Chapter Text
Reverto groaned when he heard an incessant rapping of knuckles—or was it the banging of a fist—against his front door.
“Reverto, meow! Go answer the door, I’m not your butler!!” Popola hissed at him as he repeatedly bopped Reverto on the head with his tiny broom.
“Ugh, fine!!” Reverto rolled off his couch, feet landing heavily on the wooden floorboards as he stumbled, half-awake, through the small courtyard and to his front door. “Coming, I’m coming!” He cracked open the door just enough to get a view of who could be bothering him at this time of day.
“What do you wa–” the words died in his mouth as he realized there was a whole entourage of guild members waiting for him. The individual in front was Gentor, the Hunter Captain of Gildegaran, an intimidatingly huge man with a fierce scowl who could put any Hunter at unease. Behind him was the extravagantly decorated and oversized parasol that was unmistakable as belonging to Majek, the tiny but wise Wyverian Guildmaster of Gildegaran. Around them were several of Gentor’s troops, carefully guarding the group.
“Captain? Guildmaster?!” Reverto felt a bit of panic rising in his chest. Despite his reputation as one of the best hunters in the land, he hadn’t been… very active in his hunting duties recently. He found hunting had become more of a chore than anything over time, especially with the manner of which the Guild expected him to slay monsters. If he did go out, he preferred foraging for mushrooms or even just idly observing the monsters in their natural habitat, letting them exist undisturbed. He wondered why everyone had just decided to show up at his doorstep. It must have been a bad reason, whatever it was, and he was dreading finding out.
Reverto swung open the door, just enough to be deemed socially appropriate but not enough to reveal the slovenly mess that was typical of his living quarters (at least he hoped). Straightening his posture, he let out an uncomfortable cough. “Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Reverto! We have urgent business from the Guildmaster!” Gentor stepped aside, allowing the Guildmaster to come forward. It was only then that Reverto noticed the girl behind him, clad in strange clothing. She looked like she was from some far-off land, completely unfamiliar to anything he had ever seen. Beside her was…
“WHAAA??! What’s that monster doing here?!” Reverto jumped back, immediately put on guard in case the monster made any attempts to attack him or the others. He instinctively reached for his longsword, only to find that it wasn’t on his person, leaving him grasping pathetically at the air behind him. Why the fuck was there a monster here? Shouldn’t everyone in the Guild be fighting that thing?
“Reverto, my boy! Please calm yourself. You’re scaring our guests!” the Guildmaster retorted.
“What do you mean, ‘guests’? That monster shouldn’t be in the city!” This was getting weirder and weirder, leaving Reverto more confused and desperate for answers.
“You would know if you actually let me speak!” the Guildmaster cleared his throat, obviously disgruntled. “This young lady here is a Rider who has traveled a long way to learn all about Hunters and our society. And that,” he pointed to the very out-of-place monster, “is her Monstie, or her companion. They have bonded through the Rite of Kinship. Since you have a spare room, you are to let this Rider and her Monstie stay here during her journey. And,” he added, “I want you to educate her on the way of life that Hunters abide by.”
Oh, hell no. Just as Reverto was about to object, Popola poked his head out from behind the door. “Oh, do we have guests? Let me help you and your monster get situated!” He swung the door open fully, exposing the disaster that was Reverto’s home, and began tossing things out of the storage area that would be the makeshift stables for the Rider’s Monstie. “I’m Popola, by the way. Please excuse the mess. Reverto really is a slob!” The Hunter groaned and held his head in his hands in embarrassment. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.
“Wh–Hold on. Why me, Guildmaster?! I didn’t sign up for this!”
The Guildmaster guffawed. “What-ho, my boy! I have a few reasons.” He stoked his beard as he spoke, looking quite assured of himself. “First of all, your experience gives you a unique perspective over the other Hunters in this city, and that will do nicely with this sort of assignment. Secondly, I’ve noticed that you’ve been slacking off with taking on quests, so I thought a change of pace would do you some good. Something to keep you on your toes, what-ho. With that being said, this is an official decree from the highest authority of the Guild—that being me, of course.”
Reverto was backed into a corner, metaphorically speaking. He couldn’t just turn down an order from the Guildmaster himself simply because he didn’t want to do it. He sighed. “Alright, I got no excuses. Come on in and get yourself settled.” He waved the Rider over, who meekly made her way through the door, stopping to look around the courtyard.
“Thank you again for taking her in, Reverto. We knew you’d be the best fit for this job!” The Guildmaster grinned, his eyes crinkling with mirth before snapping his fingers for the troops to follow him back to the Hunter’s Guild Hall.
“Yeah… hah…” Reverto laughed uncomfortably. Gentor cleared his throat, causing Reverto to snap his attention to him. The Captain spoke with a lowered voice so as not to be overheard by others, especially the Rider.
“You’d best keep an eye on her, Reverto. You weren’t there when she first arrived, but it caused quite a scene. People will be suspicious of her, and I don’t blame them. I myself was on high alert seeing her with that monster. There’s no telling what people might try to do if they see her around by herself. And make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.” Gentor’s piercing gaze and towering presence made Reverto uneasy, and he wanted this conversation to end as quickly as possible. “Understood?”
“Yes, Captain. Crystal clear,” Reverto confirmed, trying not to let his voice waver.
“Good.” Gentor nodded, then leaned to the side to glance past Reverto into his house, a disapproving scowl forming on his face. “By the way, you really need to make sure your home is presentable for official business. Seeing a skilled Hunter like you living in such disarray is embarrassing, to say the least. It doesn’t bode well for the Guild’s image. I’d better not see it like this again.”
Reverto’s face burned with shame. “Yes, Captain,” he squeaked.
“I’ll be watching you,” the Hunter Captain warned, giving Reverto one last glower before he strode away, catching up with the rest of the group.
The Hunter quickly shut his door and let out a huge sigh, taking a moment to recover from the unanticipated visit. What the hell was he supposed to do with this weird girl in his house? He wasn’t used to having any company at all, save for Popola, who felt more like an demanding roommate at times rather than his trusted Palico. He looked over at the Rider, who looked equally as nervous if not moreso, and he felt pity for her and whatever she went through to get here. He figured the least he could do now was try to break the ice.
“Sorry about all that,” Reverto started. “I didn’t properly introduce myself. Name’s Reverto, and as the Guildmaster explained, I’m a Hunter.” He reached out to shake the Rider’s hand, who gingerly reciprocated.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” she said. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here.”
“Yeah. I know this place is kind of a mess, but feel free to make yourself at home. You must be exhausted after… whatever happened out there. I have a spare room you can stay in.” He walked over to another door and opened it, showing a relatively tidy bedroom compared to the rest of the house. “It’s actually my room, but, uh… I tend to sleep on the couch or the hammock most of the time, so I don’t go in here a lot.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
The Rider walked in, looking around before setting her things down in a corner. She grinned at Reverto. “This is great. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.”
Reverto was glad to see that she could loosen up enough to smile. That gave him hope that maybe it wouldn’t be too awkward to share a house with someone who was practically a stranger.
“Of course. Take your time getting settled in. I’ll be around,” he said before turning to close the door.
He took a minute, just standing in the courtyard, aimlessly scratching his head. Now what? Reverto felt like his whole routine was completely thrown off now. Teach this girl about Hunters…? Where would he even start? After a moment of internal debate, he shrugged it off, figuring he would think of something eventually. He yawned and stretched. Now that all the commotion was over, he could get back to sleeping… But now that he thought about it, he was hungry, so he wandered over to the kitchen area. “Popola, d’we have anything to eat?”
Popola growled, being disturbed from his cleaning work. “I’m kind of busy over here! Yes, we have stuff to eat. Go make something yourself!”
You let out a breath that you felt like you had been holding in for an eternity. In very rapid fashion, you had been thrust on a journey from your secluded village in the mountains to search for the blighted Kinship Ores. With the Black Blight spreading, you didn’t have any time to waste, and you arrived at Gildegaran as fast as you could, from the recommendation of Chief Omna. The only person you knew from before your travels was Captain Simone of the Scrivener’s Guild, who happened upon your village during her research, and she was able to inform you and Chief Omna about the Blight’s presence in other lands. The past few hours were quite chaotic as you arrived with your Monstie in the city, only to be surprised by how… terrified the citizens seemed to be by your unusual partner. Word spread quickly and it wasn’t long before you drew the attention of the Hunter’s Guild. You were scared of what could happen to you and your Monstie, considering the Hunters’ hostile reaction towards you, but you were glad that Guildmaster Majek was already familiar with Chief Omna and the existence of Riders. Now you were in some random dude’s room, taking up space in his house in an arrangement that clearly made him an unwilling participant. This whole thing felt uncomfortable to you, but there were bigger issues at hand. Clearly, you had a lot to learn if you were to stay here and earn the cooperation of Hunters.
You sat down heavily on the bed. It was definitely a lot cleaner in this room than in what you could see of the rest of the house, which you guessed came from lack of use more than anything. It seemed that Popola, the little Felyne housekeeper, was mostly in charge of keeping things in order. If Reverto frequently used this room, Popola probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with cleaning.
So that was your first impression of the two occupants: a Hunter who was more of a couch potato than anything, and a Felyne that essentially parented him. But, if that were the extent of it, why would the Guildmaster have picked this guy to teach you about Hunters…? You recalled what the Guildmaster said to Reverto before he left. Something about his experience giving him a unique perspective… It was a lot to think about, and you needed to rest.
You let herself fall to the bed, noticing that the mattress and sheets were pretty nice. Now that you thought about it, you couldn’t imagine how a Hunter who does nothing all day would be able to afford a place like this. There must be more to this guy than meets the eye…
Before you knew it, you were drifting off to sleep.