Vigilant (ENDED)

[Banditfly]

The guild was calm and quiet this morning. A few Pokemon walked in and out with their minds already set on the adventures that awaited them. A few stopped by the bulletin board to check on the jobs currently available. None lingered too long and would regroup with their teams and head off quickly with big excited smiles.

This is was all good. As long as everything was calm and orderly, he was content. The only figure in the room that had remained unmoved since earlier that morning was the bulletin board and a large old Camerupt everyone knew as the guild master's assistant. Sebastian had stationed himself in the middle of the meeting room near the back wall so that he could keep watch of all the activities taking place. Any sign of a troubled Pokemon would send him stomping over to see what the problem was.

But such had not been necessary yet today. Standing vigilant in such a way had become a custom of Sebastian's ever since being assigned as the guild master's assistant. Most members of this particular guild had grown used to it and knew that the best way to avoid his scowling glower was to make it seem like they hadn't a care in the world. It seemed to work, as the gray flecked Camerupt hadn't moved an inch all morning. He ignored the growing aching in this stiff muscles and his stern expression remained unchanged as he gazed straight ahead in the quiet meeting room awaiting any members who may need his help, whether they wanted it or not.

[katona]

One small stomp came after the other as the guild's silence was more or less broken. A large, orange dragon made her way into the meeting room. Of course, Kim wasn't trying to create noise, but she couldn't help it. Her size made it hard to believe the girl was once a small serpent-like Pokémon.

As she walked in, Kim feasted on her pre-breakfast snack: One Oran berry chopped into six pieces, each part on one of her claws. She had just finished her third one - clearing her left paw of any food - when she noticed she wasn't the only person in the room. A Camerupt had positioned himself near the back of the room, obviously looking out for his guild members. Navikima knew the man as the Weedle Guildmaster; anybody in the guild should at the very least know who their leader was. Realising that the Camerupt probably hadn't met her before, she said, "Good morning, Guildmaster,"[/b] and waved to get his attention. Not like a Pokémon of her size would need to do such a thing to attract attention. She ate another piece of berry as she waited for his response.

[Banditfly]

Despite the sheer obviousness of the Dragonite's entrance to the room, the old Camerupt never looked her way or even flicked an ear in her general direction. He could tell that her business at this very moment was food related and thus she did not need his assistance. Perhaps if she had walked in a little further to check on the bulletin board or even looked the slightest bit confused, he would have approached her. For now, the risk of leaving another member--though there was no one else here at the moment--to fend for itself if ever they were to need help just to greet another member was far too great.

He didn't have to worry about coming off as rude, however, as the Dragonite greeted him first. Sebastian did look over to the other side of the room at that to see her wave at him. Her size didn't daunt him, as he was rather large himself--though more so in width than height. He made a toothy smile that often came off to others as rather intimidating though he didn't mean it that way. He gave a hardly but patience chuckle.

"Good morning, miss. You are sweet, but mistaken. I'm not the guild master; merely his assistant. A simple step down, but still not deserving of such respect," he grunted good-naturedly. He took one step to the side so that he was facing her more. "I'm going to assume that you are new here. Such a mature and respectable young miss such as yourself is just the kind of member this guild needs. Full of naive youngsters, otherwise. What's your name?"

[katona]

Well of course, Navikima was due to make a fail at some point during the day, despite her kind-hearted nature. She just didn't expect it to be so early in the day. "Am I, sir? The way you watch over, waiting for any young ones in need of help... You do this, and the guildmaster doesn't? Compliments were the way ahead, but the Dragonite wasn't lieing. She picked off another piece of Oran Berry with her mouth, and swallowed it. Every piece made her a bit more alert, and fell a bit fresher. It was like an explosion of colours in her mouth, only lacking sweetness. She replayed what the Camerupt said in her head and realised.

"Oh, so you are the guildmaster's assistant. But everybody deserves some level of respect... So sir it shall be!"[/b] The Camerupt didn't look too friendly at first, but Kim assumed that it was simply the years taking it's toll on his body. The assumption was proved true, judging by his tone. As she was about to pop in another piece of berry, she noticed a piece of hard, blue skin on it. "I thought I'd taken care of it perfectly..." Kim muttered, but shook her head, and plucked the last berry off her claw, placed it onto the same paw and raised her free one up to the berry. With one swift swipe of a claw, the skin fell to the ground. "My name is Navikima, sir. But I prefer Kim; it's shorter and apparently what everybody likes more." She spoke as she bent down to pick up the litter she had dropped. It obviously took an effort to get that low to the ground, being such a big Pokémon.

"But yes, I am new. I'm guessing my big mistake made that apparent, yes? She chuckled to herself a little, and gave the man a smile. "I'm just looking for something to do... anything... I've yet to join a team, and nothing of real interest will probably happen until everybody's stomachs are full... Unless you know of something I can do? Surely there must be something I can help with..."[/b]

[Banditfly]

Sebastian made a steady frown, looking a little tired at first but quickly shifting it to a subtle yet stern scowl. "It is not my place... nor yours, to judge how the guild master regulates his administration. He is the one that created this guild that gives opportunities and shelter to young explorers and that alone should be enough to praise him." He lifted his chin slightly as though in defiance. "He is young, be it that, but he has the potential to make this guild the greatest in the land." He deep voice vibrated in the room in a way that pleased him and he lowered his head again calmly. His gaze softened when he looked at the Dragonite again. He hoped he hadn't intimidated or offended her. Pokemon often told him he had way of sounding mad when he wasn't and really couldn't tell when it was happening.

The Camerupt watched Kim silently as she peeled the berry swiftly and elegantly. His mind started reeling as she asked him what she could do to help. She was new and she didn't belong to a team yet, so she had free time. Not only that, but she was rather big and not very single mission that came up would be so easy for her to participate in. That left a lot of time that she could be using to do something more productive. Maybe for the guild...

Sebastian's brows furrowed as he considered this. The most common complaint that he had gotten today was the lack of food, let alone prepared food. All there was was a basket full of berries in the kitchen. If a member wanted a sandwich made or a peeled fruit, they would just have to do it themselves. It was a lot to ask from a new member. Not only that, but he didn't know her very well or trust her quite yet. The guild master would be disappointed in him if he appointed such a position to someone who a still a stranger.

"You seem to be pretty good with food. Do you like cooking?" He asked, hoping to be subtle. Just in case he decided Kim wasn't up to the task, he didn't want her realizing what he had in mind for her.

[katona]

'Oh dear... It seems I've said things I hadn't ought to. Mr. Assistant seems ever so.... angry? Offended? Mad? No, no... Definately angry... Kim hung her head slighty so the guilt in her eyes shouldn't be seen. She didn't mean to upset the Camerupt - after all, that was obviously the expression on his face, right? It didn't occur to the dragon once that he didn't mean to seem so... gruff. And she certainly didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with such a high-ranking person.

"I'm sorry if I... offended you. Or the guildmaster. It was just curiosity, sir..." She was tempted to where the guildmaster was if he wasn't looking out for the other guild members, but thought this would only further enrage the man. She nibbled on the side of her paw for two reasons; because she was feeling quite nervous, and because she was hungry and needed something to occupy her teeth. Kim always tried to keep on people's good sides; what good was an enemy? Even still, she couldn't help feeling bad after what she had said.

Any negative feelings she had, however, were banished from her mind as soon as the Camerupt got to the subject of food. Cooking and eating were two things that could always cheer the Dragonite up. And here the man was asking if she was... good with food? "Oh, of course, sir! I absolutely love cuisune, be it berries, gummies, or apricorns... I've even experimented with Grimer Slime!"[/b] She was about to begin rambling on about her different dishes, but thought she might bore the man. "Why? Are you in need of a good breakfast today, sir? I don't mine.

[Banditfly]

Sebastian could see the obvious look of guilt upon the Dragonite's face when he chastised her and then became amused at her sudden mood swing when he mentioned food. He made a small smile as she went on about her love of food. Maybe this would work after all. But he still couldn't allow himself to trust this girl with such responsibility so quickly. He needed solid proof that she was up to the task and would not made the guild master upset with his choice.

The Camerupt looked away slightly in thought at Kim's offer. "Mm... Yes. Actually, I am. All I ate today was a single Cheri berry. And that was just to get me out of bed. I'm quite famished," he declared. He then started to walking toward her at a steady pace. At first glance, which was usually here in the guild for most Pokemon, Sebastian seemed like an old, graying Pokemon who should surely consider retiring very soon. Very few ever saw him in action--where he would bellow louder than a Loudred and charge faster than a Taurus with a will power hotter than any Magcargo.

When he reached Kim, he paused as though a bit worn out by the trip and then looked up at her. "If you would be so kind, miss. Perhaps a salad to get my energy up, hmm?"

[katona]

Kim was suddenly estatic at the thought of making food for somebody else; it was something she hadn't done in a long time. She had a lot of questions to ask the Camerupt; what sort of berries he prefered, if he didn't like spices, and if sweet stuff was his thing. But if the man really was that hungry, they didn't really have the time...

Looking at Sebastian, she could make out a bit. He was a fire type; fires types typically liked spicy food, but not all of them. That was good... in the morning, a hot and spicy dish could make you a lot more alert. Kim could already picture a spicy dish in her head. 'Oh wait, he said salad... Darn. Oh well, we can still make something...'

A salad could be done. It just depended on what food she could find. "I can do that, sir! Just one question... Any berries in paticular you like? If she could make the salad enjoyable for the old Camerupt, it would make up for her previous 'offence'. Hopefully.

[Banditfly]

Sebastian could almost feel the excitement flowing out of the Dragonite as she anticipated making him breakfast. Never before had he seen someone become so happy at what seemed like such a trifling task. Their last cook always complained. He hated making special orders and eventually resorted to only chopping up berries no matter what the members requested. Since he left, to much of the guild's pleasure, they were now without anyone at all to serve them even pealed fruit.

As fast at the Camerupt wanted that position filled again, being a cook took much more than just cooking. A chief was expected to fill everyone's order unless totally ridiculous. If a member requested a sort of food that the guild did not currently have available in their inventory, the cook was expected to go out and get it. Not only that, but in an emergency there were times when a particularly injured member would come in needing a special remedy that the cook would have to conjure up.

Sebastian had to make sure Kim was capable of going the extra mile and seeking out any kind of rare or exotic food that may be necessary for whatever reason. Being a guild's cook took much more than just standing in front of a counter mixing foods together.

"Hmm... Well, I am particularly partial to the occa berry, as you can probably imagine," he began, making sure it came out as innocent as possible. He then lifted his head, as though realizing something. "Oh, but we don't have that here. And that berry can only be found at Mt. Travail. Oh well." He pretended to be disappointed, though he knew he was no kind of actor. He wanted Kim to offer on her own, as he still didn't want her to suspect what he intended for her.

[katona]

Kim wondered for a moment how the Camerupt had known the kitchen had no Occa berries. But then, being both the Guildmaster's Assistant and an apparant fan of the Occa berry, he would probably know... and maybe have eaten the previous ones. Nevertheless, it seemed if the man was to be satisfied, Kim would have to travel. And not just to a new place; no, to a new place filled with enemies. Not that she wanted a fight; they just asked for them.

She considered whether or not to accept the offer. 'Mt. Travail, huh? I've heard it can be hard... Depends how tough you are. But I'm tough! ...Aren't I? Of course I am! I'm a Dragonite! You'll have to be one of the toughest to become a Dragonite.' With a newfound confidence, her mind was set. 'Yeah! I CAN get those Occa berries! It can't be that hard... And then Mr. Camerupt'll be full! I wonder what his name is...' Kim considered asking him, but thought he might get offended again for whatever reason and stopped herself.

"No mountain is too much of a challenge for a Dragonite, sir! I can be back before noon, just you wait! Those Occa berries will be yours soon!" And before she could give the assistant a moment to answer, she turned on the balls of her feet, and walked off in the direction she came, tiny shakes of the earth accompanying each step. This was certainly going to be intersting...

((Thread left))

[Banditfly]

The old Camerupt stared at the Dragonite inwardly contemplating and then vocally making her decision without hesitation and leaving the guild. Sebastian nodded slowly with a small smile. This was how he had hoped the outcome would be. As soon as she returned, he would see how she made his breakfast--though it would be more like lunch by then--and make his own decision. However, he was very tempted to just offer her the position as soon as she came back. But who knew if she would even want it? He would just have to wait and see.

With a satisfied sigh, the guild master's assistant slowly turned around and returned to his spot of vigil. The flow of guild members had decreased significantly now that morning was passing and he found himself staring at nothing most of the time. When activity within the guild slowed down, that was usually when the Camerupt left, as well. He would look at the bulletin board and see which jobs had been accepted but not yet fulfilled. Then he would go to those positions to see if assistance was needed. Of course, if there was a specific call for help, that was his priority.

But at this moment there were none and his mind was still on that Dragonite. It would be a great excitement all throughout the guild if she did accept to become the guild's cook and it did Sebastian much pleasure to see the guild members' rejuvenation restored. Since the guildmaster's inactivity, members had been rather uninspired to do much or to accept challenging jobs. It was true that even Sebastian didn't see the guildmaster every day and only his loyalty was stopping him from asking what the Weedle's problem was. Maybe appointing a new cook would finally arouse him from the shadows.

Maybe I should follow her... Just in case. Kim was a new members without a team, after all. He had no idea how strong she was, though she certainly hadn't come off as violent to the Camerupt. He never wanted to be responsible for a member getting hurt because he didn't lend his assistance when it was needed. However, he did want to see her do this by herself, so he would lay low and stay out of her way unless otherwise was absolutely necessary.

With another inward sigh, the old Camerupt moved his large hooves forward and exited the guild.

((Thread ended))