Resignation Chapter 3

Resignation Chapter 3 Part of Arc 1: Snowflake Tears ← Mission 3 Mission 4 → Release Date Sep 19th, 2011 - Part 1 Sep 23rd, 2011 - Chapter 3 End Sep 23rd, 2011 - Chapter 3 Original Oct 2nd, 2011 - Epilogue End Oct 5th, 2011 - Epilogue Original Author(s) Luvaci Illustrator(s) PurpleKecleon Links Chapter 3 original Epilogue original All chapters Resignation Chapter 1 Resignation Chapter 2

“I really don’t want you to leave. You’re not gonna, right?”

“I will not, madam. I am sorry to have worried you.”

“... You’re my partner, and I don’t want any scumbag Slasher gangers to take you away.”

“... Thank you, for everything, madam.”

It was fortunate that Rhodes was there to lead the way, as the last thing PK could do right now was focus. She could only let her feet move forward, one by one, following the trail made for her. Not even the cold air, the snow, or the slight sniffle she had developed bothered her right now. There was just too much weighing down on her mind.

Her partner... only a single night ago did she realize they had more than a business partnership between them. Now, Shroomsworth’s fate was unknown. A possibly fatal drop into the dark abyss beneath the falls. There weren’t many things that could have made her feel like crying, but that sight was one of them. This was no time to let feelings get the best of her, though.

The snow was no longer much of a problem, as the three were once again under the forest’s canopy of trees. It was darker than ever, but that was no problem for the young Sneasel, nor did it matter much to Sandy, who was used to traveling without sight.

The two Merchants followed close behind Rhodes, moving as fast as they could when only one of them could see clearly.

Suddenly, the green-scarfed Sneasel’s footsteps came to a brief halt, prompting the others to do the same. They had traveled far enough down the bend that the falls weren’t polluting the air with noise, allowing Rhodes to hear faint noises rustling the leaves above them.

“... Run!”

The urgency in the young Sneasel’s voice was troubling as he began sprinting. PK immediately began trying to follow as quickly as she could, trying her best to lead Sandy along as well. That was when she could see the faint silhouettes of several more Sneasels drop in front of Rhodes, blocking their path. Several more were heard dropping in behind them, surrounding them.

“Are you stupid?! Get out of our way!” This was no time for being slowed down, and PK wouldn’t have it. Still, they closed in on her, Sandy and Rhodes. They didn’t seem quite as confused as the ones who ran from her earlier, either.

“Good work. Now we can off ‘em just like boss wanted!” one of the rogue Sneasels remarked to Rhodes. He sounded just as young as any of them, but clearly a bit less innocent.

Delivered right into their claws. PK was outright upset. Betrayed even though she trusted him. She could just barely see the same Sneasel walk past Rhodes to approach her. She was ready to make her stand, though this wouldn’t be pretty. Maybe Sandy could escape, at least.

However, things were not as they seemed. The Sneasel was suddenly, violently shoved to the ground by Rhodes as he attempted to walk past, prompting a gasp from his purple-hued companion.

“Don’t touch them, just get outta the way!” The young, scarf-wearing Sneasel stood his ground, claws extended, as his agitated brethren closed in.

It was a relief to see a show of decency after all that had been happening between yesterday and the present. Outright inspiring, even! PK looked about at the various silhouettes of Sneasels surrounding them.

“Sandy...”

The Deino’s head perked up as she heard PK call out her name. Though she couldn’t see what was going on, she wasn’t oblivious. The Sneasels surrounding them were obviously trouble. “Yeah..?”

With one more look at the surroundings, or at least what she could make of them, PK made up her mind. “No matter what happens, you and Rhodes have to make it to Shroomsworth, okay? I’ll catch up.”

That was all she needed to hear. With a nod, Sandy reared back, sniffing out the closest Sneasel that didn’t smell like the one they were following, and charged straight at him!

This sudden aggression prompted Rhodes to act as well. He understood what PK was trying to say. Despite wanting to try to find another way, one that didn’t leave her behind, it was too late to argue. The Deino had already knocked one of his former brethren flat on the ground with her sudden charge.

With another shove, the way for Rhodes was clear, and he took it. Both he and Sandy retreated further into the forest. It wasn’t along the path, but he would be able to lead them back to it. They just needed to escape.

Just as the two escaped, PK found herself surrounded. These Sneasels weren’t interested in chasing anyone but her. Still, she stood in the middle of them, not at all enacting aggression upon them, nor attempting an escape of her own.

“Yer real dumb for not runnin’!” one of the young Sneasels yelled. Still, she stood still within the middle of them all, with not one response as the downed gang members scrambled to their feet once more. The sounds of extending Sneasel claws sounded from all around her.

Then they charged. No less than seven Sneasels mobbing the poor Kecleon as she seemed to accept her fate. Cold claws lashed out with the ruthless abandon that only a child taught such things from birth could have, tearing through... flesh?

There was no blood. No screaming. No nothing. Where Sneasel claws sank in, only stuffing came out. They had attacked a substituted likeness of her!

With limited visibility not quite working in her favor, PK made her way in the direction that Rhodes and Sandy escaped to, camouflaged like the Kecleon she was. She heard various loud curses in the distance from Sneasels normally too young to know such words.

Her plan had worked. At least something went right tonight.

The sound of a waterfall in the distance gave PK a vague idea of where to go to meet up with her partners, as well as see an answer to a question she somewhat dreaded.

…

“... I am sorry to have worried you.”

“I... really really like you, okay? You’re my partner...”

“Madam...”

“Madam!”

A strained voice suddenly yelled out as Shroomsworth returned to consciousness, laid flat on his front in the grass. His mind swirled with various things before then... he wasn’t even sure if he was still alive, until this very moment. The moment where he awoke, and felt just what had happened to his body.

Pain. His head must have impacted against the cliff on the way down, as it was pounding quite fiercely. Opening his eyes, he found he was seeing double. His monocle lay near his face, still attached by the string, but busted. “Oh, goodness..!”

As Shroomsworth attempted to pull himself to his feet, he groaned loudly and slipped, crashing down on his front once more. His left leg did not take the pressure of his weight very well. It already hurt to begin with, but attempting to stand on it caused a sharp, shooting pain through his entire body.

With the misty falls rushing just next to him, Shroomsworth couldn’t see or hear any sign of Slasher. It wasn’t as dark here, with no canopy of trees close to the waterfall’s bottom, so things were at least somewhat visible to him. Most importantly, the waterfall’s base seemed to be populated by many solid, jagged rocks.

At least that was something positive about his landing.

Stubbornly, the Breloom tried picking himself up once more, taking great care not to place much weight upon his weakened leg. The pain was still greatly distracting, but he was able to make it to his feet, using his tail as leverage and putting a good bit of his weight upon it. His monocle hung down to his neck, useless in its current state.

“What a... cowardly... headstrong maneuver..!” Shroomsworth complained under his breath as he limped his way away from the misty, noisy falls. Each step on his bad leg was slowed down as he lowered his powerful, springy tail enough to rest most of the initial weight upon it, like a crutch of sorts.

“I cannot do this...”

Walking this way just wouldn’t work. Everything from his wounds to the cold weather was working against him. The most he could do was make his way to a nearby tree and slump against it sideways. “Am I to let this wretch control me yet again? First through blackmail, now through injury?”

“Havin’ a problem, dandy?”

Shroomsworth turned his head up to see Slasher himself, seated casually in a branch of the tree he was leaning on. He didn’t seem to be injured in the slightest. He did his best to hide his weariness, putting on a stoic face. “How are you unscathed after such a fall?”

The Weavile simply chuckled, shrugging his arms and openly showing his fangs in a wide grin. “I had practice. Now that it’s you and me, we can have a little chat. No interference either way.” Slasher reclined sideways upon the same branch, resting his head on his palm. “You’re in luck, ‘cause I’ve got a deal you might like. I don’t usually make deals, y’know?”

Shroomsworth grumbled aloud, leaning away from the tree and supporting most of his weight upon his tail once more. “I’ve bloody had it with your deals and... you! I’ve had it with you, you child-murdering scoundrel!” the Breloom shouted, whipping one of his claws out toward Slasher, who was able to swing below the branch quickly even in his relaxed state, still hanging on by his paws.

“Whoa there. Child-murderer, huh? You’ve got it all wrong, tea-drinker,” Slasher dubiously corrected, “I gave ‘em a chance to fight back. They just couldn’t, heh.” As another punch came his way, he used what momentum he had to swing right over Shroomsworth’s head, landing behind him. With an almost playful kick from behind, he sent the wounded Breloom falling forward onto the ground.

Quickly, Shroomsworth rolled himself over onto his back, looking up at Slasher angrily. He was being toyed with. “You’re sick! How dare you use them as disposable pawns!” As he attempted to quickly pull himself to his feet, he paused with sudden fear. Slasher’s clawed foot abruptly settled atop his wounded leg, right upon the spot that pained him so.

“They love workin’ for me, or they’d do somethin’ else. Not my fault if they’re too weak to surpass me when the time comes. Speakin’ of times comin’, what about yours?” Slasher asked with a widening grin, beginning to apply more and more pressure upon Shroomsworth’s leg.

The pain. Worse than perhaps anything he had gone through before, and it kept getting worse and worse. “Agh..! You’re... truly so indifferent to what you’ve done?! You are a blight upon us all!” Shroomsworth exclaimed, whipping his claw out yet again, despite the danger his target currently posed to his well-being.

With a loud clack, his claw met Slasher’s in an intersecting grasp, shakily forcing against one another. Slasher’s calm, playful demeanor faded as he had to put some effort into holding the Breloom’s claw back, instead gritting his teeth and growling. The other came in kind, forcing him to contend with Shroomsworth’s strength with both of his claws.

He was making headway. Even from the ground, Shroomsworth was overpowering the Weavile with his outstretched arms, putting everything he had into doing so. He could feel the gang leader’s weaker muscles beginning to buckle, but his foot would not budge from where it was.

This proved to be the worst thing that could happen.

With a loud, desperate growl, Slasher began pressing his weight down further while he still had his footing. “Just... stay down..!” he commanded under his breath, and with a heavy stomp, there was an outright snap along the curve of the Breloom’s leg.

Everything seemed to pause for a moment. Shroomsworth’s eyes widened with the shock of the sudden, sharp pain the likes of which he’d never felt before. The first he’d ever felt that made him scream in pain, especially with the pressure continuing afterwards. He almost felt like he’d pass out.

But he couldn’t. He was operating purely off of adrenaline at this point. Never did his grasp relent on Slasher’s claws.

Slasher grinned and taunted all he felt like at this point, feeling as though he won. His foot was still mashing down on Shroomsworth’s broken leg, causing him constant, immense pain. “I’ve been thinkin’. You got a real nice gig goin’ with that guild, and that girl. How ‘bout I fill in once you’re gone, show ‘er some real ‘business’, y’know?”

His thoughts weren’t exactly clear even to himself in this state of mind. He heard those words, and his grip tightened. There was no playing nice with this guy anymore. Not one bloody bit. Not even as the Weavile screamed in pain as well, due to the fact that Shroomsworth just bent his claws enough to break them at the knuckles, filling the air with a sickening crunch.

Before he knew it, he had used his long arms to toss the pained Weavile to the ground on his back, immediately rolling atop him and pinning him down. The pain was nothing. The constant specks of snow raining down upon his back were nothing. He felt blind to such things right now.

“How does this strike you for business, ‘y’know’?!” Shroomsworth asked in a tone he’d never heard himself use before. A low, angered tone, as though it channeled the very essence of his most vengeful thoughts, right before he struck Slasher as hard as he could.

Then again. Then again. Repeatedly, his fists would alternate, crashing his blunt knuckles upon either side of the vile fiend’s face. He deserved every single one, and then some. They marred his visage, chipped his teeth in an onslaught of scarcely-targeted blows. There was no calculation, careful planning, or any art to it. It was simply a vicious beating.

But, as a candle burning its brightest soon goes out, so did Shroomsworth tire. His anger couldn’t fuel him, it could only push his limits. After many solid punches connecting with Slasher’s face, they slowed in number until he practically collapsed over the Weavile. His body felt too exhausted and strained to move.

Yet, it did. A heavy push sent the Breloom rolling off onto his back once more. Though he had taken a beating and suffered broken claws, Slasher was still in better shape than his opponent, who had taken a terrible fall before all of this even happened. As Shroomsworth panted for breath, trying desperately to stay conscious, he could hardly make himself move, leaving him helpless as he watched the Weavile seemingly hover above his face. With how his vision seemed to be going blurry, that’s what it looked like, anyway.

“You’re gonna regret that...”

The voice just seemed to ring and echo. Shroomsworth couldn’t focus on it. He could only feel a cold, sharp point against the front of his neck, threatening to puncture it. Even though his fingers were broken, that didn’t stop Slasher from taking this opportunity to strike at Shroomsworth’s neck, a most vital point.

This was it. He’d leave them all behind. His family, the guild... and PK. As he slipped further toward unconsciousness, he was sure he wouldn’t be allowed to wake from it. Would they miss him? Certainly. He’d miss them too.

As Shroomsworth’s vision darkened, he expected his breathing to be interrupted, and eventually ceased by the claw poised to sink into his windpipe. His eyes closed, ready to accept his fate.

Instead, something else happened. The claw never sunk into his throat, and yet he heard the sound of something similar.

His eyes opened again. Though blurry, he could see Slasher being held still. A seemingly familiar creature had his neck held tight in its jaws. It had no restraint for him, ignoring his attempts to break free. Ignoring the signs that the teeth sunken into his neck were choking him.

And then, he stopped. Slasher ceased moving at all. The creature had taken his life. Not only that, he was tossed aside dismissively, landing in the mildly snow-covered grass that proceeded to stain with his blood.

Now finished with Slasher, the creature leaned its face in close to Shroomsworth’s. From this close, he was able to confirm his suspicions.

“Sandy...” he managed to whisper out. “Where is Miss PK..?”

“She’s not far behind... I ran ahead when I smelled blood. I didn’t want her to see you dead.”

The Deino was always very factual in her statements, but in this case, it was very welcome. Shroomsworth simply let his head lay back, no longer being in tense danger. “Yes, of course...”

As he drifted into cold unconsciousness, he could hear two pairs of feet quickly approaching, followed by his name being called. He would not die tonight, thanks to them.

PK sat within the lobby of the Merchant’s HQ, worried as could be. She gazed at the closed door to Shroomsworth’s quarters. Remedy and her team were in there, doing what they could for him. With a sigh, she turned away, knowing that staring wouldn’t help it go by any faster.

Instead, she peered over at the young Sneasel, sleeping right next to her. He was tired. He had every right to be. They all did. They carried Shroomsworth through the snowy dark to save his life, after all. Without him... well, a lot of things could have happened. His assistance was invaluable.

PK’s focus was suddenly broken as Shroomsworth’s door cracked. Remedy stepped out, tugging her surgical mask down to reveal a smile. This, in turn, made PK smile too, before she even heard anything.

“He’ll need rest, but he’s going to be okay. His leg should eventually heal, too.” Remedy nodded proudly, approaching PK, only to gasp as she looked down at Rhodes. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she crouched down to look him over.

“This poor Sneasel... he’s suffered too,” Remedy lamented as she looked Rhodes over, spotting in particular the wound upon his eye. “Who would do this? It’s not right...”

As Remedy sympathized with Rhodes, PK felt a slight tinge of guilt, but only for a moment. She was technically responsible for one of his wounds, though it still all traced back to being Slasher’s fault.

An idea popped into PK’s head. “He won’t have to worry about that anymore. Could you do me a favor and... well, take him to Missy? She’d be the best one to help him, he doesn’t really have a home...”

Happily, the Audino nodded. She then turned her head, seeing the Golduck and Happiny that accompanied her exiting Shroomsworth’s room quietly. “Dr. Quaak, could I trouble you to carry this one to the hatchery?” she asked as politely as possible.

“Ah, sure! Anyzhing for paying customers,” the strange doctor responded, approaching and carefully hefting the sleeping Sneasel over his shoulder. “Zhis is ze strangest egg Missy vill receive, is it not?”

Laughing under his breath at his own joke, Dr. Quaak headed outside with Rhodes in tow and Poppy happily skipping behind him all the way. However, Remedy stopped in front of PK. Her mask was still pulled down, showing that he was still smiling. “You really care about him, don’t you?”

PK was caught off-guard, flustering and looking upset! “What kind of question is that?! Of course I do, he’s just a kid!”

The response was met with a gentle chuckle. “I didn’t mean him. I think you know that,” Remedy started, as she thoughtfully paced around in a circle with her arms behind her back. “You waited all this time to hear if he was alright or not. You were as tired as the other two, but you didn’t sleep.”

It was hard to think of something to say. PK could only attempt to stutter out some sort of excuse, before Remedy approached her one last time.

“He’s lucky to have you as a partner. Take good care of him.” With that, Remedy promptly turned and exited the lobby to catch up with the other doctor, leaving PK to her thoughts.

Of course she cared about him, but... she wasn’t ready to make it that obvious to others. She knew that he wasn’t either. At least most others wouldn’t be as perceptive as Remedy.

“You should get some sleep too, if we’re sure he’s gonna be alright.”

Sandy’s sudden input startled PK enough to make her jump and straighten her curled tail right out! She didn’t expect the Deino to be awake... though the earlier events of the night did have her on edge, too.

With a sigh, PK slumped her head into her palms. “I guess you heard all that, huh?”

Sandy simply pulled herself up somewhat with her front feet to nudge her nose against PK’s side. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody. Just go to sleep, so you can see him later. I bet he’ll really want to see you, too.”

That was hard to argue with. She wasn’t doing him much good like this. PK lifted her head and nodded. “You’re right...” she agreed, getting ready to retreat to her quarters. She paused, though. There was something on her mind.

“Sandy...” PK began, relaxing into her seat once more and placing one of her palms upon Sandy’s head. “You, um... you know you killed him, right? You’re not upset, are you?”

There was a moment of silence, before the head under PK’s hand shook in a negative response. “I don’t like it, but he would have killed Shroomsworth. I like to focus on the part where he’s still alive.”

With an understanding nod, PK managed a smile, patting her palm down the Deino’s neck briefly. “Yeah... I’m happy about that too. Let’s get some sleep.”

Sandy didn’t have to be told twice. Immediately, she lowered back down to the floor, resting her head once more. With one last look in the direction of Shroomsworth’s quarters, PK returned to her own. Her eyes really could stand to be shut for a while.

“Rise and shine~...”

“Ah... what is this?”

Shroomsworth found himself in an expanse of darkness, as far as he could tell. Before him, two greenish-blue gems materialized, followed quickly by the purple form of a rather familiar Sableye.

“You... what are you doing... here? Where is here, even?” Shroomsworth asked with confusion.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re still unconscious. It’s not as though I am unable to speak to you at such a time. In fact... it’s easier than ever, really.” Devonshire began to pace around in a circle around Shroomsworth, forcing him to focus as the ghost-type moved through the pitch blackness around him.

“My sources tell me you took quite the tumble off of a cliff with Slasher. It certainly didn’t work out well for you, but it seems it worked out even worse for him,” Devonshire nearly taunted, with a matching chuckle.

“Spare me your toying. I’ve had enough of that. What do you want from me?” Shroomsworth was straight to the point. He had gone through too much to have patience for this.

Devonshire’s pacing stopped, and he simply shook his head. “You have it all wrong, mushroom. I am approaching you with gratitude.” The Sableye walked closer to Shroomsworth, holding out one of his hands as he explained, “Slasher has been one of the most troubling problems for the Rogues, and he always avoids us when we seek him out. You managed to goad him into making himself vulnerable just one time, and he paid the ultimate price. It’s poetic, really.”

“I did not goad anything. My life was nearly taken.” Within his subconscious, Shroomsworth could only feel his perspective shift, and nothing else, really. It was a strange way to actually have a conversation with someone.

“Unfortunate. Slasher was once one of our own, and thus I am somewhat responsible that you and your guild had to do all of our work for us in dealing with him.” Devonshire’s hands returned behind his back, once again at ease. “I care not to give your partner even the time of day, but... I know your situation. I left something for you in your room. Consider it a gift to make us even. No strings attached.”

Before Shroomsworth could respond, he was forced awake. Thankfully, he was in much, much less pain than he remembered being in the last time he was awake.

It was the dead of night once again. The only light shone in through his window, though the sill of it was covered in snow, and there seemed to be a flurry going on outside. His own body was a bit cold, not under the sheets. There were a few bandages in spots that pained him. Most importantly, a splint over his left leg. It really was broken.

Before the sinking realization could take hold, Shroomsworth noticed something shining in what light there was through the window. Careful of his patched-up leg, he sat up and went to inspect it. If it was something that Devonshire himself left in his room, it was important to know, for better or worse.

Meanwhile, try as she might, PK couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning in her bed, she just didn’t feel right. What’s worse, her nose felt stuffy again. Being out in the cold didn’t do her any favors, and blocking her broken window with a spare sheet barely helped in keeping the wind and snow outside at bay. She began to contemplate getting back up, when suddenly...

A thump. A loud one.

Then another. It was coming closer to her bed, and she was facing away from it. Whatever it was, it kept happening. Closer and closer. She had to turn around, it was the only thing she could do aside from pretend it wasn’t happening. When she did, she gasped with surprise.

At the side of her bed was Shroomsworth. He was holding out one of his claws, in which rested an Aspear berry. His other claw rested upon a cane. An exquisite, jet-black cane with an emerald jewel for a handle. She had never seen it before.

“I thought you might need one of these, madam,” Shroomsworth stated calmly, subtly nudging his claw forward as if to insist that she take the contents.

More confused than ever, PK accepted the berry, quickly setting it upon her tongue and swallowing it down. The effects on her symptoms were nearly immediate, relieving them. Still, her eyes drew to that cane, and then to Shroomsworth’s leg, splinted as she had suspected. “You... why... um, Remedy said you need rest! Why are you up?”

All sorts of questions suddenly entered her mind, but most of them became clear as Shroomsworth lowered his head and responded, “I would like your company right now, if you do not mind.”

He’d never tried to seek her out like this before. It left PK speechless for a moment, but she nodded, scooting herself to one side so that Shroomsworth could turn himself about and seat himself gently on the side of her bed, keeping his cane upright with both claws settled upon it. It was much like a reverse of last night, now that she thought about it.

“I’m very glad we dealt with this together. If either of us had gone alone...” Shroomsworth’s worries trailed off as he shook his head with a sigh, gazing down at the floor in thought.

“Hey, don’t think about that stuff, alright?” PK chimed in, now that she had an idea of what was on his mind, “I’m just happy you’re okay.” As if to cheer him up further, she leaned forward on her knees and hugged against his side, feeling one of his arms cradle around her back in return.

“We’ve had many difficulties, hm? I suppose I cannot let this one break me...” Shroomsworth looked down at PK, giving her a smile. It was a step toward normalcy.

…

“Mister Shroomsworth!”

An excited Sneasel burst through the door to PK’s quarters bright and early in the morning, only to find Shroomsworth snoozing right in her bed, with the Kecleon herself lazily splayed over his belly. With that door suddenly crashing open though, they were both startled awake!

“Oh... wow, you’re better already!” the Sneasel exclaimed, only to look upon two embarrassed faces. He was far too young to think much of it, though.

Shroomsworth quickly sat up, causing PK to unceremoniously slide off of him onto the soft bed, placing his monocle back on and grasping his cane. “Y-yes, quite... what do you need, dear boy?”

Rhodes seemed to bounce with eagerness. “Some of my friends in the gang followed us, see? They found out we didn’t have to listen to bo-- uh, Slasher anymore, and... well, we had an idea! Everybody says we need you to do paperwork or somethin’, though. Is that okay?”

Still half-awake, Shroomsworth simply nodded, “Of course, lad. What is it a--”

Before anything else could be asked, the young Sneasel bolted out the way he came, leaving the weary Breloom to pull himself to his feet, and the mildly agitated Kecleon to resist the urge to complain about what had just happened to her.

“Apologies, madam. Let us see what young Rhodes wants, yes?” Shroomsworth began his way out, cane thumping upon the floor with every other step. He took to using it very well, it seemed.

With a grumble and a yawn, PK slipped herself out of bed behind him. “Yeah, yeah... how ‘bout you lock the door next time you do this, though?” she asked somewhat bitterly before following along.

Within the lobby, several Sneasels awaited behind Rhodes as Shroomsworth approached him. Immediately, the scarf-wearing Sneasel revealed a paper from behind himself, lifting it up to the gentlemanly Breloom while his friends looked on with apparent eagerness. Shroomsworth took it into his claw and began reading closely.

A smile came over his face. “Pathfinders, hm? You wish to be Merchant-sanctioned?”

The Sneasels all nodded, while PK approached Shroomsworth’s side and immediately snatched the paper from his claw. “Hang on a minute! Nothing I haven’t looked at first is getting sanctioned!” She squinted as she read it over carefully, head tilting with interest. “Blah blah, exploration and guiding... hm..!”

PK suddenly looked very upset. “Your own property?! Come on! That’s so expensive! You have some nerve comi--”

“Madam, please...” Shroomsworth suddenly interrupted.

She looked up from the paper to see Rhodes and all of the young Sneasels behind him looking upon her with worry, hanging upon her every word for their shot at an honest livelihood. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, she carried the paper off to a desk, lifting one of her official seals and stamping it on the bottom.

“Fine... but you’d better be worth it, alright?! This job had better be legit!” she warned, handing the officially-sealed document back to Rhodes.

The Sneasels all cheered in their childish ways, excitedly running back out into the snow-covered village center to make their plans, all while PK looked on with distress. “This is so going to cut into our profits...”

That now-familiar thump was heard as Shroomsworth stepped up next to her, accompanied by a friendly chuckle. “You have a heart of gold, madam. Do try to refrain from putting us in the poor house with it.”

His joke didn’t sit quite as well with her as he may have thought, as his cane soon disappeared partially into her mouth, immediately snatched by her tongue. It was offered back after a moment, with the handle covered in drool. “You were thaying?”

Shroomsworth simply looked upon his now-disgusting cane, refusing to touch it even if it made his ability to walk much more difficult. “Eugh... that’s just cruel, you know.”