Indomitus, as it is known among the pokémon population, was just like any other region generations ago. Humans were relatively new to the region, but they quickly began to colonize the region in partnership with their pokémon. But suddenly, just as soon as the humans arrived, they vanished. Having left few clues among their deserted homes and empty towns, it left the wild pokémon population wondering what could have caused the humans to flee so suddenly and silently. Many years later, rumors have begun to circulate about the return of the humans. Mysterious humanoid figures has been spotted wandering the Indomitus wilderness, emitting a dark aura and attacking pokémon on sight with their ghostly powers. Did the humans really leave, or is there a darker force at play?
The tip of the quill glided across the page with short, brief strokes. Red eyes glanced back and forth from the sketch forming on the page of the journal to the cluster of flowers he had found growing not too far from the guild. His journals were filled with notes about this and that, from various findings to reminders scribbled in the margins so he would not forget to look up something later. It was also filled with drawings, usually pertaining to whatever he was researching, but when certain guild members decided he needed to get out of his study (he might have been locked in it for the past few days trying to complete the latest reports brought in by other adventurers) and soak up a little sunlight... Well, doodling a little flower to pass the time couldn't hurt.
Prudence was crouched down before the patch of yellow flowers, balancing his journal on his thin knees. A vial of ink hovered beside him, positioned for easy access so he could dip the feather quill in whenever it was needed. At the mere thought, the quill strayed from the page and dipped into the ink, only to return to the journal to finish the petal he had been working on.
How long would he need to stay out here? Hm, no one was watching him. He supposed he could return to his study after this drawing. A muffled grumble of protest came from down below. Ah, I suppose a lunch break couldn't hurt as well.
Fyrfly blinked as she exited the Adventurer's Guild headquarters and stepped into the sunlight. While she preferred to do more of her outdoor work at night, she had something to discuss with a fellow guild member. Prudence was almost always in his study, which left her rather surprised, if not a bit pleased, to discover that he must have been elsewhere. She knew the gardevoir much preferred to be engrossed in a book, and while she did give her gentle nudges to get outside more, she found that she should be the last person to encourage someone to step out of their comfort zone.
But Prudence's affinity for books and reading was exactly why she needed to speak with him. Reading was a rather uncommon talent, and one that Fyr herself did not possess. She counted herself quite lucky to have at least one pokémon in the guild who could do so.
It wasn't long before Fyr found the guild's historian crouched over a book, sketching a flower. She wasn't surprised by the sight.
"I hope I'm not interrupting you," the chief began, craning her neck to get a better look at the drawing on the page. It was rather lovely. As Fyr lowered herself into a sitting position she commented, "That's a very nice drawing you're working on."
It was easy for Prudence to become lost in his work, no matter how meaningless it may seem. Whether he was finishing the recount of the day's prior meetings or simply drawing a flower so that its image may be forever imprinted on the page, even a Pokemon as in tune with their surroundings as a Gardevoir could lose themself. The tip of the quill twitched, quickly pulling away from the page before the ink could smear out of place, startled as a voice broke him from his concentration.
Red eyes blinked before looking up from the flowers and over to the Umbreon that had completely (not) sneaked up beside him. "Oh!" He pulled the quill farther away, taking his hand with it so he was not obscuring Fyrfly's view. "You're not-- ah, th-thank you," he stumbled over his words, rushing to brush off the embarrassment of being caught off guard, which was not a hard feat to accomplish by any means.
A small, sheepish smile lifted to his lips. "Flowers are such willing models; it's hard not to draw them in my down time." That was to say, he had to keep his hands busy.
Fyrfly was a bit taken aback by how much she startled Prudence, but she quickly recovered. It seemed to be a common occurrence, since she stepped so lightly Fyr would often catch other pokemon off guard without meaning to. Not that it was particularly difficult to sneak up on Prudence when he was so focused, anyway.
Though she didn't feel any sort of connection with flowers, Fyr did find herself enamored with the moon and the stars. Not to mention the incredible landscapes that Indomitus had to offer. It wasn't hard to admire the beauty of the world, whether it was the flowers beneath your feet or the stars above your head.
"I can understand that," Fyr replied. "There's such a diversity in flowers, you never run out of a variety of subjects." Looking at the sketch, she couldn't help but admire the gardevoir's drawing skill. She wondered if he'd be willing to teach her, though she imagined such a skill would be more difficult for a quadrupedal pokemon to pick up.
With a small nod of his head, Prudence cast his gaze down to the open page of the journal. He had no intention of ever coloring the petals, so its essence would end with the frame and shading, the latter of which he had only barely began on. Making colored ink was hard, so he preferred to save such occasions for when he needed it most, which was often reserved for capturing priceless artifacts on paper since words alone would never be able to satisfy one's curiosity for what it may look like. Ah, he was getting ahead of himself over a mere doodle.
"Mm, it would be nice if the flower Pokemon would sit still long enough to draw like their nature counterparts do," he mused softly to himself, lifting the quill up to tap the tip of the feather against the smooth edge of his jaw. Red eyes lifted from the journal and glanced back toward Fyrfly with curiosity. "Are... you really here for flowers, though? Or is there something you need from me?"
"Well," Fyrfly hummed, ready to admit she didn't have much of an interest in the flowers. As she shifted her weight back and forth, she continued, "I had something important to tell you. A pair of adventurers found a human's ranch in the Varius province. There wasn't much of interest there, but they did find a shelf with some old books." Fyr's eyes darted back to Prudence, hoping to catch his initial reaction to the news. "I thought you would be able to tell if the books are of any value to us."
With a twitch of her ears, the umbreon mused, "Of course, we can have the texts be brought here, but if you fancy a journey to the ranch, it might be a good opportunity to get some fresh air." For a moment, she wondered if she attempt at a gentle nudge was too obvious. Fyr held her breath as she waited for Prudence's reply.
Ah, so she did have something to tell him. He figured as much. The Gardevoir gently blew on the ink on the page to help it dry before placing the quill inside to mark his place. He was listening to Fyrfly as he did this, and his hands stilled while smoothing out the cover of the journal. Red eyes snapped up to the Umbreon, glimmering with interest as soon as there was a mention of books. "Books are always of value! If they have words or pictures, you can learn from them. If they are empty, you can write in them. Even the personal diary of a teenager can give us a glimpse into their life at the time."
Without a moment of hesitation, Prudence's form distorted. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, taking his journal and ink vial with him. Not even a moment passed before he reappeared in the same fashion, this time standing with his satchel hanging over his thin shoulder. Teleportation and telekinetic powers sure were handy when you had last minute packing to do.
Fyrfly was surprised at how quickly Prudence had perked up. He really did love his books, and it made Fyr wish she had something she was just as passionate about. Perhaps Prudence would teach her to read? No, they both seemed far too busy for that. She had a feeling she could never pick up on something like that anyway. It seemed far too complicated.
When the gardevoir disappeared, Fyr rose to her paws. "That was fast," she commented upon his return with a bit of a smirk. "I've already let the guild know I'm leaving, so we can head out if you're ready." He seemed more than ready to go, and Fyr herself was itching to go out on a journey. She hadn't left the guild in some time now.
