trip and treat

it was a few days after the battle, and after taking extensive naps Sorren was ready for his vacation, but he wanted to stay in grassveil a little while longer to iron out the details, Shaman had kept recommending the feather cafe downtown, but Sorren was determined not to pay for his meals, but decided to treat himself today and talk to shaman a bit more about this vacation he was planning, shaman was sure to be curios about what it would entail. so they went for lunch, seated themselves and were looking at their menus when Sorren started talking "i bet you are curios about my vacation plans, i want you to come with me to rainfront. it is the perfect place for a lazy vacation, i came through there on my way to the guild the first time, it is a nice place, if a little rainy, plus i could take the time to teach you how to meditate and we could figure out what that strange power surge you had when you took out lance was, i know that has been troubling you a lot." Sorren said.

Shaman blinked slightly surprised he guessed you didn't have to be a Riolu to see threw Shaman's troubles. " Yeah vacation sounds good but rainfront?" Shaman had never heard of the place. " I've never heard of that town." In all honesty Shaman would take a vacation anywhere about now recently when he would normally sleep a whole day away he lay awake in a tree branch starring at his palm. He was doing some major soul searching nothing was ever easy for the first time especially taking a life.

Sorren wasn't sure what to say. "well it's a town by the sea, a three day journey though serene cave, it is home to mostly water Pokemon and it does rain a lot there, comes with being close to the ocean. i say we find a cabin in the outskirts of town or a beach house, we can chill there until we feel like going into town. but i don't know if there is anything like that, but there is an abandoned house on top of a hill, they say it's haunted, even ghost Pokemon avoid it apparently, or so I've heard. the place used to be home to a family of Dragonair used to live there, i have no idea why they left." Sorren said, skimming his menu.

Zash crossed his legs and put them up on the table leaning back in his chair. " Old towns in boonies always have stupid fairy tales." Shaman dismissed and looked at his brown cloak he hadn't noticed when he had started wearing it it might have been right after the battle or maybe the day after but ever since it was always on him he quickly licked his paw and started to rub away a smudge. Thought Shaman really found it quite strange for some reason he couldn't get an image out of his head it had started up at the mention of Dragonair's. It was too blurry to make out in his mind so he dismissed it. " IF we can pick I defaintly want a beach house." Shaman said he really did like the idea of going to the beach he had never been to the beach before.

sorren was pleased that shaman was so cooprative, he thought that shaman might have been a bit on edge ever since he took out lance. "good, well i'm hungry, waitress, i would like to order."

A Dragonair heard Sorren's call and quickly slithered over to their table. There was a small silver tray with two cups on balanced on the tip of her tail, which curled round underneath it so as to spread the weight evenly.
"What can I get you both," she asked quietly.

"oh, i remember you, you helped me get back to the guild after i took a nap by the lake an woke up at midnight, thanks for that cobalt. so you work at the cafe now that's nice, my friend here has never herd of rainfront, can you believe it? and we are planing a vacation there as well. oh right my order, i think i'll have a salad and a berry fizz." sorren said.

The Dragonair just nodded and looked to Shaman, expecting an order from him too. She had seemed to almost freeze at the mention of Rainfront Town, but it quickly passed, not that anyone would have noticed the slight difference in her movements because they were so subtle in the first place.

Shaman blinked Cobalt's aura had shifted slightly as Sorren had mentioned rainfront. Maybe things will be interesting He thought keeping this to himself instead of sharing with Sorren. " Um I'll take Powdered berries and some sweet coffee." Shaman seemed slightly more anxious to start this trip now thou he had just been in the gain outlaw battle still he seemed to have a knack for finding himself in the middle of adventure and it every time Shaman swore his whole body seem to tingle with excitment!

"hey shaman want to check out that 'haunted house' while we're there?, it might prove interesting." Sorren said, returning to his conversation with Shaman. "but it does seem boring, only the two of us, i wish we could take someone else, maybe someone cheerful to lighten the mood."

Cobalt seemed indifferent at the mention of the 'haunted house' but she knew the Riolu, if anyone, would sense her true emotions.
The Dragonair then slithered off with the tray still balanced on her tail, to deliver the order up into the kitchens so that Rowan could cook the food.

Shaman watched the dragonair as she left. " Hmmmmm. Sorren I think this haunted house may be more..." Shaman thought of a good word. " entertaining then we thought." Shaman was not a nosy person but someone with his power couldn't help but over feel some minor or major discomforts.

"So, you noticed it too, i can feel the tense air around cobalt at the mention of rainfront. she doesn't know it, but she let out a few tells of how she really felt, then she clammed up on all emotion at the mention of this house on the hill, witch meant something bothered her. what do you say, how about a side order of adventure with our vacation topped with a heaping mound of helping someone?" Sorren said, though he thought he might have said too much. he didn't want to notice these things in people but he couldn't help it, it was always part of his training. know your enemy and all that, but it was something more and Sorren didn't want anyone to find out about it just yet.

The Dragonair returned a short while later with a new tray balanced on her tail. Both Shaman and Sorren's orders were on the tray. There was also a slip of paper which informed the Dragonair of how much each meal cost.
Cobalt daintily placed the tray on the table and places each bowl and cup in front of the pokemon who had ordered it before replacing the tray on her tail.
"That's 100 poke each." she stated quietly.

Shaman gave her 200 hundred poke paying for both the meals. " Thanks." He nodded to Cobalt. Then took a sip of of his sweet coffee. Shaman hadn't noticed how thirty he had been until he had started to drink the unique drink. He hardly thought it was appropiate to carry on their conversation about her while she was plainly there. Thou Sorren knew she seemed to dislike the house he didn't feel the immensity of the aura if they were getting invovled then this would be a much more serious matter. Shaman wasn't a novice at aura reading but he wasn't an expert either which left him with one question he could assume this had a big impact on this pokemon but how big. Before he had realized it he had slurpped down his entire coffee.

"Thankyou." she smiled as Shaman gave her the money, "Enjoy your meal."
With that she quickly slithered off to take the order from the next table over.

"hey cobalt, i would like to know, do you want to come with us on our trip to rainfront, it's the least i can do after you helped me out of the forest that one night, plus me and shaman were just talking about finding a third person to help cheer things up on the trip and genuinely having more fun all around, i think that you fit that bill perfectly." Sorren said, munching on a bit of his salad.

Shaman ate his powdered berries and watched Cobalt's reaction. It won't work she's too shy Shaman thought to himself closing his eyes and tilting his head back pretending to savor the berries but really sensing Cobalt's aura. He wasn't really the friendly type so he didn't offer anything to Sorren's statement.

The young Dragonair blinked and after taking the order on the table next to Sorren's she quietly replied, "N-no... Thankyou... Thanks for... asking... though."
After replying, she made to go back up to the kitchens to deliver the order to Rowan.

"yeah, that didn't work, oh well always try the honest way first. she obviously doesn't want to go so we need to give her a reason, after that we can help her sort out the emotional baggage that is clinging to her. do you have a plan?" Sorren asked, sure of the answer. and with that he ate another mouthful of salad.

Shaman chewed his berries and opened his eyes. " Not like I know her past exactly but it's easy to tell she won't face it head on." Shaman started to plan this wouldn't be an easy one. Shaman looked thoughtfully at the kitchen door way but looked back at Sorren after a second or two. " I have an idea but it's dodgy at best." Shaman warned.

"go ahead then, it isn't like we have anything to lose her, and who knows, we might be able to help out cobalt." Sorren said sipping his drink. he munched on a bit of salad and waited for shaman to work his magic.

Shaman leaned back. " Okay first step would be to add the urgentness to resolve the problem we can get that by starting a conversation about something in one of our pasts completely fabricated of course." Shaman assured after all he knew Sorren had quite a mysterious past. " Of course should a think should be family related and we should show we are completely open of sharring it next would be to leave and return after she's had a little time to think and give her the 'final offer' to come." Shaman said putting the air quotes. " That would pressure her into a corner making her make a exacutive decision if she won't come then, then she's not ready to face it." Shaman concluded.

"i know what will do the trick." sorren said, he raised his voice a bit so it could be herd easely, but not too easely. "i actually passed through rainfront when i came here first, they didn't have any rooms so i slept in that huanted hose on top of the hill, the next morning i was avoided like the plauge for sleeping there, that's where i heard all of the weird rumors about the place, we could stay there for free, but it would be trustpassing, besides, the place has a serios case of wood rot, the suporting walls are crumbling. i'd be surprised to find it still in one peice when we get there." Sorren said, sipping his drink.now we will see how cobalt reacts to that Sorren thought, a sly smile almost making it's way to his mouth.

The Dragonair listened silently to Sorren's obvious shouts as she slithered back down the staircase with another table's order. She sighed quietly to herself.
I can't go back there.....

Gently placing the salad and berry fizz on the table she was serving, she absentmindedly gave them the bill. The pokemon sat there, a Furret, held the cash out to her, but it took Cobalt a few seconds to realize that she still had to take it from the customer. She was immersed in her thoughts about her past....