Forging a Team

[Roamer]

Roamer stood in front of the door to the Guildmaster's office. It was quite a large door and it was quiet behind it. He wasn't sure whether or not the Guildmaster was currently inside the Guild. 

The Charmander started fidgeting with his claws before turning around to leave. 
"No.." He then mumbled to himself, turning on his heel to face the door again. "I'm here now, and I will make a team!"

Making a team. A level 5 Charmander making a team. Would the Guilmaster even allow that? 

The small pokémon stared at the giant door once again. Did he even have a Team name? 
No. He wasn't prepared for all the questions that the Guildmaster would ask. 

Roamer cleared his throat, trying to practice his lines for when he would speak to the Guildmaster. 

"My teamname.." He mumbled, before repeating himself once again. "My teamname is.."

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[Vanitas]

SPOILER: Click to show

It was finally time to make it official. His self-imposed training, mostly within the city's dojo, had been completed in his eyes. There was nothing he could teach himself anymore. It was time to reach out to his destiny and ascend through countless trials to come. All of that to find the way of erasing the fog covering their world from existence. Despite him knowing that his real training was just about to begin, that it might take years or decades for him to ascend to new heights, there was no doubt or hesitation in his stance and expression. 

Firm as a rock, quite a contrast to the guild's calm surroundings. Entering the guild, he approached the door to the master, where another pokemon seemed to seek his destiny. A charmander it was, which was a curiosity. Fire type pokemon were indeed rather rare in these parts, so Vanitas made notice of him, at least briefly. From not so afar, he beheld how anxious and hesitant the Charmander was. Uncertainty, not a good sign, especially if it was his impetus to form a team. 

It appeared that the Charmander had not spotted Van in his current dilemma, causing the Sneasel to briefly smirk. Unnecessary angst was what the charmander displayed in his eyes. There were only two possibilities... yes and no. There was nothing else, so why be afraid? Scratching his head once, he sighed quietly and approached the Charmander from behind. Or to be more precise, he approached the door which the Charmander blocked. 

Huh, it appeared that the Charmander did not even have a team name yet. That was... cute. With the blunt part of one of his talons, Vanitas gently nudged the fire pokemon's shoulder, attempting to get his attention. "Excuse me. Will you now enter the master's office or not? I have a team to create and explorer to become." He says with a calm tone, not blaming the Charmander for being in his way. But there was also something... patronizing about Vanitas' choice of words. It was like he had it all figured out while the Charmander was still learning how to stand upright and face someone else in the eyes.

Of course, that had not been Van's intention. He simply wanted to do his business; nothing more, nothing less. 

[Roamer]

The Charmander widened his eyes and turned around as he felt something gently touch his shoulder. Other pokémon probably would have simply looked up, but Roamer had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice he was hogging up the space. The fire pokémon looked a little bewildered for a moment before he calmed down.

Roamer stepped aside, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks as he did so.
"S-sorry." He stammered, he didn't want to block this Sneasel's path in becoming an Explorer. Obviously, this pokémon knew what he wanted. Roamer did not.

Rubbing the side of his face, Roamer watched the door of the Guildmaster again. "I get a little bit nervous when I have to talk to the Guildmaster." Roamer said in pure honesty. "Nothing but healthy nervosity, though." He added with a toothy smile. "It's good to see you know what you want, good luck in there."

Roamer was but a mere teen, but despite his age he knew a lot about exploring. He wanted nothing more than to be a hero, to give outlaws second chances and turn them good.
But until Roamer would finally make that first step in forging a team, well, that idea was merely a dream.

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[Vanitas]

At first, there was bewilderment, but then slight shame in the face of the Charmander. He stepped aside, probably realizing that he had hogged up the space in front of the door to the master for quite some time. He even apologized, though Van shook his head with a calm, friendly expression. "No hard feelings." He responded with a calm voice, contrasting the Charmander's nervous stammering. It was quite fascinating to see the Charmander so... uncertain. He was not that much younger than the Sneasel, so why not at least tell yourself you had some bravado in you? DId he fear spanking from the guild master? Now that would be silly... but also hilarious.

Just about to turn away from the Charmander to do his business as intended, it spoke up once again, making Van stay on his spot and listen. Of course he retracted his claws again as to not constantly hold the Charmander's shoulder. "I see that." Van responded when the fire pokemon mentioned his nervosity, though the Sneasel would call it anything but healthy. But hey, at least the Charmander was honest about it, which was the first step towards self-improvement. And despite his anxiousness, he appeared to be cheerful. What a strange, yet fascinating, fellow he was. "Thanks. Same to you." He wished him back, giving him a simple nod as a sign of acknowledgement.

Walking past the Charmander, he made halt in front of the door and used his knuckles to knock against it, awaiting the master to invite him inside. As before, his stance was like a rock, and his expression was that of grave focus. And deep inside... well he was thinking what to call his team as well. He had some ideas, but it was hard to pick from.     

[Roamer]

Roamer was glad that this Sneasel didn't have such a large attitude. Some pokémon were downright obnoxious and rude. To be honest, he kind of expected the Sneasel to act that way, so he was sort of surprised. 

As the Sneasel wished him good luck as well, the Charmander nodded in appreciation. The pokémon knocked on the door and Roamer shivered, it was still quiet..

Though then the door slightly opened, not enough to see who was behind it. 
"Please come back later, the Guildmaster is sleeping." Said the pokémon in a stern voice. The door was shut right after the voice had spoken.
Roarmer winced, figuring that he wouldn't be able to create a team himself either. 

"Shoot.." The little Charmander mumbled, "Well, better luck next time?" 
If there ever was a next time. He wasn't sure if anyone in the Guild had ever seen the Guildmaster yet. 

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[Vanitas]

If Van could read the Charmander's thoughts, he would actually have agreed. There are quite a bunch of pokemons full of themselves, and dark pokemons were known for that attribute, to which he belonged. He would not have been angry at the Charmander if he had voiced his expectations, just a little bit disappointed that such a good soul would be so easily indoctrinated by public opinion. And besides, by setting an example, everyone had the power to undo stigmas from association, and he would be such an example. His ego did not matter, only the fog.

After a short exchange of nods, Van had eventually knocked on the door, causing it to open ever so slightly. Kind of creepy, but since he did not anticipate any danger, it did not affect him much. Then there was a stern voice speaking, announcing that the guild master was sleeping... and the person behind the voice shut the door tight immediately. This left the Sneasel openly perplexed, his jaw not shut and his eyes wide open for several seconds. He could not believe what silly impudence had just occured. 

The Charmander summarized both their feelings in a single world quite well, which of course was 'shoot'. Better luck next time? Vanitas shook his head, his expression returning to that of serious vim. "Then I will wait until he, or she, awakes." He stated with a slightly raised voice, maybe just audible enough for the announcer behind the other side of the door to hear. He would not be sent away that easily, and he would not give up.

Taking a few steps from the door, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms, starring at nothing in particular as he awaits the master's awakening; be it in minutes or hours. "I have aspired for this for the 17 years I live now. No snooze will stop me now where I am so close." He more or less thought out loud, his tone rather grave before turning into a slight chuckle. What he had said sounded silly, even to him, but he also meant it. What were a few more hours of patience, right? 

[Roamer]

Roamer watched the Sneasel be a little perplexed as the Guildmaster's assistant seemed to wave him off. The Charmander hunched his shoulders in defeat, maybe it was a bad idea to even make a team. He was but a mere level 5 Charmander. There was no way he could even try a dungeon by himself.

The fire pokémon looked at the Sneasel that did not want to back down, and actually raised his voice to say that he was going to wait until the Guildmaster would awake. Roamer admired that kind of dedication, but wouldn't that be just a little bit boring? Maybe.. maybe this fellow could help him explore a dungeon?
"Or.. we could take one of the jobs on the bulletin board?" He said, with a hint of desperation in his voice. Dungeons were neat, there were enemy pokémon there and a chance to become stronger. This Sneasel wouldn't be able to resist!
"I mean, it's not like waiting here is gonna wake the Guildmaster faster." He joked with a toothy smile before holding out his paw. "My name is Roamer, I'm planning on becoming a great Explorer one day!"

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[Vanitas]

Vanitas briefly noticed how the Charmander gazed at him, making him wonder if he admired him or considered him bullheaded. It did not matter to him in the grand scheme of things, but Van liked to believe he would teach the marginally younger pokemon a solid lesson in patience and tenacity. It might be boring to wait here... no, it totally was boring to wait here, but if it was his only way ahead then he would walk it. He walked the walk and did not only talk the talk like some other shmoes. 

Van's eyes twitched when the Charmander raised his voice, talking to him directly and suggesting a fascinating idea. Yes... they could take one of the jobs and fulfill it, giving them an unassailable proof of their qualification to become true explorers. He did not understand the tone of desperation in the Charmander's voice... but he was right, he could not resist. And it was also a good test of assertiveness for the Charmander, so... everything seemed to align just perfectly.

"I agree. You are right." He stated with a calm tone, pushing himself off the wall and assuming a normal pose. He then gazed at the extended paw of the fire pokemon in front of him, obviously wishing to present himself in a positive light towards the Sneasel. How polite. Taking the unofficial declaration of peace between them, he took extended his claw and grabbed the one of the Charmander with gentle force. He shook it twice, as it was the norm, and let loose of it again.

"Roamer? A fitting name. I am Vanitas; Van for short. Pleased to meet you." He responded with a small, but genuine smile. He liked Roamer thus far, despite his insecurity towards authority figures. Everyone had their shortcomings, hence there was no reason for Van to simply write him off. With a brief grin, he looked Roamer into the eyes as he put his talons against his hips. "Then you gotta walk the walk, not just talk the talk. And I'll be your witness." He slightly teased him, nudging his head towards the mission board. If he wanted to be a great explorer, he had to proof his potential. 

And Van wondered if... if Roamer might be a good partner to have. He liked his attitude, but he did not know how capeable he was yet. But he would find out soon. He was definetly intrigued about the idea of having a partner, especially after his rather lonely childhood, but it needed to be the right one. 

[Roamer]

Roamer's toothy smile became bigger with excitement as the Sneasel agreed that staying here would not wake the Guildmaster. He watched the other pokémon push himself off the wall to take a more active posture.
The Sneasel took his hand in a gentle hold and shook it. Roamer had always been formally raised by his parents, so this was just common for him to do.

"Thank you." The Charmander replied with a grin as the Sneasel, who introduced himself as Vanitas, told him it was a fitting name. "I guess my parents named me that for a reason." He said, before continuing. "I was told that I kept on getting lost, thus the name Roamer was given to me." He wasn't sure why he was telling the Sneasel a bit of his childhood, but the young fire pokémon felt like it was better than to go out on a dangerous mission knowing nothing about the other.

As Vanitas put his claws on his hips and told him he had to walk the walk instead of talk the talk, Roamer tilt his head slightly askew. "Uh.. you mean I have to.." He turned his head to the bulletin board in hesitation. "O-okay." He stammered, before he slowly made his way to the board.
His paw hovered over the posts, until one landed on a Politoed that was missing his Escape Orb. "Alright, let's take this one!" He beamed, ripping it off to show it to Vanitas.

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[Vanitas]

The toothy smile of Roamer showed confidence for their trial at hand, which was a good sign for the Sneasel. The Charmander was definetly excited and had the strong impetus to become a true explorer, but there were still barriers within his soul he had to overcome. But Van was confident his, at least temporary, partner could overcome these, just as he had done his age.

He was not there to help him with that though, as it was something only oneself could do. But he might inspire and push him to continue due to his presence alone, being a sort of reflection of how Roamer could be if he assumed courage. Gosh... that sounded more full of oneself than the Sneasel intended. But it was true, having a role model could be a game changer.

When Roamer thanked him for his compliments, the Sneasel shrugged briefly, feeling like the gratitude was out of place but not minding it. Van briefly wondered why his parents had named him Vanitas... but perhabs it was just a sweet sounding name to them. Did likely not matter. "Then I'll keep an eye on you." He assured him with a slightly cocky grin that with Van by his side, he would not get lost.

It seemed Roamer took a second to get what Vanitas meant with walking the walk, but eventually, he figured it out and approached the mission board, Vanitas following closely. He observed as Roamer chose one of the many tasks at hand. A delivery job in the Eerie Woods? Huh... a bit anticlimactic, but acceptable as a start. Van nodded with an expression of slight eagerness. "Not an outlaw hunt... but acceptable." He stated, gazing at the entrance/exit of the guild building. "Well then, let us not waste sunlight." He suggested, taking his first steps towards the exit.

Van was certain that Roamer would be right behind him. And together... they would test their abilities.