAD would be free of the stigma she burdened them with. It'd be a waste after finding her first home, her first life, but it would be easier. It wouldn't bring this.
But she needed to calm down, stop feeling, keep it in. Stop her shivering body and be rational. She needed to leave and think. Be alone and free. That was what she deserved after all this. After everything, she was still weak.
The Zoroark gave one last glance through the arena, seeing some of the blurred figures with raised arms. She dreaded giving it more thought, so she stumbled into a run to the exit behind her. Between her shallow breaths, all she could hear was a shout from somewhere behind her. She recognized her name being called out, but she couldn't stay to find out who it was. Who even cared about her or her name?
What a waste.
At least the wind wasn't judgmental…
The Zoroark shifted her position on top of the guild's bell tower, letting her feet dangle in the air. After she climbed it to get away from the crowd, she was just relaxing as much as she could. The privacy and the easy breeze flowing through her mane were enough to relieve her chest. Leaving entirely or hiding in alleys would draw too much attention anyways, so scaling a tower was her only real, if ridiculous, choice.
It was a pretty sight, at least. The water surrounding the city glittered with the sun, and the city itself looked like an intricate maze from her position, interwoven by that same water. People walked about their day like their public enemy hadn't just exposed herself. It was a peaceful, if ignorant, view. They didn't know who she really was, they probably didn't know the people of GAD—hell, none of them even knew Coral was a human.
But they likely knew about the Zoroark in their midst, and suspicions grew from that. Maybe it was her own bias, but she could only see the people below as silently panicking. Whether it was daily troubles, having a Zoroark and a Poipole in the public eye, or even the lingering thought of eventual death from the current crisis… They walked on, haunted by worries.
Actually, it was anything but ignorant; though that likely was their wish deep down, to not think about all that.
She could sympathize with that. It sounded like an easy and free life, one she was bound to never have because of her body. But even staring at them from above… She supposed some would see them as insignificant, that their natural hatred towards her warranted her harboring hatred over them. Those thoughts hung at the back of everyone's minds, how to keep up simple views that let them turn worries into fonts of hatred. They didn't have to think or discern that way.
And she was realizing that, despite wanting it and it being new for her, thinking was really exhausting. Yet even alone and resting with her mind to herself, her thoughts kept drifting back to everyone else, and they never stopped even if she wanted to. Somehow, her thoughts still weren't truly hers, and recent events showed her body still wasn't either.
… There I go again, thinking too much. She gave a low sigh to herself and the air. Granted, she was still stuck on what to do now and drawing a frustrating blank. Only the sight of the city and the warmth of the sun soothed her.
"What to do, what to do…" she mumbled. She kept staring out to the busy city beneath her. In an ideal world, she'd simply sleep and wake up to everything being fine, maybe with good food nearby. But here, leaving was an option, and not too far off. She'd have to leave more in her dreadful wake again, but she couldn't be so careless and stay somewhere she wouldn't be safe in. The reality was that this city didn't want her. Maybe a silent and private life in the wild would be better…
She'd be free then. Nobody to hold her down or judge her. Nobody to look at her the wrong way. Nobody to laugh at her or with her. Nobody to worry for her. Nobody to eat food with.
Simply put, she'd be alone. Again.
"Would you like that…?" Her words weren't meant for anyone here, just the first to leave her. Or was she the one who left? Both were true, and both were her fault. Just like today. At least this time nobody ended up strung up.
"Are you talking to yourself?"
The Zoroark jerked at the scrappy voice, but the immediate recognition restrained her instinct to claw at the danger. Now she saw an all too familiar Calyrex floating beside the tower, staring at her with a furrowed brow and a half-crumpled GAD hat held in his paws. How did he even find her all the way up here? Frustratingly, the sight produced equal parts soothing and shivering within her chest; though, she thankfully managed to put on her usual flat face.
"Hey, Boss."
Hope grimaced. "Ew, don't 'Hey, Boss' me—actually, don't ever call me boss. That's weird." His form lit up like he usually moved, all frantic. "Wait wait, forget that! I'm here for you! What are you doing here? What the hell happened back there?"
Her eyes shifted down to avoid him. Her chest sank, cold and hollow again. "Is this a conversation? You really want to know?" Had she really just said that? Since when were her lips so loose?
The prince scoffed, though it sounded more confused than haughty. "Obviously! We all wanna know!" he exclaimed. Hope drifted closer until he sat next to her, letting his own legs dangle in the wind and setting the hat on the floor next to him. She instinctively scooted a bit away from him, only noticing it when Hope sighed.
"You all?" she asked.
"Yeah, me, GAD, even that rookie team! You had that awesome win, and we all cheered for you! But then you just looked at us all weird and ran. I even called for you in my real voice! Well, I really just got caught up in the moment and forgot, but still!"
Everything he said stung, but she was more concerned with figuring out what happened. "You cheered for me? Didn't you see it? Everyone just hated what they saw, they hated me."
Hope chuckled. "Well, not us. We were the odd ones out. But you should've celebrated with us! You won in such a cool way! You avoided that blow and struck back, all in one fell swoop! Aggh, you even got Ayza all crazy from excitement!"
Did they react like that? The whole crowd blurred after her win. Looking back, none of it made sense, but the idea that she lost that support within her panic didn't sit well. She glanced back to Hope, seeing the prince stare at her with his usual grin. It faded as he seemed to notice something on her, making his face squirm before straightening into a small smile. He raised a paw and asked, "Can I touch your head?"
She blanked at the odd question, but eventually nodded. She doubted he would accept a refusal anyways. With that, Hope lightly floated over her, and though she didn't see his paw, she felt his thin claws touch her forehead. The touch stung for a second, before a dull warmth washed over the pain. A dim green glow rose, and she felt that warmth ripple and spread. With a tight feeling, like a suture, she realized the wound in her head was closing. It was even more embarrassing to know she forgot about it while being so wrapped up in her thoughts.
But it ended soon enough, Hope lifting his claw and putting it on his hip, though it never connected well on his image. Oddly, the warmth didn't leave. "There, that's better, heh. You really don't look out for your body much, you know? I'm glad the blood's mostly dried, but we'll have to clean your forehead when we get back to everyone."
When we get back, he says… As Hope sat back down beside her, she got stuck staring at the city again, replaying the possible reactions her companions could have to her return.
Hope noticed if his sudden cough meant anything. "So… you wanna talk about it? Something's clearly bothering you. I know you're usually silent and easygoing, but this is different. Come on, as your dear friend, how can good ol' Hope help?" he asked, leaning in.
She pursed her mouth and gripped the ledge. Keep it in, keep it closed, stay strong. Don't be weak. Between those thoughts were occasional bits of questioning why she was shutting down when being offered help. They were quiet, but she could hear them just as well. She wanted to listen to those thoughts more.
"... Come on, let me help. I'm not leaving until you do, Note."
Note. There it was, her supposed name. The generic name she chose, the one that made her chest light when others said it. She had been told that feeling was happiness. All she really knew was that it meant people saw her. Past the body, the stigma, everything—others respecting who she had chosen to try and be for this new life. Somehow, she had forgotten it, but here was a klutz prince reminding her who she wanted to be. Recognizing her.
Note let out a long, but low, sigh. She looked at Hope's worried face. For a moment, it sputtered out into his real wild visage, still wearing the same expression. His concern wasn't an image. It would be awful of her to not recognize that in kind.
"That fight… I think it just confirmed for the guild what they suspected of me, that I'm a threat and a menace. Winning didn't boost our reputation, I just made it worse."
"But you're none of that stuff."
"That's not what they think. I gave them the proof they need to drive me out." She glanced away for her next words. "It feels like I'm the public enemy. I feel like an idiot for thinking coming here would be different."
"Ah, the usual fear against Zoroark…" Hope leaned in, flashing a smirk. "But who cares about that? Let 'em be afraid, we're just hanging out and working here, and all for them!" He perked up in realization and waved his paw. "Oh, maybe that should be GAD's motto: We'll help you however we can, but we don't care in any way what you think about it! Ha! Sounds like a good way to tell them off!"
"... I can't do that." Note grumbled.
"Whaaat? But why?" Hope whined and swung his legs. "It's irreverent, and fun!"
"Yeah, yeah, stick it to the authorities, but…" Her claws balled together. A tight knot in her chest forced the words out. "How far can we push our luck before that brings something bad? Before I bring something bad? My species only makes it inevitable, so I can't be reckless. Kymot was just one example, who knows if more like him or Nova will come for us, and all because of me? I never even wanted to fight…"
Hope tilted his head. "You could have refused, you know. That might've been irreverent too, heh. I was expecting you to, actually, you usually ignore this kind of stuff and just go about your way."
"Being irreverent is easy when you're at the top, but could I really?" She turned to Hope, feeling the edge of her mouth curl down. "Kymot put me on the spot with everyone watching, and you wanted me to prove a point to the guild. I said I didn't want to, and you suggested otherwise. Everyone wanted a fight, to be above one another. You did too, because you saw my only use in my strength." By now, Hope was frowning hard, still staring right at her. "I only did it because you're my boss, and I saw some merit in what you said; maybe it could help all of us… But I never wanted to. I didn't have a voice back there. You didn't let me have one."
Hope winced at the words, turning to the floor. With twitching paws, his eyes traced something before settling back on Note, seeming exasperated. "Oh, fuck… I really did that, didn't I?" Without warning, he reeled his paws back, and then slapped his cheeks hard, hissing after the fact. The illusion sputtered and fell from the hit, revealing his real form with a deep red where he hit himself. "I'm such an idiot! What the hell, I really do need to grow up…"
Though a bit stunned at the action, Note reached out a claw. "U-Uh, your illusion, Hope—"
"That doesn't matter! I hurt you, Note. There's no taking that back…" He groaned and raked his claws over his cheeks before rapidly slapping himself with the sound of harsh, yet quiet pitter-patter. At times he ruffled his fur into more of a tangled mess and spouted complete babble and nonsense. The whole thing lasted a long minute.
And Note could only stare at it all. It was a dramatic display of frustration that took her off guard, the first time she had seen this kind of attitude from him. Was he usually this hard on himself? She imagined growing up as the next-in-line king might have given some anxieties, but not to beating himself this much… And all for her, no less. Her boss, a prince, was frustrated for seemingly failing her and making a show of it. Seeing someone of that stature do this made her view of him fall a bit.
But that was nice. It wasn't like Hope was the usual kind of person for his position, but here he seemed even stranger, lower. He was still a prince, still her boss, and all the while a person who looked frustrated at hurting her for even a moment. He cared.
And for that, her chest lightened. She even consciously smiled.
By the end, Hope was even more of a mess than usual, wheezing at his fluster and self-inflicted exhaustion. "Gods, you're so dumb, Hope…" He snapped to Note with those beady, ringed red eyes of his. "If I ever do that again, throw another rock at my head! Do whatever, just stop me from doing that horrible stuff to you again—wait, why are you smiling?"
"You look…" Note twirled a claw at Hope as her smile turned into a full grin. "... So much crazier than usual."
Hope straightened. "And that's funny?"
Just the word prompted a snicker to escape her. "Definitely. I didn't think you were capable of looking even worse."
A chuckle of his own came from Hope, his face going all smarmy. "Damn, you are so blunt. Thanks for pulling no punches today, you're fan-freaking-tastic at them, heh!" He looked off to the city and sighed. Had he not looked like he did, he might have seemed blissful. An eye glanced back to Note. "Seriously, though… I'm sorry for pushing you to fight, I should've listened to you more. How can I make it up to you? Name anything, I'll give it to you."
Her mind jumped at asking for food, but she stopped herself. Even if she didn't know how to handle this, being appropriate was more important. "I-It's fine, really," Note said, slightly raising her claws.
"I insist, Note," Hope said, tapping a jittery claw against the floor, though not of impatience.
"It's okay, Hope." Note sighed at the insistence. She knew it came from a good place, but it was still uncomfortable. "I don't need special treatment. An apology was fine enough."
Hope's eyes glanced away for a bit before his shoulders sagged and he shrunk into himself ever so slightly. "Well, if you say so, but then a better apology is in order." He smiled, keeping it wide even though it wavered. "I'm really sorry, Note. I won't trample over you ever again, I promise. You can trust me on that, royal sworn oath and all, if that helps."
Reminding her of her words wasn't great, though. In retrospect, maybe she was too harsh, even if Hope seemed to take it in stride. "I'm uh… sorry if that was too much. Things rose and… Snapped?" Scratching her chest and feeling its scar in discomfort made her approach all the worse. She really needed to learn how to talk outside of her inherent lax tone.
Hope waved a claw back. "Nah, nah, I needed to hear it. I'm no stranger to being reduced to a purpose. People with power tend to not look where they're stepping." He chuckled as his claws joined and kept tapping against each other. He inhaled deep. "I'm included in that. I've done a lot of reducing, both to you and others I care about, and I've only realized some of that recently. Once that guilt sets in, it doesn't go away."
His eyes dimmed at that last mention, though Note had no time to address it as he looked to her. "Can you keep me in check if I do this again? I mean it, don't let me hurt others like I hurt you."
Note nodded, though unsure of how comfortable she was about it. Seeing Hope be apologetic was appreciated, but she didn't like seeing this new nervousness. It wasn't undeserving, though. As far as she could tell, Hope was genuinely hurting for having hurt her. To dismiss that and say everything was fine just to get back his usual self wouldn't be fair. Nothing would be gained from resetting like nothing happened—Hope joking and Note grinning from the side—even if she missed that comfort. For as much as she didn't like it, she had to recognize that guilt of his, as much as he recognized her pain.
This was still Hope, and she was still Note.
"I'll try, Hope," she said, smiling faintly, "as long as I'm around, I won't let you run too wild."
A big sigh escaped Hope, his body drooping from the release of tension. "Ah, thanks a bunch, that's a big relief," he said. He shook his head and looked back at her, straightening his posture back into his smiling, jovial form, though less pronounced despite his frazzled look. Note almost grinned at that, the klutz was capable of picking himself back up, with a little help. "But, really," he said, "it's good to hear you air out your worries, even of what being a Zoroark brings to us. It knocked me out of the sky, but it was worth it. Confirms a lot about what I thought of you too."
Note shivered, though she couldn't blame the warm winds. "What do you mean?"
Hope flashed a fanged grin from end to end and leaned in just enough for Note to have to back away. "Face it, you care a ton about us, GAD and all~"
"Geh!" Note instinctively flinched at the forwardness, but mainly at the idea he proposed. It made no sense, her mind told her. Caring made people weak. Attachments drew in complications, chained one down… But even she couldn't deny the warmth that surrounded her entirety, like a soft embrace. It wasn't the wind. It was a memory, a dear one. There was no putting words to it, but one thing was sure.
She wouldn't reject this feeling. It was what brought her to this new life, after all.
But damn if it wasn't embarrassing. Here she was, reflecting with Hope, and he already returned to his ridiculous self—all to pick apart her walls with the embarrassing truth. She'd smile too much if she looked at his sly grin, so she settled on the bustling city below. Everyone marched without knowing that one of the biggest secrets here would be exposed if they just looked up and squinted. "What makes you say that?" she asked to fill the void.
"Oh, you think I don't see? You always hover around us; you look out for us even when we're resting. Hell, you just admitted that you're worried about being with us because of what you might bring to us. Those aren't thoughts people who don't care have."
Hope kicked off the floor and floated to reach her level, peeking into her view where she couldn't avoid him anymore. "Plus, I know about the weekend you all had. How can you go out for a pastry run, help set up a birthday in an orphanage, watch over Iki while he's passed out, and even return everyone while they were sleeping without caring about them?"
She looked at Hope then, her surprise beating her shame. "How do you know all of that? You weren't even there."
"Pfft, how else?" Hope threw his long arms open wide with his usual massive smile. "Everyone told me! They told me when they were worried about your shift earlier, since you were fine yesterday. Iki especially went on and on about how I shouldn't punish you or anything, the guy was almost in hysterics. It's not just me who sees you, Note. We all do, and guess what?" Hope drifted close to tap her forehead, something she didn't even try to stop.
"You care about us, and we care about you in return. Ask them all, they'll sing you praises. I'm not just your boss, and you're all not just my workers. We're friends, and that's something good to care about. Plus, I have solid proof that you'll do whatever if you don't care about something; you can thank tossing a rock to my forehead for that one, heh. If you really didn't care, we wouldn't be talking, and you'd probably be long gone. That you're still here gives me everything I need to trust you."
With that and another laugh, Hope floated off and landed next to her, dangling his legs again and looking out into the city with his bright smile. Note had no real words for any of it. It was piles of evidence she couldn't deny but was reluctant to accept. What she latched onto were things like the past weekend, and how much she enjoyed them, how she kept wanting to go back to those feelings. She thought about everyone, especially Iki, who seemingly latched onto her as well.
And she thought about that trust. Maybe even loyalty. They had somewhat pledged it just yesterday. If she forgot or let that be forsaken now, she never deserved it in the first place.
The wind blew again, warm and soothing her fur as it brushed past her. This wasn't a bad city. Maybe a bit too loud and judgmental at times, but there were good people and food in it. She didn't want to let go of this warmth. It would be good to let herself enjoy it.
"The… The caretaker of the orphanage, she declared all of us family." She had a thin smile, reminiscing as she felt the cracked skin beneath the fur in her chest. "I accepted because it helped Iki, but everyone seemed into it. I guess I'm late on the uptake."
Hope giggled. "Considering you did all that and more for Iki and for us today, I'd say you were the first."
She found no reason to counter that. Even she had to recognize the extent of which she went for these people. These random people, coworkers, friends… Family. It had a nice sound to it.
"But hey, uh…" Hope said and trailed off as his head lolled. He had a pursed mouth and was twiddling his claws. "I missed all of that stuff on the weekend, which sucks, and, well, I wasn't there for the moment, but… That idea of GAD being a family, do you think there's space for me too?"
Now that's nice to hear. At least she wasn't alone in the embarrassment of similar thoughts. "Well, I'm not the best person to answer that, clearly." With a grin of her own, she gave him a light shake on the shoulder, which made him yelp. "But I think you're a part of us. Wouldn't feel right without you involved, o merciful prince."
"Haha," Hope droned on while trying to shake her in return, to pitiful results. Still, he kept his claw on her shoulder for a while. "Glad to be of service as your Big Boss… That's a relief to hear, though. I'm kind of getting sick of my current family, especially my brother."
Her ears flicked as she focused on him. "You don't like your brother?
Hope snapped to movement, rolling his eyes with the loudest groan. "Oh, gods, I want to! I mean, I don't hate him, but he's just SO annoying! He tramples over everything I do just because I was selected to be the next king! What a petty, prim, and posh idiot!" He whirled to Note and swung a claw around haphazardly. "Just yesterday I needed a quill from him, and he went on this whole tirade about me instead of just, you know, giving me a simple quill! A quill! You have no idea how infuriating it sometimes is! And Dad isn't any better, he scolded me just for telling off Tempo and showing my real body at the time!"
Ah, so that's what was bothering him earlier, Note thought while watching him sigh and decompress after the sudden rant. Hope's situation with his family was no secret to GAD, but she was probably one of the few to actually hear about it in this much detail. She had no way of knowing how a real family was supposed to act, but growing up surrounded by expectations and glares was familiar to her. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.
"And you wanna know the worst part?" Hope continued. "It wasn't always like this. We were close when we were growing up. We helped each other and had fun; we were actual brothers. But Dad's tests forced us to compete non-stop. After a while, it's no wonder we just saw each other as obstacles. Like I said, reduced to a purpose." His frown dimmed and his shoulders sagged. Note knew the feeling well, and up to now she only knew of one solution.
"Why don't you just leave?" she asked.
"It's not like I can just do it." Hope swayed his body back and forth, same as his legs. "I mean, I've wanted to, but I still have things I care about here. I can't leave that behind, so I try to build on it. Make this a better place for myself."
"Ah, sorry for assuming," Note said, glancing away awkwardly. She wasn't experienced with apologies yet, but she still recognized the sensitivity of the subject. She tried to focus on the positive for once, giving Hope a small smile. "Still, that's a good goal. I ought to do the same."
He glanced at Note with a new smirk topped off with a wink. "But hey now, recent events gave me a new family, and I think they're pretty damn cool, so I consider myself, and you, winning~"
Now Note rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Gods, you ruined it. You're anything but subtle."
"Hey, I'm just being peachy, nothing wrong with that, haha!"
They shared a few soft laughs, but the elation and warmth of it all released Note's tenseness, so she descended into much louder laughing, even reeling her head back. It even drowned out Hope's laughter as he stared at her.
"Nyeh-heh-heh!" Note laughed, drawing in quick breaths.
"Woah, woah! I've never heard that one before!" Hope flew from his position and close to Note.
She snapped back to him, wearing her flat face again. "And you'll be the only one to hear it." Her bland voice returning made Hope whine, reaching a deathly pitch before it fell into more giggles. She failed to keep her usual expression, dipping into a smile. It was annoying, even if her whole being felt like it was in a flutter. Was this how Coral felt when he melted at compliments? Damn feelings, new and great, but so worrisome and intrusive.
Hope clapped one time with sigh, looking to Note with a real big smirk. "Well, Note, gotta ask the real question because, unfortunately, this is a workday and we're supposed to be functional adults… Will you come back to the guild and everyone else with me?"
Her smile only grew into a wide grin. "Sure, sure, you got me," Note said without missing a beat. For once, the reply didn't need cascades of thinking before it. It only brought more warmth to her being, almost making her shiver from the feeling alone. The breeze here was way too comfortable, she told herself.
"But new conditions first!" Hope barked before flitting across the air and stopping in front of Note. He extended one claw in a half-bow and kept the other hidden behind, though he grinned too. "As your reluctant boss, I'll give you one last order, 'kay? Speak your mind more, and we'll be solid. You're a part of GAD too, so I don't want you falling behind everyone. I want you to care for yourself more, because you look out for us already, so let us look out for you too. Screw people like Kymot, we've got your back. So, think you can do it?"
What an invitation, to just talk more, be more of a presence. It was open, ridiculous, and promising of good times—just like this city and the people she lived with. She should have expected it from Hope of all people, but everyone else would probably do it too. Remembering each of them made her smile. Eating Iki's food and calming him down, teasing Coral and Aster's shy selves, putting up with Ayza and Hope's energy, thinking she was the only sensible one alongside Blight, even listening to Rune's odd rambles…
A family, huh? Then there was no question.
Note raised her arm to meet Hope's, but she balled her claw into a fist instead. The prince got the message clear, making his own fist and bumping it against hers. Within that motion, Hope extended his hidden claw to hers, revealing and placing a familiar, crumpled GAD hat into Note's claws. She stared at it, wondering how she really forgot he came with that, and how she never noticed it likely fell during the fight.
But Hope shook her out of her thoughts with his usual fanged grin. "Then we're solid! I don't think I need to say this, but why the hell not…" He spread his arms wide, almost like he was hugging the open horizon of the sea and city that framed him from behind. "Note, welcome to GAD!"
He didn't even wait for her reaction, as he flipped through the air with a shout in celebration, but that just made Note cringe and grab his long arm to drag into the belltower. The forceful movement sent him spinning a bit, giggling all the while like a child.
"That's nice and all, but you can't do that so out in the open, you weirdo." Once he stopped spinning, Note tapped the jade bead on his neck. "I'm not gonna let you ruin your appearance over celebrating me. Get the prince back in here."
"Bleegh, you're right, and I hate it," he whined and deflated before grasping the bead. He focused on it for a little bit before a shimmer passed through him, and like a wave, his real appearance was replaced by a normal Calyrex. It always was a bit odd to see the bead, because it was some other Zoroark's at some point, but she wasn't particularly bothered. She had let go of her own, after all.
Hope huffed at seeing the illusion. "There, boring Hope is back. Now, can we go back? I'm frankly pretty tired of pausing our work as GAD because of people butting in."
Note nodded and stood up, taking a long stretch that ached all over. There was a release of tension through her body, begging her to get moving or to plop down and sleep, and she was ready for either at this point. She stared out to the vast city, seeing the sprawling sea and forest just nearby. Colorful, crowded, warm… and one day, maybe accepting of her. That was something to work on, though. She looked down at her GAD hat, crumpled and dirty from the fight. She chuckled as she placed it back onto her head, comfortably fitting as intended.
Maybe with them, it was possible.
"This is nice…" she whispered to herself, and her dear memory, her love. She would've loved this too, Note just knew it. It was worth making a new life for.
Note turned to Hope, who was checking his body to see if his illusion came out right. "Okay, let's go, but I gotta ask one last thing, it's been on my mind ever since you got here. How did you find me?"
Hope's eyes drifted. "Oh, well, call it a lucky guess, heh. Now I know I'm not the only person who goes to this belltower to be alone when they're upset." He winked and snapped his claws, though his illusory paws stood still. "Welcome to the outcast club! You're even looking snazzy with our exclusive cap!"
Note grinned. Of course it was that plain of an answer. It fit both of them, and maybe this entire haphazard family.
"Heh, glad to be here."
After Note deftly scaled down the belltower and Hope only floated and watched with a big smirk, the two made their way through the guild. Her worry only rose by the moment. Each step brought her closer to her companions, and to everyone's judgment. She knew it was irrational, Hope assured her safety, but that didn't stop the shudder inside her.
It was an anxious craving to find out everyone's thoughts, good or bad. Maybe she just ached to see them. She was the last person to know her heart in detail at this point. All she could do now was keep walking and psyching herself up.
But soon enough the main hall came into view, less filled than before, but the colorful people that were waiting for her there were all huddled together. Once she entered the main hall, the freer space made some figures stand out more, mainly Kiho and Algamade by the request boards with Atlas advising behind them. He seemed as forceful as ever, maybe he was making up for letting Kymot push them around. The rookies noticed them enter, though, and Kiho in particular waved a few hands at Note. She could only raise one of hers for not understanding why they'd wave at her.
That focus was only momentary, though, as the members of GAD talking among themselves noticed their arrival and stopped speaking, emptying the chatter in the air. Note's legs froze at the sight of them, and thoughts raced through her mind of what would happen next. To seem even at least a bit stable, she grinned and saluted.
"Hey, guys, I'm back."
The first to react was Iki, squawking as he broke from the group and messily flapped to her and Hope. Even as he landed, his webbed feet paced uncontrollably like his fluttering wings as he looked up to Note. She recognized this level of worry from yesterday.
"N-Note! Are you okay?! Did we do something—ah, did I do something to bother you? Maybe it was me yesterday? I-I'm so sorry, I'll do—"
Note clamped his beak shut with her claw, guiding it along before patting his head and ruffling its messy bed of feathers. It stunned him into silence. "I'm fine, mom. Thanks for the worry, but you didn't do anything wrong."
"M-Mom?" he stammered back with a bit of red rising in his face.
"You take care of us." Note shrugged and grinned at him. Iki did care. He cared a lot, both inspiringly and concerningly. She could learn from that. "Really, don't worry. If you wanna do anything for me, just make some nice dinner after today—gods know I need it."
By now, the rest of GAD were arriving, all but Ayza with worry. Iki, however, stared at Note for a bit before bringing his wings up to his chest and nodding. He shakily smiled, making her do the same. "I… I can do that. Trust me with the food."
"I always do," Note chuckled.
"Is everything alright, Note?" Aster asked as everyone reunited. Though all eyes were on her, this time they didn't seem antagonistic or hunting for an excuse to insult her. They were soft, as if she couldn't like them more.
Note passed a claw through her chest. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for leaving earlier, I just let stuff unravel too much back there." She nodded to Hope. "This weirdo helped, though. Surprisingly wise, occasionally."
The prince puffed out his chest. "Hear that? I'm wise. Real wise, like a royal. One step closer to being a king, eh?"
"She also said you were weird," Blight mentioned.
Hope waved a paw at them and then flourished it over his head. "That's just another word for loveable. A charming king~"
"Anyways," Coral said, stepping forward and looking at Note, "it's good to have you back Note. We're sorry for not speaking up earlier, now we were just worried while you were away, clearly." He let out a weary laugh at that, his tail sweeping behind him.
That attached to me, huh? Note thought with a rising flutter in her chest as Ayza pulled her arm incessantly, swinging it up and down the same way as she jumped with too much energy.
"That's cool and all, but can we talk about that FIGHT?!" Her claws dug into Note, which didn't hurt much, but it was still a tight grip. "You were so COOL! So fast and strong, countering that strike with a swift and decisive one of your own! You gotta teach me how to fight like that immediately—no offense, Aster."
The Scrafty looked confused while Note smiled to follow along with Azya's energy. "Maybe someday, heh. I don't like it for as much as I'm good at it." The Salandit deflated at that, but she still looked all too happy to be with Note, to consider her. The same went for the others, no matter how much the doubts skittering in the back of her mind whispered otherwise.
"She's right," a young voice called out. They all turned to see Kiho coming up and speaking, with Algamade beside and an exasperated Atlas behind them. The Ledian stiffened at all of GAD turning to them but continued. "You really gave Kymot what he deserved, but you didn't get to see the shame on his face, heh! It was all kinds of cool to see you beat him so handedly."
"And more importantly…" Algamade said with a bump against Kiho. "We wanted to thank you. You probably didn't do it for us, but you kind of defended us from Kymot. He does nothing but push us around, so it's good to see it done back to him for once. Not saying I'm a revenge kind of gal, but you made both of us happy by fighting him. You kind of stuck out for us rookies, made it feel like we do belong here."
"I just wish it never escalated to that," Atlas sighed, as if his inaction wasn't what let it happen.
"Note, right? That's your name?" Kiho said. They smiled and put three hands on their sides, leaving one star-printed fist out for Note. Algamade did the same with her limb. "Hopefully this isn't stepping out of line, but thanks, Note. You don't get many mons willing to look out for us small ones when the big guys aren't watching where they step. This big city feels safer with people like you."
Her chest tightened at Kiho's words, but Hope jabbed an elbow into her shoulder. His knowing smirk only made her respond the same way. The guy had a way of being an opportunist she had never seen before. It was infectious, driving the others to feel similarly, if their intrusive "oohs" meant anything. And as she glanced back to the rookies, she couldn't contain her rising elation. While she preferred to not have them idolize her for her strength, the idea of helping them wasn't so bad either. Even if she hated the fight, it did bring these two smiles. She had no idea why these two rookies she knew for collective minutes felt strongly about her, but she could extend that to the rest of GAD.
It didn't make sense, but it felt good. Validating, maybe. Like she had been praised for her value, for being herself—something she never knew intimately for long.
Note leaned down to meet the two rookies and raised an open claw to them, trying to "high-five" them, as Coral once called it. And thinking about him now, she could see the slight gash she made to test his healing. Hope was correct there; her body wasn't supposed to be just a tool for the purpose of others. She wanted it to be hers.
"You two are pretty cool yourselves." She grinned from end to end. "Take it from me, you've got more of a spine than I do. Don't forget that strength."
Kiho and Algamade wasted no time in reciprocating, bringing their own hands and slapping hers in kind. The two beamed at the gesture, all giddy over being approved and praised by someone they deemed bigger and stronger. She wished she had the bravery to tell them to find better idols, but she could let go of that worry for this moment. They deserved this little time of feeling proud of their path, just like she wished for herself.
"Good to see you all making up," Atlas said, looming over and clasping his claws to seem jovial, "but we really should get to working. I think it's been delayed enou—"
"YOU! Zoroark!"
A palpable energy drained from everyone, especially Atlas who covered his face with a groan, and Note who huffed at the familiar, gruff voice of Kymot shouting again. She lazily glanced to the hall she came from, finding the Golisopod stepping closer while grimacing and holding his stomach. His Cacturne partner was holding him and pleading him to stop, but ended up just being dragged along. Kymot raised his free big claw to Note, almost like a full repeat of earlier. Was this where obsession and focus on hatred brought others, just an exhausting cycle?
"You beat me, sure, but that doesn't make this right!" Kymot shouted. A few guildmates turned to the noise, but some gave it little attention. Maybe even they were used to Kymot doing this. Regardless, the Golisopod seemed intent on this goal. "I can't believe you're all just fine with this! She's dangerous, but the guildmaster and prince let her just be around here? You're all just asking her to stab you in the back!"
Note moved to speak, but others were faster.
"And you're just full of pride," Blight announced loudly, flying overhead a bit. "Can you even back up all that talk with that strength and rank of yours?"
"Y-Yeah, don't even try to mess with Note again!" Aster shouted.
"And if you do, then we're just gonna beat you too!" Ayza followed up with a proud puff of flame.
"C-Can we do that…?" Coral mumbled before stuttering into slapping his chest a bit too hard. "I-I mean, we will do that!" He seemed to be holding in a wince.
Note's eyes widened at their display, but what really struck her was a soft wing covering her leg as Iki stepped in front of her. He looked all kinds of afraid, but he still interposed himself between her and Kymot. The Golisopod only stammered and grew more flustered at all the intervention.
To add to that, Hope flew in front of her and stared at Kymot directly. "I understand your concern, dear citizen," Hope said in his pristine royal voice, "but I want you to realize how ridiculous your claims sound. Note here has been nothing but helpful to our cause. She's as much a part of this guild as anyone else, and her species bears no influence on that. Should you pose more of a problem, then I will consider it an offense to royalty. Moreover…" He glanced back to Note and smirked before settling back on Kymot. A green glow rose from one paw as he raised it to Kymot.
"She's my friend," Hope said, now in his real voice with an obvious tint of pride, "and I trust her a ton, same as my other friends here. If you, or anyone else, has a problem with her, or any of us, then you're gonna have to go through me first." That green glow produced a small orb of similar color in his paw. The orb grew by the moment, shifting and pulsing through various shades as the glow brightened even more. Sparks crackled and crawled all over, even through his arm. The force blew a slight wind, and his paws changed to match his real claws curling against the charged orb.
Note felt a warm shiver trickle down her spine. She could recognize power and threats, it was a sense she was forced to develop; and currently, Hope was triggering that sense to alarming degrees. Her body was telling her to fear it, to run away from the danger, but she just stood with an anxious smile on her snout. She was excited. The fact that some like the Cacturne were scared, and how they were the absolute center of attention in the moment didn't matter.
Hope nodded back to the members of GAD. "If it's a fight this city wants, we'll give it to them. We're not leaving with your petty threats."
With that, Note peeked over Hope's side and pointed to Kymot and his partner. Her grin was fully conscious, holding nothing but spite and excitement. "I'd rather not fight again… But if you really want to, we're ready to take you on. It's your choice."
Kymot's eyes darted through all of them, and his arms skittered like he was actually trying to figure out how to fight them. That didn't last long, though, as Atlas almost barreled through and grabbed Kymot. "Okay! That's enough now! No more acting like children! No more complaining!" Note could see his muscles visibly tense as he started pushing him back, despite vocal and physical protests.
"Y-You can't be serious!" Kymot stuttered.
"Yes, I am! This ends now!" As they continued, Atlas glanced back to everyone. "Just get to work, okay? You all know what to do, you don't need me." He continued until Kymot's protests were only echoes from the hall, and only Mekoro was left standing alone. He noticed his position late, stammering and putting his arms together.
"S-Sorry, so sorry!" was all he said before running after Kymot and Atlas.
Laughs and cheers came from Ayza, Kiho, and Algamade from the side, Kiho especially clapping at what happened. Atlas finally put his foot down, so Note chuckled and sighed, relieving the anxious tenseness within the air alongside everyone else.
Hope just waved his paw, and the orb slowly fizzled out into green wisps through the air. He turned to everyone and winked. "Well, that was pretty neat!"
Aster glanced to Hope, brow raised. "I thought you were only good at healing."
"I'm all kinds of special, thank you very much," Hope countered.
"You're all kinds of crazy," Note sneered.
The lunatic prince drifted on his back like he was on a bed. "Aren't we all?" he wistfully sighed, smiling all the while.
"Did we just make bigger enemies of the guild?" Coral asked, glancing through the guild and rubbing his reddening chest. The small crowd either whispered from a distance or continued on with their day, pretending they didn't just see their prince threaten one of their higher-ups.
"Does it matter?" Ayza scoffed, holding up his arm and shaking it. Blight also joined in with his other arm and they both paraded him around, much to his smiling embarrassment. "We're awesome! GAD's here to stay!"
Everyone else either cheered along or looked weary about the declaration. For Note's part, she just couldn't stop smiling. It was all involuntary; she was learning that's what hearts and feelings were. They tugged people around without control or care, and though ignoring them could be easy for her, it would just mean she would return to how she was. Returning to not really living, just being a tool… So maybe feelings were worth the trouble, good or bad. She was willing to take that bet for this new warmth within her.
So, when she stared out to her friends—her family— the rookies talking among themselves, and Hope directing them to the request board to finally start working, one feeling pervaded through her entirety. Some of it was joy, and some of it was worry. She didn't know if her care for everyone here was something like love—she only knew the feeling once—or if it was her looking out for herself. Maybe it was an inherent need to be in their good graces for her own survival instilled deep in her core. Maybe it was there from the beginning, or it started since getting close to the others. But no matter what it was, and even if she craved one possibility over the other, one thing was clear to her.
She felt an intense drive to protect them. There was no ignoring that now.
Note followed them to the request board and stood alongside them. She saw them all, wanting to be with her, seeing her for who she wanted to be. Protect them, care for them, her mind kept repeating. Or was it her heart? It didn't matter. She was just happy for once and felt braver for it. So, when she saw a request about a daycare within the city asking for assistance with the kids, she pondered it and then grasped it. She needed to deal with others no matter what, and the kids from the orphanage loved her, so maybe she could get lucky one more time here. The thought excited her, building up anticipation for hopes of success, rather than fear of failure.
It was time to get to work, with everyone by her side.
Up on the rafters, Newt watched with Felix as GAD talked over the request board and took out jobs to select. His tail was swinging at seeing them so happy, and even more after Atlas drove off Kymot. That guy was too abrasive to newcomers in general, even to Newt and Felix when they first arrived. Those early days had people reassuring them that his behavior was a sort of rite of passage, but Newt always saw it as a particular envy of not being at the very top. Introducing a human into the mix made them the target for a while until they could properly fight back. At the end of it all, Newt wasn't particularly fond of the might makes right culture in the guild. Being one of the mighty never felt like a privilege or pleasure either.
"The General Assistance Department… I really like 'em." He spun to face Felix while he effortlessly swung to avoid the bright flame on his tail. "I can't wait to hang out with 'em a whole lot more!"
Felix glanced back down. "What do you mean? Didn't the king tell us to stay away from them? You meeting them was lucky but we probably shouldn't be tempting fate a ton. I only watched the fight because you insisted so much."
"Oh, come on, you just don't trust Coral." Newt stuck out his tongue at Felix as a tease, but he did understand the worry. Another human arriving in the middle of a crisis without the king's foresight was concerning. Who knew what it could spell for the crisis? Wariness was the right response, logically.
But Newt wasn't about that straight and narrow path.
"Don't they seem like fun to you, though?" Newt asked, leaning over the railing to see Ayza dancing around with a request while Coral worried about something, and Blight gently clapped. To their side, Note was patting Iki's head and Aster laughed at his brother's embarrassment. They were a really bright bunch. "They all came together by accident, and they hold so many secrets, but they look so attached already! And they still find time to rest and just have fun! Doesn't it remind you of us when we met?"
Felix leaned over as well, resting his head on his hands. "Mmm… I guess? I latched onto you so early because I was so scared of everything, heh."
"And we became the best of friends too~" Newt bumped shoulders with Felix, getting a laugh from him. "Seriously, man, I miss that time. We spent days just resting and having fun! Gods, it was the best."
"I miss them too, buddy. But we're just not there anymore." Felix sighed. "We're closer than ever to solving this crisis. We've got the allies, and we've got the motivation. We just gotta close in on the Parasite. There's no time to rest."
"I know, I know…" He wasn't wrong, he really couldn't be. The hero was just doing his part, and Felix became especially driven whenever the crisis was concerned. The end of it all meant him discovering who he was, after all. On a large scale, they were doing the right thing with the constant training and missions. They were right, and complaining about the hero life wouldn't lead to any good change for anyone.
But it wasn't really a life either. They barely rested or had fun. They lacked the time to think or feel much outside of the incoming danger and their enemy. Newt hadn't eaten something completely calmly in a good while, or even treated himself to any amenities. While he didn't regret this path, he missed the times where he felt like he was actually living. Being a hero rarely felt like being a person.
But seeing them just be able to enjoy their time together, and Coral being a human no less… There was a growing envy. Or more of a craving to be like that again. To feel like a person again, alongside Felix. It had to be with him too, he was doing all this with him and for him. Felix needed it the most in Newt's eyes.
"Well, no point in wasting the day!" Felix said and slapped Newt's back. "Come on, buddy, we got training today! Gotta prepare for Rhythm! This time, I'm gonna win!"
Newt giggled. "We'll do our best to prepare, heh. I just hope it'll be a fun fight to watch."
"You don't hope I win?"
"Of course I do, dummy," Newt said, sticking out his tongue again. "Just saying, have some fun with it too."
"Always about fun with you," Felix said. He had a bright smile as he wrapped an arm around Newt. "I love you for that, you make everything fun! Now, let's make this training as enjoyable as it can be, haha!" Just those few words made Newt's heat rise all over, especially in his brightening tail-flame and his cheeks. At the very least, he was always happy to be with Felix through it all, and Felix was happy to have him.
As the two walked off through the walkways, Felix was driven and excited to get to business, but Newt couldn't help but steal another glance at the request board below. The people of GAD were still talking among each other, with Hope above chiming in too, more chipper than he usually was. Every sight of them brought the same idea back: Spending time with them could relieve their stress. Being friends with them would brighten his days. Maybe it could make Felix happier too. The king's warning rang hollow in his mind.
Newt smiled to himself. Maybe it was overstepping, but thinking for himself about GAD felt good. For that purpose, he was willing to make his own decision about them.
Author's Note:
Heya, y'all! It's been too long, I know, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I apologize endlessly for how late this is, life's been really tough, but I've never given up on this story and still won't. I have my beta readers to thank for helping me so much with this chapter. But, in exchange for how long it's been, this chapter is the biggest one so far, and hopefully better for it! I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be finished, but hopefully it's sooner than later. Regardless, I still love this story and want to put it out there, so here I am.
As always, reviews and thoughts are appreciated! I hope you all enjoyed Note's perspective and look forward to the next one! Thanks for reading, and see you all in the future for more of these characters and story!