Chapter 257: Side Quests

I'm impressed. 

They say that life oftentimes imitates art, but here, this life, I dare say it was anything but an imitation. No, the word we're looking for is perfection. It was the little minute details slid between the gaps of the more major ones that really sold the whole experience beyond the point of just being immersive. 

Sure, you could just slap a fully furnished adventurer's guild made and built to scale in your medieval township and call it a day… just that alone and praises to your name would have still come rushing through the floodgates. 

But it's whole 'nother thing entirely to have a full-fledged chain of command actually running the place, filling out the quest board with objectives and tasks that any passerby was free to undertake and accomplish, along with a row of behind-the-desk receptionists where you could turn in your quests and reap your rewards for completing them.

Now take that level of detail and apply it to every building, every tavern seat, every single piece of cobble lining the street, then that's it, you got yourself a little world brimming with love and passion that just can't be beat.

"Try one," urged Amanda.

"No."

"One fetch quest."

"No."

"Just one."

"No."

"Come on, your girls can wait, chickens won't," Deaf to rejection, Amanda shoved a flyer into my unwilling hands. "Here, a farmer's missing two of them somewhere around the place. Be a dear, go help him out."

So became a helping little deer I did… as she said, aiding this poor farmer with his plight, sniffing the town's streets for chickens running amok. Before anyone goes whining that having one of the hosts running the convention that obviously knew where was whereas your companion was exactly fair to every other chicken-hunter, I'd just like to state that even if that was so, Amanda was still a terrible helping hand handling hens.

I kept getting sidetracked - her doing, all hers - I didn't end up on just a wild chicken chase, in-between we made a pit stop at the local inn and had a taste of the local delicacies they had on offer, then somehow somewhere along the line something happened - I think she looked at someone funny, -all I know was suddenly I was standing by the wayside pushing and shoving alongside many others as a burly-rugged-warrior-dude challenged Amanda to a drink off.

"Go for eight! Do nine!" roared the tavern with every empty glass slamming down. 

"How about a ten, eh?!" Amanda looked around, eyeing me squished amidst the crowd. "How about it, you think I can do it?"

The atmosphere was too infectious, couldn't help but get swept away right along with it. 

"Get eleven, and you can consider me impressed," I told her.

She beamed wide her white foamy lips, turning to her opponent who was already struggling with just the sixth. 

"You heard the man," The dignified princess goaded. "Eleven it is."

It was a monumental occasion. The streets were flooded with murmurs about the outcome of that battle. It was an ending even I didn't expect - the hardened warrior vacating the premises, hanging off the arms of his equally rugged companions… and coming up right behind them was me, with the not-so-dignified princess slipping off my shoulders repeatedly.

"Sooo...." Amanda slurred and wobbled, turning to me with a crooked smile. "Impressed, my dear?"

"Eight," I said, pulling her closer to prevent coma by door frame. "I asked for a win, not a tie. Consider me disappointed."

After she recovered, which was shockingly fast, I thought we could finally move on to the objective at hand. I still clung to the frail hope that we do, even as we stood there listening to a band of bards strum their lute by the town square for an eternity now.

As per tradition now, I got coerced into juggling shit alongside them to entertain the wandering locals. Why?

"Well, you're kinda already dressed for the job," explained Amanda, tossing me a bundle of balls she pulled out from God knows where. "Besides, all that ball-tossing from before has got to be good for something, right?"

How was I to refute her with that kind of logic? She got me beat with the hard facts. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, alright," said I after having a fruitless go at the archery range. "But don't you have a convention to be hosting?"

Amanda turned back towards me, tossing her bagful of goodies into the air, having been a bit more successful than I. "Technically I am, aren't I?"

I raised a brow. "Are you?"

"My job's to entertain people, make sure that they have a good time," She explained, tossing her goodie bag once more, only this time, landing into my palm. "Well, aren't you having a good time?"

"Well…"

"Aren't you?" 

"Yeah, okay, I had fun," I admitted. "It was fun..."

"Was I fun?"

"Yeah, you were - " I blinked. "What?"

"It's a question, It's a valid question," She quickly said, inching herself closer at a jaunty pace. "My job heavily relies on my charm, after all... so, how about it? Was I charming enough for you?"

Every word was ever so subtly said, with the movements, with the looks that were just as subtle… the meek batty-eyed expression, the hands going around each other. So charming it was almost frightening. It was also extremely familiar.

"Are you seducing me?" I asked her. 

"Yes, is it working?" came her reply with a smile. " Or maybe perhaps, my ears just aren't narrow enough for you? My eyes not green enough?"

"They're both fine as they are," I said flatly. "In fact, you're fine as you are - and I'm sure you already know that alongside half the city's male population. I'm not so sure my approval is really all that necessary."

"On the contrary…" Amanda stopped short, on tiptoe, her smile nearing mine. "I wanna hear you say it."

"Because you wanna feel validated?"

"Because I wanna feel, well, appreciated," She corrected. "A princess has delicate sensibilities… and when it comes down to it, isn't that what having a boyfriend is for?"

"A real one, sure…"

"Still talking technicalities," I saw her blink, felt almost like a wink. "Fine, don't say it. You're right, there are other guys here that would be more than happy too. I'll just go ask them instead."

With that, she flattened her feet and hastily turned the other way. Abrupt was how I would have described it. I didn't really think she'd actually go so easily until she did, until she was… towards the crowd, away from me...

She never made it three steps before she was suddenly stopped. I also never thought I could ever move that fast, reach that fast, until I did, until I was, and before I knew it, my hand was already firmly clutching hers.

if she was confused, if she was surprised, it didn't show… no, as she turned back, there was just that same smile again and an almost insidious twinkle in the gaze that met mine.

"Oh-ho, what is this now?" She wondered sardonically aloud. "A change of heart so fast? Or what is it because you can't stand the thought of me going off with some other guy? Aww, see, now you're being honest, now you're being a - "

"Chicken."

"Yes, a chicken, a - " That smile faded so fast. " - I'm sorry, what?"

I hovered a finger over her lips, nudging her eyes slightly left, and spoke in a hush, "You're gonna scare them, hush."

There's the confusion, there's the surprise, they were definitely showing now. I've never seen someone look so disappointed staring at chickens before. Couldn't imagine why, just look at 'em pattering their little legs beneath the tree there, listen to 'em clucking their beaks out as they peck the dirt, cute no?

Amanda obviously didn't quite think so.

"Well, you're gonna help me catch them," I ask, letting go of her hand, and going into my best stealthy stance. "Or is that a bit too much work for your delicate sensibilities, dear princess?" 

"You know…" She blinked dully at me. "You kinda suck at flirting."

I kept to a crept. "I know."

"Maybe I should go off with some other guy, after all," She continued to say.

But by this point, I've already grown far too wise to be hoodwinked by her nefarious charm and wit. 

"Sure, if you really have to, but help me capture one first, alright?" I told her, too busy staring down my objectives to even spare a glance her way. "Be a dear, help me out."

"I'm really gonna go," She said, warning me with a loud firm stomp the other way. "I'mma do it."

Alas, my dear Amanda, I may look like a clown but that don't mean you can just play me for a fool.

"No you won't," I said, finally turning to her with a small smirk.

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, tossing her chin up high. "And what makes you say that?"

That's when a small smirk became a bigger one. "Because if you do, then I'll also just go find me another person as well. Maybe one with narrower ears, and also greener eyes. I'm sure they won't mind helping me out instead."

There was a moment of silence as I shifted my eyes back to the clucking at my front, doing my best to stifle my bells… then, that moment came to pass, and out of the corner of my eyes, appeared a bright, blonde stream of hair bouncing in the air.

Oh, how the turns have tabled. Doesn't feel too good being on the other end of that threat, does it now?

"Thanks for the help," I said, turning to the princess, who had both hands tugging up her dress.

She didn't appreciate that. "I hate you."

"Yeesh," I stifled a chuckle. "Guess I'm not the only one that sucks at flirting then."

And she didn't appreciate that either.