Story: Meanwhile... Wait, where are the bears again?

The Land’s Heart’s archive and subsequent caches were upkept by Matteo and Matteo only. Koji, try as he might, couldn’t understand nor follow the mouse’s sorting system, and his friend, Matu, had no interest in even trying. Nalini couldn’t stay awake enough to help, so Matteo had stopped bothering to ask her long ago. Despite this, Matteo found he didn’t particularly mind on most days though; so long as everything was organized in a way that he - and everyone else, to a lesser extent - could find what they were looking for, he was content.
That’s why all of the present members of the guild watched him with astonished and dull looks as he tore apart the caches.
Osmund himself had been surprised and unnerved at his behavior at first, and it had taken Matteo several mutterings of “Yes, I’m quite fine,” for the knight to leave the mouse to his work in preparing for their trip. The Chesnaught had thus found himself sitting at one of the work desks that was entirely too small for a ‘mon of size, absentmindedly flipping through a tome, and occasionally shifting his gaze back to the storeroom Matteo ravaged whenever the mouse threw something behind him in his haste.
He leafed through the book with the speed of someone who could not care less when he heard the large, heavy door to the caches open. He tossed a lazy glance over his shoulder at the new arrival, and then scowled when they entered the room proper, followed by their favorite dog.
: Last I recall, you said you were leaving - what happened?
: Th’ bears happ’ned, t’ey took up th’ brunt o’ my ch’res for me.
: (snorts) You trusted them with your ‘business’? That’s laughable at best. 
: Despite execution - and overall general disposition - the bears never fail to succeed at a task they set their aim to, though not many would consider the loss of sanity to be a fit price to pay for their services. 
The sound of items clattering to the ground comes from one of the storerooms, followed by words muttered far too fast to make out. Matteo exits, dragging a large sack filled to the point of bursting behind him; he stops and blinks, surprised to see Bál and Cecil in the room.
: ... how long was I in there? 
: Bett’r not ‘ll be books in t’ere. 
: I assure you, I've packed only what I need. 
: What about what I need?
: ...right. (turns around) I’ll just need another moment-
: Wait. 
: But the librar-
: Has been buried f’r who knows how lon’, an’ can wait a little lon’er for you! We need t’ d’scuss somet’hin - ‘ll of us. 
: (cocks a brow) Me as well?
: Unfortunately, bec’use your pre’ence continues t’ be th’ wors’ t’ing abou’ t’is ‘lready pisspot of a city, but necessary ‘ll th’ same. 
: In the interest of not starting a fight, and letting me get back to work sooner, let’s waste no time then. 
Bál grunts in approval, but does take the opportunity to place both of his hands on the desk Osmund was sitting at to lean against it in such a way that the book he had been reading slipped off. The Chesnaught lets out a low growl, but nods. Bál is quiet for a moment, tapping one claw against the surface of the wood, before he continues.
: We need t’ ta’k abo’t Tara, t’is is gettin’ o’t of hand.
Cecil’s ears perk up and Matteo’s features turn downcast; Osmund places his elbow on the desk, leaning heavily on it to upset Bál’s balance, and rests his cheek on his fist.
: And what you mean by that is?
: I know you love your nobl’ knigh’ t’ing more t’an you do common sense, but e’en you can’t feign ignorance here - you saw her durin’ th’ meetin’s. 
: I did indeed, but my question still follows-
: -what do you mean by that? You’re not planning anything-
: No, but she damn well migh’ be! 
Flames crackle on the Typhlosion's back, and Osmund’s eyes narrow even as thorns start to sprout out of his arms. Cecil places a paw on the badger’s shoulder, while Matteo taps the Chesnaught’s leg a few times, and both ‘mons force themselves to regain a sense of a cool - though all parties can feel the tension in the room.
: As you said, I am a knight and I value that greatly - as do I the virtues I uphold, a concept I doubt you fully comprehend. Among those virtues is loyalty, and I am not going to sit idly as you conspire against a lord of the realm. 
: A fanciful t’ing t’at, loyalty, but tell me: if you h’d t’ put a word t’ how you feel abou’ th’ queen af’er ‘xperiencin’ her wors’ an’ actions, t’at word would be…?
Osmund is silent, glowering at Bál with an unshaking gaze. He holds it unblinkingly for a moment, then he sighs and dips his head.
: It would be… doubtful. 
: I wish to have faith in the high lord and lady of Aether… but the queen is either mad, tickle-brained, or… planning a coup against the king. 
: (hums) Glad you’re willin’ th’ see sense. 
: I believe all of my time in the north has left me unaware of some vital news?
: The long and short of it is that Tara is either an absolute blind fool in love, or the most deviously shrewd political mastermind in Avalon’s current day. 
: Hmm. Either option would see Aether fall into complete ruin, as I see it. 
: T’at’s how anyone wit’ sense sees it. 
: And an Aether in ruin would only make Ness’ dreams of conquest all the simpler - his seclusion from Ulster’s political climate was short-lived at best, and entirely non-existent if one were to look closely enough. 
: (growls) More spying? 
: Admittedly, yes, but we could have come to the same conclusion without their use, albeit in more time. The Ulsterish are starting to move south, and they’re all bringing stories of poisonings, sacking, and general political unrest in the area. 
: All of which leads me to believe that Ness is still doing what he loves best, he’s just doing it from the shadows now, hoping to avoid another attempt at his life. It’s possible that Tara is apart of some grander scheme of his capture the realm - whether she knows it or not. 
: (snorts) Let’s not take th’ queen’s actions away fr’m her: she spen’ e’ery moment she could durin’ our talks tryin’ t’ keep us fr’m Alaric - tryin’ t’ keep us fr’m his knowledge - f’r w’at? Love? No one is t’at thick, but many liars are t’at desp’rate t’ keep t’emselves fr’m gettin’ caught. 
The three other ‘mons mutter their agreement, begrudgingly in Osmund’s case, and a heavy silence settles among them. Matteo’s ears and tail twitch.
: We cannot delay this trip to the library.
: I don’ plan on doin’ so. 
: You can’t possibly mean to leave this alone?
: I’ve been forced t’ f’r a lon’ time now, but I assure you I don’t wan’ t’. Th’ queen is ‘lready weary of me, I can’t jus’ start sendin’ spies int’ th’ court - an’ t’ey certainly won’t take any of my sugges’ions f’r advisors. 
: Perhaps we start outside of the court then - try to track down Ness, see if we can learn anything from him. I could go.
: I’d rat’er you we’t t’ th’ library - Alaric’s goin’ t’ cause probl’ms no matt’r w’at we do, so ha’in you t’ere to clean up would be best. 
: Very well, but who else would you send to Ulster?
: Don’t know yet, but we h’ve options - Garnier, maybe. I wan’ed t’ vis’t him anyway. 
: Could we not send a ‘mon of reputable standing there instead? Your plots are hard enough to keep track of as is, adding another doesn’t help. 
: If you wan’ t’ feel involved, feel free t’ send your own ‘mon t’ Lavingaux an’ h’ve em’ work wit’ Garnier directly. He’ll help regardless of who reaches o’t t’ him, he’s hated Ulster fr’m birth, it feels like. 
: Very well, I’ll send Onfroi then. He’ll see to it that everything’s sorted - him family hails from the area as well, so there should be no trouble making arrangements.  
: And what about here? Be her a puppet or a master, Tara’s a threat to Aether with her current actions. 
: (huffs) I know, an’ I can’t do much abou’ it wit’out riskin’ a lot of good mons’ lives. 
: I still h’ve trav’l plans of my own - th’ bears only did two of th’ many t’ings I h’ve t’ g’t done.
 : AND DID A BEARY GOOD JOB!
The four ‘mons start and have enough time to watch the door to the cache fly off of its hinges and crash into the wall… there’s no one at the door though.
: Hi, Bál!! 
: And blue dog!
The bears are lounging on a klinē, each of them only half on the thing and sticking one of their legs into the air so that their paws touch and they form a triangle shape with legs.
: Your letters were bearlivered - delivered by bears!
: With some help from a few non-bears - they did pawsitively average on their quest! We also brought the non-bears back for you to play with, but their next quest is timegated and cannot be accessed for a few days. 
: Great. 
: How they did get in here with that thing?
: First time?
: FURst time. 
: Is that not what I sa-
: Than’s f’r t’at, ‘opefully Bard didn’t cause so much damage t’ Artiphron t’at th’ port is unusable. 
They watch Bál for a moment, and then look at each other. They open and close their mouths rapidly for a few seconds, before they cast one last glance at Bál.
: I think he doesn’t know.
: He is not showing signs of knowing.
: T’en tell me w’at I need t’ know. 
: Arti-party was a mess before I got there - politics are happening!
: Oh no, not politics again. 
: The boots of Arf-parf are angry with the pupper, and the boots are the sea-boiz. 
: Th’ boots… wait…
: Jellylady can’t help you right now, the boots are too angry and stopping ships the only way they know how-
: GIVING THEM THE BOOT!!...
: … right to the bottom of the sea. 
: Wouldn’t go there for anything traveling right now. 
: That was actually very useful and almost well-delivered information. 
 & : We’re only give it out once every 420 dialogue options!
: (rubs hands) Well, glad we learned this now; it’d slow our journey down immensely if we were stopping in Artiphron. We’ll just Aether’s port and give the Artiphronic peninsula a wide berth. 
: Yes, yes, we can continue our trip, that’s splendid - we’re still not doing anything about the potential risk here!
: Hmm. 
: Fritlof, Bard… 
 & : Hmmmmmm, Bál… 
: H’w would you two feel abou’ watchin’ th’ queen f’r a time?
 & & : WHAT? 
: Teddysit the snake queen? Why would we want that?
: She’s soooooOOOOOooooOOOoo boring! 
: Yes, but h’ve you forgotten? I t’ink you’ve forgotten. 
 & : Hm?
: Gaius will be t’ere, an’ unable t’ lea’e.
The bears roar, jumping off their klinē, breaking it down middle so that each of them can grab a part of it, and smash their respective bits of klinē into the wall.
 & : LET’S DO IT!!!
The two then rush out of the room, wooping and cheering as they stomp through the building, the sounds of crashing and screaming letting Matteo know that he’ll have a nice mess to clean up waiting for him after he returns from the library - because no one else in this miserable guild would clean it.
: May I ask why you invited them to watch over the queen? 
: Simple: wit’ t’em a’ound, no one will g’t anyt’in done, th’ queen included. E’en if t’ey don’ learn anyt’in, we a’oid any ploys Tara migh’ h’ve.
: Assuming she is actively-
: Aye, in case we still wan’ t’ pre’end t’ere’s innocence in her actions. (huffs) I h’ve work t’ do - an’ at leas’ two more meetin’s t’ make - so I’ll be off. Be smart on t’is journey. 
: Of course. 
Bál makes his leave, reaching for the door as he goes out of habit but retracting his arm when he realizes it’s still on the other side of the room. The three remaining ‘mons wait until his footsteps have faded before Osmund speaks up.
: Beyond being a faithless and untrustworthy miscreant, what’s his problem?
: Few things frustrate Bál more than having to repeat himself. Once he’s made up his mind, he’s very hard to sway from his own decisions and becomes snappy when others avoid the logic he uses. 
: Much like everything he dislikes about Alaric. 
: Aside from the abysmal decisions. 
: Right, yes. 
: Matteo, how much more time do you need to prepare? 
: I’m ready to go now! I have everything I ne-
: I mean for everyone going, not just your necessities. 
: Ah. Um, a day at most, assuming we don’t need to make arrangements for a ship…
: Which we do now, if we’re leaving from the port. (sighs) I’ll get on that. 
: Thank you. Sir Osmund, would you care to accompany me to the Free Swords’ weapon house? 
: Try to kill me right here and now, you craven mutt. 
:... 
: Wow, okay. 
: I meant to look over supplies for the journey, Bál did tell me that we might end up in the rebel’s territory with King Alaric “what does covert mean” Adonai, but now I don’t really want you there. 
: I’ll get over it - I’ll see you at the port.
: If you go there through the Outskirts to get there, please don’t assault anyone. 
: Anyone who doesn’t look like a criminal, sure. 
 :   : Hiiiiiiii!
: Your Urscort Quest has come to end! 
: We rate you guys as a solid “they did enough”! 
: By accomplishing the necessary steps needed to complete the quest, you are koalified to receive rewards from your Quest Givers!
 : That’s us!! 
: Hold your paws up high and say DA-NA-NA-NAAAA, everyone! 
: We plan to shine lights in your eyes and drop your rewards onto you! Enjoy the l00t!
: And head trauma!
Category:Meanwhiles
Category:Arc 2
Category:Aether
Category:Bears