[color=#FFCCCC][h1][b]Hat[/b][/h1][/color]

[i]Nearing the end of a beaten road, midday[/i]


There it was. 

After a month of walking, Hat was finally at her journey’s end. The town was in sight.

She’d spent a long, long time on the road, sneaking through dungeons and eating what she could find. It had been agonizingly quiet and lonely, with nobody to talk to. Still, though, the time spent alone gave her plenty of time to think, plan, and reflect, even with nobody to bounce ideas off of. 

Hat passed by a small berry farm, on the outskirts of the town. There were Pokemon there, working, tending the crops. Considering her position, she might even end up joining them. She didn’t know just what was going to happen, when she arrived at the town. It could be that she’d been identified in the getaway, and that there was a warrant out for her arrest. If that was the case, she would have to escape as quickly as possible. Hat could do that, Hat was fast.

On the other end of the scale, she could be little more than just another traveler, passing through the town. If that was the case, Hat could easily just slip right in, and find her way into the Guild’s treasure pile. It certainly wouldn’t be easy, but...

A thought occurred to her. Normally, for a robbery like this, the team would use all of its powers available, with half the team going in and learning about the place, and the other half attacking. Now, though, she didn’t have the luxury of information she so desperately needed. There was no way to quickly learn about the guild’s secrets and weaknesses, with only one Pokemon. She would have to stick around for a long time, and lie low as she did. Maybe even get a job, for food.

Not an easy prospect, but easier than failing and ending up with Weave in the bottom of an oubliette somewhere. Certainly easier than going out and trying to learn a whole new profession, too. It was springtime now, Hat actually had to buy food. She couldn’t do that if she was trying to learn how to play a flute. 

She could always steal, but that would likely put whoever she stole from on edge. She didn’t want to get caught. 

Finally, the first houses of the village proper came into sight. They were tall, beautifully-crafted, and well-stocked with chimneys for the winter months. Hat was impressed. She’d been expecting something... Smaller, dinkier, for a town known only for an exploration guild. 

As she walked through the town, she could see all the little Pokemon that lived there, bustling about, doing work. There were Pokemon working gardens, Pokemon running shops, Pokemon buying from them. The town was absolutely abuzz with energy. Hat couldn’t even tell where the exploration guild was supposed to be- She’d been expecting it to be the liveliest place in town, but the whole town was even livelier than that! 

Hat opted to explore. There’s nothing illegal about exploring a town, right? 

Hat, after looking around and darting between the much taller Pokemon around her, eventually noticed a high point, a tall tower with a roof and a staircase, a fair distance away. Seeing no other way to see over the insurmountable mass of tall Pokemon around her, she made her way towards it.