Chapter 87: Spillage

Chapter 87: Spillage

Vilith has left.

My own [Druid] has somehow convinced her to leave.

Stanimal, you are getting a raise, I tell the old man while shooting a look at the table where the giant Elf and his other teammates are now sitting.

The ______ are insane people, theyve always been so fixated with becoming [Heroes] and whatnot, Stan says but a mug crashing on the ground covers part of what he just said.

Yeah, yeah, I nod at him and excuse myself right after.

Lucinda, I say to my woman with a bright smile.

Shes now staring at me.

That woman was crazy! I swear! I have nothing to hide! You can even truth stone me! I tell her with my hands in the air.

No truth stones in personal matters, Joey, she says with her eyes narrowed.

Look, I tell the beautiful and talented blonde Elf, why should I go with that plain broomstick? You are gorgeous, and Im sure we can

She suddenly erupts in a fit of giggles.

Huh?

Im not jealous, you flat-eared dummy, she keeps laughing while shaking her head.

What? Were you messing with me? I stare wide-mouthed.

You bet, she winks at me with mischief.

No, Stan, Lucinda interrupts the question. Its just Joey being an idiot. Keep working. This place is not closing until he has done all the work that needs to be done.

She then stabs me with her eyes and slowly speaks.

Joey, I came here because I wanted to spend time with you. After wasting time just thinking about that idiot that I kissed, is it too much to ask not to be sent away like that?

Man, Im such an idiot.

No, no. Nothing wrong with that. Please, would you keep me company while I bake? We can even talk about magic and other stuff, ok?

She sees how desperate I am after realizing my own mistake, and she sighs.

Its fine. Im just not in the best mood. Im not used to this, she moves two of her fingers between us.

Its not like Im used to a fantasy relationship with an Elf. Ive never played those kinds of games if you know what I mean.

We settle in a mellow rhythm, with her looking at my smooth motions as I cook. Frying and baking are not easy things to juggle. You have to time it right, in the same way as playing cards is not just playing cards. You need to count how many cards are out or in the game. Its about timing.

But Ive danced this dance long enough to be able to talk to Lucinda fairly easily.

Ive heard the adventurers and the Watch had some problems, I say.

Captain Drusillus is warmer to adventurers compared to your average Watch [Captain], but the mans still part of the Watch. Dungeons create many problems, especially when they are this close to the city. If I had to guess, Captain Drusillus is probably going to enforce some rules to avoid having monster spillage.

Monster what?

Spillage. Its a Dungeoneering term. It means that you get the monsters out, and they follow you back to where you came from. It can get ugly. If the Dungeon is strong enough, it can raze a city to the ground. And when that happens, the city itself will slowly turn into a paradise for monster-breeding. So, Captain Drusillus is making sure they follow protocol. No adventurer really does it. They prefer doing things their way and then begging for forgiveness, rather than asking for permission.

Huh.

Thats interesting.