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“Did you know there was a village here?”
“Nope.”
They had been walking for quite awhile, the Sun was already setting when they bumped into a big sign that said ‘TERRA VILLAGE’. Beyond the sign were rows of old wooden buildings, with the main road running right through it.
Vector and Slim looked down the road, and then to each other. “Well, it is getting kinda late – let’s find a place to stay for the night” Vector led the way while Slim followed closely behind. They passed narrow shops, each had signs telling passersby what they were selling: mostly tools made by a local blacksmith, and crops and produce grown from the nearby fields. There was a poster in front of the police office, with a gruff looking Delibird pasted on it. A number was posted under the picture: 30,000,000 pokeDollars, ‘Dead or Alive’. The duo looked at the picture – he looked gleeful. “Who’s this guy? He looks kinda happy” Slim pointed out. Vector agreed, and they kept walking along.
They stopped in front of a building with a sign saying ‘PONYTA CORRAL: HOTEL AND PUB’. “Let’s check this place out” they flew open the swinging wooden doors and entered. Inside was a large room filled with wooden tables and chairs, overhanging lights above each of them making everything look warm and dim. In the center was a long rectangular counter with stools around it. Behind it were shelves of glasses, mugs and bottles, the latter of which was assumed to contain alcoholic beverages.
Vector and Slim ventured further, looking for a place to sit down – the place was so packed with other pokemon that it proved more difficult. They eventually found a spot near the stage off to the side of the bar. On the stage was a Delibird playing a silver saxophone, accompanied by a piano being played by a Cinccino.
They sat down and ordered some cheap fish and chips; they didn’t have much money on them. The room grew quiet as the next set began, and the lights seemed to dim. The Delibird’s song seemed almost mournful, there was a great sadness to it, the saxophone’s rich, lonely sound echoed, and it mystified the crowd.
“Wow, this guy’s pretty good!” Vector commented in slight awe. Slim didn’t respond – he was too busy chowing down on his ‘meal’.
After what seemed like a long time, the song ended to a big round of applause, to which the Delibird bowed, and then quickly left the stage. Vector, having good night vision, watched as he headed to the bar for a drink. He leaned over to an adjacent table, “Hey uh, who’s the guy on the sax?”
An Ivysaur looked towards him, “Oh that’s Mr. Nick, he showed up in town about a month ago, he plays a gig every night here for bar tokens. Never seems to talk with anyone though, he’s always drinking alone.”
Slim looked up from his plate, “Oh really, well let's if he wants some company!” Jumping up from his seat he ran over to the bar.
Vector rolled his eyes and followed. He thought that at least he might get to talk music. It didn’t take long to find him, poking the slumped over Delibird.
“Whaat are ya doin’?” Growled the Delibird, lifting his head to reveal that his right eye was recently scarred.
Vector jumped up onto the stool next to him, "Uh, you play a pretty good sax there. I'm a player myself, and thought it'd be nice to meet another, you know?"
Nick shot the Scraggy a look, then turned towards vector, "Bin playin’ since I was a wee one."
"Huh, you don't say! I'm still a bit new at it, but I'm getting better." He too looked at Slim, "and don't pay much attention to him, he's a...strange fellow, I guess you could say."
Slim, taken slightly aback by the looks he was given, "Er, sorry for bothering you. We figured you could use some company” Nick sighed, "Ya two would be the first ones ta be thinking thaa, been a very solitary journey thus far." He made a quick gesture for another pint, "Want anything?" Vector and Slim looked at one another, somewhat satisfied, "We'll take two cokes."
Nick leaned forwards a bit, "So what brings ya boys to this neck of the woods?" He then took a hearty swig from his mug.
"We were just on our way to somewhere" Slim waggled his finger, trying to pinpoint where exactly he and his friend were headed off to. Vector added, "Do you know where we can get a map?"
"Can’t tell ya mate, they might have one in that shop, but it's closed right now, spend most of my time in here anyway." Nick chuckled, taking another swig. As Slim took a big gulp from his drink, Vector continued chatting, "Ah we'll stay here for the night and look around town tomorrow. You know where we can get a room?"
Nick shouted to a Machop at the other end of the bar, "Hey Mack, set up a room for these fine gents here!" Mack shouted back, "They're sleeping in yours then, your rent is nearly up and we got none left!"
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Your okay with this right?"
"Sure, if it's alright with you?" Vector replied, then Slim added "yeah, we could have a sleepover!” which earned him a light smack upside the head from the Sandile.
Nick chugged the rest of his drink, "Don’t be so hard on the guy, he's not a fidlam bens. Well follow me."
They got up (or down in Vector's case) from their seats, with Nick leading the way up a wooden stairway near the front of the building. Upstairs was a hallway with many doors on each side. At far right side was a room with a rotted wooden door, the metal numbers rusted. Nick fumbled around in his tail bag and pulled out a key, "It's not fit for a king but it's cozy."
The inside was a mess, the bed was a mattress on the floor, the sheets were spread about, and the window was wide open. There was a slight smell in the air, and to top it all off several whisky bottles were strewn about the place.
Vector and Slim looked around, "...it could be worse" Slim said with optimism as he flung himself into a chair and let his arms go limp over the armrests. Vector walked around, absorbing his surroundings. "It's better than nothing. Thanks for letting us stay here, uh...what's your name?"
"Oh where are my manners, Evening, the name is Nick." Nick theatrically bowed. "Welcome to my humble abode" The Sandile gave a nod of acknowledgement, "Vector, and he's Slim" as he pointed to him, the Scraggy put up an arm to wave.
Nick gave slim a inquisitive look, "Ya wouldn't happen to be one of those city boys from up the road would ya?" Slim's arm paused in midair, "uhm, yeah. Why do you ask? You weren't sent by him to look for me, were you?" by now his mind started rushing again, and he cringed slightly out of the fear going on in his mind.
Vector stepped in, "whoa dude, calm down, he's just asking a simple question!"
"I was going to ask the same thing. I know those posters are still up. I’m not going to burn for something I didn’t even do!" Nick said accusingly, his fist beginning to glow.
"So you're the one they're looking for? Well, maybe I should turn you in--"
"HEY!!" Vector got between Nick and Slim, who got up from the chair. "Guys, let's not jump to conclusions okay?"
"Ya mean ya aren’t bounty hunters?" Nick asked, fist still raised.
"What? No! We're just ordinary guys, trying to find a better place to live" Vector assured.
"Yeah, something like that" Slim added, lowering his fist. Nick sighed, "That's good ta hear, thought I was going to have to change locations again." He took a flask from his bag and took a hearty swig from it. He looked up, melancholy, "I know ya probably hear this a lot but, I am innocent, the one on the posters is dead."
"So, the one on the poster is not you then?" Slim asked in clarification.
"Oh it's me, but that life ended that night. Got a second chance, but it seems the past is not going to let me go just yet." Nick sighed, slumping against the wall. "To make a long story short, you boys know much about what happens over the sea?" The both of them shook their head, "We didn't know there WAS a sea."
"Hoo boy, if the accent hasn't given me away, I come from a long way from here, across the sea from this continent." Nick grabbed a close by pillow and sat on it, getting comfy. "Where I come from, things like thievery were commonplace, it's what you do to survive ya know. But there was rules, never harm an innocent, don’t steal from the poor, and only take what is needed to survive." Nick began. "But I was young and arrogant. Since I was good at stealing I thought I could bend the rules, got me banished." Nick expression began to darken.
"After while I got a partner in my friend Violet, sweet girl, since I saved her life, she swore to follow me forever. But after that was when we ended up in Wintersfell." A tear had begun to run down Nick’s eye. He took another swig from his flask, "It was an industrial place, they farmed magma in the tundra. Ironic, huh? The Local government were evil sods, they were exploiting the city folk for everything they had.
“Then I met her, Ciara was her name. She was a real beauty, not the kind you see often, and she was a resistance member. She seemed interested in hiring me for my talents, and after I started working for them we started dating.
"Violet had begun to warn me that the girl was trouble, and that she was going to betray me, but I thought she was jealous. But how right she was, I was going to get hitched after what she called the last job, I was to steal a box from the factory, but little did I know it was the parts to repair the main machine. After I returned to the hideout the magma in the lava tubes went out of control killing half, the city.
“That’s when Ciara and her friend started to attempt to beat me to death, giving me my scar here. They were using me as a pasty to cause the civilians to rise up, putting them in power. Violet got me out. But that Bitch decided since I knew too much, that I was to be the one to take the blame for it, everyone loves a scapegoat right?
"After managing to cross the ocean to get away from that, I’ve been doing some soul searching on the road. Told Violet to give me a year to myself, though sometimes I can feel her around. But, as you saw outside, I'm not in the clear yet." Nick finished with tears in his eyes.
Vector and Slim had been lying on the mattress, listening intently. "...I'm sorry to hear that, man" Vector replied. Slim then broke the shortly-lived silence, “You wanna know why we’re here?” After a nod from Nick, he proceeded to tell the story of how he and Vector met, how they escaped Moxtown, and the events leading up to now.
Meanwhile Vector, who knew the story all too well, drifted off into his own thoughts again. “Ah man, first Slim and now this – what IS it with people and telling their darkest secrets? I mean, don’t they worry that someone might spread their word or something? Seriously, we only met this guy an hour or so ago--”
"Yo Vector!" Slim broke his train of thought. "How's about you? Got anything you'd like to share?"
Vector looked up, “Eh, no thanks, I’m fine.”
"Oh really? Nothing ya want to get of your chest mate?" Nick asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Dude, I said I don’t want to talk about it!"
Nick paused, taken aback by Vector’s sudden tone. His expression then returned to a laidback one, as though he had decided it would be best to dismiss the Sandile’s reluctance. He then looked to Slim, “Well then, Slim, your story has touched me heart," He ruffled through his tail-bag, and pulled out a green scarf. He held it out, "I'm not gonna need this, want you to have it."
Slim took the scarf, "...for me? Awesome, thanks!" with Vector's help, he tied the cloth around his right arm. He looked at it in admiration, “I look more badass now!”
Nick laughed, and stood up, "And Vector, we will have to find out about your dirty little secret next time. I'm not taking no for an answer. Well it looks like it's getting on in the evening, you guys take the bed, I'm going to sleep up on the roof." He walked towards the open window.
"Aha ha yeah" Vector replied sleepily, and laid his head down on a pillow. Slim followed suit, grabbing a tattered blanket in the process. "G'night, Nick!"
"Night mates, see ya in the morning." Nick gave an improvised salute and flew out the window.
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apologies, this one's a long one
special thanks to ~Count-of-Dublin for roleplaying his character, Nick (of the Lionhearts count-of-dublin.deviantart.com...
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The Beginning
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some more info about Moxtown's NPC's
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© 2012 - 2024 Rae-Nine
Comments2
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Nah, it's not that long, for me at least 
I guess everyone has one's own troubles in the past that one is not too keen on carrying forever.
It was nice reading their backstory ^^
One thing I'm not quite sure about is how Nick can sing and play sax at the same time... hmmm
The only thing I spotted was 'lets'. It's actually written as 'let's' as in 'let us [...]'.
I guess everyone has one's own troubles in the past that one is not too keen on carrying forever.It was nice reading their backstory ^^
One thing I'm not quite sure about is how Nick can sing and play sax at the same time... hmmm
The only thing I spotted was 'lets'. It's actually written as 'let's' as in 'let us [...]'.