PMDU - Team Shard - Cactus Fields General Tasks

Evan sat outside the tent he had just finished setting up.  He had no idea if he had actually set it up correctly, but it looked just like most of the others.  As far as he was concerned, it was fine.  Of course, his mind was on something else.

“Still thinking about Mason?”

He turned to see Kate approaching.  The Zangoose sighed.  “Kind of hard not to.  As far as we know, he's the only real lead we have to figuring out who I am.”  He looked around at the enormous cacti that filled the area.  “I still find it hard to believe Pokémon actually turned these things into houses.”

His Sneasel partner nodded in agreement.  “They certainly don't call this area the Cactus Fields for nothing.  A lot of the residents seem to be Nomads, though.  I think Sherman is the only one who actually lives here.”

“You mean that Miltank we saw chasing those guys away?”  Evan chuckled.  “I can't imagine her being the only one living here when she has to deal with guys like them.  Speaking of which, who were they exactly?”

Kate pulled out a list she had made.  “Those guys are Ruffians, and they show up just to cause trouble.”

“Really?  I never would have guessed.”

Kate gave her partner a look.  “Anyway, part of our job is going to be making sure they don't come back tonight.”

Evan sighed.  “Gee, I can't imagine why they want to do that.”

“Evan, this isn't really a joke.”

“I know it's not a joke.  It's just not surprising.”

“Well then you'll probably be surprised to hear that I'm going to be helping prepare for the barbecue.”

Evan cocked an eyebrow at his partner.  “Wait, you're telling me there's a group of thugs out there looking to ransack this place, and someone thinks it's a good idea to have some kind of party?”

“First of all, the berbecue's set for tomorrow night,” Kate clarified.  “Second, the barbecue was Luke's idea, as a way to celebrate our arrival.”

“Celebrate?  I didn't realize getting here would be that impor-”  Evan paused as something caught his eye.  A silhouette was floating in the night sky, only barely visible.

Kate followed his gaze.  “That must be a Sigilyph.”

Evan looked at her.  “What's a Sigilyph?”

His partner shrugged.  “That thing, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Well, the Maractus who told me about them wasn't very descriptive.  In fact, she wasn't exactly clear on how we were supposed to deal with them, either.  She just said to make sure they don't leave the area.”

Evan stared at Kate.  “And how are we supposed to do that if we can't even reach them?  Can't they just fly away?”

The Sneasel rubbed the back of her head.  “Probably.”

Evan rolled his eyes.  “And you said we'd do it without even taking that into account?”

Kate gave him a nervous look.  “Well, the way she was talking it sounded really important!”

“Okay, did she why?”

“Um, not really.”

Evan sighed.  “Well, this is certainly shaping up to be a long night.”

“I take it you'll be patrolling the camp, then?”

The Zangoose looked at her.  “You're not actually helping with the barbecue, are you?”

Kate sighed.  “Well, it will be easier for us to get all of these things done if we each take a job.”  She looked at her partner.  “And since I know you're wondering, we'd be getting a Recruitment Slip for helping prepare the barbecue.  If we're lucky, maybe we'll meet someone who may want to join our team.”

Evan winced at that remark but said nothing, knowing what his friend would say if he did.  He pushed the thought aside.  “Alright, sounds like a plan.  But we shouldn't stay up too late.  There's probably going to be a lot happening tomorrow.”

Kate nodded.  “There are some some jobs the Explorers are undertaking.  But we can talk about those later, alright?”

“Sounds good.”

-

Evan scanned the camp, looking for any signs of unwanted guests.  Several Pokémon had returned from their patrols within the last hour, and he had been providing small helpings of refreshments for them.  Others were offering words of encouragement to those returning, something that he did not feel readily capable of doing, especially with his current state of mind.

His encounter with Mason continued to plague his thoughts.  It wasn't so much the fact that he had accused him of murder and seemed intent on revenge, but what had happened to Kate.  Regardless of whether or not there was any truth to Mason's accusations, she was in danger.  The last thing he wanted was for something to happen to her because of him.  At least here they were relatively safe, with the guilds and their members to provide support if the ruffians decided to make a move.

A brief glance skyward, however, told him something wasn't right.

One of the presumed Sigilyph was bobbing about in the night sky.  Evan warily looked around the camp.  Even though he had no idea why they needed to stay in the vicinity of the Cactus Fields, the fact that they did had to mean something.  Looking up, he noticed the Sigilyph moving in the direction of the Thirsty Cacturne.  Looking toward the structure, Evan noticed a strange flicker of light in that direction.  He cautiously headed toward it, knowing it could simply be a torch lit by one of the returning patrols.

Approaching the establishment, he found the 'torch' to actually be coming from a tail.  Evan watched from behind a cactus as the figure looked back and forth anxiously.  As it moved to enter the Thirsty Cacturne, its arm slid out from under the cloak, revealing an armband adorned with what appeared to be small skulls.

Evan wasted no time flinging his kunai at the figure, who immediately turned in his direction before dashing away.  Evan watched as the flame-lit tail darted between cacti and out of sight, too fast for him to follow.  Looking up, he noticed the Sigilpyh cease its bobbing.  Letting out a sigh of relief, he carefully pulled his kunai out from the side of the Thirsty Cacturne.  He nodded to the Sigilyph, who silently flew to another area of the Fields.

Evan sheathed his kunai and made to return to the camp, but found it difficult to keep his eyes open.  Letting out a small yawn, he decided it would probably be better to turn in for the night.  He headed inside the Thirsty Cacturne, hoping Kate would be almost finished with whatever it was she would be doing.  Amidst the numerous other Pokémon preparing food for the following night, he found his partner squeezing berries off in a corner.  “What's this?” he asked as he approached her.

Kate looked up at him.  “Salac Juice.  Pretty simple stuff.”  She squeezed another berry out over a jug.  “Are you done patrolling already?”

Evan shrugged.  “Yeah, I think I am.  One of those Sigilyph actually helped me spot a Ruffian lurking around.”

“You mean one of them actually made it past the patrols?” Kate asked as she squeezed out more berries.  “They must have been pretty sneaky.”

“More likely the patrols just didn't pay too much attention.”  Evan sat down and began squeezing more berries.  “I mean, how could anyone sneak around when their tail is on fire?”

Kate paused for moment, then shrugged.  “Good point.”

After a few more minutes of berry-squeezing, the two brought the now-filled jugs of juice to the storage area.  Kate stretched and let out a yawn.  “Guess we should head back to camp, huh?”

Evan smiled.  “Yeah, I guess we should.  We've got more work to do tomorrow, after all.”

-

“I'm not sure this is a good idea.....”

“It'll be fine.  If we're lucky, they'll split up tomorrow like they did today.  And I think we both know who will be doing what, given the environment.  You know what you need to do, right?”

“Y-yeah.....”