Team Venari's room is well lived in and vivacious courtesy of its most recent occupant. Rebecca's entrance into the team brought the room to life and bequeathed upon it a deep and homely touch. The existing, bland furniture was swapped out or redressed in favour of brighter floral designs and shelves were brought in to hold some of Rebecca's more important and public possessions. A book shelf was brought in and filled with both books and various knick-knacks, courtesy of the pokepologist's career. The books vary anywhere from relatively thick and objective books of older rituals and cultures to more modernized fictional tales. On the lower levels are various pieces of history and legend that she discovered and maintains herself. A proper (if small) kitchen was moved in against one of the walls.
Ty's presence has also increased within the room as he opted to take a small amount of the shelf for himself and his sparse collection of fiction. Beyond that, he has maintained both a punching bag and a wash basin that he is quick to use afterwards by way of the towel that rests near it. It's a far cry from the rivers and sunlight of his home but it's enough.
Arturius is still a sword. Swords do not need furniture.
Archive
Team Venari's room remains a very simple room but it does bear some distinct differences from how it once was. With the team now at a much more significant three members, another request for furniture was put in which nicely handled the somewhat ill-equipped nature of the room. Although still somewhat spartan in nature, the room has begun to show signs of the occupants. Although there remains only one real table and one real desk, the total number of chairs have been brought up from a single one to half a dozen in order to allow for visitors. Two beds are present, both of a traditional and "humanoid" style, for both Katherine and Ty. The one real sign of the identities of those who live within is the small punching bag present in the corner of the room that Ty uses regularly, as well as a small wash basin and towel that Ty uses regularly in order to wipe off. It's a far cry from the rivers and sun he is so used to but it will simply has to do.
Arturius still has no need for furniture. He is still a sword.
Team Venari's room is a very... simple room. Of the two members, only one requested or desired any furniture at all. Katherine had acquired a single table, a single desk, a single bed and one chair for each of the places to sit. In hindsight, she really should have asked for more so that she could receive guests but it hadn't occurred to her at the time. Other than that, the floor and walls remain the dull shades the guild had made them in. The desk itself had little except for supplies and papers related to mission writing. It was a room largely devoid of personality, perhaps suggesting that the primary occupant wished to be elsewhere. Or, perhaps it was simply that she had not yet had time to settle in.
Arturius had no need for furniture. He was a sword.
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:57 pm
Venari Katherine, Arturius
It was a closed, quiet and sturdy room. It was the meeting place for Katherine to meet her new partner, except... it was empty. With the exception of a lone sword resting flat on the ground, there was nothing there at all. It was still sheathed, too. It looked practical, almost like a bushwhacking knife or something. The only superfluous detail was the strange sash that stemmed from the pommel... She was curious and she saw little else to do in the room so she walked towards it and crouched down slightly to take a proper look.
With a sudden flit of motion, the eye on the crossguard opened. Katherine let out a little yelp and stumbled backwards so suddenly that she ended up falling on her behind. "Hello".
The sword spoke to her. "H..." Katherine paused mid-word so that she could get up, quickly brush some of the dust from her butt and then speak properly. "Hello."
A silence quickly overtook the room. The "sword" didn't say a word and neither did Katherine, if only because she didn't quite know what to say. She wasn't sure what to say in this sort of situation to begin with and the fact that her conversation partner was apparently a talking sword didn't help matters. Thankfully, he was the first one to break the silence. "Do you have any questions for me?"
Questions. Questions were important. What kind of questions did she need to ask? "Can you move on your own?"
The sword, suddenly, rose from the ground. The sash wrapped itself around the leather sheath and with an easy motion, the sword slipped out and seemed to float under its own power. "I can move, though somewhat poorly. For the most part, my capacity to defend is excellent but my ability to attack is limited by my inability to move swiftly. I can easily deal with incapacitated or distracted enemies. Do you have any other questions?"
The way the sword spoke was obviously strange and it made Katherine a little bit uneasy, to say the least. But that wasn't going to stop her. "Why do you want to join a team?"
The sword paused for a moment, expressionless and immobile as it hovered. "I have my own goals to seek. So long as I am allowed to engage in combat from time to time, my goals will be fulfilled. They should not distract from your own pursuits or desires, so long as you are not a pacifist. Is there anything else?"
Katherine thought for a moment. She began to speak but quickly hesitated before shaking her head. "No."
"Very well then." No motions, no expression. It was awkward for her. "Then I shall ask my own questions. Are you willing to fight, even if only out of necessity? Are you willing to undertake regular work? Why do you wish to join the Guild?"
Three simple questions. "Yes, yes and because I'm searching for something."
The sword listened silently and didn't speak a word even after she had finished. It seemed like time itself was rotting away when he finally responded. "Very well. Should the agreement be mutual then I shall accept you as a comrade, so long as you pledge to uphold what you have spoken here." Katherine nodded. "Good. I shall retreat to my sheath for the time being. We can continue any further aspects of this conversation once we reach our abode. Please carry me until we have done so."
With a sudden shift, the sword slipped himself back into his own sheath and simply fell to the floor. Katherine stepped forward once more, a little more uneasily than she had before, and picked up the sword by the sheath. It seemed, uh, less personal than grabbing him by the grip since his now-closed eye was just below it. He wasn't very heavy, thankfully, weighing perhaps only three pounds. For a Kirlia of only forty-five pounds, the weight wasn't insignificant but it was far from crushing. She was thankful that his sheath was a soft leather one instead of a much heavier metal one.
Katherine stepped out of the room with her companion held in both of her hands in front of her. He bounced slightly at her waist as she walked, thanks to the fact that her arms were slack. She spoke briefly to the official outside to confirm that the team had been formed and she was, in return, given simple instructions: head to the open team room that was waiting for her. Some forms and checklists would be provided to her at some point that night so that she could request necessities, furniture and small amounts of simple equipment. Help would be available if she had difficulty reading. She nodded her head, thanked the somewhat elderly pokemon and began the walk to her team room.
...Her arms were tired. It didn't help that she had done all that tree climbing, as well as that fall... Her right arm was no longer sore, courtesy of the fantastic skills of the Infirmary staff, but that didn't make her any less tired. By the time she found her way to the room her arms ached and she was more than happy to put the sword down so that she could open the door. With a twist, the door handle came down and the door pushed open easily. She stepped inside and simply held the door open. There was a moment of nothing and then Katherine stepped in slightly further and held the door open slightly wider. "...Very well." The Sword simply floated up off the ground, sheath and all, and carried itself inside.
Katherine shut the door once he had entered. She took a moment to finally take a good look around. It was... empty. There was a soft mat and a blanket, she guessed in case she wanted to rest, but the room was otherwise barren aside from the sword who was now resting on said mat. This... was probably what the forms were for, she thought. She would have to be sure to request some actual furniture, though maybe that went without saying? She wasn't sure.
"Now then. My name is Arturius. I have been informed that such a name is considered archaic by present standards and the name Arthur was suggested. You may use either."
"My name is Katherine."
Well this was... awkward. Arturius didn't seem to have anything to say or anything to ask. Normally she would try to strike up some kind of conversation and become friends with the other person, or at least learn a little bit about them, but that didn't seem to be possible here. Arturius was painfully stoic. So stoic, in fact, that he wouldn't speak another word until the official forms from the guild arrived later on.
By then, of course, Katherine had moved past it a little bit. If he was going to be quiet he was going to be quiet. Friends were nice but she was hardly here to play and if she wanted to meet others she would simply have to meet the other teams.
Katherine paused as she went down the forms. There was a simple area that read "special requests". The text was as obvious as the name: "Any special requests for equipment or necessities are to be stated here. All requests will be granted up to a reasonable limit subject to the discretion of management." She glanced over at Arturius. She wasn't quite sure he would have a request, but... "Arthur, is there anything you want the guild to make for us?" It did say "special requests", after all. It had to be custom made, right?
Arthur didn't react at all though he did speak after a few moments of silence. "I do not need a bed but I would ask that you request a belt so that I may be mounted length-wise across your lower back. It would be favourable if we could sustain the ruse of my lifelessness while allowing me to watch behind us."
That... actually made a lot of sense. It was kind of comforting to know that he had these things in mind, at least. Even if he was... odd, knowing that he was (quite literally) looking out for her was nice.
Which brought her back to the last and only untouched section of the page. She had skipped it earlier. These kinds of things were always the hardest ones to deal with and it wasn't like she could just do it on her own.
"Team Name" was written right next to a long, blank line.
"We need a team name." She didn't say anything more than that. She could have prodded Arthur verbally but he always seemed to respond at his own pace. And he did after a minute.
"Venari, for we are hunters."
Katherine glanced up from the piece of paper to look at Arthur for a moment before looking back down and simply writing Venari in the blank. It sounded nice and, if she were being honest, she didn't really care as long as the team name was "good".
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:34 pm
Venari Katherine & Arcturius
It had been a long day. It had been a very long day. She had left early in the afternoon but she had only returned from the Fairy Woods after the sun had fallen and the moon had risen. The only thing that compelled her to sit at the desk in front of her was the fact that she had a brief report to write. She didn't want to write it. She wanted to collapse in bed and shuffle the events of the day away into some box that would never be opened. But if she didn't get the report out she would get an earful from the guild and she wanted to deal with that even less. She would rather write a poor report than no report at all and hopefully they would just leave her well enough alone. She was exhausted. She was hungry; all she had had in the room was some slightly stale bread.
Katherine quickly wrote out the report, posted it on her door for pick-up and then collapsed onto her bed. What would come in the morning, or even later on, would come. She would deal with it when it happened.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:20 pm
Claudius
Claudius hadn't slept. He'd been engrossed in his maps, plotting out a sector of the Desert Plains from his last visit on a fresh sheet of parchment, and so had accepted Veilmys' offer to attend to Team Venari in his stead: he would make a point of congratulating the Team later. Their report was delivered in the early hours of the morning, and the Aurorus had taken a break from his work to look it over: needless to say, he hadn't returned to the map after he'd read its contents.
He'd waited until midday to give the two members a chance to rest, mulling over ways to handle the situation in his office until then. He would have to take this to Veilmys, and Ver may need to get involved if there wasn't any alternative, but he needed more information first: the report was too vague for him to form a definitive plan of action. Not a minute past noon, Claudius gathered a few necessities into his scarf and stepped out of his office, making his way to the wing of the Guild where the Team Rooms could be found.
The Aurorus had taken a good look at Team Venari's file beforehand, so he knew precisely which room and Pokemon he was looking for. When he arrived, Claudius raised a foot to the door in two brisk (though gentle) knocks, awaiting their response somewhat impatiently.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:09 pm
Venari Katherine & Arcturius
Claudius would have to wait. He simply didn't have a choice in the matter. No matter what he did or tried he was not speaking to Katherine or Arcturius before the time was right. His impatience was irrelevant.
Primarily because they didn't know he was even there.
It would all take a little while for it to click in Katherine's head. She had food in her hand and though it was bread once more it was much fresher and much fuller than it had been before. Her appetite had returned to her as quickly as she had shoved the memories away and locked them up. She refused to think about it. She had been too exhausted in the night to even be tormented by nightmares. It was an event that had happened and there was simply nothing more to be done about it... putting these things behind you was the best thing you could do. Her morning walk for food, with Arcturius in tow, had done wonders to clear her head of any lingering thoughts and to revive her body. It was with that mindset that it took her a while to recognize the Aurorus she had walked up behind and it was with that mindset that the reason for his appearance didn't even occur to her.
"Hello... Claudius? Sir Claudius?" Katherine walked towards him and peered around in order to properly get a look at his face. She had seen him during the meeting but she had never really taken the time to meet him. "Good afternoon."
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:04 pm
Claudius
He'd tried knocking a few more times, each slightly harsher than the last, but received no response for his efforts. The Aurorus sighed in frustration, gathering that the pair must have headed out before he'd arrived: even the most antisocial of Pokemon would have responded to such urgent knocking--or should have if they had a reasonable understanding that they were living in their place of work, and could therefore be called to action at any time. Claudius chose to give Team Venari the benefit of the doubt in this case, although his irritation at their absence made it rather difficult. This was an important matter and the longer this conversation was delayed, the likelier that even more Pokemon would lose their lives to the cult Katherine and Arcturius had discovered. He had just resolved to return in another hour when a tentative voice caught his attention.
"Ah Katherine," the Aurorus said, nodding in greeting, "Just Claudius will do. Veilmys is the only one who insists on using those titles." Or so he would tell anyone that asked. It was a bit of a contest between he and the Guildmaster to see if the titles would stick, and from the sound of it Claudius had already fallen behind. "And I see Arturius is with you," he said, glancing at the sheath that hung across the Kirlia's back. "Excellent. I need to speak with the both of you about the mission report you filed yesterday." He fell silent for a moment, to allow them a chance to process the information, and took a step back so that he was no longer standing in front of their door. "May I request that we discuss this matter inside? Either your room or my office will do: wherever you'll feel more comfortable."
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:17 pm
Venari Katherine & Arcturius
Katherine very nearly shuddered. The idea of talking about it again wasn't exactly appealing. She had locked those memories, those ideas away. They weren't going to return to her. That had been her plan. If she pushed them away then at the very least she would not have to think about what had happened. Apparently, that wasn't a choice. Apparently, they were going to talk about it one way or another. Though she tried to hide how she felt about it, it still leaked into how slow she was to speak and how uneasy she was both in tongue and footing. "...If we have to."
Katherine stepped past Claudius, opened the door fully and left it open behind her. Normally she might have held it open and then closed it after he got in but she wasn't in the mood for that. She left the partially eaten loaf on the table in the center of the room and sat down at the one and only chair. The room had been, of course, equipped by request. In retrospect she should have asked for more in case she had guests but it wasn't like there was a chair in the world that an Aurorus could sit in. It would explode the moment he tested his weight against it. She allowed Claudius the time necessary to get into the room and settle comfortably enough before asking her question somewhat curtly. "What is it?"
It wasn't venom in her tone but rather a simple and pure desire to get it over with so she could continue not talking about it.
Arcturius was silent all the while.
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:13 am
Claudius
It was understandable that the Kirlia was reluctant: she was young still and what she had been through would be a trying experience for most adults. Although he was no expert at graphology, Claudius had picked up on the shakiness in her handwriting from the start of the report, so he'd been anticipating some resistance; fortunately for both parties, she accepted the necessity of the conversation rather quickly. "Thank you," he said simply, taking care not to allow impatience to seep into his tone. Although there was hardly the time for formalities, it didn't mean he had to make things more miserable for the girl than they already were.
The Aurorus made his way through the door and pulled it closed behind him with a careful twist of the tail--a precaution to keep their conversation from being overheard by passing Pokemon. He chose to stand on the side of the room rather than between Team Venari and the exit out of courtesy, very aware of how unwanted he was in this situation. He wasn't bothered by the Kirlia's bluntness, but took it in stride: it seemed they both wanted to make this chat as short as possible. "Very well, I'll get straight to the point."
"Yesterday evening you submitted a mission report about your expedition to Fairy Woods, in which you mentioned a collection of Fairy Types engaging in sacrificial acts to "feed" a sizable Moon Stone." They all knew it was true, but a reiteration of the facts allowed him to gauge any reaction the pair might have to the memory. "You were right to leave as soon as you could, a single Team would have been hard pressed to deal with something of the scale that you described. However,"--the Aurorus' expression hardened, and his tone indicated the serious nature of his point--"you should have come to me about this immediately, or informed the Guildmaster when he greeted you upon your return. I understand that it isn't a pleasant matter to discuss, but withholding this kind of information for any amount of time is putting other Pokemon's lives in jeopardy--do you understand?"
He allowed the statement a moment to sink in, regarding the pair with an expression of sternness rather than hostility. When he spoke up again his tone was softer, much like that of a concerned parent. "That being said, I don't believe either of you intended to do any harm in this situation, and you have demonstrated great bravery in completing your mission and providing us with the information you did. Rest assured that we'll be dealing with this matter as soon as possible--I simply need to learn as much as I can of what you know of the situation to make the necessary preparations." Claudius looked down at the Kirlia and Honedge, watching them closely. "So, may I proceed?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 2:42 pm
Venari Katherine & Arturius
She couldn't believe this. She was being attacked. She was being attacked for doing her job! She was an explorer, she wasn't a rescuer or a mercenary! Her job was to explore, to find new things. She had done just that. She had gone with the Clefairy and she had discovered that... that awful celebration, she had returned and she had written a report. It was the guild's job to follow up on these things, it was the guild's job to screen the missions to begin with. It was... it was stupid that she had had to deal with something like this at all. Did the they not know anything about these places? And she was being chastised for it?
It made her want to scream.
"Claudius." But she didn't. Arturius spoke instead and Katherine clenched her teeth. The gentle shaking that had consumed her slowly subsided as Arturius spoke, if only from the shock that he was speaking at all; it was so easy to forget that he was there, hanging behind her from her belt. He was so silent. "While I appreciate the concern that evidently led you to allow us a moment's rest, I do not at all appreciate your hypocrisy. Your voice aches for sleep. The report that Katherine wrote was picked up well before the sun rose. You have had that report for many hours, yet you chose not to act. You condemn her for putting her own state of mind ahead of others yet you yourself have done the same. We have acted in our role as explorers. Act properly in your role as a leader, if you are to do so at all."
Katherine was suddenly very grateful for (and very much surprised by) her partner. She had never heard him speak more than a sentence at a time, but here he was...
"...Other than that, your statements are correct though your assumptions are in folly. What had happened was called a 'celebration', as was noted in the report. It is doubtful that they would hold such festivities on a daily basis."
Although Arturius's tone was calm and even, his words made it clear enough that he was less than pleased.
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:55 pm
Claudius
Well. It seemed that this wasn't going to go as smoothly as he would have hoped. The Aurorus hadn't come into the situation expecting such a confrontation, nor did he have any desire to deal with one when there were other important issues to be dealt with. Above all he did not appreciate the fact that both members of a team under his jurisdiction were seeing fit to stand in opposition to his perfectly reasonable request for information. While Arturius was the only one to have given audible protest to his request, the expression on Katherine's face was enough to convey the Kirlia's thoughts on the matter; unfortunately it seemed the issue of semantics would have to be prolonged even further for this pair to be appeased. It was irksome to say the least, especially having just received a number of insults to his pride and character, but there was a reason that Claudius held the position he did, and a part of that was his ability to handle situations such as these.
"Consider your words Arcturius," Claudius replied, once he was certain the Honedge had finished, "You aim to defend your partner, which I respect, but I have already stated that I am not attempting to condemn either of you, and I believe you have done admirably--insofar as you knew how. Your assertions that this was a 'celebration' are to your credit as well, since one would not necessarily anticipate celebratory events to happen on a daily basis, and this would explain your decision to only explain these events in your report. It is neither unreasonable nor illogical for you to have come to the conclusions you did, and therefore I do not fault you for it." He paused for a breath before continuing: Now that I've clarified my intentions, allow me to address your concerns."
"You claim that I have made an assumption in folly. That the event in question was referred to as a celebration and is therefore unlikely to be a frequent occurrence. There are two things you should understand about this. Firstly, as I'm sure you know, while celebrations are often single-day affairs, there are a number of celebrations that extend for several weeks at a time. Unless you learned something about the particular celebration you witnessed which I haven't been made aware of, there is nothing to suggest which type of celebration this particular festival might be; this brings me to my second point. As you have mentioned I hold a leadership position in this Guild, and it is my duty to act properly in this position. One of the most important rules we leaders have sworn to follow involves placing the well-being of other Pokemon above all else, and I strive to live by that principle. Having read in your report that there were Pokemon losing their lives in this place, I therefore chose to assume that these were frequent celebrations, as it is always best to err on the side of caution when betting on a Pokemon's life. Seeing as I've been made aware of the situation, it has become mine to deal with, and so I will continue to operate under the assumption that these sacrifices will happen on a daily basis, because I will not allow any Pokemon to lose his or her life because of my negligence."
"Still, you claim that I am not acting properly in my role as a leader; that I am hypocritical for choosing not to act when I have been in possession of your report for several hours. I received your report a few hours before sunrise: this is so. And you are correct in the observation that I chose not to immediately act on my findings. It is true: I could have awoken my coworkers, informed them of your findings, and proceeded to lead them to Fairy Woods in order to confront this group. However there is something about the situation you do not know; a very important piece of information that prevented me from confronting the issue directly in good conscience."
Bending his head, Claudius reached into his scarf and pulled a scroll of parchment from its folds. Placing it on the ground, he unrolled the paper for the Kirlia and Honedge to see, a foot on either side to keep the edges from rolling back to one another. The pair would find a remarkably detailed map before them, rather larger than one that a normal-sized Pokemon would have used but that much more intricately labeled because of its size. "As you may recognize, this is the current map of Fairy Woods," the Aurorus said, indicating the title by the compass rose with a nod. "This area, like each of those outside of the Guild's domain, is considerably vast. I've assembled this map from the findings of many explorations over the years--several of them conducted by me personally, several by others whom I have met and worked with over the course of my life--but even now it's hardly close to achieving completion. You will notice the very definite absence of the village described in your report, and I think you will agree that it is most unlikely that any explorer involved in the making of this map discovered this place and failed to recall it, considering its...singularity."
"Now, I could have assembled a group of Pokemon and led them into the woods, acting under the assumption that we would enter the area in close proximity to the place that you did, and that we would be able to locate this uncharted village without any great difficulty. And perhaps that assumption would have been correct. However, it is far more likely that the path I chose would not have been the same as that which you took, and could, in fact, have been so far off course that myself and my companions would be forced to wander the Woods for days before locating our destination--if we happened upon it at all. Perhaps it is superstitious of me, but I place very little faith in luck, and prefer to act on facts when they are available. Therefore, knowing that I had Team of very capable Guild members who had been to the location in question, I arrived at the conclusion that it would be best to approach them for details about their travel patterns so that I may be able to lead my own expedition successfully. Although it would inevitably prevent me from attending to the situation with all haste, I deemed this method to be preferable because of its considerably lesser reliance on probability."
Throughout the entire explanation Claudius' tone was calm and cool as the ice that partially formed his body, showing no signs of anger or apology. There was, after all, no reason for such emotions--he had done nothing wrong here. "Have I now explained the reasons for my actions to your satisfaction?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:06 pm
Venari Katherine & Arturius
"No." Arturius had held his silence perfectly throughout the entirety of Claudius's speech. He hadn't moved at all. He was still simply resting behind Katherine, perfectly immobile and inactive and appearing by all accounts as little more than an object if not for the fact that he bore his own mind and voice. "Your caution is admirable. Your hypocrisy is not. Your concerns for the life of the beings inside as well as the effectiveness of your own expedition is utterly and entirely irrelevant to this. You have had this report for many hours, yet you chose not to act on it. You had the right and the authority to visit this room at a much earlier time yet you chose not to. You chose not the hours of the night in urgency or the hours of the early morning in consideration to seek us out. You chose to wait until the sun had long since risen. It was your own inexplicable choice to wait. Your condemnation is not righteous nor is it just. If the situation is so urgent as to deride us for failing to seek you out it is urgent enough for you to have arrived at our door at an earlier time. Any lives lost in these hours are on your head, Claudius. You were the one who chose inaction."
Arturius wasn't willing to accept it. It mattered not whether Claudius called it a condemnation or not. He could claim that the words meant whatever he desired. They were still unjust. They were still hypocritical. Katherine had chosen to file a report immediately. She had not waited until the morning, she had not lied or covered up what had happened. She had written a report almost as soon as she had returned to her room and she had seen to it that it would be received. Claudius had chosen not to act on it and for him to suggest that Katherine lacked a sense of urgency was simply absurd. A leader had to be many things and by extension could not be many things. Hypocritical was one of the latter.
"However, there will be no need for such explanations." Claudius seemed to believe he needed to validate himself. That he somehow needed to explain his actions. Arturius did not feel as such, nor did he care. He recognized what Claudius had done and responded accordingly. Claudius's concern was undue (though admirable) and Arturius had no qualms with his desire to tend to the village. "You already know how to enter the village. Further words are pointless. I shall depart with your team and I shall guide them as is necessary."
Arturius was a blade. He had no concerns for Claudius's feelings, rationalizations or opinions. Those things did not matter to a blade. He would, as a blade, help in seeking out and, if necessary, slaying those who would transgress against them. However, such a hypocritical assessment of both himself and his partner most certainly mattered.
Katherine remained silent. It wasn't out of a lack of things to say but rather the strong feeling that she shouldn't say anything at all. Arturius was speaking at length, a phenomena that had never happened before, and both of them seemed less than pleased. It was a bit nerve-wracking to be caught between an annoyed sword and an upset Aurorus but it wasn't like she could just get up and leave.
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 7:38 am
Claudius
The Aurorus was taken aback by the Honedge's response. He'd been patient, thoughtful, accepting of Arturius' criticism and willing to take the precious time necessary to explain his reasons to the Pokemon who had spoken up against him--still it didn't seem to have altered anything. Arturius responded with the same protestation, as though he'd said nothing at all, and that was what finally made Claudius angry. He already knew that any lives to be lost were on his head, he was fully aware of that fact and prepared to claim personal responsibility for it if he found that they arrived too late. He was not telling Katherine and Arturius that they were responsible for any death that may occur, he was cautioning them so that they learned how to perform in the future: he would be the worst sort of leader if he didn't teach his members how to rectify past mistakes. It was his job to take the fall for the members of his sector, and if Team Venari was ever accused of acting in error he would defend them as such, but there was a lesson they'd needed to learn from all of this that was clearly being overlooked in favor of finding fault with him.
Claudius breathed in slowly, taking a moment to feel the chill of the ice crystals on his breath. He was tired; he was emotionally worn; he was concerned for the Pokemon of Fairy Woods and for these two Guild members he'd put on the defensive; and, above all, he was aware of his position as leader in this situation. "I see," he said at last, looking at the pair steadily, "then I won't waste your time with my 'pointless words', if that is what you believe them to be." There was no malice in his tone, rather resignation. He wouldn't trouble them any longer. His personal troubles were nothing when compared to the peril of others, despite the fact that they struck uncomfortably close to home, and right now to prolong the conversation any longer would be both pointless and unforgivably selfish. The Aurorus stepped back with one foot, carefully rolled up the scroll with his nose, then lifted it up to replace it in the scarf from whence it came. Treading carefully, he stepped over to the door and opened it, showing himself out and holding it for whomever decided to follow behind him, one or both of them: Claudius never forgot professional courtesy, even in the wake of a quarrel such as this. "If you'll kindly follow me, I'll show you to the group you'll be guiding."
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 3:09 pm
Venari Katherine & Arturius
"Not yours. Mine." Arturius shifted slightly as he spoke and Katherine was quick to unclip him in response. This whole thing had gone past her a little bit, as though she understood what was going on there was little for her to say and a great difficulty in saying it. She didn't like the Aurorus anymore but she didn't have even the slightest problem with the guild saving people and destroying that horrifying... place in the process and any immediate anger or anxiety she had felt had been swept away both by Arturius' verbal riposte and his offer to take her place. Each button popped off with a little "snap" and Katherine hopped off the chair. Arturius floated up behind her and passed her as he headed towards, and then out, the door. His sheath remained locked in place and his body stayed parallel to the ground with the only indicator of his facing being the gem on his crossguard that faced the same direction as he floated.
"I am a blade, not a pen or a brush." Arturius might have been looking up at Claudius as he spoke. It was hard to tell. "I cannot explain such a path. I can only seek out my enemies. Your team shall follow."
A blade was a simple thing. A blade did not write tales, it did not broker peace. It did not bring prosperity and it did not protect. It could not guide, it could not trap and it could not discover. A blade was a being that struck true so that all the things it could not do, others could. The only thing a blade could be said to defend was honour.
Katherine, awkwardly, did little more than wave goodbye.
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 7:43 pm
Claudius
Claudius paused a moment at the Honedge's words, before turning his head away silently, uncertain what he was expected to say. Certainly it was something, knowing that Arturius didn't dismiss him so entirely as to discredit his words, but it was difficult to believe when so much of what he had said seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. As much as he'd like to think his explanations hadn't been in vain, the Honedge's prior comments kept him from being convinced that the sword had taken much of anything from what he'd said. Still, the Aurorus chose to take it as a minor indication that there apparently remained some measure of respect between them, albeit a strained one. It was little more than wishful thinking, but it soothed him for the time being--at least this assured him that Arturius would be cooperative while they were accomplishing the task ahead of them.
When Arturius joined him in the hall, Claudius listened to his words politely, dipping his head respectfully at the conclusion. "Understood. Your assistance is appreciated." He turned to close the door behind them, nodding a cordial farewell to the Kirlia within before she vanished from sight. Righting his neck, the Aurorus turned to lead the way down the corridor. "This way, if you would."
Katherine couldn't help but wonder if this kind of thing was normal. The last time she had come back, some random pokemon were waiting for her. It had happened this time too, though at least it wasn't completely random this time. The Mankey Curtis had been their client for the mission. He was a temperamental but agreeable person. The Pancham... had ambushed them and probably would've beaten them if not for outside interference. The Sableye looked a great deal like the one that they had defeated in the Ruins but, on the same token, somewhat different. Apparently it was someone else.
It was strange to have the three of them lined up in front of her and sitting down on her floor while they waited for her decision. She was the only one sitting on a chair, partially because she didn't have enough. It put her well above the rest of them. It felt very... authoritarian. Like she was someone's boss, which she guessed she would be if she decided to take any of them. It was a strange and somewhat unwelcome thought. The only real feelings of comfort were brought on by the weight of the steel against her lap. "So... lets get started, I guess. Why do you want to join?"
"I was inspired." The Sableye spoke first. She was older than Katherine but not by much. Her voice had a strange pleasantness to it. "Within the ruins, we do little more than eat and play pranks. Although your mission may have been menial, I had never thought of anything like it. I want to see more."
"You're cool." Curtis confidently spoke second. He was younger than Katherine but not by much. He was excited, exuberant and almost aggressive in how he spoke. "You're much cooler than sitting around at home or playing with my friends. I wanna join."
The Pancham, oddly, said nothing. In spite of his silence he bore an odd smirk on his face.
Katherine thought it over. Or, rather, she wanted to think it over. In reality, she didn't think it over very much at all and even as she consciously tried to think even more on it it quickly and inevitably led her back to the same conclusion. She felt bad about it, as if she were just offhandedly dismissing them but rolling the thoughts over and over in her mind didn't change them. "I'm sorry, but..."
The Sableye put her hand up. "No no, it's fine. You know nothing about me, I wouldn't expect you to allow me to join. Thank you for considering me." She pushed herself up off the ground with one hand and stood up properly. "I'll be around the guild for a few days if you change your mind."
Curtis, too, seemed to get the message. He briefly seemed as if he were about to rage and screech about it but he bit his tongue.
The door was closed shut with a quiet click. The two of them had left together, leaving only Katherine, Arturius and the Pancham within the room. The reactions made her feel almost guilty. The Sableye seemed like a good person. Curtis... You don't get mad unless you care, right? But in the end, she knew nothing about any of them. This wasn't a matter as simple as just making friends but new team members were something she staked her own status, reputation and most importantly safety on. Recruiting someone she didn't know... that wasn't really something she was comfortable doing. Speaking of which, what was the Pancham doing still sitting there?
"I knew you'd choose me from the start." What? No. "I'm way stronger than those other two."
"I'm not taking anyone. That includes you."
"Nah." Katherine couldn't tell if he was an idiot or an a**. "I'm way stronger than the other two and I'm stronger than you guys. You need me on your team."
...Idiot or a**, he had a point. Katherine was loathed to admit it, especially given the dull pain that still resonated from her bruises, but he wasn't spewing nonsense. Perhaps it was all the stronger because of who had said it but the feelings of helplessness rushed back. She was used to pain and she was used enough to fighting but there had always been someone there to protect her. It was the first time she had really felt like that.
"...Why do you want to join?"
The Pancham's smile seemed to deepen. "Because I like to fight. I like to fight strong people and to get stronger. If I'm here, I can fight the other guild members and I can fight whatever runs into us when you take on a mission."
Katherine buried her face in her hands as she sighed. No matter how she thought it over, the result was the same. Or, rather, she wanted to think it over. In reality, she didn't think it over very much at all and even as she consciously tried to think even more on it it quickly and inevitably led her back to the same conclusion. It was the conclusion she did not want to accept but nonetheless she felt that it was the only conclusion left to her.
"I'm your boss. Do you understand that? If you cause trouble, I'll kick you out and you can deal with whatever you did on your own."
"Sure. Just don't give me a reason to quit."
Katherine put Arturius to her side and hopped off the chair. "My name is Katherine and his is Arturius. Our team name is Venari."
