Aqua finished the last bit of his smoothie and then got out of the booth with a sigh. "Let's go greet the guy."

The lynxes walked up to his table. "Hey, Mr. Crunch."

"Aqua! It's great to see you! And please, call me Matcha."

"Who might this be?"

"I'm Lunar!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lunar!"

Matcha finally took a sip from his latte. His eyes lit up "Say, have you tried any of the drinks yet?"

"Yes! They're really good!"

"Hahaha! I'm actually here to do a review on this cafe. I've heard their newest hire helps with actually picking the ingredients himself! So, I wanted to test the difference for myself."

Aqua threw a quizzitive look at Sundip, who was very clearly listening to their conversation.

"I think everyone knows you're here to make a review." Aqua commented at the camera that lay next to Matcha's drink. "How do you know you're not getting special treatment?"

Matcha flicked the extra fur on his head elegantly. "Because I watch how others are treated as well."

"...Right. Um, we're actually here to ask you if our next batch of brochures are ready?"

"Why yes, I believe they are! Let's go get them now." He waved to a waiter, "May I have a takeaway container for this?"

***

"What do you think?" Matcha asked Lunar, who was quietly cycling through the photos on his camera. Aqua peered over her shoulder. They all looked the same to him.

"This one looks the coolest!" Lunar decided, handing the camera back to its owner.

Matcha nodded, "I would have to agree." He led the way into the factory's foyer and fetched a cardboard box, presumably holding the brochures.

"Here they are," he set it down in front of them. "We also have a delivery service with a same day policy if you're interested in some extra convenience for the future!"

"That's alright. It's a good excuse to go to the city haha." Aqua offered the best fake smile he could conjure up.

(Look after the small kroakals and the big kroakals will look after themselves.)

Incidentally, this prompted a tour of the factory. Aqua let the lengthy explanations fly over his head as they made their way through the whirring machinery and busy offices.

"Where's the restroom?" he asked.

Matcha turned and pointed his paw, "Down the hallway on the left."

The lynx nodded and disappeared down the hall.

"...But the real backbone of my news articles are the survey and response teams!" Matcha continued. "We're always looking for new sources of information and are more than happy to pay for their services."

"Survey and response teams…" Lunar pondered.

"Does the prospect of saving lives and educating the masses for a generous pay interest you?"

"Yes… I think so!"

"Hahaha! Your enthusiasm inspires me to keep trying my best in my work. If you have your team's information sheet on paw then I can register you today!"

Lunar quickly ruffled through her bandana pouch and pulled out the paper Tropi had included. "Is this it?"

"Yes, uh. But you must have a minimum of two people in order to be counted as an official team.” A faint glimmer of intrigue showed in Matcha's eyes, quickly masked by his professional composure.

"Ah! How do I add myself?"

Aqua had reappeared from the hall.

"You just head to any survey-response office and ask and they'll do the rest for you. They have a big black flag with golden markings on the roofs so you can't miss them."

Lunar turned at the sound of echoing footsteps. Aqua froze and stared at the paper she was holding.

(I thought I threw that away.)

Everything fell into place. The free bandana pouch, the impromptu city trip, the overly enthusiastic about any new-and-upcoming-teams business man.

His heart skipped a beat.

(I can't be part of a response team. I haven't even unlocked my power yet. I'm not a real Water Kind. I'm just a failure. I won't be able to save anyone. I'll just be a burden-).

With not enough time to open her pouch again, Lunar hastily rolled up the paper and held it in her mouth.

"Lunar-"

She sprinted out of the factory.

"LUNAR, WAIT-!!"