Grand Re-Opening of Carvanha Springs Inn

[Go ahead and reply to Akane's post, Prasha. I just wanted to put this up while my muse was flowing. I bled myself in at the end, so feel free to acknowledge me at the same time, if you wish!]

Zandrophin sighed deeply. Today was the day--the day he could finally remove the brace that had been placed on his back by the good Doctor Yamada. The only issue was his sore shoulders, so he couldn't remove the brace himself. So, he had Mentus help him, who was standing by, waiting for his master's order.

"Do it." The man said, grabbing at his conference table for support.

Mentus did as he was told and removed the brace. A slight hiss escaped the apparatus as the pressure was released, and Zandrophin inhaled sharply. After a few moments, Zandrophin slowly straightened up, rolled his shoulders and neck, and sighed again, a small smile on his face.

"Ahh.." he said, "Miss Yamada's skill is truly admirable; I almost feel like I could take on the world again."

Almost, Sir?

"Yes...if it weren't for these sore muscles, I'd be better than ever."

Sir, didn't your old partner Mister Kesiem open up some form of relaxational getaway?

"Indeed he did...Carvanha Springs, I believe it's called. He sent me a postcard from there not too long ago. Heh...that man and his paradoxes--gives a relaxation spot the name of a dangerous Pokemon which resides in water...Anyway, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we dropped in."

"Indeed he wouldn't, Sir." another voice entered the room. It was Lox, who'd heard Zandrophin speaking through the copper tubes that ran throughout the building; Zandrophin must've left the one leading the the conference room open. "In fact, we received a memo from him just a few days ago. Apparently, he's hosting some sort of party."

"Thank you, Mr Lox. We'll have to ensure we attend. What's the dress code?"

"There doesn't appear to be one, Sir."

Well, Zandrophin thought to himself, I'd best be prepared for anything.

---

In less than an hour, Zandrophin had not only found his outfit, a dark navy shirt with rolled sleeves and a grey vest, but he also packed a small bag to take with him, which contained a change of clothes, should the festivities take a lighter turn or should he decide to utilize the springs to help his healing solidify.

Included in the memo were the XYZ coordinates for the inn Prasha had set up; it was just a simple matter of finding it on the map, and Mentus could drop Zandrophin anywhere in the area. As he descended the stairs in the CTC's lobby, Zandrophin slipped on his silver ring with the Psychic symbol on it and said to Lox as he passed him,

"Handle any business here yourself, you have my permission to sign in my name. I'll return after a while."

Once outside, Zandrophin simply nodded to Mentus and in a few moments, they stood outside a large structure, a few hundred meters from the entrance. Mentus' ears perked up and he said,

Sir...Lady Akane is here! What a surprise!

Indeed, Mentus...let's hold back a bit. We'll let Prasha greet her first...and then we'll arrive next. Perhaps he'll see us when he opens the door for her Highness.

Zandrophin paused for a moment, and then had an idea. With Mentus' help, he sent out a small wave of energy towards Akane; just enough to pass through her hair...perhaps just enough to surprise her.

---

As Prasha greeted the Red Queen, Zandrophin called out, his voice as sickeningly smooth as ever,

"Well, well...quite a step up from that tea stand in Pyron City! I approve, my friend!"

Aidan pulled together the last few things into his pack and tied a tight knot around it. He looked around the room to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything. All of the things that he needed for a long trip were in his pack, and everything too heavy to take with him was safely buried where no one would find them, like he always left it. Sure that he had packed correctly, he picked up his pack and walked outside to find his companion, who had gone out digging for food.


“Bragor, let’s go!” he shouted, his voice echoing across the mountainside. There was no apparent response, but he had not expected one, and he turned to walk across and down the mountainside. He knew that he had been heard, and sure enough it was not long before a Bagon came bounding downhill across his path, braying (Bagons never quite roared) for his attention. He reached down for it and picked him up, settling him down into a little Bagon-sized indent he’d made in his pack, where he’d left a small hunk of meat. With its muscle mass and metallic armored head, the Bagon was quite heavy, but he forced himself not to complain. It was always difficult enough getting Bragor to go on trips with him at all, and even then he’d only been on trips to Ignacia or Pyron City, which usually lasted a little under a week. However, Aidan was planning a much larger trip that covered most of the continent. They would be gone for two months, at least, and he was sure to see Bragor hit entirely new levels of crankiness. It would be a long trip.


But it was a trip that he was determined to take, a training trip that he hoped would make him a much better battler and fighter. There were types of Pokemon in the West of the continent, where he was heading first, that he’d never seen in person before, and he wanted the exposure, and to prove to himself that he and Bragor could handle them. He thought the hardheaded dragon would enjoy that too, if only it was willing to wait through the weeks and weeks of traveling. Bragor was always a strong-willed and restless Pokemon, and he hoped that what he was asking didn’t make the Bagon just up and run away. He had a bag of treats with him that he hoped would help keep him contented.


Finally they reached the great east-west road that was going to take for the first leg of his journey, all the way to the west coast. Aidan wondered if Bragor noticed any significance in their turning right rather than the usual left. Whatever happened, Aidan hoped he could handle it. He started walking.


--------------Two or so weeks later----------------


Aidan kept walking, despite how uncomfortable he was. Every time that he put his left foot down there was a sharp gritty pain in it, like there was a scab he’d scratched at too much. He guessed his shoes hadn’t been in the best shape when he’d left, and two weeks had not improved them. He’d taken them all the way across the Eastern Plains and into the West, and it was clear he needed a new pair.


As Aidan walked on, thinking on his feet, Bragor leaned in and bit him on the neck again, one of several reminders he’d had in the last few minutes that the wingless dragon was just as uncomfortable with this trip as he was, and was not dealing with it nearly as well. Aidan now had several abrasions across his shoulders, and he thought several might have broken the skin. Not being in a particularly generous mood, he aimed a haphazard swat back at Bragor, which missed. Bragor grunted a little bit, but settled back down for the moment.


Aidan was worried that the dragon’s patience would not last much longer. At this point, the only thing really keeping Bragor around was the fact that he didn’t remember the way home. Aidan knew he would have to find something to settle him soon.


It was around that time that he noticed an inn on the road up ahead. Though it was still far off, he thought he could see signs of a hot spring, and he knew that he would have to stop there, though it was still quite early in the day. He’d managed to get hold of a bit of money during a scuffle in the Eastern Plains, and it would probably cover a stay, though he was loath to dig into it.


Knowing that he would need to make a good impression, he moved off the road into some trees to change out of his travel-worn clothes into the outfit he’d been saving for a moment like this- his trademark black undershirt and red coat with popped collar. He poured a bit of water out his canteen and used it to slick back his untidy hair. He then picked back up and pressed on.


Bragor did not bite him anymore before they got to the inn, perhaps sensing that something was going on. Aidan walked in through the front doors past the “Grand Opening” signs. There appeared to be a few people standing outside, a man in a mask who looked vaguely familiar, a fiery red-looking woman in a long dress, and a man in a stylish-looking sweater vest. Unsure whether any of them were the owner, Aidan stayed put for a moment and watched.

As Zandrophin reached the doorway, he bowed and crossed himself slightly to the Red Queen.

"A pleasure, as always, highness. I can't imagine why someone of -your- station would come to such a place as this. Is the life of a royal not all ease and splendor?"

Zandrophin cracked a small smile at his own humor. Mentus uncurled himself, floated off of his master's shoulder, and bowed to the Queen, spoon held tight in his tail.

Highness.

As he followed behind the group and entered the halls of the inn, Zandrophin began scanning the space, looking for exits, blind spots, or any other tactical obstacles. He had no doubt, knowing what his old partner was capable of, that he had designed it to be easy to defend from any angle, but he still wanted to satisfy himself knowing he was relatively safe. Mentus was scanning for other, less noticeable things: auras and energies that were masked to most, but that he could sense plain as day.

No negative energies here, Sir.

Now that he could relax, somewhat, Zandrophin actually focused on taking in his surroundings. The room was warm and inviting, if not a tinge too bright for his tastes, but he shrugged it off. Prasha was comfortable here, and that's what mattered. He paced around the room for a while before taking a seat, setting his bag down, and extending his arms so Mentus could untangle himself and roam freely. Raising his voice a bit so Prasha could hear him from wherever he'd disappeared to, he said:

"Lovely place you've got here...though I wouldn't have pegged you for the rustic type. Wanted to change things up from city life, eh?"

As he spoke, he kept one eye focused on Akane. Though they'd seen a lot of each other, Zandrophin was no fool; he'd keep his eyes on even his closest associates, no matter where they were or what they were doing. This practice had kept him alive thus far, and it hadn't stopped working yet. After a while, he leaned forward in his chair slightly, twisted his ring on his finger, and said to the Queen,

"So, Highness....it's been a while. How are things progressing in your realm? I'll admit I've stayed out of affairs of state for some time now, since they don't concern me directly."

Kazi walked up to the front of the resort with a tired smile.  It had been quite some time since he had seen the others due to him being busy with his work, but he was hoping now to reconnect.  Starfort had grown and prospered into a wonderful city and he was hoping it would continue to in the years to come.  He was wearing some nice clothes and hoped he'd see his old friends here as well.



On his shoulder, Kit was taking a catnap and Ruby, who was for once behaving, was floating behind his head.

As Kazi walked into the room, he noticed the Red Queen Akane enjoying herself with a soft smile he had never seen grace her face before. Sure Kazi had seen Akane smile, but it was usually haughty or slightly intimidating. Walking over to the Red Queen he bowed with a smile, "Milady Akane, it has been far too long since you graced me with your presence. How has life been treating you?"

As he said this, Kit opened one eye and hopped off his shoulder while Ruby looked through his pockets for some gems to eat, before getting whacked by the fairy type for her bad manners.

[Just a reminder, folks...with a thread with this many people, posting order is important. Aidan was skipped, so I ventured to give him a chance to respond here. Please allow him that chance.]
Mentus gnawed slightly on the spoon.

Indeed, it is...most durable spoon I've ever used. Your gift is still greatly appreciated.

---

”How are things in Pyron? I do feel awful I’ve been so neglectful down there. I do my best try to treat all my cities equally, but Ignacia’s keeping me especially busy as of late.”

Zandrophin waved dismissively at Akane and replied,

"You don't need to worry about us; your concern should always reside with Ignacia. You put me in charge of Pyron City in order to maintain stability in the region. I plan to continue doing just that."

The unannounced entrance of the man from Starfort rather irritated Zandrophin; not only had the man rudely inserted himself into their conversation, he hadn't even introduced himself. Suddenly, as if sensing -his- thoughts, as Prasha entered with his tea, the Gothorita that had greeted him at the door came in and made quite a fuss over the same issue. Zandrophin, doing his best to hide his amusement at these antics, reached into his pocket to remove a small vial and added its contents to the drink. When he'd refocused on the conversation, he'd almost missed Prasha's question:
"...Oh yes Zandrophin how goes Celosia Trade Company?"

"We're doing quite well, all things considered...we've had some difficulty meeting our quotas for certain goods, but all in all, it's been a good year so far."

He took another drink and, once again, his eyes drifted to the silent silver-haired man in their midst.

Do we know him, Mentus?

I've heard he's traveled extensively, Sir...many of our agents report seeing someone like him...but nothing concrete.

Zandrophin cleared his throat, turned to the man, and said,

"Excuse me, Sir...but you've not said a thing since you were brought here, and that's most uncouth...are you feeling alright?"