[PMD BTS] RP: Welcome Lunch
Frannie meets some potential new guild members and takes them out for lunch.
Frannie was out wandering the Beau Plains, fields filled with flowers and open sunshine. It was nice to get away for a bit, to not have to keep up appearances. She'd been having a hard time on this trip to the Air Continent. Not only was she sleeping away from her security blanket Gene, but starting sleep therapy with Ele was a bit nerve wracking even if it probably was for the best. All around she felt bad. Bad that Gene had to help her through her nightmares, bad that she needed to use their funds to get help, bad that her troubles had been obvious enough that Jia felt the need to buy her flowers. They were very nice flowers of course, Frannie loved them, but she felt terribly unworthy of them. These dreams were all just in her head, so she was just making all these problems herself. She didn't deserve their concern.
But out here she didn't have to try to keep up a brave face. She sat among the flowers, and if a tear or two fell from her cheeks well there was no one else around to see right?
Lee and Chewy had slipped out of the dojo somehow unnoticed. Though it meant giving up the meal he'd been promised, sticking around didn't appear to be in his immediate interest. Watching the purple fools fight had indeed been amusing, but when it came to Chewy's safety; Lee would not take any risks, and the newcomers had decreased his odds of leaving unharmed should any further brawling ensue.
Not wanting to stick around Lee and Chewy headed straight out of town. He wanted to avoid any further interactions with stranger if it could be helped.
The found themselves wandering back through the field from earlier that day. Lee hoped he could finally get that sweet afternoon nap that he'd been craving when he noticed a pink figure under his tree atop the hill. With a sigh he resigned the nap idea and turned to continue their trek in a different direction until he heard the softest sob.
It definitely came from the pink creature, though he wasn't close enough to make out her face. Nope, not getting involved he thought turning away, but he felt Chewy tug his arm back as if telling him to stop. He looked down into her wide innocent eyes remembering the day he'd met her, how sad she had seemed.
"You want me to talk to her?" Chewy leaned in placing her chin on Lee's bicep. Giving him baby doll eyes to her best ability. "Fine," Lee said.
They Trudged up the hill to what Lee could now make out as a Whismur. With no empathy towards the crying thing he remarked; "Rough day?"
Frannie was too engrossed in her own feelings and in the colorful flowers to notice the two approaching. Sure she had great hearing and all as a whismur, but it was only useful if she was paying attention.
She gave a startled 'eep!' when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her, turning quickly to see a Litten man and Eevee girl beside him. She quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Oh! No, no it's nothing really," she said hastily. "What um, what brings you out here? I mean-I mean I don't mean to intrude or anything! You don't-you don't have to say if you don't want to. If that's too forward."
"I've been trying to take a nap under this tree all damn day, but people keep getting in my way. First that horny purple bloke and his friend, and now you." Lee stated completely devoid of compassion. Feelings definitely were not his strong suit.
At the mention of Frannie ruining this stranger's day her eyes immediately went wide and her lower lip trembled.
"I'm sorry!" she squeaked in a terribly high pitched voice. She should have known better, obviously someone else was using this field and all. She shouldn't have assumed she'd be alone out here.
"I'll just-I'll just be going. I'm so sorry to bother you," she said, pushing up from her seat and hastily brushing herself off.
Chewy, had started munching the end of Lee's tail while listening to the confrontation. Irritated by Lee's lack of tenderness with the pained girl, she bit down hard. Lee having experience with this form of communication from Chewy, did not visibly react to the sudden sharp pain, but instead sighed and simply said "No. Sit. I'll find another tree." It was the best he could do.
Chewy examined the ground for a moment before finding what she wanted. She Plucked the perfect flower to match the whismur's dress. Practically pouncing on her, Chewy placed the Flower in her hair then stepped back to admire her work.
Frannie's mouth hung open in confusion as she tried to come up with what to say.
"No! No really, it's fine! I was just going, really. It's no--" she started to say, but stopped abruptly as the Eevee girl bounded up to her and placed a flower in her hair. She was startled by the gesture, more kindness and more flowers that she did not deserve.
Her face blushed with shame, her eyes shining with un-shed tears.
Not satisfied, since she was not yet smiling, Chewy decided the whismur needed more flowers. She grabbed a pink hand and pulled her back to the ground. Picking every flower within reach, Chewy started sticking them in every spot she could on the trembling girl. All around the top opening of the blouse. Up and down the ties of the dress. And in her hair, especially in her hair. With the handful of flowers that remained that she could no longer attach, she thrust the bouquet into the Whismur's hands. Then sat back and gleamed with pride in her masterpiece.
Lee watched as Chewy played like a child dressing a doll. The tiniest hint of a smile cracked at the edge of his lips.
Frannie sniffled, which resulted in her snorting instead of gasping as the Eevee pulled her back to the ground.
"Wh-what are you--?" she started to ask, but the Eevee was already adding more flowers to her hair before she could finish, and to her dress as well. Frannie bit her lip, trying to hold in her sobs.
"Wh-why are you doing this? I'm just causing you trouble," she tried to explain as she was covered in more flowers.
"She likes you." Lee pointed out. He knew this side of Chewy of course, but it wasn't often displayed for strangers. Chewy was usually even less quick to trust than Lee himself, so as amusing as this performance was, it was also surprising.
"But why!?" Frannie sobbed in confusion. "You don't even know my and-and I'm just in the way," she insisted. "Why would you like me?"
Was there something wrong with this pitiful creature? Lee thought as Chewy, now satisfied, dropped to her side and started chewing on the edge of the pink skirts.
Frannie watched hesitantly as the Eevee started to nibble on the edge of her dress. That was awfully unusual, but Frannie did not want to be rude and ask her to stop.
"I uh, is this um..." she tried to ask, but not sure what to say. She turned to the Litten instead.
"Err, did you want your tree back?" she asked. "Or uh, was there another tree you wanted?"
"It's fine," Lee said grinding his teeth, thinking about how he was definitely not getting that nap now.
Frannie was not convinced it was fine, which obviously meant that he was just trying to be nice by not telling her. She should reassure him that he could tell her to leave if he really wanted.
"It's-It's really not a problem," she tried again. "I don't want to cause you any trouble."
Lee ignored her now and turned to lean on the tree knowing that Chewy wasn't going to let the increasingly irritating Whismur go anytime soon.
Frannie watched as Lee settled against the tree. Maybe it really was okay? She still didn't really believe it but he seemed comfortable enough and she didn't want to bother him anymore.
She looked down at the Eevee again, still unsure how to respond to her gifts and um... attention.
"What um, what are your names?" she asked.
"I'm Lee." Pause. "I call her Chewy." Another pause. "You can see why."
Frannie giggled at the name. "Um yes, I... I see what you mean," she said.
"My name's Frannie, if um, if that's..." she trailed off, feeling awkward sharing her name when he had not asked for it. Probably he didn't care and he was just disturbing him more.
"Hmph" Lee shrugged, not really caring.
Frannie was quiet for some time, not sure what else to say and not wanting to bother Lee if he was looking for peace and silence. After a while of sitting in the flowers with Chewy she hesitantly whispered to her.
"Um, is-is Chewy what you like to go by? Or-or is there another name I should call you? I mean-I mean if that nickname is just for Lee to use, or-or something."
Chewy looked up at the whismur with an almost confused expression. What else would she be called? She hadn't earned a real name yet. Obviously she thought. "Chewy is Chewy because Lee said so," she said blushing up at Lee who didn't seem to be paying attention. Her voice was childlike and full of admiration for the Litten.
"Oh, well uh... if-if that's what makes you happy then," she whispered back. The way she said it was a tad odd and Frannie was having a hard time understanding Lee and Chewy's relationship, but did not want to assume anything.
"How uh, how did you to meet?" she asked. "If-if you don't mind me asking, I mean."
"Lee saved Chewy!" Chewy exclaimed. Thinking back on the day they had met. She hadn't really been in trouble persay, but he had made those mean Leafeon bullies go away. "Lee make bad men cry." She giggled then rolled down the hill with a "Weeeeeee!" and started collecting more flowers. Lee 'hurumphed' at the naive young Eevee.
"Oh well uh..." Frannie trailed off as she watched Chewy roll away. She turned to Lee instead. "That-that certainly sounds very nice of you. Are you-are you from a rescue team?" she asked. From what Chewy described that certainly sounded like a rescuer, helping her in a time of need. Maybe he was out on a mission and was bringing her back to town.
So far everyone he'd talked to today had strung such strange words together. Rescue teams? Guilds? GCFS? Law enforcement? There was nothing like that where Lee came from. "What's a rescue team?" he asked.
Frannie perked up in surprise. "Oh well uh, it's a group of pokemon who are-who are trained to help those in need. I moved to Ethovalon not too long ago to start a rescue team myself. I just thought that-thought that what you did for Chewy sounded an awful lot like rescue work so I thought that maybe..." she trailed off, not really knowing where she was going with this.
"Are you saying I can get paid for putting smug little ass holes in their place?" For that's all he had really done for Chewy. She hadn't been trapped or lost anywhere, just cornered by some self absorbed brats. No he thought, that probably wasn't what she meant. There's no real consequences for being a dick.
"Oh, well um..." Frannie trailed off as she thought. "I mean, it really all depends I suppose. I don't-I don't get many jobs like that myself, but I think I saw a job offer for one of the other branches along those lines. There was a Sharpedo that was bullying-bullying some kids. Probably-probably it was a bounty hunter job, that sounds more like their type of mission. They fight pokemon that are causing trouble for people. I don't-I don't know any bounty hunters personally, but their work is very important too."
Lee thought for a moment. The idea of staying in one place for the first time in a long time did sound appealing. Although just earlier today someone had accused him of being on the run from the bounty hunters. Did he really want to turn into someone arrogant like Jasper? Not that he wasn't already somewhat arrogant himself, but you don't get all beefed out by sitting around doing nothing. "Well you're not the first person to tell me about the.." it took him a second to think of the word. "Guilds today, so obviously it's a big deal around here, so I wouldn't mind checking it out if there's a chance to make some coin."
At this point Chewy had begun making her way back up the hill, her arms full of fresh flowers. She sat beside Frannie again and motioned for her to decorate herself now by placing the first flower her own hair.
"If you don't mind showing us the way, I think we'd both prefer your company to that of the jokers we met earlier, Chewy especially. I've never seen her behave like this with a stranger."
"Oh, no, not at all," Frannie said. "I'd-I'd be happy to, I'm glad I could help," she said cheerfully.
She watched as Chewy returned, arms filled with fresh flowers. "Oh, did-did you want me to...?" she asked, placing another flower into Chewy's hair.
"Were there-did you run into other guild members earlier today?" she asked Lee as she continued to place flowers on Chewy. "There are a lot of us in town at the moment, what with the natural disasters and all. We've been doing all we can to help. So uh, so if you ran into others before me I guess it wouldn't be very surprising."
Chewy giggled with delight at making a new friend. She hadn't really had any friend other than Lee in years.
"Yeah, one by the name Jasper," he said. The muttered barely audible, "who couldn't keep his eyes to himself." He continued at a normal volume, "and Geen I think the other one was," pronouncing the 'G' soft. "They showed me to the dojo where I'd hoped to knock some teeth in," he gritted his teeth having not gotten the chance, "but Jasper beat me to it. He obliterated that Shuppet."
Chewy made explody noises to replicate the end of the battle she'd seen then pretended to feint into the grass moaning. She sat up quickly again laughing at her own reenactment.
Frannie was nodding along as she placed flowers into the top of Chewy's dress. It took a moment for Lee's word to sink in, but once she started realizing that those names sounded familiar and that a Shuppet was involved she frozen. She inhaled slowly, shakily as she watched Chewy's reenactment of what happened, he eyes growing wide.
"He __WHAT__!?!?" she screamed, accidentally releasing a Hyper Voice that rang out around them, the flowers rippling around them like a sea, shaking the tree they sat under. The high pitch was ear shattering, and it was hard to believe such a noise could come out of such a timid little thing.
Both Chewy and Lee were hit like a herd of wild Taurus as a sharp intense pain bore into their skulls. How had such a sound escaped from the tiny, until now he had assumed pitiful, creature. Lee grunted a reply as best he could through the pain. "The Toxil knocked out the Shuppet. Then we left, he could be dead for all I know."
"DEAD!?" Frannie cried again, though this time it was no more damaging than any regular person's scream. "Oh no-oh Arceus-what do I do--?"
She sprung to her feet, turning to Lee. "Please can you-do you know where he is?? Can you take me to him?"
"Uh," he stammered. "I don't know, we left pretty quickly. They had more friends show up and we try not to get involved." This girl appeared to be going through a rediculous amount of emotions during this single afternoon. What a wreck Lee thought. "It was just a bit ago, they could still be there, or maybe at..." Lee knew nothing about where he was. Any guesses about where they'd taken the Shuppet were beyond him. "...a clinic?" he offered.
Frannie pressed her hands to her cheeks. "Oh gosh, uh-uh what did his friends look like?" she asked. "You uh-you said one of them was named Jasper? Did-did he have a girl with white wings with him" she asked, describing Fiona. Frannie didn't know Fiona's boyfriend all that well, but if she had been with them she could assume it was the same Jasper. An if Fiona was there she was a great healer. Surely she'd be able to take care of everything.
"I don't know if they were together necessarily, but some others did show up. An Absol and I believe the young lady was a Togakiss, though she seemed much more radiant than any I'd met before."
Chewy somewhat recovered from the Hyper voice stood and started flapping her arms like wings. "Wings!" She squeeled.
"Oh," Frannie sighed with relief. "Oh good, if-if Fiona is there then-then sh-sh-she'll be able t-to..." she trailed off, her lower lip quivering as she tried to talk. She was glad Fiona was with him, but if he'd been hurt really bad she'd only be able to do so much. And she didn't even know Gene was undead! Would she even be able to help him?
"I-I need to go right away," she insisted.
Lee wasn't sure if he was supposed to go with her or not. Initially Frannie had offered to show him the guild place, whatever that was but evidently she also knew the folk he had run into, and he didn't much want to deal with them again. "We'll wait here," he decided.
Chewy tugged Lee's arm. She didn't want to lose her new friend already. "Lee and Chewy go with Frannie," she begged. If there was room for a soft spot in Lee's heart for anything, it was Chewy and that couldn't be helped. As much as he tried to deny it, he couldn't help feeling that the young and naive Eevee needed protecting, and that it was his duty to do so.
"Or we could follow," he started to say. He didn't want the girl to think he took orders from Chewy. "If you want," he added quickly.
"Oh well uh, I uh, if you don't mind that would be great," Frannie mumbled, her voice getting quieter as she spoke. She didn't want to be a bother, but she didn't even know where to start looking. "If-if you could show me where you last saw him I-I would really appreciate it."
Lee was beyond annoyed now. Do I have to do everything? "I said it happened at the dojo. Then we left. Now I'm not from around here so No. I can't show you where they are. I already said we'll accompany you so let's go already. Lead the way before I-" Lee noticed Chewy looking at him then. Her face said all it needed to to let him know he went to far. Lee took a deep breath trying to calm down. Then said very slowly; "town. That way," and point back the way he had come.
Frannie's eyes shined with fresh tears as Lee spoke, her lower lip quivering and her ears pressing into her hair as though she could block out the noise. She wanted to take back her request, they didn't need to come with her she had already bothered them far enough. But she was afraid to say anything at all so she just turned and quickly started on her way back to town. If they wanted to follow they could follow, but she didn't want to speak for fear of saying anything else wrong. Truthfully she was not from around here either so she knew not where the dojo was herself, but maybe she could ask around? Or maybe it would be better just to go back to the inn and ask for Fiona there. Oh gosh, hopefully Gene was okay.
Chewy bounded after Frannie and linked arms with her. She adjusted a few flowers on Frannies dress as they walked. "Chewy show Frannie dojo." Lee followed silently behind them.
Frannie, who had been holding in tears turned to Chewy quickly as she grabbed her arm. "Really!?" she cried, eyes wide and watering. "You-you remember the way?"
"No," she giggled and started skipping along with Frannie in tow.
Frannie followed helplessly as Chewy pulled her along, visibly worried all the while but perhaps that was just her usual state of being.
Eventually the open flower fields broke away into streets and buildings.
"Um, I-I can ask someone for directions," Frannie mumbled. "If uh-if nothing looks familiar."
Lee sighed at the helpless girls and took the lead. He remembered where to go, though aggrivated and impatient, he quickened his pace. He was eager move on and start earning his own money.
He led them to the entrance of the dojo, but the party from earlier appeared to be long gone. "Any ideas?" he asked Frannie.
While the main party was gone, not all had left. Kioshi was still there, although admittedly he had very few opponents anymore. His skilled combat skills made him dominate his opponents, and he was finding it harder and harder to find someone to match his skills. He had yet to challenge Grimshaw, but he was working his way up to such a combat level.
He was instead working on body blows to a striking target, pausing only when he heard others enter, he turned to observe them, the rowlet tucking his wings in.
Frannie looked around desperately, trying to find a familiar face in the dojo. She spotted Kioshi and hurried over to him.
"Oh, h-hi Kioshi," she mumbled. Her face was read and her cheeks wet with tears but it seemed she was trying to hold herself together. "Have you-have you seen Gene anywhere? I heard um-I heard something happened? Or-or maybe not! Maybe it was someone else."
She turned back to Lee and Chewy. "Oh uh, this is Kioshi. He's-he's on another guild team like me," she said. "Kioshi this is Lee and Chewy."
Lee nodded his head acknowledging the stranger. Strange indeed, Lee noted taking in the Rowlet with his mask. Hard to judge a character without seeing their face. Lee didn't like that. Chewy took her usual place hiding behind Lee.
Kioshi looked at Frannie, putting a hand on her shoulder before he let go and went to retrieve his own stuff, included was his chalk board. He wrote on the board: 'Fiona said he just got knocked out and winded, they went to the Blissey house down the street'
"Oh, oh okay," Frannie sighed with relief, placing a hand over her heart. "Thank you Kioshi."
She turned back to Lee and Chewy. "Gene is my-my co-leader so I-I really should go check on him. Did you-did you want to come with? Or-or I can drop you off where our teams are staying if-if you wanted more information about joining the guild."
"Just drop us off where ever we sign up for the guild-money missions," Lee said. Chewy felt sad thinking about saying goodbye to her new friend. Noticing the look on her face Lee added; "I'm sure we'll see you around plenty often after that."
Chewy hugged Frannie tight around the arms. "Chewy love Frannie!" Then, remembering the stranger in the room, she clung back to Lee ready to head out of the dojo.
"Oh uh, alright. I can-I can do that," she said to Lee, taken off guard as Chewy hugged her tight.
"Aaw Chewy, it-it was really nice meeting you too. Thank you for the flowers," she said happily. She guided them down the street to the inn where many of the guild members were staying, likely someone there would be able to help them out. She waved goodbye and headed on her way to check on Gene. Hopefully he was okay.
--stats
"Lee! Bring Chewy to see Frannie." It had been about a week since the eventful day between the field and the dojo. Lee and Chewy had been staying in an inn near the outskirts of town. Far enough away from the busy inner streets. Lee had taken the advice of the many characters he'd met and gone to the headquarters to sign up for guilds.
Upon arriving he was able to read more into his options. The leader business had him the most worried; as it seemed Chewy would have to accompany him as his second in command and another team leader. If he chose to become a bounty hunter it would be hard to protect her while also trying to catch ruffians. His other options included being a rescuer, not unlike the day he had met Chewy, he would be tasked with seeking out stranded or endangered pokemon. If he chose to become a wayfarer it might be even more dangerous as they would be venturing into uncharted territories.
Faced with this difficult decision Lee resolved to take some time to think about it and rather than spending another night in the woods as they had the last few months, he resigned himself to renting rooms at the least crowded venue he could find. "Leeeee! Chewy wants to see Frannie!"
"Hm?" Lee looked up from his paperwork. He'd been pouring over it all week and had barely noticed Chewy's restlessness. "Alright Chewy, I think it's ready, shall we go?" Chewy was at the door in a heartbeat. "You know there's no guarantee that we'll even see her, so don't get your hopes up." Who knew if the pink girl was even still in town, but Lee had to admit it was nice to meet someone finally that Chewy wasn't afraid of.
As they approached the building Lee wondered if he was making the right decision joining a guild. Was he doing it in Chewy's best interest or his own? Well, no going back now. Lee opened the door and saw a familiar head of pink curls. Chewy exclaimed immediately, "Frannieeeee!"
Frannie was spending the last of their trip out on the town. They would be returning home from the Air Continent soon now that their mission had concluded. She'd visited Gene in the Blissey House after his accident and he seemed to be doing well enough now. She had a few things she wanted to pick up in town before they shipped off, but otherwise her duties were pretty light.
Her ears perked as someone called her name and she turned to see some familiar faces. "Oh! Chewy! Hi!" she waved. How nice running into friends! She made her way over to them. "I didn't-I didn't think I'd see you two again before we left. How is-how is everything?"
Chewy hugged Frannie hard almost tackling her to the ground. As she squeezed she exclaimed gleefully, "Chewy and Lee are gonna be like Frannie!"
"That's right," Lee cut in. He couldn't help letting the corner of his mouth slip up into a smile, Chewy was so excited that Frannie was actually here. What luck, he thought. "Got all our paperwork right here." He wiggled the thick packet of documents in the air for Frannie to see.
Chewy finally released Frannie and stepped back beaming from ear to ear. "That means we get to be best friends forever!"
Frannie struggled to keep on her feet as Chewy hugged her tight. Friends? She blushed from the attention. She still wasn't used to people actually wanting to spend time with her and she immediately became bashful.
"Oh! That's wonderful! Welcome to the guild, both of you," she said happily. "Does this-does this mean you'll be coming with us when he return to Ethovalon? Or-or will you be joining us later?"
"We'll be going where ever the money is-" "Chewy and Lee go with Frannie-" -they said at the same time. Lee chuckled as Chewy gave him a somewhat hostile look. It was actually kind of funny to see her try to twist her face in that way.
"Well I suppose," Lee said turning to Chewy. "Since Frannie is in the guild too, that she will be where ever we end up. Lucky for you. I assume that is, that you" looking back at Frannie," also go where ever the money is?" Chewy looked at Frannie with baby doll eyes.
Frannie looked between Lee and Chewy as they spoke, feeling a bit unease that she seemed to be the center of their little dispute. Her ears pressed against her hair nervously.
"Well uh, I mean... we-we make money just fine," she said. "But uh, it's-it's not like... well, our branch isn't exactly known for it, you know? Like, bounty hunters go after um-go after big bad guys with a lot of money for rewards. And wayfarers go out and-and find treasure and artifacts and stuff. Rescuers just uh, help people," she finished with a shrug, worried that this wasn't really the answer they wanted.
Lee looked down at his paperwork again still wondering if he made the right decision. "You're a rescuer right?" He asked Frannie. "Just 'cause, well," he paused. "We were gonna do the catching bad guys thing."
"Lee saved Chewy from bad guys a long time ago," Chewy said. She remembered well how Lee had sent the Leafeon boys running, tails between their legs. Thinking about it now, Lee wondered if that was more of a rescuer thing or a bounty hunter thing. He hadn't actually caught any bad guys, just put some bullies in their place.
"Now that I think about it," Lee started. "I'm not actually positive which branch to join. I've been going back and forth a lot... For Chewy's sake, I want to choose the best position possible. Do you have any input before we make this final?" He asked Frannie.
"Oh uh, yeah. That's right, we are a part of the uh-the rescuer's branch," she nodded. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern as she looked from Lee to Chewy.
"Well I uh-I don't really know what you're looking for. I mean-I mean everyone has their own reasons for wanting to become a bounty hunter or a rescuer or-or whatever," she said. The way he talked about it confused her a little bit. It sounded like he was making the decision all on this own, but wouldn't Lee and Chewy be leading together?
"Have you uh-have you asked Chewy which branch she would like?" she asked, then turned to Chewy. "What branch did you want to join?"
Chewy thought silently for a few moments looking up at the ceiling. Lee hadn't asked her, but she hadn't thought about it either. Did she even care to have her own choice? Chewy had always followed Lee loyally ever since they'd found each other. Lee was like her big brother now, wasn't he supposed to make all the decisions? "Lee is smart. Chewy trust Lee always."
Lee scratched his head awkwardly and shrugged at Frannie. "If we join the Bounty Hunters-" Lee started. "-we might not see you to often would we?" Lee glanced down to see Chewy's reaction. Chewy gasped at the thought. "But if we were to join the rescuers-" Lee began again. "-we would see each other quite often eh?" Upon glancing down again Chewy looked quite hopeful now.
Lee went to a nearby table and scribbled something onto his papers. Walking back to the girls he announced "That settles it then. We're going to be rescuers." Chewy 'yippeed' with joy and jumped into a full on body hug. She dangled from Lee's neck, toes not quite able to touch the ground until Lee finally returned her embrace. He was embarrassed to be seen showing this much empathy.
"Alright alright." He said pushing Chewy down by the top of her head. "Let me turn this stuff in then we can celebrate or something."
Frannie watched Chewy and Lee as they considered their options, but started to become a bit nervous as Lee explained his reasoning.
"Well um, well a-actually," she stammered, trying to explain as she watched him fill out the paperwork. "Uh, we don't always work with other rescuers. You see um, each branch has specific jobs that are assigned to them, but-but if you're interested in other work you are welcome to work together with teams in other branches."
"So um, like..." she started, looking elsewhere as she tried to think of an example. "Like Rescuers usually rescue people, and we don't do a lot of exploring. But Gene really likes exploring, so he will go to a Wayfarer team and ask to join them on their missions sometimes. But like, if you-if you just have a Rescue mission to do there isn't really... you can go on rescue missions with your own team, you know? Not that-not that you can't still go with other teams or anything, it's just that..."
Frannie sighed, trying to steady her thoughts. "You should pick which team you want because you want it," she said. "It's-it's a big commitment to make." She wondered sometimes if Gene would have been happier as a Wayfarer, she did not want other people choosing their branch unwisely because of her.
Lee stopped again on his way to the counter. He hadn't known that one could join another team on assignments, but did it really matter? Though the thought of catching bad guys really excited Lee, he knew it would be dangerous for Chewy. In truth he was glad they had run into Frannie here because that had ultimately made him change his mind last second. Chewy would definitely be safer, and happier as a rescuer. Then maybe he'd be able to tag along with some other bounty hunters on his off days.
"I'm sure this is the right decision," He said. And for the first time, he actually meant it.
"Well uh, as long as you're sure," Frannie said. "In that case, congratulations on joining the guild. Why-why don't we go grab lunch to celebrate? My treat," she offered with a cheerful smile. When she had first joined the guild already established teams were nice enough to include her on similar outings. And it would give her a chance to talk with them more about their plans.
"Yayee!" Chewy exclaimed. She was excited to learn more about her new best friend. And Lee would do whatever made her happy even if it made him uncomfortable at times, but he wasn't sure he wanted to except Frannie's generosity just like that.
"You don't have to, we can afford our own food." Weather it was true or not, probably not, he didn't like looking weak in front of anybody. Was accepting a kind gesture showing weakness? It had been so long since they had been in a proper society, Lee wasn't even sure how to act. He'd always put on a tough facade ever since he'd lost her, but was it for show or purely for himself? Obviously he'd need to make more of an effort not to be cruel to everyone he met from now on, especially since it seemed he would be meeting a lot of new people in the near future.
"I mean, thank you, but only if you insist," he tried again. Even Chewy didn't know how hard it was for him. Being nice to her came naturally. Maybe it sparked from a sort of 'damsel-in-distress' sort of thing. "So where are we going?" Lee asked Frannie.
"No, no! I insist!" Frannie said determined, her fists clenched tightly in her excitement. Finally she got to be the experienced leader and treat the newcomers and welcome them to the guild!
"Um, there was-there was a restaurant I heard some of the locals talking about. I guess you-you have a little grill built into your table, and you get a big variety of foods you can cook together. Or uh-or if you'd like something else there's a noodle place over that way," she said, pointing down the street. "Do uh, do either of those sound good to you? I'm sorry, I don't-I don't know what you like."
Lee was taken aback. Everything Frannie was describing sounded heavenly to him. All he and Chewy had been eating for nearly 6 months had been whatever game he could catch and cook, or whatever fruits and berries she could find. Lee always tried to avoid people so going to anything fancy like a restaurant had been completely out of the question up until this point.
"Uh, I'm not really sure either," he said scratching his head. Even from his time before meeting Chewy, not that he liked to think about it, he hadn't ever been anywhere extravagant. Chewy didn't have much to say on the matter, she was just excited to be with friends. "Dealer's choice?" he offered to Frannie.
"Uh..." Frannie paused. She was not all that great with making decisions, but she tried to think which place Lee and Chewy might like most based on the very little she knew of them. If they were used to living out in the wilds she suspected the grill restaurant might make them feel more comfortable. Probably it would be much the same as them cooking their own food over a campfire, right?
"Uh, does the grill place sound good to you two?" she asked anyway, just to be sure she hadn't picked wrong. "It's uh-it's just down this way. If-if that's good with you two."
Chewy immediately went skipping down the way that Frannie pointed. "Uh, guess that's a yes." Lee responded. Suddenly he felt awkward again. Was he really going to let a woman pay for his meal? How embarassing, he thought. The least he could do was earn it, but she wasn't carrying anything.
Lee felt frustrated. It had been a long long time since he'd had to act all proper in public. And where he came from there weren't many rules to begin with.
Chewy had stopped twenty or so feet ahead of them, turning to see if they were following. Lee cleared his throat and extended his arm in a 'lead-the-way' motion. "Ahem, shall we?" What was that? Lee rolled his eyes at himself feeling stupid.
"Oh! Uh, yes, of course," Frannie said, flustered as she showed them the way to the restaurant. "I uh, I haven't been there before so I-I hope you both like it. I'm sorry if it-if it's not to your liking," she apologized for something that hadn't even happened yet. Oh gosh, what if it wasn't a good restaurant at all? What if they served food Lee and Chewy didn't like?
Fortunately the restaurant in question was not all that far, giving Frannie minimal time to get in her own head about the outing. Inside there were several tables set close to the ground, surrounded by pillows for people to sit on. A few tables were occupied and other guests could be seen cooking meats and veggies over their personal grills. Frannie was so engrossed watching them that she almost did not notice as a hostess came to seat them.
"Hello there, welcome to Cindagrill. How many?" she asked, grabbing some menus.
"Um-um, three," Frannie said timidly.
But the hostess just nodded with a smile and escorted them to an available table. "Have you dined with us before?" she asked.
"First timers," Lee responded quickly. They followed the woman to their table. Chewy grabbed Frannie by the wrist and pulled her down onto the cushion beside her.
"Frannie, sit here with Chewy!" she said gleefully. Lee took the two cushions opposite them, stacked them, and sat centered across from the ladies. The hostess left and a server took her place and began listing all the day's specials, after which he began explaining how the grill worked.
This Spheal's spiel went on nearly five minutes and every second that passed Lee got slightly more aggravated. He tapped his finger vigorously on the table to prevent an out burst. "We got it," he said when their server was finished, nearly clipping off his last word with impatience. The server stepped away after muttering something about fetching them waters.
Chewy had not noticed the exchange at all, she was fiddling quietly with one of Frannie's curls. "So," Lee let out a big sigh and looked up at Frannie. "Here we are."
Frannie listened intently as the server listed off various options for them. She really appreciated this as she still struggled with reading and having someone essentially read the menu allowed was one less thing to worry about.
Her ears twitched and she glanced over to Lee to see he was drumming his fingers on the table, looking rather frustrated. Oh gosh, was this not a good place? Had she chosen wrong? Her ears pressed close to her head timidly, shrinking into her seat as Lee cut off the server before they left to fetch water.
"Oh, um, yes," she mumbled quietly. "I mean if, if you don't like it here we-we can go somewhere else."
Lee was confused, he did like it here. Why was she always so unsure of herself, he wondered. He had to admit as annoying as the Spheal was, he was growing excited for whatever this meal had in store. "No, this is great," he said. "I just thought he was never going to shut up, eheh." He forced a chuckle and looked away awkwardly.
"Oh, uh, okay," she said timidly, looking away. She thought the Spheal man was very nice to tell them all the options, but she hated to be an annoyance to the very same people she was treating to lunch.
There was a sheet of paper on the table with a pencil sitting on top. Frannie glanced at it, noting that she knew several of the words on the sheet from grocery shopping but there were still many she wasn't familiar with. There were little check boxes on the paper, likely for them to select what ingredients they wanted brought to their table.
"Um, do you um... is there-is there anything you want?" she asked, pushing the list towards Lee. "I don't uh... I don't read very well," she confessed.
"Everything!" Chewy cried out, throwing her hands in the air. Lee looked from Frannie to Chewy then back to Frannie again raising an eyebrow. He didn't doubt they could finish at least one of everything off the menu between the three of them, but then again he wasn't the one paying.
"I definitely wouldn't mind trying all these different meats," Lee said licking his lips. Careful, he thought, your inner feline is showing. "What do you think?" he asked. "There's quite an assortment of meats and veggies," he added remembering what she'd just said about not reading. "Eggs, noodles, assorted sea foods?" He started listing everything off to her.
"Oh, well uh, if-if you're sure that's what you want," Frannie said in response to Chewy's outburst. She thought it was a lot to eat herself, but maybe that's how much Chewy and Lee usually ate.
Her ears perked as Lee asked what she wanted. "Oh, uh, I like noodles. And-and carrots and broccoli are nice," she said. They always had eggs around in case Ari visited so she had become rather sick of them, and she'd never really been partial to seafood.
Perhaps 'everything' would be a lot to eat for just the three of them. Lee marked off the boxes for noodles, carrots, and broccoli as Frannie listed them off. "That's it?" he asked. There was so much here to choose from. Booooring, he thought and added tallies next to all of the meat options along with eggs.
Chewy reached out her hand for the pen which Lee handed her hesitantly. He wasn't sure she could read either. Chewy took the pen and pulled the page towards her and started doodling a smiling cat. She was using two of the check boxes for eyes, but Lee couldn't see what they were. He was sure they would like it in any case.
The server returned placing three waters on the table and taking the order sheet. "All set?" he asked.
Frannie's ears jumped as Lee asked her if that was all she wanted before pressing back to her hair. "Oh, uh, yes? Those um, those are my favorites," she said. She wasn't used to having meat very often as it was more expensive. It was nice and all, but she just felt it wasn't worth the money. Carrots were sweet and crunchy, and noodles had a great shelf life so they were easy to come by. She wasn't that interested in trying anything new and wanted something comforting.
She turned abruptly as the server approached. "Oh! Yes, uh, I-I think so," she said as he turned to go. Now it was just the three of them and no distractions, which was terrifying. She held her water glass close.
"Um, have-have you looked into where you're going to live?" she asked, not sure what to talk about. "When-when you start working for the guild?"
Lee hadn't considered this at all, but he wasn't going to admit he was unprepared, so he shrugged casually. Shouldn't the guild pay for my living arrangements if we're going to work for them? Or at least there should be some sort of guild hall where the new members could stay until they'd earned a little money on the job. He thought silently.
"Chewy live with Frannie!" Chewy erupted again. Her water tumbled from the disturbance. It spilled mostly on the table. She bent forward and began slurping the spill right off the edge of the table. "Wet." she giggled. Chewy didn't appear to be bothered at all my her now damp dress.
Lee didn't know how to react, he had been embarrassed by Chewy's suggestion to be sure but this new ruckus she was causing had him looking quite flustered. Slowly he looked at Frannie to see how she'd react.
"O-Oh, well um, I'm sorry Chewy but we-we don't really--Oh!," Frannie started to explain as Chewy's water spilled all over the table. She grabbed some of the nearby napkins, trying to mop up the spill.
"Um, did you-did you want to dry off?" she asked handing out a few napkins to her for her dress.
"Hm?" she looked down at herself and realized how wet she was. "Chewy likes water," she said as if there was nothing wrong.
Lee sighed, "Go dry off in the ladies room Chewy, you're not a Vaporeon."
"H-Here Chewy, what if-what if I go with you?" Frannie offered, getting up from her seat. She didn't know where the bathroom was or anything, but from the little she had interacted with Chewy previously she wasn't sure the Eevee would be able to manage on her own. In many ways she reminded Frannie of a child. Was this how pokemon that were raised as ferals acted?
"No," Lee said rather hastily. He instinctively reached for Frannie's hand. Upon catching it he found he was suddenly at a loss for words. Instead he found himself sitting there frozen and slack jawed as he stared up at her. They were so alike he thought. Her face came to his mind as he continued to stare.
Lee's heart pounded rapidly in his chest. What was happening? Lee had built a wall a long time ago to keep these thoughts away, but for some reason Frannie kept reminding him of her. Feeling the warmth of her hand still in his brought him back. He shook his head violently and stated, "Uh, Chewy go on, you'll be fine."
Chewy, being Chewy, did not notice Lee's strange behavior and simply razz berried her lips at him and skipped away towards the hostess. Lee urged Frannie to sit again by gently tugging her hand downward. He hadn't noticed how hard he was grasping it until now. Lee loosened his grip, but did not let go.
Frannie yelped, startled as Lee grabbed her hand, preventing her from going anywhere. Her ears pressed tightly to her head in response to Lee's tight grip and she was reminded suddenly that she didn't really know these people at all.
Her eyes darted to Chewy when he said to go without her. Was that-was that wrong of Frannie to offer? Had she been rude?
Her heart pounded with fear, suddenly not wanting to be left alone as she watched Chewy leave. She anxiously looked around for any waiters walking past but none looked her way, though some guests at other tables were giving them weird looked. She sat down as Lee pulled her back to her seat, staring at where their hands sat on the table, trembling.
"C-c-could-could I have my hand back?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Frannie's voice wakened Lee from his trance. He glanced at their hands and let go at once. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to..." his voice trailed off. "I don't know what came over me," He said slowly.
Then realizing Chewy's absence he looked around concerned. Chewy was being escorted by the hostess toward the back corner of the restaurant where he could barely make out a sign that read 'Restrooms.' He sighed in relief as he turned back towards Frannie. But hadn't I been the one to send her away? Lee was frustrated. He didn't remember saying the words, but it had only been the moment before.
"What are you doing to me?" he muttered under his breath. Lee grabbed the napkin that had been used to clean up most of Chewy's spilled water and blotted it around his face trying to cool off. "I'm really sorry," He said again as his breathing returned to normal.
Frannie quickly pulled her hands back, hiding them under the table. Her ears twitched as she heard him mutter to himself but then quickly pressed flat against her hair. "It's-it's fine, I'm sorry, I didn't-didn't mean to..." she trailed off, not really sure what she was apologizing for or what to say. But clearly she had done something to upset him.
Their server returned then, setting down several bowls of raw ingredients for them. Frannie hesitantly looked up and glanced at the selection. She noted the vegetables she asked for along with a variety of meat and some other things she didn't recognize. She didn't move to grab anything though, clutching her dress tightly under the table.
Lee waited til he could catch Frannie's gaze. When she finally made eye contact, he said as calmly as possible, slow and clear; "You did nothing wrong... C'mon, let's enjoy the food," he said with a bit more pep in his voice. Their server had turned a knob on the edge of the table and he could feel the grill begin to give off heat. He grabbed one of the bowls of raw meat and threw it straight onto the hot surface. Immediately the food began to sizzle and the smell was incredible. Forgetting all about his episode a moment ago Lee found himself feeling excited again. "So. What's your favorite part about being a rescuer?"
It took a long time before Frannie eventually hesitantly glanced up at his face and she jumped when their eyes met. But how calm he sounded helped her and she began to relax, her tense ears perking up slightly and resting in their usual position above her head.
She watched as the server lit the grill and Lee started cooking. She grabbed a bowl as well, adding a few carrots to the grill but taking care to keep what she cooked away from his food in case he wasn't interested.
"Oh! Well I-I just really like helping people," she said with a bashful shrug. "I um... the place I used to live wasn't very nice, and-and there were a lot of people that needed help very badly but I... there wasn't-wasn't really anything I could do. But now I can! Now-now we go out and save people all the time and it's just... it's really nice. I like making them happy," she said, not really sure if she was getting her point across effectively. "What-what about you? Is there-do you think you'll enjoy being a rescuer?"
Lee took a minute to consider, "I think I'll like feeling as if I have a purpose again." He said the words softly, but not so quiet that she wouldn't hear. "It's been a long time..." his words drifted off.
Just then Chewy plopped down rather ungracefuly. "Long time? Chewy was only gone a minute," she said blushing. "Don't worry, Chewy missed you too!" Then she gasped as if only just realizing the food cooking in front of her. She grabbed a squirty bottle filled with a mysterious red liquid and began squirting it all over the grill, not taking care to avoid the food alrwady cooking.
Lee quickly grabbed the bottle from her and scooped some food onto her plate instead. He gave the bottle a whif and cringed. "Well Chewy, I hope you enjoy your food spicy." He laughed as he placed more raw ingredients onto the grill, making sure to avoid the sizzling sauce.
Frannie's ears perked with intrigue. A long time since what? Had something happened? But she was quickly distracted by Chewy returning.
"Oh! Chewy, hi," she said, somewhat startled. "You-you look much better. I mean-I mean drier. Were you-were you able to find the bathroom okay?" she asked, watching as Chewy added some sauce to the grill and some splashed onto her veggies. Well that was fine, she'd get to try something new. Maybe it was a sweet sauce.
She scooped some of the veggies off the grill as they cooked much faster than the meats, popping one in her mouth just as Lee commented on the spicy smell. She immediately regretted it, her tongue burning from the heat. She wanted to spit it out, but that would be rude! Instead she kept her mouth firmly clamped shut, her eyes watering from the sting as she forced herself to swallow. Her throat tingled and her face was red.
"Y-y-yep, spicy," she laughed awkwardly.
Lee noticed as Frannie's face started to turn pink, or pinker than normal, and knew right away that she had gotten some of the sauce. He motioned towards her water as if saying 'go ahead' then sipped his own to keep from laughing.
Chewy however did not notice Frannie's slight changes and shoveled a huge bite into her mouth. Not two seconds passed before she was squeeling from the heat. She reached frantically for her water only to find the glass still empty from the earlier spill.
This time Lee could barely contain his laughter and almost spit his own water out in reaction to the two flustered women. "How's the food?" he asked trying not to let his amusement show. He scooped up the food from the safe corner of the grill and took a big bite. "Mmm, tasty!"
Frannie breathed through her open mouth in an effort to stop the burning. As Chewy grabbed her empty glass Frannie quickly slid her water over to the poor Eevee.
"Here you-you can have mine," she said. Sure the spice was hot but it looked like Chewy had eaten more of it than she had. She needed the relief more.
Chewy reached for the water and in her mad frenzy somehow managed to spill Frannie's cup as well. Lee, still holding his own water, face-palmed at Chewy's clumsiness. Before he could hand her the third cup she was galloping off to the bathroom again. He imagined her with her face directly under the running tap and chuckled some more before offering his glass to Frannie. He could tell she was trying to hide her reaction to the spice. "You okay there?"
"Um, be careful so you don't-oh-oh-um-that's-that's okay we can uh..." Frannie tried to help as Chewy ran off to the bathroom again. At least she seemed to know the way this time.
Her ears perked as Lee spoke and she turned quickly to face him. "Oh, yeah! Yeah I'm just fine!" she reassured hastily, though her face was still very red and eyes watery.
"I just um-I just remembered I like raw veg-vegetables anyway," she said, grabbing the bowl of carrots and just eating them plain.
"I thought the point of coming here was to cook the food? I'm sure we can scrape some of this off." Lee picked up a knife and started to pick at the now crisp sauce that had burnt onto the grill. The black crispy flakes began to come loose and Lee blew them away. He started adding the third bowl of meat to the grill, the food here is delicious he thought.
Lee watched Frannie as she ate the carrots without looking up or saying anything. Just like her he thought again, and began choking on his mouthful of meat.
"Oh?" Frannie mumbled, watching as Lee cleaned off the grill. "Thank-thank you. Not-not that the sauce wasn't-I mean um-nevermind."
She started adding some of her vegetables to the grill again. "Um, would you like some?" she asked, holding out the bowls to him. "I didn't mean to hog them all."
Lee was bracing himself now with both hands on either corner of the table. He shook his head and tried clearing his throat.
"Oh!" Frannie gasped, not realizing Lee had something stuck in his throat. "Uh-uh!" she looked around desperately, not sure what to do. Lee's water--the only of their waters that was not spilled--sat in front of them and she handed it to him.
"Uh, do you need water?" she asked.
Lee grunted once more clearing his throat. "Wrong pipe," he creaked and took the water from Frannie. He flinched as their fingers brushed, stop doing that! Lee gulped the water down emptying the glass completely then drew in a deep breath, "Are you aware?"
Frannie's eyebrows scrunched together, not sure at all what Lee was talking about. "A-aware or what?"
"It's nothing," Lee harrumphed. He quieted his voice again and gazed out the window, "You remind me of someone," he said with a distant look in his eyes.
"O-oh?" Frannie asked, glancing out the window as well but seeing nothing of note. "Um... wh-what kind of someone?"
Lee found himself subconsciously toying with his earring, her ring. He turned back toward Frannie and paused. He hadn't meant for her to hear him, but her hearing was much better than he realized. Big ears. It was out there now in any case. Lee thought for a moment, perhaps he should tell her. On one hand telling her couldn't really make things more awkward than he had already made them himself. On the other hand, he hadn't spoken about it to a single person. Ever.
"Someone... I lost..."
"Oh..." Frannie breathed, her heart sinking. "I'm so sorry. Is that um... I'm sorry if-I uh..." she stuttered, not sure what to say. "Is there anything I can do?"
Lee had to bite his tongue before he spat some smart ass remark back in Frannie's face. It wasn't her fault he reminded himself. Lee was almost surprised at his own restraint. Frannie seemed to have a calming aura about her despite her obvious timidness. "It's difficult to say-" he tried again.
"Oh w-well I mean uh... w-we don't have to talk about it. Unless unless you want to! Of course..." she stammered, not sure how best to handle the situation. She wondered for a moment if maybe Lee had been one of the people to call on her to eat the sins of this person he lost. Could that be why he found her familiar? She certainly wasnt in any hurry to bring up such topics herself.
"Spicy!" Chewy interjected joining them at the table once again. Lee noted how Chewy's pig tails were drooping from the weight of much water. She had done exactly as he'd imagined and dunked her entire head under the faucet.
Frannie jumped as Chewy sat down beside her, having been so wrapped up in how to address the topic with Lee that she hadn't been paying attention to much else.
"Oh, Chewy. Did you-oh!" Frannie gasped, not expecting to see Chewy return even more wet than before. "Uh, would you-would you like a napkin?" she asked, though probably a towel would be better.
Chewy shook like a yamper and cackled with glee as her drops sprinkled out around them, the few that landed on the grill hissed as they evaporated. "Food?" she asked.
Lee sighed as he made a plate for her. That was as close as he'd ever come to talking about her. he felt comfortable around Frannie, something he didn't feel with Chewy, at least not the same type of comfort. Maybe he could open up, one day. "Here you go Chewy, no spice this time," Lee said handing her a plate of assorted meats.
Frannie shut her eyes as the water sprinkled against her face, but she just laughed and rubbed it away. She started stirring some vegetables around on the grill.
"Have-have the two of you decided what your team name will be?" she asked.
"Uh, hadn't really thought about it," Lee said. "You Chewy?" he asked. She shook her head cheeks full of food like a Skwovet. "Fwahnee coos po Cooey," she managed to get out.
"Oh uh... choose for you?" Frannie asked hesitantly. "I uh, I don't know. Maybe think about-about why you want to start a rescue team? That's um-that's how I came up with our name," she mumbled.
"Chewy wants to be tough like Lee," she said without hesitation. Chewy had always admired Lee ever since they met, there was never a day she didn't want to be like him. Lee thought the sincerity of Chewy's notion was genuine, but couldn't help laughing at the thought of a 'tough' Chewy.
Had she been sitting any closer Lee would have tousled Chewy's hair as he teased, "You, tough? Chewy you're nothing but a soft little nugget."
Chewy made a face of disbelief. She puffed her chest out and proclaimed, "Chewy will be a tough nugget!"
Frannie watched the exchange between the too of them, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggles.
"Will that um... will that be your name then?" she asked. "Tough Nuggets?"
Lee joined in the giggle party with Frannie as Chewy continued to stare at them with as serious of a look as her cute little face was capable of making. "Yes. Chewy and Lee with be Tough Nuggets together and save all the soft nuggets."
Lee burst into a roar, she was too cute to say no to. "Alright Chewy, Tough Nuggets it is."
Frannie giggled again. "Well that-that was easy I guess," she said, taking a bite of the cooked vegetables.
The waiter came around to their table then, filling their empty water glasses. "Is there anything I can get for you all?"
Frannie looked around the table, noting that they had eaten a good portion of the food. "Oh um, did-did you guys want anything else?" she asked Lee and Chewy.
Lee tried to calm himself so that he could survey the amount of food they had left. Sure he could probably keep eating for a while, but he could be content with what they had left. "We're fine," he said tersely. He poured the last bowl of meat onto the grill and a wave of realization hit him.
That was the first time Lee had truly laughed in over three years. He felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his chest. Sure Chewy was amusing from time to time, but having someone to share in the amusement had made all the difference. As he distributed the last of the food between his and Chewy's plates he noted the smile that had settled on his own face.
His eyes met Frannie's and he knew in that moment, things were going to get better.
"Oh, well then uh, I guess-I guess we're ready to pay then," Frannie said to the waiter who simply nodded and went to retrieve their bill. Frannie looked back at Lee and Chewy. Or well, now the leaders of Team Tough Nuggets and couldn't help smiling. She was so happy for them! The first steps on their new life, new adventure! It was not so long ago that she had gone through the same change, and to think she could help set others on their path as well...
"I... I'm really happy for you both," she said quietly, looking away. "I hope you like working with the guild."
"I think we will," Lee said getting up from the table. He offered Frannie his hand to help her up as well. Meanwhile Chewy clambered out the other side.
Frannie's ears perked as she saw Lee hold out his hand to her. Instinctively she reached to take it, but then she caught herself. No, it was better if she didn't. She was cursed after all. Wasn't it just a few short weeks ago that Ari had been hurt because of her terrible luck? Perhaps that was why so many unfortunate events befell Chewy today too. How dumb was Frannie to forget so easily?
Frannie's ears pressed against her head as they offend did whens she was afraid. "Um, it-it was nice running in to you today. I... good luck with the new team," she said, clearly trying to force a smile as she pushed herself up from her seat.
Lee was surprised again when he felt his heart sink as he was declined the smallest touch. He had offered is hand as a kind gesture, or at least he thought he had. Was his brain, (or his heart), trying to tell him something?
"Chewy happy too! Tough Nuggets gonna be the best!" she exclaimed skipping away toward the exit.
"Frannie I-" Lee hesitated, not even sure what he wanted to say. All he knew was that he didn't want their time together to be over. He reached for her hand anyway as she turned to follow Chewy. Gently this time, he pulled her toward him, though still keeping a proper distance between them. "Can I see you again?"
The waiter returned with their bill and Frannie left a small bag of poke on the table. As they got up to leave she was surprised when Lee grabbed her hand.
"I-I um, uh..." she stuttered at first, not sure what to say. "Of-of course. I mean-I mean we are going to be working together now, right?"
"I don't mean with work. I mean, of course with work, but what I meant was-" Lee struggled to find the words. He didn't want to scare her off. "I want to be friends, not just co-workers or whatever. I- There are things I want to tell you..." he settled on. He looked down embarrassed and focused on her hand resting in his.
"O-oh?" Frannie stammered, glancing in the direction Chewy had gone. "Wh-why me?" she asked, afraid that perhaps she had been right and Lee did know her somehow from her old line of work.
"It's just that today... Earlier... I was going to tell you something, and I've never been able to say it out loud before. Not even to Chewy, so..." He risked glancing back up into her eyes worried that he might be freaking her out. Lee was taking long pauses between his words, carefully selecting each one "I think telling someone... Telling you... It would make me... Feel better... Happy." As he said this he grabbed her other hand with his free one.
"Oh," Frannie said simply, instantly nervous when Lee met her eyes and looked away again. "Um, sure, yeah, of course. If-if it would help." How could she say no to something like that? She couldn't just turn away someone who was hurting.
"I think it would," he said softly with a smile on his face. A moment passed as he gazed into her eyes.
"Leeeeeeeee! Hurry up!" Startled by Chewy's voice, Lee dropped Frannie's hands (regretfully), stepped back and stretched his arms awkwardly up in the air.
He cleared his throat loudly. "Ehem. Well this was really fun, Thank you Frannie."
"Oh uh, yeah! We-welcome to the guild!" she said as she waved goodbye and they headed their separate ways. Truthfully she still... didn't really know what to make of them. But they seemed nice enough. She worried a bit about whatever it was Lee had to share with her, but... that was for another day.