Blaire was shaking when the ordeal had ended. She stared down at the floor and griped with herself, gripping onto the bar stool she sat on. Had she not come off confidently enough? What happened? Somehow, she couldn't escape the sensation that everything had been her fault, so she stared into her mug of tea in silence. She had felt the anger and the dangerous intent just inches away from her, and she began to shake again. They could have been hurt. They might have even killed each other. She shook herself, trying to stop that thought before it started. She began sipping on her tea, feeling its relaxing odor and taste calm her. All she felt now was a mild disappointment. "Thank you, Rai," she mumbled meekly. "I'm sure Kimat didn't mean anything by it."
"I am fine, Agneni. I have been dealt with worse over the past few months," Eira shook her head sadly, trying to adjust her soft red scarf so that it would be in its proper place again. "KImat is just a bit hard for me to deal with sometimes. He seems to respect Grand Uncle Ignatius for his supposed legendary strength and I and Kai have yet to prove him otherwise in this eyes. It will take time for us all to adjust."
"...If you say so. No matter what, if you need anything..anyone to talk to..I'll be in town." Angeni smiled, trying to get her to smile as well.
Mistilteinn gazed hollowly at the Electabuzz and the Absol, the latter of which appeared to hang his head in shame. "Serves him right. Acting tough isn't going to help anyone, and certainly not himself." Mystle thought to himself as he returned his attention to his Pecha pie and Zachary. "... I've lost my appetite. If you'd like, you can have it." Mystle spoke as he gently pushed the plate towards Zachary. The harsh exchange of words between Eira and Kimat had left a bitter taste in Mystle's mouth. He then slowly leaned closer towards Zachary's fluffy ears and whispered into one of them. "This had better not become a habit around these parts. If anything, I feel less secure with that Absol around." He gazed at the ceiling in pensive silence. Then, as though realizing something, Mystle spoke again. "You know, I think I'll keep my medicine bitter after all. Who knows, it might even discourage people from getting themselves injured." he said with a slight chuckle to lighten the mood.
Zachary sighed a bit as the argument between Eira and Kimat subsided, although he did feel a good amount of stress still float around in his system. He watched as Kimat went to go sit down at his seat in the cafe, halfway wondering if he should go talk to the Absol. The Zorua's ear twitched slightly as he heard Mystle's words, taking them in with an open mind. "Yeah, I understand..." Zachary replied softly. "I hope that this is just a one time thing though..." When Mystle offered him his own slice of Pecha Pie, he took it after a moment of hesitation. "Thank you," He said with a small smile on his face. As happy as he tried to be, his heart was still beating hard with stress and worry. Zachary panted slightly, knowing that there could have easily been a fight, or worse, death. He knew that the Cliffs of Dawn were meant to act as a sort of safe haven, but the threat of darkness was steadily creeping closer. As optimistic as he tried to say, Zachary had the sudden feeling that... maybe things weren't as safe as he thought. He shook his head, relieving himself of his rather pessimistic thoughts. He knew that the Fox Tale Guild stood a chance, as long as its members were willing to do what they could to help. Zachary smiled again as Mystle tried to crack a joke, and replied, "Heh, if anything, throw a Tomato Berry in your medicine. I'm sure someone here could help you out with that." He gave the Phantump another wink, his grin widening as he started munching on his friend's slice of pie.
Keeping his gaze on Kimat until he returned to his seat, Rai grumbled to himself while idly nodding in response to Blair's and Eira's comments. "Enjoy the rest of your night" He spoke to everyone in earshot before approaching Kimat with a growl. "Outside now, I want answers now." Without looking back, Rai stormed outside the café trusting that Kimat would follow, after exiting the café he turned around and placed a glare on his colleague, "What the hell was that?"
Kimat sat with his back to the Pokémon in the cafe. Though he couldn't see or hear them, they were surely judging him harshly for his actions. He was supposed to be a guardian for these Pokémon, most of whom hadn't spoken to him but briefly, and here he'd given an extremely contrary first impression. That fact wasn't what bothered the Absol the most; what bothered him the most was the fact that what he'd said to Eira weren't completely the words of a brutish fighter. There was some truth to them, deep down. His brooding was interrupted by Rai's gruff command. Kimat couldn't help but snort initially; seeing Rai's calm facade break was a rare occasion, and it amused the Absol to see it. "Fine." He followed the Electabuzz out, not bothering to look at anyone else. He walked with his head up - he'd spent enough time brooding and feeling sorry for himself. If you make a mistake, you might as well own it. Once outside, Rai demanded an explanation for Kimat's rash actions. "My initial question was genuine," the Absol said evenly. "With Ignatius gone, I wanted to know who to answer to. I didn't like the answer I got, hence my next questions. My outburst..." Kimat sighed, turning to face the sun as it rose. "Old instincts are hard to kill, Rai. I saw a fire in that Vulpix's eyes, and it stoked a part of me I'd foolishly thought I could bury when I got here." He turned back to face the Electabuzz. "There, is that good enough for you?"
Shaking his head in disappointment, Rai clenched his fist, "While I sympathise with your plight, we're meant to be protecting these people. We cannot do that if they fear us, that display in there?" As he spoke, the Electabuzz gestured into the Café, "It's set everyone on edge. They're wondering if you can be trusted. Because of this, Eira has asked that you stay out of the guild until the Guildmaster's return." Narrowing his eyes, his body tensed in preparation to move, "And I am to ensure this. Am I clear?"
"Thank you, Angeni. I will keep it in mind, but I am really fine." Eira reassured the Litwick, before saying goodbye and returning to the table where she had been sitting with Zach and Mystle. She arrived to an empty plate and she groaned loudly. "ZACHERY, be ready for training tomorrow. I will Moonblast your behind for eating my food. AGAIN." She rounding on Zachery for eating her food, while Kai had told him she hadn't eaten yet. Granted little than a quarter had been left when she had been confronting Kimat, but still.
Mystle chuckled a little at the response of the Alolan Vulpix. "At least these two seem like they'd make for trustworthy allies." he thought, being grateful for their company. "Perhaps a Tamato Berry would indeed be the solution to that issue." he said jollily to Zachary after noticing his discomfort. "Surely, you'd volunteer as a taste-tester, wouldn't you, Zach ol' pal? I might just add one or two too many and ruin the flavour... By accident, of course..." Mystle wiggled his eyebrows as he thought of how spicy he could make his medicine. It filled him with a strange kind of glee and he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
"I don't need lectured about the consequences of my actions. I know full well the damage I've done." Kimat made no effort to hide his annoyance as the Electabuzz stated conclusions he'd already drawn. As he spoke, he'd begun to walk back to the Guild. The bit about Eira's request, however, made the Absol pause. He looked Rai in the eyes, who seemed quite ready to be a bouncer for the Guild. Kimat's own eyes narrowed as he stepped up to the Electabuzz. "Is that so?" he said. "I might as well not even be here, then, because I have a feeling Ignatius won't return when he claimed he would. And, for the record, everything I said to Eira had some truth to it. She and her brother may be the Guildmaster's kids, and he may trust them with the Guild while he's away, but until I see why he trusts them so, I'm not convinced." With that, Kimat walked away from the Guild, headed towards the building where the Security Force was stationed. "I'll be in my office when you need me."
Zachary sighed as he realized that Eira had come back to their table. After her little threat regarding Moonblasting him, he yelped, "Please Eira, I'll do anything! ANYTHING! I'll be sure to train, just not the Moonblast!" He then leaned over towards Mystle and commented, "Heh, there's no way she could hurt me too bad. I mean, would she?" He chuckled slightly, still keeping a watchful eye on the Alolan Vulpix. "Okay, I hope I'm actually right this time..."
As a response, Eira blew a small Powder Snow in Zachery's face. She was not amused in the slightest and let it snow. "I do believe that you have a shop to run," here she pointed at the Recycle Shop where Pokémon had started gathering, "Getting to work on time might help lessen the trashing I will give you tomorrow." Then the snowy fox used her powers to grab all the empty plates near her and skipped back to the bar, waving goodbye to Mystle quite happily.
Watching as Kimat walked away, Rai narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What did he mean by that?" He seemed so certain that the guild master wouldn't be returning anytime soon. "What did you two speak about?" He murmured, leaning against the wall of the café, releasing a disgruntled sigh. 'I suppose I'd be asking too much for a peaceful night,' Rai thought grumpily, his wary gaze directing itself to the occupants of the café, a small smile making its way to his face before he quickly removed it, "At least some people are enjoying themselves."
"How rude," Zachary muttered as he tried thawing out the ice on his face. As much as he was humored by this, it still wasn't what he had expected. "But it would help if there was actually some business over at my shop." After a moment of consideration, he added, "Well, it would be nice to try and get some more things organized... He stood up, making sure to fix the table as neatly as he had it before. He turned to Mystle, and stuck out a paw. "It was really nice chatting with ya, and I hope we get so see each other soon!" He winked a little bit as he started trotting over to his shop, already taking note of what he needed to do next.
Mystle waved happily back at Eira and Zachary. "Likewise!" he said, chuckling a bit at the snow on the Zorua's face. Mystle thought of what he would be doing next, before remembering something very important. "I still need to grind down a few herbs and leaves... Oh well, no time like the present.", he thought to himself and decided that it would be best if he were to return to his office for the time being, already floating towards the exit in a pensive state.
Blaire stared lonesomely into her tea cup, introspecting as she watched the ripples spread and rebound. She only had crumbs left of her apricorn, but every once in a while, she'd take a paw to it and nibble on one of those last, tasteful specks. She'd messed up. She knew she had. Somehow, Blaire wasn't sure how, but somehow this exchange had gone horrible wrong, and she couldn't help but bear some of the responsibility. Kimat was violent, and he had angered tendencies, but she saw a good person in him, the kind of Pokémon who wanted to do the right thing, but was too stubborn to do it the right way--maybe she was romanticizing a bit, but she wanted to see that better person come out. She thought she could pacify him with politeness, reassure him that Eira and Kai were up to the task. Of course, she thought, crestfallen, Kimat is the kind of Pokémon who proves things with actions, not words. She stood up and made to leave. "Hey, Eira, Zach," she said quietly as she passed them by. "I'm going to be out for a bit, okay? I'll be right back."
As Kimat walked, he was surprised that Rai let him go so easily. He'd expected some demand for an explanation, but he heard none. The Absol rounded a corner, realizing that he'd effectively gotten out of playing babysitter for the Guild. The smile that had begun to spread across his face faded when he made another realization: By not being at the Guild, he'd have no way of knowing if they decided to do something stupid. If they eventually chose to follow Ignatius into the wilderness and some calamity befell them, that would all be on Kimat's head. Whether he liked it or not, Kimat was responsible for the Guild's safety, particularly with the Guildmaster gone. He understood that Rai was charged with the same task, but Kimat believed in a simple logic - if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Of course, protecting people is awfully difficult when you ostracize yourself from them by acting like an idiot. "You had one job," he grumbled to himself with a sarcastic snort. Kimat need a way back into the Guild. The most obvious obstacle was Rai. Kimat didn't know much about how the Electabuzz fought, but his burly stature alone suggested he wouldn't be easy to beat, and picking another fight would be stupid. Returning to him right away would seem suspicious, and sneaking back in would only lead to more problems. That left him with the option he liked least of all: he'd have to sit and wait. Hopefully, Rai would pass on the Absol's whereabouts to anyone who needed him. With a huff, Kimat entered the Security Force headquarters. Thankfully, no one was waiting for him with a problem, so he walked into his office, a modest room left largely bare due to the Absol's lack of decorations. He took a seat at his desk and began the grueling waiting game.
"Alrighty, Blairie. Be sure to be back before dinner though. Kai is going to make Tamato Soup and Mushroom salad with fresh herbs and bread." Eira waved at the Braixen before rushing off to help someone that had tripped over a fallen glass. The snowy fox was still thinking about what had happened a little earlier in the guild. She decided to not let it get to her and she resolutely shook out her tails, squared her shoulders and started helping the people in the guild, talking and smiling all the way.
