Micky was by the creek with his pants rolled up above his knees, his fishing pole sitting up on the bank laying unattended. As he was wading in thinking about looking for some crayfish, his best friend Jimmy yelled at him from along the path “Yo Mickeeeey! What’s up?!” Micky just waved back and got back to figuring out which rock had a crayfish hiding out underneath. He was originally here for trout but there wasn’t a fish in sight, so he hadn’t even bothered to throw the hook in the water.

“Micky what you up to?” asked Jimmy when he finally got closer. “Just getting dinner… though I think I’m gonna starve at this rate.” “Good thing your ma keeps a mean stew over the fire for when you get back." *Gurgle* "Maybe I’ll join you.” Micky was starting to get fed up with coming up empty handed and decided to cast a spell. [Mass Charm] the AOE hit a small area in the creek being an improvised spell and not a true [Mass Charm]. Micky had wanted to catch a few crayfish to spice up the boiling stew and by golly, he was gonna do it. Jim clapped his hands at the spell and Micky blushed.

Micky was a [Pink Mage] and Jim was a [Merchant]. The two of them have been a party since Jim showed up one day. Micky had always wondered what was up with that. but Jim didn’t want to talk so Micky never got a straight answer. [Merchant] wasn’t a bad class but Jim seemed to be embarrassed about it. You get that on occasion with parents not being happy with the class their children [Divined] on their first classing day. Micky at least knew a lot about that. While his parents and family had been generally supportive he had become the village idiot for a year until the next group of ten year olds had their classing day. Unfortunately [Pink Mage] was a pretty bad roll, so for the next two years he had still been compared to that years worst up until finally this year someone got [Village Idiot]. It’s a part of the [Jester] series of classes so it isn’t a bad class per se, but it was unfortunately named. It took a [Village Idiot] to remove Micky’s title of Village Idiot.

Micky sighed. “What’s the matter Mick?” Jim

“Just general melancholy dude I’ll get over it.” Micky

“Whatever dude. Hey, did you see Susan in that dress, Smoken!” Jim

“Oh boy did I see it, you missed it but she had a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ earlier today. Man do I know what I’m thinking about tonight” Micky

“Dude! You gotta tell me these things” Jim sent an elbow to Micky’s ribs causing him to rub them.

“I’m so sorry I missed that, Lucky bastard.” Jim

“My parents were married when I was born thank you very much. Hey, wonder if the new bloke is gonna get lucky tonight?” Micky

“It’s Susan so probably not. She’s not the loosest of the village girls but she isn’t a prude either. He’s gotta put some elbow grease and some meat on the table if he wants to get under that dress…. Hell I want to get under that dress and I’ve been at it for years!” Jim

“Pfft, like you ever had a chance. Don’t get me wrong Jimmy [Merchant] is fine an all but if you’re not gonna get into contact with her father you’re never gettin that date… and you’re never getting into contact with her father.” Micky

“Dude, that guy’s scary! You get into contact with her father! He’s built like a cart and mean about it. If Susan wasn’t so traditional and enamored with the whole sweeping off her feet thing the guys she could have would be lined up around the village. Man, she could have her own harem!” Jim

“Hey, I wasn’t making a suggestion just staten a fact. Besides, You seen the new waitress at Marcia’s pub?” *Wink Wink* *Nudge nudge* Micky

“Mrs. Williams? Have I ever! And Barley and Jarrold, and just about every living male in town. That waitress is Stacked, with a capital S. Mrs. Marcia’s tripled her income this year. Think we have enough?” Jim said as he motioned to the bucket.

Micky looked at the bucket after he put the last of the crayfish in. What was originally an empty bucket filled with water was now a full bucket with barely enough water to keep the crayfish submerged. Catching fish was so much easier when the fish come to you. While [Pink mage] didn’t gain any [XP] from fishing he could always make a living as a fisherman with the [Charm] spell. So Micky picked up the bucket and started heading back. Stew just became [Crayfish Stew]. While his mother always made a good stew it needed a signature to be recognized. That was why Micky tried to use [Charm] to catch something every day to throw in.

They both headed back to the house to throw the crayfish into the stew and get some grub once the crayfish were cooked. It only takes one intestinal parasite to learn that lesson. Jim wasn’t allowed to come over again for a week after that. Apparently he had to [Swear an Oath] that it wasn’t an intentional assassination attempt. Micky had laughed his ass off on that one. And not a bit was sparred for Jimmy’s pride.

Before they got to the house however they were attacked by a vicious…

Slime, well even if it was just a slime it wasn’t something a [Merchant LVL3] and a [Pink Mage LVL2] could take lightly. Micky cast [Charm] his first and only spell. This would bring the slime in close and slow. Preventing it from building up a good rebound and bouncing around. This was the most dangerous thing about slimes and why low leveled adventurers would end up bludgeoned to death. Slimes may be one of the second most common monster pets, but they were annoyingly fast. Combine that with a small target and they were literally lethal to the weak and unprepared. But Micky and Jimmy were a regular party. For a [Pink Mage] sending a party invite to your [Friends] the moment they showed up was an instinct. His family had gotten used to being in a raid a long time ago. Party management came to Micky as simple as scratching an itch.

Jimmy smashed the slime with a fist empowered by [Brawler] passive. Sending the slime careening off into the distance. Say what you will about slimes they can bounce.

[Battle won: Slime x1 has run away]

[Opponents defeated: Slime x1]

[Loot: 25 XP]

Jimmy gave Micky a Hi-five. “Ya, that slime ball is outa here!” Jimmy

“And the batters up on home plate, it’s a straight fastball, and he swings and it’s going going Gone! That slime is outa here!” Micky said as he gives Jimmy another Hi-five followed by a butt bounce and a celebratory dance.

“It’s just a slime!” Called Susan apparently back from the date already. From how soon she was back from her date it did not go that well. Well maybe the lucky bastard could get another if she didn’t have another prince charming lined up, but probably not.

“And Micky, What’s this I hear about you telling everybody I had a wardrobe malfunction?” Susan “Uh-oh” whispered Jimmy. But he did not look scared, no it looked much more like schadenfreude on his face. Micky was the one that looked scared.

She grabbed Micky’s cheeks "I didn’t have a wardrobe malfunction I just had to readjust something in my dress." She stretches those cheeks to the limit. "Repeat after me ‘there was no wardrobe malfunction.’ ” Susan

“Share wash new washrabe mafunsion.” Micky

“*laughter*” Jimmy

“ ‘There was no wardrobe malfunction. I saw nothing! Nothing!’ ” Susan

“Shaff woosh na woshrobe mofunfun. I sew nofing nofing!” Micky

“And you didn’t see anything either!” Susan pointed out Jimmy who at this point was still laughing at Micky.

“What’ed I do?!” Jimmy

“You saw nothing and that’s how it’s going to stay!” She said and left with a humph.

Jimmy elbows Micky, In the same spot!? “So how was it?” Jimmy

“what?” Micky

“Her hands dude. She was all over you.” Jimmy

“Painful.” Micky says confused whether to rub his cheeks first or his ribs, he settles for one hand rubbing each wound.

“Your darn right it was ‘painful’ ” Jimmy says while trying to elbow Micky in the same spot. But Micky’s hand is already there to defend against the vicious attack.

The rest of the way was uneventful and they finally got back in time to throw the crayfish into the stew. It was a tomato-based vegetable stew so the crayfish were going to go great with it. Plus the vegetables were kinda thin so it would be great to have something with a little bit more substance to it. Jimmy stuck around until the crayfish were cooked and the fam got home. Jimmy being around the table and eating with them was nothing new. After the stew was gone and everybody had a chance to eat, Ma brought out a pie dad had made. That was the big thing about dad. When he flew solo and was kicked outa gramps house he got real good at making pie. Now he wasn’t a [Chef] but he could make a mean pie. It was a labor of love. Ma always said he loved pie more than her and the only reason he married her is because she brought them a pie on their first date. Dad always said it was because he begged and pleaded till his knees bled. Micky always believed dad “Hey!” Dad

“What? I didn’t say nothin.” Micky

“Ya, but you were thinking it.” dad. And the table laughed. Of course, Micky hadn’t followed the conversation but he was pretty sure his dad wasn’t listening to his internal monologue, probably, that seemed more like a mom thing.

Eventually, the dinner was devoured dessert done and the divine light dimmed on the horizon. “You stayin over this time Jimmy?” Mom

“Not this time Mrs. Anderson.” Jimmy

“Alright you be careful now on your way back home, you hear?” Mom

“Of course Mrs. Anderson.”

“Now none of that I told you to call me Aunty Anderson, Aunty, or preferably Sis Anderson.” Mom said smiling

“Of course Sis Anderson. And when you go back tell Micky's Mom Goodbye to” Jimmy

“You cheeky little runt” Said Mom as she swept Jimmy up into a hug goodbye. When he was done Micky gave him a handshake that ended in a chest bump. “Later dude.” Micky “Later.” Jimmy.