Mario
At the northern sect of the forest, a thick layer of rough frost coated the foliage, a hue of minty silver blanketing the vicinity. And there, of course, was a machine... Waiting patiently for the others to show up. She didn't own a watch, but the Magearna *Did* Have an internal clock, so, uh... Good enough, I guess? The road ahead should be at least steady if it was a trade route as advertised... Right?
[
David
Anonymous was punctual, as any good sheriff was. She held Sylvia across her chest, stroking her head softly a few times as she arrived on the scene. She was a tad melancholy today, having had a dream about her wife that she sorely missed, the aching pain boring out her heart and leaving a gaping hole that nothing could fill.

But she had a job, and she had a duty that she could never shirk. After all, it was a lot easier to force herself to get out of bed for this than it was to do it normally. As long as she had a duty, she could ignore her pain, that's what she told herself.

So the Cacturne approached Beta, walking up to stand by her side before anyone else arrived, watching the forest for the other approachers.

Casually, she asked, "Sleep okay?"

She didn't know that Beta might not actually sleep.
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Who else would show up except for our ~~least~~favorite altaria~. She was dressed in different atire today, wearing two thick leather messenger bags strapped securely around each wing(curtesy of his butler). When Cerul wasn't lounging around 'peasant territory' or Neone, she did the mail, family run business yadda yadda. Altarias that were fortunate enough to have cloud nine made perfect mail birds! They could truck through virtually any weather, which made Cerul particularly special, at least to the family business...

꧁~ Cerul didn't have any fancy rich people jewlery on, the only defining thing as 'Cerul' would be the same 'holier than thou' gaze she held. 

◈ **"Salutations Beta 0001,"** He bowed, ***"And company..."*** She sneered, giving an 'eugh' look at anonymous.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Maria
February got a little distracted wandering through the frosty parts of the woodland; she's never been so far north before so the pretty frost was quite the novelty! Her arrival was a little bit later than she intended it to be but her worries soon left her mind upon seeing the others up ahead- setting off early meant that she had plenty of time to marvel things like at her own warm breaths in the air.

With her she carried her usual flowering branch in one hand and a tiny basket made of woven grass. Looks like she packed a picnic? Maybe she missed the memo about this being a treacherous and dangerous journey...
Amber
The next to saunter upon the waiting party was a tsunami of dodads and trinkets, all delicately balanced within a miasma of psychic energy. At the center of the storm was a Girafarig clad in kneesocks and a warming saddle. Thick leather pouches hung from that and a quill slathered with ink jotted at canvas.

"So this is Guardia, is it? If it were later, the Royal Riolu would be about the stars, easiest to see at the thick of here. I think," Mumbled the Giraffe. She almost stumbled into Anonymous, stopping just as her vague Cynthia-toting shadow graced her visions.

Before she actually regarded the Cacturne, she fiddled with a golden astrolabe.

"Oh, hello! Did you also take this mission?" Her chippy enthusiasm came like melted ice cream in the best of ways. "I like your shawl!"

And then it was back to work for Cassie, absent-mindedly resumed in her work for the stars she couldn't see in the sky.

"We're here for Beta? I think that was the name on the request?"
David
For the purpose of pacing, Anonymous would observe Cassie arriving before Cerul.

After giving February a passing glance in acknowledgment, Anon's eyes met Cassie's, unable to help but produce a pleased smile to the Girafarig. Truth be told, she didn't get many compliments on her looks nowadays, what with her being middle aged, a widow, and a thoroughly intimidating figure to some. With a bright smile she tipped her hat to the normal type, remarking kindly, "You're lookin' quite dandy yourself, Miss."

"'Fraid so, someones gotta keep an eye out for those in need, s'far as I see it." Suddenly, her smile faded into a frown, glaring at the approaching bird. That damn vagrant...

As soon as the bird "Greeted" Her, Anonymous stepped toward the bird, making sure to stare down at her. Without warning, she reached out and grabbed her by the plumage, holding her tight and maneuvering around her back. "Hold still." She spoke succinctly, making sure it sounded as professional as possible.
Amber
Replying with a quick 'thank you'at Anonymous' declaration of dandyhood, Cassie's attention really honed back into the realms of reality when she heard the Cacturne's reasoning. Whether or not she knew the meaning of a cowgirl didn't matter- they were imposingly amazing all the same.

"Yeah," She nodded. "I'm hoping to do that, too, ma'am. This is my first missssss-" 

And then she hopped to the side, watching Anonymous parlay with Cerul. When did she get here?

"A gay cloud?" Pollux said, squinted out of Cassie's backside.
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


◈ **"What a coincidence, I also so happen to be keeping an eye on 'those in need'~"**

꧁~ Yes! Cerul was in fact gay! Having the largest ever crush on Neone's splenderful leader does that to a person. The altaria would've been all hunkey dory and ready to go... Until Anonymous made a move to arrest her...

◈ **"Hey-! Hands off you-"** Cerul choked back insults... Having learned her lesson several times over since his garden arrest. **"You can't arrest me out here, alright? Not only is it out of your jurisdiction, b-but I haven't committed a single 'crime' since you** ***Wrongfully*** **Arrested me!"**

꧁~ Cerul bucked, trying to yank the large plush wings out of anonymous's grasp.

◈ **"Spiteful... Damn... Sherif..!"** Cerul hissed each time he yanked a wing.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
David
Anonymous didn't look the bird in the eyes, nor let up. She had done this a million times before, some resistance wasn't going to stop her. She'd yank the wings back together, working her way to holding them behind Cerul's back with just one hand, her Sylvia hand. The other one went to her shawl and pulled out some wing cuffs. With a bit of struggle, she'd cuff the wings up together around Cerul's back. Once it was done, she let right go of the bird, walking around to the front while leaving the birdbrain's wings restrained. 

She turned to face Cerul and crossed her arms, speaking in a calm and professional manner. "Our current treaty with Guardia allows me ta do this. You are bein' temporarily detained on suspicion of trespassin' upon one Mr. Séaghdha's property. Once we've confirmed whether or not 'e wishes to press charges, you will be accordingly arrested or released. Ya get all'at?"
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Cerul squawked in protest, trying to form a sentence without using some childish insult. 

◈ **"I-if I trespassed than so did you!!! A-and everyone else! This is s-s-so unfair! You'd never have known that old pink lump was alive if I didn't... UUUGH."** Cerul shut his trap as anonymous walked off... Cerul's greatest weakness... Being ignored... Anonymous 2 Cerul 0.

◈ Cerul turned his head to see Cassio and Pollux, face scrunched with embarrassment. ***"What are you looking at..?"*** It sounded mean and antagonistic... But it was more pathetic than anything...


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Amber
Completely and utterly bamboozled by the sudden arrest, Cassie took Cerul's chittering like a fist to her gut. It was as though she had forgotten the fundamental concept of being asked a question- and she didn't even succeed in answering. Instead, she quickly plotted towards Anonymous.

Pollux, however, wound his stubby little head towards the Altaria and snarked: "We were looking at *You*, idiot."

"Um, should you be arresting people for this mission? Doesn't the lack of use to limbs make it a deal hard to... Escort?" Cassie frowned. "That's what we're doing, right?"
Ira
"H-Hey! G-G-Guys!" Shouted a nearby Henry, clear-as-a-snowy day shivering down to his bone. Having spent almost his entire life beneath the warm sun of Feyan everglades, he clearly was nowhere near accustomed to the harsh Guardian climate. The presence of a certain lifelong friend of his would've helped wonders right about now, but... Let's just say there were certain complications that arose before Henry's coming here.

Hurriedly with chattering teeth after having lagged behind in the cold, Henry joined the rest of the convoy, befuddled (though not completely objecting to) Cerul's sudden arrest unbeknowst to what it was. "Wh-What's g-g-going on? *S-Spark me, it's f-freezing...*"
Mario
Beta seemed to be zoning out pretty hard in her own game of waiting until a passing comment from Anon snapped her back into reality again. "Oh— um, I slept well, yes..." She rubbed one of her arms. "...My body feels tense from the cold. Miss Anonymous, for as much as I'm not entirely sure of M. Cerul's involvement here myself, we may well and truly need their assistance... So, please, can we save the arrest for until after the voyage?" Her tone was meek as ever, yet somewhat more firmed than usual by her lack of patience with the climate.

Next, she turned to February and Henry, who had just arrived each in varying states of 'I didn't think the cold was gonna be like *This.*' The Magearna gave each of them a small and acknowledging smile, though it was strained; Not by contempt, but by insecurity. "Even if this is a trade route, it's going to be quite... Treacherous. I'm glad to see a group of mostly familiar faces, and... One new one." ...And Cerul. "A lot of varying skillsets here, I think. That's good." 

Next, she turned to Cassie and Pollux. "I don't believe we've met, but... Hello! I'm the one who put out the request. I don't know what all those tools do, but they look pretty meticulously thought out, I think... I'm excited to see what you can do!"

From one of her gauntlets, the mechanical wonder pulled a scroll— the same kind that Tesse had at the Tavern. "So... Tesse gave me a map of the trade route. It follows various highways through the wastes, but it doesn't look like it actually passes through any major settlements by itself until we hit the capital... I guess it's just like one big, moderately more complicated crossroads."

"...Well. I don't really have that much of a plan. We just have to... Brave the path ahead. Any questions?"
[
David
Anonymous was a stubborn weed, and her spite toward Cerul wasn't about to fade. Cerul was a reminder of her failure to her wife, a reminder of her inability to protect the people she cared about. **Nobody** Here knew what her pain was like. Nobody knew how cruel Cerul really was, how **Insufferable** And **Grating** She was. Nobody knew what it was like to feel this way. So Anonymous told herself.

"Fret not, Beta. She's bein' *Detained*. Not arrested. Trust me on this one, alright? His help don't amount to a hill of beans I reckon. As a responsible sheriff of my town, I can't allow a criminal like this to escape. Two birds one stone, eh? I'm sure he's half a mind to go beg his sugardad to come take ya home against yer' will. Soon as 'e stops bein' ugly, we can let 'im off the hook."

Anonymous wasn't budging, and she didn't even pay Cerul a single glance the entire time she spoke.
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Cerul flicked her vision away from the frankly rude Pollux. Not like Pollux was any ruder than Cerul was, but in his own eyes Cerul wasn't being mean. This was how she acted towards everyone, pretty much. 

꧁~ But Cerul didn't ignore Beta's good natured protests. It made the peeved fluster turn to an even angrier one... Great, now Cerul was getting *Pity*. How this **Horrible** And **Wretched** Sherif just drove a pike through everything Cerul tried to be!!! Anonymous had ruined her social standing, record, bank account, and then some by having a pety grudge... 

꧁~ Cerul was wearing a permanent scowl, keeping eye contact with the ground. Better to just disappear than to hog the ugly spotlight Anonymous cast on her.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Maria
The little fairy floated closer to the group. She was intrigued about the three(? Two and a half?) new faces; she hadnt met Cassie, Pollux or Henry yet so she decided to greet them.
'Oh, Hello, I dont think we've porperly met yet. My name is February! I'm here to make sure everybody stays in one piece.'

'Is this everybody?- uhm'
Febby looked over to Beta before catching a glimpse of Anon and Cerul in wing cuffs... Seems like everybody loves ragging on Cerul.
'Ah.' She turned back to the others, trying to ignore whatever was going on with them- They'll work it out, probably.
Amber
For a moment, Cassie just stared dumbly, numbed by the frigid air and the aspect of being ignored combining together in unholy love. Even her tail's teeth were chattering from the toxic combination and she ultimately decided to leave it, snorting dead breath into the world.

It was fascinating, how its gas was visible.

"Hello," She said to Beta. "I'm Syrup! And this is Flapjaaaaccckkk." Wiggling her tail, Flapjack chittered, gnawing at nothing. "Um, these are used for tracking constellations! I know you can't see them out now, but there are ways to keep track of them."

"Lame," Pollux said.

"Hello, February! I'm Syrup, and this is Flapjack, and-" Cassie continued, fully turning to the Floette. "You're really pretty! I love your bell flowers, what kind are they?"

Henry did not go ignored, as, with a bit of psychic induced shuffling, Cassie pulled her blanket free from her torso and held it out for Henry.

"You can borrow this, if you like. I'll need it back later, but..."

She did immediately begin shivering.
Maria
Her face would turn a little pink upon being complemented- she certainly wasn't expecting anybody to call her pretty :o

'Eep- Thank you! The both of you have very cute names.'
She smiled to the Girafarig

'Oh- uhm, my flowers? They're fuchsias! I grew them myself back home. I use the pollen as an ingredient to make medicine with; I have some other supplies with me too. Just in case.'
Amber
Her attention returned to February, Cassie nodded and grinned.

"I've never grown fuchsia before. And I really didn't know you could *Make* Medicine with that stuff. I have streambank hollyhock seeds with me, for goodluck, are those flowers used in any medicinal recipe?"
Maria
'Theyre definitely a sight for sore eyes!' She giggled to herself a little.

'For Hollyhock we can use the roots of the plant in herbal medicines! Pretty much any plant can be used when it comes to manipulating its energy, however- I could probably even even use grass in a pinch. My species can kind of sense the aura of flowers and so a lot of the recipies I'm familar with use that as a component.'

February was about to continue on *Even more* About the specific details but caught herself. She became a little quieter when she realised she might be boring everybody with this kind of technical talk.
'O-Or something...'
Mario
"Wonderful," Beta said, looking at Cassie's variety of appliances with a sense of wonder behind her lenses, which were expanding and contracting as they focused in on various bits and bobs— In fact, it was a little bit offputting to look at, as her "Eyes" Could work independently of eachother, and therefore went out of sync as she absorbed as much information as she could. "...We should go now. It's only gonna get colder as the noon turns to evening. Please stick close." And thus, she started walking down the path of white.

As they progressed, they'd start seeing the walls of snow around them grow taller, and thicker— And as snow began to fall from the sky, Beta could feel her metal finish creak with overwhelming tension. "S-So this... Is the cold. I... Don't like it very much." But yet, she seemed determined to continue on anyways. For a few miles, this is how it would be... Until they happened across a single object sticking quite sorely out of the snow: A... Shield? It looked more like a target, rimmed with yellow, a white inside, and a red pointed center.

"...What is this thing? Does it signify something, or...?"

It wasn't the only one, though. There were at least *A dozen* Of them dotted around the snowy borders of the path.

[
Maria
'Hmm. I'm not sure'
February would inspect the shield-like objects. The markings made them resemble a target so her immediate idea was to look for any damage or signs of use.

She decided to make some conversation with everybody while she looked.
'So Beta, how come you and Tesseracts decided to travel as two separate groups?'
Mario
"Oh, simple. Travelling in one would be a complete nightmare to manage, for the both of us. And besides, we also got into a small dispute over which route would be safer, so... I'm kind of trying to prove myself right, haha." The machine paused. "O-Of course, there's no spite in that, it's just a... Fun... Thing."
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Cerul was having just the grandest time! You see, birds had these little things called wings, yes? Well, with the cuffs anonymous put on, Cerul couldn't exactly... Use them. He had to walk on the small talons he had, which made every little mound of snow a struggle or plight to get over... The only good thing she had going on was feeling none of the weather. She wasn't cold or discomfited by the snow at all, as opposed to the others who probably shivered up and down...

◈ **"The shields could be some sort of ambush point~. While we're all distracted by them, someone comes along and points a weapon at you, steals your stuff, et cetera."** Cerul said this fact with all the smugness of her usual self... Finally happy to crack a mean line in after a break of silence. **"That's why I prefer to fly when I'm doing trade routes. It's just much safer."**


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Ira
"O-Oh, I... Th-Thanks," He finally said to Cassie after a brief period of paralysis induced from the Guardian cold, though he was rather hesitant as he reached a paw out for the blanket he was so kindly offered. "But- are you s-s-sure you won't f-freeze up without it yourself-? I th-think you might need it m-more than I d-d-do-"

That point was debatable.

"Erm- r-right. I'm H-H-Henry," He said as he turned to February, trying his damndest to don a welcoming smile despite the frigid climate eating steadily away at him. "And I... Th-think w-we have met before, actually. B-B-Back at the tavern in W-Wisterwood, w-w-wasn't it?"

"A-Anway..." With his attempt at a smile leaving him, Henry turned towards the shield-like object planted in the snowy floor and took a couple of steps forward to get a better look. "It's j-j-j-just a guess, b-but... I think th-this might be an ins-s-signia of sorts? We... A-are in Guardian territory, right? If I h-h-had to guess, th-this shield might just be a mark of territory. Some... S-sort of sign th-that we're d-drawing close. Or m-maybe..."

He turned to the rest of the group again. "A... W-warning for t-trespassers...?"
Amber
Momentarily enthralled by February's banter, Cassie danced in place in wait for her to continue. When she didn't and when the group began moving, Cassie trotted along, keeping to the rear. Her tools tittered about her again as she lost herself to the stars, coming back only when the targets appeared.

With her canvas wrapped around the tinkering Eevee, Cassie watched Henry work.

"A warning? What if we just moved them inwards?" She asked, clearly not devoting all of her brain processing to the art of thought.
Mario
It would seem that Cerul, for once, was right on the money. The shields within those numerous and strange walls of snow began to collectively rattle, with the sound of many men heartily laughing permeating the frigid air...

**"FOOOOOOOLS!!"**

Several small Pokemon clad in gold and red armor, worn by the cold climate and by countless battles, began to exit their snowy tombs. It would seem that the shields were not shields at all, but were helmets for these strange northern hoplites.
Jeremy
The voices began to die down, and a singular one spoke out above all. "You foolish mailmen thought you could push us out of our own territory— Well, you've got another thing *Comi-*" The speaker paused their intense and menacing monologue as he surveyed the group. "...Wait, you don't look like those pesky rodents... Unless-" Just then, another voice piped up among the crowd. "Maybe they're just packed together in suits of cloth!"

"No, Jim, that would make them Mimikyu."

"Maybe they're possessing them?"

"That's Gengar!"

"Maybe... Maybe they're flesh suits!"

"That's... Actually, they would be brutal enough to do that."

**"That's ENOUGH!"** The leader was clearly getting tired of the group's banter. "Whoever you be, mon or mouse... You've trespassed onto the turf of *The Knights of the Olde Guardia!* We don't take kindly to visitors, despite what our gReAt KiNg might say... And for that—"

**"You shall *Pay with your lives!* Crew A! *No Retreat!*"** 

A chorus of "Aye Aye, Captains!" Erupted from five other Falinks units as they grouped behind the leader, who was quite bewildered by the response. "Wh-What am I, a pirate!? Get it together, men!"
```Falinks A used No Retreat!```

"Crew B! No Retreat!"

"Sir, yes sir!" A group of the remaining Falinks grouped together, with the leader of Group A still flapping his jaws at them. "Oh, come off that 'holier than thou' knight schtick! We're supposed to be unionizing *Against* That!"
```Falinks B used No Retreat!```
Mario
Beta was spooked pretty bad by the appearance of the armored marauders, having fallen to the ground and backed as far into the center as she could get. She was quick to return to her feet, however, looking to the rest of the group. "Th-This is bad! I... ᴬʷ ʲᵉᵉᶻ, ʷʰᵃᵗ ᵈᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵉⁿᵉʳᵃˡˢ ˢᵃʸ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᶦˢ ˢᶦᵗᵘᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ... L-Let's get 'em, okay?"

Beta's gauntlet opened up, revealing a blade build of all kinds of smaller blades on a chain, revolving around a clear centerpiece at high speeds. The whirring noise was loud enough to deter the warriors for only a moment, but if anything, it only enticed them to take her down more.

"Ooh, she's strong!" One said.

"I bet she'd sell for a pretty penny, no?" Piped up another.

**"No,"** The leader spoke over them all. **"She'll make a wonderful frozen trophy!"**

Others were scoping out things like Cassie's many thingimabobs and doodads, Cerul's pristine and expensive *Everything,* And even Febby's flower! They wanted to ravage them of their belongings, and seemed ready to pounce at a moment's notice...!
[
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


◈ **"This is what we get for trusting a mink's dim witted plan. Figured as much~."** The bird scoffed and shook a bit, trying to loosen himself up in preparation for a fight. **"God I can't believed I trusted some foolish rodent child's plan... I could've just done this by myself and saved us the trouble."** Delivering packages was the Aetris family specialty! Fun fact, it would take X amount of altaria's to carry 1 magearna! Try the math out yourself today!

꧁~ Cerul took a step or two forward on the snow, letting it crunch beneath his talons. 

꧁~ She wasn't going to let somebody harm Fenix's precious toy- er, robot friend. If he let that happen, why, Fenix would hate him! Cerul would have to do what she could to protect Beta. That, and, Cerul had fancy jewelry in these bags he DIDN'T want to lose.

꧁~ Cerul leaned back and puffed out his cloudy chest, and tried to furiously flap his wings and use ``tailwind``! Which. . . Failed.

◈ **"Wha-..."** It took Cerul a moment to remember... *She couldn't flap her wings because of these damn cuffs!!!* **"Sherif! You're mucking everything up, remove these stupid things at once you halfwit!"**

꧁~ Cerul would be out of commission for the time being... ):


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Nicholas
There was just something so deliciously delirious about dropping a valley girl into a situation with *Marauders*. Cassie couldn't even determine whether or not the threat on their lives was worse than Cerul's bold-headed offensiveness- the latter was enough to get the giraffe scowling.

She moved on quickly after, shivering without her blanket. One by one, her trinkets shlinked into her bag as she pulled out another thing.

"Hello!" With a grin belonging to shitty school-made potato disks, Cassie approached, as much as she could. In her psychic grip was a bottle of cold milk. "Good afternoon! We're on a mission- an escort one, you see? To help Beta out. She really is pretty, right? But, uh, this is my first one, so I'm a little nervous, in case bad Pokemon appear. 

"We've been walking for a while, so would you guys like lunch? I don't have eggs with me, since I ran out of space, but I have mashed pumpkin! Which means I can still make pancakes! There's a lot of ways you can substitute eggs for the recipe, so-"

"Uhm," Pollux dramatically said, nipping at his cold breath. "Shut the fuck up?"
Maria
February was started by all the sudden movement and noise but- seeing these fellas kind of took the edge off. They looked kinda cute all lined up like that... They were like rows of angry little tennis balls.

'Oh- Sorry to wander into your territory, We're just passing through if you don't mind.'

She didn't really want a fight, that much was obvious. Maybe she could get this resolved without any combat and to talk her way out of this? Watching them listen to their leaders, she got the idea to maybe follow along with what they were doing. She drifted through the air over to Beta's side

'This here is Miss Beta, *Our* Leader. As you can see by her-' February gestured vaguely at the spinning saw-blades Beta had been hiding in her gauntlet '-this... She is *Extremely* Powerful. We're actually also at odds with the, uhm, mailmen. Maybe you would like to join us for lunch and we can exchange intel on our adversaries?'
Despite very clearly lying through her teeth, maybe this was convincing enough to get these Falinks to back down and reconsider? Maybe?
David
Anonymous was pretty good at threat assessment, or so she felt. These guys weren't going to be talked down. They were ready to attack at any moment, and that danger was something she couldn't risk. She needed to take action. Especially if a suspect was harmed in her possession... That would be very bad. She couldn't take that. As soon as Cerul called for it, Anon rushed right behind him. She carefully held his wings as she stuck one of her hands between the wing cuffs, using *Her own spines* To unlock them. Quickly, they slid off, and the sheriff stuffed them right back into her shawl. 

As much as she wanted to set up a sandstorm, she knew that wasn't a good idea. She'd hurt the people around her, her allies, and that wasn't something she wanted to do considering how some of them seemed... For lack of better words: weak. When compounded with the fact that she herself was weak to these enemies, it didn't seem like great odds... At least Beta seemed to be able to handle herself. That was one less worry... Anonymous was clever, so she quickly grabbed an idea. Most of her tactics were things that she had done several times in the past, a playbook she could draw from, so she never felt helpless. ...Er- that wasn't exactly true, not since Sylvia passed.

Anonymous stomped forward, lowering her head and getting in a stance like she was about to attack, tightening her muscles. "**Cover me! I've got an idea!**" She called out loudly, staring dead on at Crew B's lead, unafraid. After all, every fight was a chance to see Sylvia again, so there was never any point in holding back.
Jeremy
"Huh," One of the Falinks in Group A stated, seeming to seriously consider February and Cassies' proposals for a nice meal. "Some lunch sounds good right about now—" *No Retreat is active.* "...Man." They couldn't forfeit even if they wanted to! **"Jim, you fool! They're still *Very clearly* Plotting against us! Those mail carriers are a crafty bunch..."**

"Yeah, Kraft sounds good for brunch."

***"Do you still have snow jammed in thine ears!?"*** The leader of Group A headbutted the helmet of his underling, with a sharp rattling and a decent bit of snow descending from his noggin. It would appear, that, yes, snow was jammed in his ears. You are now stuck with the mental image of a Falinks with human ears. Have fun.

**"Crew A! Close Combat that cactus— they clearly must be the strategist!"**

```Falinks A used Close Combat on-```

In they rushed towards the sheriff, each swiping their horns fiercely at her. Beta was swift to come in to assist her, as she had called to be covered, and clashed with the leader, sparks flying as her strange weapon whirred against his helmet!

```-Beta!```

 However, due to the boost from No Retreat, it appeared that she was fighting a losing battle... Especially where the others were still shuffling into her blind spots and flanking her!

Meanwhile, Group B was headed *Straight* For Cerul, their heads shining a brilliant silver as they began to charge towards them with absurd prejudice!

```Falinks B used Iron Head on Cerul!```
[
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Cerul spread his wings open the instant the cuffs were off. He flapped them with force once or twice, scattering snow flakes and gently breezing the sherif who so graciously took the cuffs off. Right now Cerul's motivations aligned with Anonymous's, who not lend a hand and fight?

◈ **"I almost considered thanking you just now, sherif~"** Cerul cockily said, trying to spot where the yellow and red buggers went. He squinted, trying to figure it out... When one of them slammed against her. Cerul's puffy wings acted as good cushions, soaking up some of the impact, but the rest sent the altaria backwards a good few paces. Cerul was only able to catch himself thanks to his newly freed wings. **"You little goblins are lucky I didn't pretty myself up today or I'd be super pissed..."** The bird grumbled, rubbing a wing against his side.

◈ Cerul took a moment to scan what was going on, and became inreasingly annoyed with February and Cassie. **"Wh-what are you two doing there? Are you** ***Seriously*** **Trying diplomacy? On these loons?!"** Yup... Now's the time to be spewing insults... Very smart Cerul.

꧁~ Cerul was locked into this fight now, and began to shimmer with a bright light. Rapidly, that light got brighter and brighter, until it rushed towards the Falinks opponents in a flurry of violent fairy energy. Cerul had used ``dazzling gleam``, and an aura of perfect pink sparkles was left lingering in the area. Due to the nature of the move, someone else was likely caught in the cross fire of the pinkish blast... Cerul didn't know about type matchups, but she knew that 'pretty pink move go brr' and would do at least some damage if it hit.

◈ **"Go down easy now, alright~?"**


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
David
Anonymous didn't really feel like her orders were being much heeded, so she was prepared to face that Close Combat alone... It would fucking hurt, but she could bear it. Despite her expectations, Anonymous was very thankful for Beta's intrusion, it was the perfect opening for her attack.

Anonymous hopped to the side behind Beta and leaped forward with her left arm at the lead Falinks right when it made contact with Beta. Despite the name of the move, it wasn't really a punch... She simply wrapped an arm around the Falinks and tried to tackle him to the ground, land right on him. She'd quickly wrap her spiny arms around his body, trying to get a grip on him and cover his mouth, keep him from giving orders. Once she had a semblance of a grip, she'd stand back up and back away, holding on tight to the singular Falinks behind her allies. Falinks were tough, sure, but a single piece wasn't so hard to deal with. 

```Anonymous used Sucker Punch!```

"**Disrupt their formations! Separate them! Pick them off one by one!**" Anonymous yelled at her teammates, getting into a strong stance and watching the Falinks carefully, trying to make sure nobody would try to get their leader back. Clearly this guy and her had the same idea about the strategist.
Maria
February felt disheartened by Cerul's comment- in her eyes, avoiding a fight was always the preferred option but right now she wasn't being any help at all... 
'It was worth it to try, even if it didn't work.' Her voice had shrunk to be as small as she was; now wasn't the time to try and justify her actions.

She gasped loudly upon witnessing Beta jump in to defend Anon from the attack- a tightness in her chest building as the sharp, cold, wintery air mixed with her faltering confidence. She really had to get her head in the game now or something bad might happen!!
Just then, as her panic was reaching its zenith, she found a moment of clarity brought by Anonymous' firm orders- Somehow it brought a certain calmness to the fairy.
*"Just follow what the sheriff says and everything will be okay."*

```February used Nature Power on Falinks B!```

Steeling herself and clutching her branch, February began to draw in energy from the plants around her causing her petals to faintly glow as power accumulated. 
*"Copy the sheriff, disrupt their formations."* February focused in on the leader of the second group near Cerul and waved her now fully powered branch.

```Nature Power turned into Ice Beam!```
Ira
Dear lord it's been a while since I posted anything here but fuck it we are balling.

Henry was taken almost completely by surprise upon discovering that the mysterious insignias planted into the snowy terrain were actually the bodies of brigands waiting to ambush unsuspecting travelers! Of course, the unsuspecting travelers in question had to be them, and it seemed now that their prize they were determined to pirate off them...

...Was none other than Beta.

This. Could not come to pass, he thought. They had a mission of their own to safely escort her to the Guardian Kingdom, and they were going to see it through with not a single cog or gear missing from her person. That and... Henry did have some questions of his own he'd been wanting to ask her since that day in Fey... But they could wait. For now, there was one prerogative, even as the sheriff's orders echoed from his ears into his mind: _protect Beta._

"Got it!" He affirmed back in a shout, before suddenly rushing past February with a trail of green foliage being left behind in his path as he butted heads with Falinks B with the gathered energy of grass using—

```Trailblaze! Speed raised by 1 stage!```

On them! Before his entire body recoiled backwards to February's side after impact, leaving him with an aching forehead.

"Ach... That smarts."
Jeremy
Although the two groups of Falinks were immediately threatening in their boosted state, it didn't take long for the team to wise up to their antics. Anonymous's Sucker Punch was successful in driving Group A's leader straight into the frozen ground, allowing Beta a moment of reprieve, but Group B wasn't going to let that slide. They were significantly worn down themselves, through the combination of Cerul's dazzling light show, Henry's speedy (albeit not immediately powerful) headbutt, and February's biome-infused cryomancy.

**"D-D-Don't just let her single our captain out like that!"**

It was hard to say Group B had a leader, but they were clearly able to at least faciliate on their own. Not a weak system by any means, but it should not be understated that they had taken a significant hit to their coordination and general health already.

**"Group A! Get it together— Do... *Something!*"**

Oh, I never said it was a perfect system.

```Group A used Struggle on Anonymous!```

**"Group B, uhh..."**

"Joe, don't tell me you forgot them again."

**"I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it..."**

"Please. For the love of god."

**"I said I'm working on it!"**

"Rock Slide."

**"Rock Slide it is!"**

Falinks B began to strike at the walls of the path's enclosure, prompting large hunks of ice to collapse inward upon the group!
```Falinks B used Rock Slide!```

**"We won't let you terrible rodents get away with this!"**
Mario
Mal was... Confused, and a bit dazed. She lost her balance for just a moment as Anon intervened on her clash with the rogue Knights' leader. Thankful as she was, she had to retract her weapon in that moment before she hit anybody else with it, colliding lightly with Anon, but not... Forcefully, necessarily. "G-Gah! We've... We've got them on the ropes! Just... Keep going!"
[
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ Despite only being trading blows once, Cerul felt like this fight had droned on to the tune of over a month. She wanted this done. Now.

◈ **"Sherif, if even a scratch gets on Beta 0001, its your head! I don't want Fenix to be upset that his toy broke."** Cerul barked vilely, though feint amounts of empathy could be sparced from the words. Cerul had no empathy! But Cerul's mother's aunt was roommates with an empathetic pokemon, so very trace amounts of it trickled down to her.

◈ **"You little tin heads are really the worst kind of rubbish, attacking a royal like this. If I see any blue feathers or blue blood..."** Cerul didn't finish that threat, only clenching her teeth and sneering an ugly hiss. He was not happy. As the rocks began to fall from the sky, Cerul clenching his teeth and covered as much of himself in puffy cloud wings as possible, trying to ``Endure`` the hit.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
David
Anonymous didn't hear Cerul because Cerul sucked and unlike the bird, she actually knew what she was doing. She was focused on holding onto the little annoying rapscallion in her grasp. Surrounded by flailing and pathetic falinks, Anonymous tried to stand tall and bear it, holding the leader on her upper chest while her lower body took the assault from the short soldiers. She could survive that, it wasn't so bad. Neither was Mal bumping into her, more of an inconvenience than anything.

What the real problem were the rocks falling from above, smashing into her allies and coming for her. Fortunately, Anonymous was resourceful. Instead of taking the brunt of the attack, Anonymous shifted her hostage to be held above her head, facing him upwards so that the incoming boulder of ice smashed right into his face. 

Unfortunately for her, while that dealt with a couple boulders, another fell and happened to smash into her arm, making her buckle over just in time for another to smash her in the back. Those hurt, but she still held onto that Falinks for dear life, curled overtop him and squeezing him tight as a means to bear the pain. She didn't give up.
Maria
'Oh, Henry! Mind your head!'
February was half referring to the Eevee headbutting the knights and half to the falling ice boulders now raining upon the group.
She got bashed around quite a bit by the heavy rocks; she wasn't fast enough to dodge out of the way, if there was even enough room *To* Dodge considering the ice walls surrounding the group. Regardless, February wanted to try and give Henry a bit of a warning anyway since he was the closest to her.

Turning to the rest of the battle, February's eyes went wide as she saw Anonymous doubled over in pain! She had to do something, who else was going to give out sensible directions? *Cerul?* Not a chance-
```February used Pollen Puff on Anonymous!```
Acting quickly, February gathered up some shimmering pollen from her blossoms and hurled the ball of glowing powder towards the sheriff. Hopefully this would help her get back on her feet!
Ira
"Yeah, got it," He nodded back at February, appreciative of her concern and for the heads up. It got him thinking then that perhaps there were a better way of executing his Trailblaze move without... Literally using his head. 

That aside, with the Eevee's attention now fully on the avalanche of falling icy debris, Henry stood on full alert, whipping out his metallicized tail and delivering swift and fierce slashes of-

```Iron Tail!```

-to make quick work of any piece of falling debris heading in his and February's direction, all while being careful as to not send an accidental blow in the Floette's direction since... Metal + fairies = a funeral to attend.
Jeremy
**"Shit! The Rock Slide didn't work!"**

"Did we not have a backup plan?"

*"MmMmMmmMMFM-"*

"Uhh, Jim, I think the boss is suffocating."

**"Yeah, well, the boss can handle it himself! I'm outta here!"**

"MMM?"

"Wh-What, so you're just gonna abandon ship?"

**"We aren't pirates, and we sure as shit aren't knights; We're just getting our ASSES beat!"**

"This is the most effective use of our braincell I've seen all day. Retreat, men!"

**"RETREAT!"**

A chorus of cries emerged as the Falinks—

```No Retreat.```

...Couldn't disperse due to a contractual obligation to keep fighting a losing battle.

"...So about that braincell."

**"Okay— Okay, FINE! Give us the morning paper or whatever, just... Just leave us alone already!"

The Falinks' chief began to push back furiously against Anonymous's suffocating hold, and began to bark orders once more. "You— You *Cowards!* Just... Dismantle the prize! Make off with whatever you can! ***Close Combat!***"

 SIR!"**

```Falinks A used Close Combat on Beta!```

Falinks B... Wasn't going with it this time. They didn't have the will to keep fighting, despite their leader continuing to bark orders.

[
Patricia
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ The rubble from rockslide rolled off of Cerul. What was left from under the rocks was a very injured and very very angry Cerul. Her delicate clouds had ruffles and dirt crumbs in them. His expertly preened feathers stuck out. Cerul also had quite a few bruises.

꧁~ Cerul abandoned the falinks she was currently brawling. With a hefty flap of her wings, Cerul shot straight towards the group that prepared a close combat. To ensure Beta 0001 stayed in one piece without a single scratch, for when she returned her to Fenix of course, Cerul would have to intervene. It was quite the noble thing for the noble to do! Problem is, she would have never done this for anybody else except his 🩵 beloved Fenix ✨ , so don't expect Cerul to be body blocking her arch nemesis, Anonymous. Cerul didn't trust the job of protecting beta to anyone but himself; seeing as Anonymous had a handful, February was incredibly teeny tiny, and she didn't know the slightest thing about Henry.

◈ **"Tch-"** Cerul made a muted scoff, digging her talons into the snow to stop herself. When he landed, he *Tried* Spread his wings wide open and create a sort of wall between the Falinks and Beta 0001. If all went well, she'd close her eyes and brace for impact, damning Arceus under her breath.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Maria
Cerul was probably already pretty beaten up by now given that he'd already been hit by an Iron Head and a super-effective Rock Slide. February watched in... Bewilderment? As the bird was now trying to body block the guardians attacks!? Cerul's honour and pride must hold more weight than her self preservation instincts...

 Time for more healing-
`February used Pollen Puff on Cerul!`


The fairy approached Cerul, Beta and the Falinks. She noticed how some of the knights didn't seem to be doing anything... Maybe now was the time for diplomacy?
She tried talking to group B.

'Look, I promise we aren't mailmice and we don't mean to cause any trouble. I don't really want to fight like this so... Maybe we can just stop?'
'We're trying to escort Miss Beta from Fey to Guardia; It's a really unique situation and it's quite important important. Something really bad might happen to you guys if Miss Beta gets hurt and somebody finds out your guild is responsible.'