Act 3 Scene 2 - Strictly Confidential [ToT]

             
    "You- uh, just want to know what we're doing here?" Napoleon's wide eyes looked up at the forms of the two Pokémon before her, one a Skiddo who bore many scars, the aged wisdom on his face hiding his true emotions cleverly. The other a Pokémon she had never seen before, their pink, floral body, blue checkered scarf and the gemstone earrings speaking to her exotic place in the world. Napoleon glanced back, searching for her partner, but only the crag behind her stood in Fain's place. She turned her head back. "Why did you - uh... come to ask... me?" she asked, head lowering slightly. Where was Fain? She would know what to do.

    "Well, we did ask the guild leaders what they were doing here already, but the truest stories come from those who are not in the lead," the Skiddo explained, his voice low with age. Napoleon immediately knew, just by looking at him, that he was angry. She could just tell.

    "We just want to know why such a large group is heading in this direction, that is all." The strange pink Pokémon added on, her calm tone conflicting with her massive size as she loomed over. Napoleon scanned the earth, creasing her brow as thoughts of what she was supposed to saw flew away from her brain like escaping Butterfrees. She desperately tried to catch them, but they slipped so easily out of her claws.

    “Um…” What if she said the wrong thing? They were big leaders. They had powers, and were probably super strong, and could so easily get mad and yell at her with a snap of their fingers… hooves - they had hooves and they could easily just use them! Nervousness rose into her throat, keeping her from speaking anything logical. “I - I don’t - rea-really know...” she forced out in a sputter, “Or - uh, I kinda do - but…” Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. Her eyes glanced away as she felt their glares on her - where was Fain? Napoleon knew she shouldn’t have left their side. “I, how do I put it, we’re going down there I think to - uh - to do something, s-since the water is bad.”

    It was hard to miss the forms of Cerise the mysterious pink cervid towering well over the average height of most of Ywaru’s residents. Jasmine was admittedly intrigued by the Thundrun representative, and her smaller friend. Of course, Mirya had retreated for now, per what Cerise had said earlier.

    In the confines of Ywaru’s sheriff’s office, there wasn’t much room for anyone to eavesdrop and interrupt their discussion, or simply overhear something they shouldn’t in the first place. In terms of the work they were expected to accomplish moving forward, discretion would be critical. She paced ahead, her claws clicking ever so slightly on the cool wood underfoot - distinctly less heated than the earth outside in the blistering sun.

    “She’s right, of course,” she offered, hoping to help avoid upsetting the leaders of tribe and settlement alike. “It’s a somewhat sensitive subject, but we’re looking into problems with the water supply on the continent. Poison has been spreading upstream, it seems, and could soon affect the oceans and the rest of the continent if left unchecked.”

    The two turned to look at her. “May I ask who you are?” the Gogoat prompted.

    “I serve with the guilds. My name is Jasminami Cenoreilles, prodigy of Theatre Vagary. I’m first and foremost a dancer, but for the time being I’m here to serve the public.” Jasmine curtsied briefly. “And you are the representatives of Fernfrond and Thundrun herd, correct? I believe I saw you meet with the sheriff and our leaders earlier this morning.”

    Unlike his partner, the large Zoroark at Jasmine’s side didn’t push his presence into the room as forcefully. Instead, he gently walked behind her and offered a firm glare in greeting. He had not paid attention to their objective but he had witnessed such distress on the little dino’s face that he couldn’t just ignore. He assumed Jasmine felt the same.

    Left unintroduced, Noir simply continued to glare and offered one small concerned glance to Napoleon as his partner did most of the talking.

    Naturally, with even more Pokémon around who she didn't know, that meant even more potential to make more mistakes - well, one had introduced themselves, and they sounded practically like another leader - her entire posture spoke of authority, even without the massive Zoroark looming dangerously behind her. He didn't quite match up to the strange pink deer, but they had a much wider length - and by extension, a shadow which loomed quietly and ominously. Napoleon was quick to shut herself up, instead choosing to nod along to what the purple scarfed Pokémon was saying - granted, she hadn't heard the latter half of their comments due to the blood rushing so loudly in her head - but it was probably correct.

    “Y - ye - what she said, sorry - that's what I was trying to say!” Napoleon sputtered out, hopefully trying to fix the mistakes she had already made in this conversation - all five hundred of them.

    “I see.” The Gogoat, Adrias, nodded his head. “And yet, when we arrived you were in the process of driving out a criminal. Mind you, I don’t see the harm in having someone like Don Kapon brought to justice, but having him sent out to my tribes is something beyond our tolerance.”

    “Yes, I understand the point you’re trying to make.” Jasmine placed her hands on her hips defiantly. “As was discussed in public, it was agreed that Don Kapon would be banished to Tabira instead, not Thundrun Plains. He’ll be no threat to you or your people.

    “Beyond that, yes. Our concern for poisoned water could have been handled more directly, I agree. At least, that is how it sounds when you have the information you were given so far. Unfortunately, there is more to it than that. Recall that I mentioned this poison was travelling upstream.”

    She paused to let that knowledge sink in. Recognition befell the two older Pokémon at once. “A witch?” Cerise breathed.

    “We believe so, yes ma’am.” Jasmine nodded, her brows drawn together from the dark context that she’d just brought into the room. Even now, thinking about it soured her mood more so than the unpleasant weather of Ywaru normally did. “And the activity, not just of this one potential witch, but at least one more, has been growing.”

    “How do you know this?” asked Adrias.

    “Our teams helped to rescue kidnapped twins from a witch living in Darkhowl Woods. She had been active for some time, but recently had an apprentice helping her. Obviously, allowing her to spawn a new witch would be dangerous.

    “On top of which, Noir and myself had an unpleasant encounter with a thief in Mosswood.” She reached back, waving a paw toward the Zoroark who had yet to offer a joke or even a chuckle since entering. She had to wonder if he was starting to learn tact. “She was a ghost, and yet had the power to cast illusions. I think she may well have been a witch as well.”

    “Then you are saying that witches are collectively building up resources, and your only proof of this is a petty thief, and a resident witch that has been active for years?”

    Jasmine closed her eyes and folded her arms. This was no time to be arguing - she had to put a stop to this soon. “With respect, sir, would you be willing to ignore the possibility? We are not. It took a great war, countless lost lives, to correct the damage caused by witches in the past. If it can be helped, that must not happen again. The only reason we have not been sharing this information with everyone we meet is because doing so would stir up panic. I'm certain you agree this is a matter of discretion, but still one that requires attention.”

    “Adrias.” Cerise lifted a hoof and pressed it against the shorter of the two’s shoulders gently. “I believe they are telling the truth. Mirya knows more about this.”

    Noir’s tense feelings waned as he listened to them speak. At first, he misjudged the rather gentle-sounding pink creature for hostile. He also noticed the leafier companion of the deer was blind and therefore, not as threatening. Their talk gave him a rather heavy throbbing sensation in his temples. The headache began to grow and it created just enough irritability to cease any attempt at jokes. At the wave of Jasmine’s hand, he reflected upon their encounter with the illusion-casting ghost. He recalled feeling a sort of kinship with the ghost, if that were an accurate feeling to categorize it as, but did not reveal it. After all, he didn’t want to be tied with witches or their crafts.

    “Of course they’re telling the truth,” he confirmed, sporting a rather annoyed tone. His arms crossed in front of his chest. The crimson claws tapped at his upper arm as he spoke. While they were all gabbing away, there was work to be done.

    “You probably know a witch, they just haven’t shown you what they can do. They may even be someone you’ve known your entire life. ...Yadda yadda yadda. REGARDLESS, it’s not like it would kill everyone to prepare for the worst,” Noir muttered. His eyes shifted away from them. Why would they listen to him? He just looked like another criminal so his word was nothing.

    Napoleon's eyes trailed upwards to see the Zoroark’s clearly irritated form, tail tucking slightly inside of her legs as she glanced around at each of the Pokémon. All of the talk of witches and the previous lives taken… It left an uneasy stone in her stomach. Her brain trailed back to her partner, her already mixed feelings about the whole situation certainly not going to be getting any better anytime soon while even more witches would have to be dealt with.  

    “Y-yeah, witches are bad,” she agreed weakly, trying to drive up support for the main Pokémon who had jumped in to save her hide from a severe grilling, despite the fact that even that sentence had gotten so complicated recently. “A-and we are going to find out what is wrong with the poison in the water - uh -” She paused. “Ah - I don't mean - there shouldn't be poison in the water, and we’re trying to find the source - since we all need water, so it's just more than witches!” She tried to formulate her sentences as quickly as she could, part of her glad that, despite their intimidating forms, the two Pokémon who had jumped in were on her side.

    “Hmm…” Adrias stared blankly ahead, his mind shifting through this. “Thank you for your input.” His words caused Napoleon to physically lower her shoulders with a sigh. “Cerise, let us ask a few more Pokémon.”

    She physically sighed, her emotions giving away the fact she had been through this before. “Alright, but I do think we have gotten the full story after the fifth team,” she told the Skiddo.

    The two of them departed the sheriffs’ office after Cerise pulled open a trap door behind the desk and called down, “Mirya, we’re leaving now.” The Shaymin Jasmine had spotted earlier was quick to climb out of the hole carved beneath the station, hurriedly hopping up onto Adrias’s back. “Well it’s about time!” she declared. “So what did we find out?”

    “Enough to believe that the Tabirans are indeed here to help, and that we can trust them. It seems as though Adrias has a few more questions to ask, however,” Cerise sighed.

    “Then let’s go, we’re burning daylight.” Mirya glanced at the three guilders as Adrias paced in the direction of the door, offering a curt “hey”. Then the three representatives were gone.

    Jasmine relaxed her shoulders, thankful for her father’s training in keeping a steady composure in public. It had been some time since she had to deal with peace talks of any kind - when they first arrived in Ywaru, in fact, she had been happy to let Topaz and Gemma take on business like that on their own, to unfortunately failing results. This, it seemed, had turned out much better.

    Now left with two smaller 'mon in front of him, Noir dropped to a lax sitting position on the floor. His legs crossed and his arms pressed forward on them as he leaned forward.

    “Well, that was a huge waste of time,” Noir yawned. In consideration for the more nervous of the two ahead of him, he covered the sight of his open muzzle with one hand. The throbbing pain coursing through his skull was still present but had faded slightly to a manageable level.

    His attention then turned to the cute rock type standing near Jasmine. He observed the rather short stature compared to others of her species but didn’t dare joke about it. The nervous disposition he witnessed gave him a more gentle idea of how to approach conversation.

    “Well, nothing more we can do,” he muttered as if confirming the end of their topic with the leaders. His eyes shifted from Jasmine then to the Cranidos. “‘Ey, sorry for popping in like that. You looked like you were in a bit of a bind. The name’s Noir, you already know the little princess’ name here from earlier, I’m guessing. What’s yours?”

    It took every fiber of his being NOT to add in ‘shortstop’ (referring to the girl) to his question. As he waited for a response, he rested his chin in the palm of one hand.

    Napoleon’s head turned quickly towards the sitting dark type, feeling a sort of frustration in her chest as even while sitting down, the Pokémon was way taller than her. “Um, my name is Napoleon - uh - some Pokémon call me Nap, and others call me Nappy, I would prefer if I was called… Napoleon, if that's okay,” she explained unnecessarily, her tail flicking back-and-forth as she nervously clicked her claws together. “Um, thank you, for… kinda helping me out there, uh, Noir, and uh, Jasmine - correct..?” They had called her princess - was she supposed to bow? What was the etiquette for Pokémon who were super important? Did she need to give them a gift? Should she pay them - she had no money on her, Fain kept it in her fur! Napoleon felt like she was mentally screaming to try and figure this out.

    “It’s nice to meet you, Napoleon.” Jasmine bowed her head, the best she could do to calm the youth without getting unnecessarily intimate through a hug, or seeming too formal with a handshake. “Yes, I’m Jasminami Cenoreilles, a dancer from Tabira. Theatre Vagary is my home - perhaps you’ve heard of it? This is Noir Obsidian, a partner of mine in team Pas de Deux…”

    She paused upon noticing Noir’s stern gaze directed at the floor in front of him, as though he were wrestling with something inside his own head. He was rather stoic, and Napoleon appeared to be jumpier than a Spoink. “...Is something wrong? You two seem to have a lot on your minds.” Thinking about it, mention of a witch really wasn’t something that would put anyone at ease. “...If you’re worried about our supposed witch, surely you must know we have enough able-bodied Pokémon travelling with us to handle them one at a time. There’s no reason to be discouraged.”

    Witches were a fact of life, one way or another. Noir’s gentle wave to Napoleon turned into a swatting gesture at Jasmine. “Whatever comes our way, we’ll deal with it in time. I just don’t like wasting energy talking. Puts a bad taste in my mouth,” he said. His palm still supported his jaw. The act of talking forced his head to bob slightly. In truth, he was more set aside because of the fact he KNEW a few decent witches. The ones who were using abilities for nefarious purposes were giving the rest bad names. Not to mention, they were just as bad as vile 'mon like the Don … or that frustratingly handsome Xavier.

    Thinking it over quickly, there was really nothing more they could do there. They helped relay information to the two fancy mon and helped a little lady in the process. What more could happen in one day? With another yawn, he turned his head back toward Napoleon.

    “Oh yeah, nice to meet ya and all but we should probably head out,” he muttered. “Do you have a partner or something you’re waiting for? Need us to walk with you somewhere?”

    The offer was purely formality with a slight sprinkle of genuine care. Once again, Noir found himself thinking of how he wished someone would have looked out for him back in the day. It was the little things that mattered.

    “O-oh, I.. kinda got separated from my partner.” Napoleon looked down, a little embarrassed from this fact. “I… don't know where she is right now; she likes to wander a lot,” she admitted. “Ah - but, really, you don't have to - ah, thank you, but, uh…” she paused. “Just… did you see a Zigzagoon named Fain anywhere?”

    “A Zigzagoon? A few.” Jasmine pondered just where she had seen them. “Most were about the town, though. And I don’t believe any of them were female… is there anything you can tell us about Fain? Something she wears that could identify her, perhaps?”

    ‘Zigzagoon’ was momentarily replaced by ‘Zangoose’ in Noir’s mind. His thoughts went back to a certain hitmon he observed but knew that wasn’t the Pokémon Napoleon meant. It took a moment or two to mentally visualize what a normal Zigzagoon looked like. His large dark body twisted and shrank into a slightly fluffier light brown creature.

    Napoleon visibly jumped back, eyes going wide as the Pokémon shrunk!

    “Looked like this?” Noir said, shaking the tiny body’s fur. It was only an illusion but it felt odd portraying something so tiny. His rendition of the normal type was wrong, however. He took on the form of a normal Zigzagoon and wasn’t aware of Fain’s specific eye color or fur patterns. Once Jasmine asked the questions for him, he nodded to acknowledge that he would need this information as well. “Like… does she wear a scarf?” As he said ‘scarf,’ a pink scarf popped up around his neck from thin air. “Or a bow?” Like the scarf, a blue bow with white polka dots popped up on top of his head. The image began to look more like a clown.

    Napoleon’s eyes grew ever wider, her tail removing itself from under her as she made tiny gasps every time something new changed on the Pokémon. Her head watched each item appear, claws lowering from their held position as her mouth opened. Her tail wagged a little. “Whoa…” she took a step forward, eyes looking over the entire form of the Zoroark transformed into a Zigzagoon with pure awe. “That's so… amazing…” she murmured out, bouncing on her heels a little.

    She coughed, “Oh- um, sorry, I've never really seen a Pokémon do that before,” she explained, keeping her wide eyes on the Zigzagoon in case they would transform again. “U-um, well…” She paused, clicking her mouth slightly as she thought. “Her eyes are very green, and a lot wider than yours, and really really is pretty - sorry, um, also her fur, her fur is a lot more fluffy, like, like.” She hesitantly walked closer, then extended her hand out about two inches out from where the current Pokémon’s fur was. “It goes about to here, in five points, like a star shape sorta, and is super, really snuggly looking because her fur is so large and poofy…”

    Her eyes turned to the accessories Noir had summoned. “Oh, uh, she doesn't have those items though, she has a headband, across her head,” She motioned across her own head as if she was pulling an invisible one over it. “It holds down her ears a little and it has - oh - it has a print on it…” She paused, raising her hand to her chin as she tried to think. “She told me the name of the flowers on it before, uh,” her eyes scanned through her memories, trying to wrangle up the name of the things… “Hab… Habitskins? I think?” She lowered her head slightly. “It was a really weird design, flowers with five petals on them and then, a bit noodle coming out of the middle - but it was all blue, so maybe that’s not what the flowers really look like…” she bounced on her heels again, eyes looking upwards as she tried to figure out more. “I-I think that's it, sorry,” she apologized, tail lowering as she looked up at the two Pokémon before her.

    As Noir took on the visage of a slightly more unique little raccoon Pokémon, Jasmine found herself rubbing her chin while faint recognition tugged at the back of her mind. “Habit…” she murmured. “Hibiscus, perhaps? Noir, add a darker star shape between the petals. ...Good, that does strike me. Bring the bandana back a bit more, not so low over the eyebrows.”

    The illusion changed to her specifications, and she pressed her paws together, satisfied. “Yes, I do know her!” she declared. “She was talking with a group of other Pokémon, a Chimchar, Caterpie, and someone who I believe was a Shelgon. I overheard mention of some lost mystery around Ywaru canyons, and your friend mentioned she was going to see the ‘other children’ when she got back.”

    Noir changed the illusion to match Jasmine and Napoleon’s specifications every time they would change a small detail. From the sound of the descriptions, he didn’t recall seeing a Zigzagoon like that. If he had, it must have been a passing glance at most. However, Jasmine spoke up before he could deny seeing the girl. Her recollection of the event sparked his memory as well but mostly because the idea of the mystery was what had initially interested him.

    “Ahh, yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember that…” Noir said quietly. Still in the form of the tiny Zigzagoon, he tapped his claws upon his chin as he thought out loud. “That mystery thing was pretty tempting. If it wasn’t so hot all the time, I’d probably…” He paused as he realized the lapse in awareness then continued on with the original point. “So yeah! Your friend’s probably over that way.” Now that it was no longer needed, his illusion broke and revealed his true form, still sitting in place.

    “Ywaru canyon…” her voice trailed off lightly, brain racking for the location, but like everything in this conversation, her brain was refusing to listen to reason. Seriously I need you to actually work! She huffed, tapping her chin as she tried to process her mental map of the place. “That's… um..” she trailed off, frowning, slightly looking up at the two of them. “I am so sorry, but, uh, do you know where that is...?”

    “Certainly.” Jasmine recalled the instructions clearly, as Vander had warned the collective guild members against going off the path in that direction on the way in. “It’s near the entrance where all of us from Tabira first arrived. The break in the path that leads down to the canyon is just along the border and leads partly below it; difficult for you to miss I’m sure.”

    She patted Noir’s thigh as he now sat cross-legged and hunched over. “Good luck in finding your friend, Napoleon. Perhaps we’ll meet again someday. For now, however… Noir, I’m feeling fatigued. Let’s find a proper place to rest.”

    Noir smirked, “Aw, is the princess getting tired?” He cackled as he lifted himself off the ground. Now towering over the two mon, he offered a wave to Napoleon and repeated what Jasmine had said. “See ya around, kiddo. Don’t be a stranger.”

    He then turned to exit, jokingly grinning down at Jasmine. His voice faded along behind them as he left, “Now don’t complain about your feet hurting princess. I always offer to let you ride in my fur.”

    “I am not a toddler, less so a doll to be carried on your shoulders,” came the reply.

    Napoleon nodded to them both, waving goodbye as she took her own leave. “Wow, I can’t believe I met a real princess!” she gasped silently to herself, the two of them fading into the distance as she made her way out to the supposed hiding place of her friend.