A so-called witch by the name of Rosemary seeks out a partner for her party, believing that fate is leading her toward the path of an adventurer.

FOR BIG WORKS SPECIFICALLY!! i'm making another story for stamp entries and etc

After the situationship of the Breezy Meadow visit, the ragtag team decided to hold off any team-ly activities until Fennel’s injury healed, and until Lotus figured the clinic out.

Today, deciding to take it easy, the four decided to visit a local tavern in Onix-heart Township – the town in which Davner and Rosemary met. It was a ruddy little place, sketchy and obviously ancient by how the outside wall’s paint crusted and peeled. Though it was clearly beloved within the town, judging by how many people were stopping by. 

Danver stands by themself today, seeming a bit ruffled and unusually quiet. Far less inquisitive and annoying than usual. They didn’t sit on Rosemary’s back on the way, and they flew in silence the whole time. Xe was a bit unsettled, and she briefly thought about asking them if anything was itching at their head. But I have more pressing matters today, ones that surpass emotional needs.

Fennel and Lotus exchanged a friendly greeting before Rosemary abruptly stood up, interrupting the two. The latter was wearing a large sun hat that was almost as big as hir, with only her face and her pretty butterfly-shaped tailfin poking out. It was very cute, but that was unimportant to Rosemary right now..

“Lotus. I need to speak to you. In private; this is important.” Then, turning and addressing the other two, “I will pay for anything you purchase. Please let us be.”

Xe stalked inside without another word.

Lotus blinked, once and then twice, before sighing quietly. “...She really needs to get better at communication. I’m going to have a chat with xem – we’ll join you two later, alright?”

“Ok,” Fennel replied, sneaking a peek at the mildly unresponsive Danver, who distantly nodded. Lotus gave them a worried look before floating inside after Rosemary.

Fennel gently taps their hooves on the wood of the table, awkward and unsure in the silence. In the small booth were both the Ponyta and Danver, looking out the neighboring window. 

Are they usually this quiet? Fennel squinted, examining the indescribable look on the Squakabilly’s face. Rosemary told me that they were the charismatic one when they introduced me to everyone... Maybe they’re just in a mood?

In an attempt to at least chip the ice, she leaned forward conversationally. “So… uh. How’s it going?”

They twisted their head, blinking tiredly. “It’s been… going,” they said. “How about you?”

“Not to overstep,” Fennel replied, definitely overstepping, “but I don’t believe that for a second. What’s up with you? You seemed fine when you rescued me – very heroically, by the way.”

Danver shuffled uncomfortably. Not because of the subject matter, Fennel thought, but because they looked like they had something stuck in their head that needed to be out. The Ponyta leaned their head towards the little cup of breadstick appetizers, using her lips to pull one into their mouth. 

“I promise I won’t tell the others,” she tried, speaking around a mouthful of breadstick.

That seemed to crack Danver’s restraint, and they let out a long sigh, laying their feathered head against the round table.

“I… my life? Is kind of ripped apart now. I had this whoooole thing– wait, you’re not a cop, right?”

“I’m no narc,” Fennel shook their head, now incredibly curious as to where they were going with this.

“Good, good.” Danver leaned in, quieting their voice. Fennel mimicked them, curiosity glinting in her green eyes. “I had this whole thing about selling counterfeit goods, and Rosemary just kinda… uprooted it all. ‘Threatened me into joining or they’d spill it to the police.”

Fennel’s eyes widened as they continued sheepishly. 

“And – yeah, I know that my business wasn’t exactly legal, and it was always going to end abruptly like that. B-but…now I’ve got nothing to do. I can’t really sell my stuff anymore, since becoming a part of a team like this makes you ultra recognizable. ‘n there’s no purpose to making any more fakes, since I can’t do anything with them!”

They flung up their wings, incredulous. 

“That’s my whole thing, you know!? I-It’s all I’ve been doing for years ‘n years, so now what am I gonna do? I’ve never legitimately worked anywhere before, I don’t have any experience, let alone on an adventuring team!”

They sunk further into their seat, looking unbelievably exhausted. “Last night I just kind of… sat around. Stared at my kiln for hours. I didn’t do anything – it was the worst feeling in my life.”

Finished, or maybe just too sad to continue, Danver rubbed their eyes with their wings while frowning heavily.

Fennel leaned back, bug-eyed and unsure what to say. They didn’t live so heavily in the criminal lifestyle like this Pokemon did – the most criminal thing she’d done in her life was when they badly stole a lollipop when she was small.

“Wow. First of all, your job’s sick. Second of all, that’s incredibly sad and I’m sorry. Xe just straight up threatened you?”

Danver nodded, sniffling. Fennel frowned, giving them a sympathetic shake of their head. ”That’s cold. I’m real sorry, you seem like a cool criminal.”

They snort at that, rolling their eyes. “Thanks.”

“Why didn’t she straight up mug you, though? Did xe? Is that why she’s stacked?”

“No, no. Xe just wanted me to join the team.”

Fennel scrunched up their long muzzle, chomping down another salty breadstick. “That makes less than zero sense. If I was blackmailing a scammer – no offense to you, o’course – I’d just take their money. That’s fishy.”

Danver hums unsurely, finding the back of Rosemary’s head. “I should ask xyr about it, right?”

Fennel nods, the flames on her head crackling softly. They huff quietly, taking a moment to look back and peck at the few appetizer seeds they ordered. A beat of silence plays out, the ambient noise of chatter and drinks filling the air. 

Cracking a seed into their mouth, Danver looks back to the white-spotted Ponyta.

“Sorry I dumped that on you… how's things going for you?”

The two talk for a while, bonding over a feeling of displacement and restlessness. It turns out that Fennel is incredibly into sports – unsurprisingly, given how active they seemed when the two met – and that they’ve been dungeoneering since they were fourteen.

“It’s been one wacky five years, I’ll tell you that much,” she grins. “Gotta say, I’ve never seen grass just attack someone like it grabbed onto me. Kinda cool, kinda terrifying.” 

At some point, Danver had also asked Fennel about witches. The former knew nothing, other than fabricated horror stories and historical tragedies. Pokemon accused of using dark magics on another and being exiled from their villages even killed, and of spells done on poor unsuspecting people that turned them into beasts. Danver heavily doubted that Rosemary or Lotus did things like that.

Fennel didn’t seem to know either, but it was comforting to know that someone else recognized that people being witches was at least a little unusual.

One of their pointed ears twitches as she thinks a little more. “But, my adventuring classes did teach me that everyone’s got a small amount of magic in them that lets ‘em do basic functions. Like how Lotus moves without being in water, y’know? Or how other people do special attacks. Stuff like that.”

By the time that Rosemary and Lotus stop by their booth, Danver and Fennel had become decent friends. Something that Lotus seemed to recognize, and that ze smiled brightly about. But Danver caught a dash of clear apprehension and worry sewn onto hir expression. They wondered what it could be about, slightly worried after noticing Rosemary’s unchanging face – annoyance and almost anger.

Rosemary silently slid into the booth, Lotus copying her right after.

“Welcome back,” Danver greeted. Lotus dipped hir sunhat at them with a goofy smile.

“Ok, I’ve got to ask. What is our team name?” Fennel cut in, tilting their white-splotched head. “None of you have been referring to our party with a name. Do we just… not have one?”

Danver shrugged, turning back to the pony. “Rosemary just told the receptionist at the Guild Hall to give us something temporary.”

Lotus shook her head while Fennel whooped and hollered disapprovingly. “That’s not right!” She cried, their flames crackling loudly. “Every good team needs a name.”

Danver tilted their head. “What about… Team of Seekers? We’re all looking for something – uh, kinda. Me and Lotus need money, Rosemary is seeking her fate, and Fennel, you want to join a team.”
A murmur of approval and nods went around the booth, and thus was Team of Seekers born.

Rosemary didn’t talk for the rest of the night, nor did either xe or Danver look at each other, but the night was nice otherwise, and everyone was happy enough by the time they separated.