Adventure Thread - Group A

Tiki is starting to have second guesses as well. She turns to Rei. "Yeah I guess you are right. Let's head home quickly. Ugh...Gonna have to put on some shows out in the market place to ease my conscience."  After getting a case of the butterflies to stay away from sketchy situations, they walk back to the guild.

Once getting back to the safety of the guild, Tiki waves her water flask around. "Rei! Rei! Earlier when I was at the tavern, I filled up my flask with some of that drink the guy bought for me. Wanna try some?"

After visiting the healers, Clay holds a brief debate with himself. He really really doesn't want to deal with confronting Fan tonight... but if he doesn't, she won't know why he's upset with her and she'll just get angry and defensive when he finally does. Assuming he does and doesn't just keep putting it off forever.

He finally heads out to one of the courtyards for the conversation, on the assumption that it's far enough away not to disturb too many people, and calls out Fan. She's rather upset by this point, since the only time she's been out of the ball between the fight and now was to see the healers. "Sis, we need to talk."

The argument that follows is long and ugly. Fan has trouble seeing that any part of what happened is her fault, or in fact that there's even that much of a problem.

Clay feels like too much of it is his fault, but has to try to make her understand that even when they get really pumped up, a battle with another trainer challenging them like that isn't something that requires deadly force. Or even potentially deadly force - the two of them have never really fought to kill, even when going up against opponents they couldn't expect the same courtesy from, like a predator or the ghost girl. Continuing to attack an opponent that's already down is not okay.

Fan retorts that she didn't realize it had gone down to the first attack, and Clay snaps that she should pay better attention. He shouldn't have to pull her off of a downed opponent. He concedes when she insists on it that she might not have realized how much damage she was doing, but it's not as if he can constantly see that for her - never mind that a Rattata can't take the full force of her Fighting attacks for very long, especially one that was already injured. No matter how pumped up they both were, he shouldn't have to tell her that going all-out and not pulling punches is not justified in a more or less friendly fight. And he knows she can tell the difference between a friendly fight and a serious one just fine.

In the end, they've both more or less yelled themselves hoarse and made each other and themselves feel terrible. Clay finally orders her to stay at the guild with the other Pokémon and think about things - she's off the team for the next day. And for the first time in a long time, they go to bed without curling up together.

Instead of Lady Shields, you find a familiar yet unexpected face.

"Oh? Why, hello there, Miss Leeda. If you're looking for my esteemed colleague, I'm afraid she's not here at the moment."

D'Mara turns around to face you. "I was actually looking to speak with her myself about something, but it seems she's gone off on a mission someplace. Pity, really." She smiles at you. Her mannerisms seem quite pleasant, but as before, something is quite off-putting about her. Her 'aura', for lack of a better word, makes you feel like someone is simultaneously suffocating you and dousing you in icy water.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance? Whether or not you care for me, I am still a Branch Leader, and am willing to help you in whatever manner I can."

"Ah. I see. In that case, I shall simply take my leave for now. Perhaps I'll try again later." She gives you that creepily friendly smile again as she bids you farewell. As she leaves, it's like a weight has been lifted off of your chest, and you let out a breath that you didn't realize you'd been holding in.

In the morning, Tiki does her usual routine of breakfast, and training. Today, she heads out for a few quick battles.. She spends her time outside in the guild's private reserve where she acquired Justice on her first day. She uses this time to bond with her new Ponyta so it isn't so skittish around people.

The friendly front-desk person directs Clay on how to find Steel, stating that it's way in the back, next to Dark.

Clay's current streak of bad luck seems to hold, as who does he run into but that lady.

"Oh, hello there. Something I can assist you with?"