Safe Haven

The Job Boards

Reina felt her paws twitch, her surroundings slowly coming into view. Beneath her resting body lay beach sand, several particles ingrained into her fur. She grumbled, rising reluctantly as she stretched her paws forward. Yawning, Reina took a deep breath as she realized where she was. 

She fell asleep on the beach. 

Reina jolted, jumping up into the air in shock at the revelation. She darted forward, sand kicked into the air by the flick of her legs as she ran. She had to get back to the guild!

Looking up into the sky while she ran, she looked for a sign from the sun. To her knowledge, it was still pretty early and she should still be on time. Even so, she couldn't tell for sure. 

Reina panted as she ran through the town, passing by many 'mons confused by her rush. By now, she had passed most of the town, readily standing in front of the Guild. Reina sighed as she walked inside at a slightly faster-than-normal pace, climbing down the ladder with heavy pants from her earlier run. Making it down the ladder, she reached the floor where meetings were held, sighing in relief as she saw many 'mons standing, waiting for the meeting to commence. 

Standing on her tiptoes to see through the crowd, she almost immediately spotted Erin and his characteristically fluffy fur. She smiled weakly, still tired, and gently pushed through the crowd to reach him. She sat down next to Erin, turning her head to see a smile on his muzzle. Still, a hint of confusion lurked in his eyes. 

"What's got you so in a rush?" Erin asked her with a curious twitch of his ears, and followed up with another question soon after, "And why did you come from upstairs?" He asked once again, and Reina let out a deep breath, still trying to regulate her breathing. 

"I uh, I fell asleep. On the beach" Reina responded blankly, unable to show much emotion at the moment. Erin just looked at her with an extremely surprised look, his mouth agape.

"You--you, what?"  Erin asked, seeming to be confused about how she could ever do that. Reina smiled at him shyly, unable to think of a response. His confusion was also a little entertaining. 

Soon enough, though, the crowd came to a still and silenced as two 'mons walked into the room. Violet and Charm made their entrance, standing in front of the quiet crowd. Charm stepped forward, taking the lead. 

"Hello everyone, ready for the morning cheer?" Charm asked the group, and soon enough they were rehearsing their cheer. The words echoed throughout the hall, and Reina swore that she felt the ground shake. Soon enough, it was over, and Violet took the floor. 

"Thank you all. Guild members who have been here long enough--you know who you are--may leave. I expect that you'll do as excellently on your jobs as always." Violet declared, and many words filled the room as 'mons climbed the ladder, making their way upstairs to the job boards. The room was silent again as they waited, older guild members having left already.

"Good morning to everyone--I see that we're all here," Violet began, looking around at every recruit and locking eyes with many. "Thank you all for being here. I just want to be sure that you all understood your assignment for today and to guide you through it." She explained, crossing her paws as she spoke. Charm stepped forward, her fur glistening in reflection of the lights above. 

"Today you will take one quest from the job boards, and let me repeat--one quest." Charm restated, trying to be extra clear to the crowd. Reina glanced around as murmurs wafted through the air, but they only lasted for a moment. She returned her attention back to Charm.

"I trust that you won't be foolish and bite off more than you can chew. Choose your quest wisely, and don't try to be something you can't. Only do what you can handle." Charm exclaimed, looking around the room to make sure that every 'mon was listening. Reina's ears twitched nervously as she applied pressure to her paw, trying to distract from the tension in the room.