The last remnants of sunlight vanished by the time we reached our guild’s building. Due to this, both the lights coming from the first ground windows, and the sounds of obnoxious laughter from within- in contrast to the near silence of the cold streets- are more present than they normally would be. With even Serv getting somehow confused by this, we genuinely showed more caution reaching the door due to this than we showed with the bandits before.

Upon our arrival to the main entrance of our building, with our emblem and named embedded into the door on a metal plate, we were greeted.

Or, well, I was greeted as audibly as S physically could as she waved to the others, ‘Hey Sam, welcome back.’

The others gave low-effort waves back and went through the door, whereas I stayed with her, with S continuing on to explain what was going on, ‘You see, we were going to return to pick you up after dropping off our stuff here… but things happened. It’ll be quicker just to see for yourself.’

Going in together, we headed down the main corridor to the dining room when I started to hear even more voices add to the wall of noise from within. With the only words I could understand being ‘Welcome back’ in various, poorly synced voices.

Having followed S into the room, I find a feast so large my hunger vanished by just seeing and smelling it. The cacophony of noise was at its peak, with the feast on the table only being outdone by the literal kegs of who knows what lining the walls. Instantly explaining why my ears hurt so much.

Taking a second to get my bearings straight, I see nine people in the room in addition to myself. There was Jacque, Mask and, ironically, Charles who were drinking as if racing each other to drown first; the occasional spurt of red liquid missing their mouth indicated the drink was likely wine. On the other-hand there was Helen, Serv and Grey talking to Jessica and a mystery person. Meanwhile S was still with me, walking towards this latter mentioned conversation.

To describe the mystery person: they had a similar height and hair and eye colour to Jessica- white if not platinum blonde with blue eyes. However, this other person- although having a visible bust- wore a cheap suit with trousers. Their hair was also cut short and combed thoroughly.

Finally realizing I was there, Jessica turned to me specifically, saying, “To cut a long story short, this is Plum. Because we’ve finished our first quest together, I wanted to celebrate. And Plum is the only person I trust to make alcohol. If you’re not too young, have some and join the festivities” Casually gesturing to the mysterious person, accordingly dubbed ‘Plum’, she then gestured to both the feast and the various kegs in amidst her relatively succinct explanation.

“I am too young... And even if I wasn’t, I doubt that her wine would make me drunk in the first place,” I replied whilst subconsciously adding the latter part, honestly just wanting to head off and sleep.

As if saying forbidden words, Plum turned to me with a finger pointing at me. “That sounds like a challenge for me. How about this…” she clutched a specific keg of wine, which, unlike the others, was both smaller and of a different colour.

She then continued, “This is the extra strength wine. Take back your words, or try to drink two cups. If you drink two cups and don’t even stagger, I’ll ignore your comment.”

Obviously, the cup she handed me was also two times as big as the others in the room, and she filled it to the brim the the scarlet drink. I take a sip, and as expected, I taste nothing but bitter grape-flavoured water, so proceed in drinking it slowly without any feeling aside from the bitterness. As she pours the next, I drink it as casually as the last. Looking Plum right in the face as I do so.

“I do not feel a thing. It was kind of bitter though,” I bluntly reply, not even attempting to be humble nor stumbling or even stuttering as I did so. Plum, with Jessica and the rest of the peanut gallery, now consisting of everyone else in the room, faced me, mouths gaping in awe. Even seeming more shocked than when I killed a dragon in one shot.

“You’re a human, right?! He’s not like…” Plum, exclaiming her confusion, suddenly got gagged by Jessica’s hand.

Getting released, she continued to ask, “She told me you’re human… You are a human, right? Not a dwarf, or a dragon in disguise?”

“Yes, I am human. I just can not get drunk. I did state my doubts for a reason,” I flatly stated.

“How then!? Are you a Yik or something? No, can’t be…” she sighed deeply, and only then mumbled off, “I need a keg, or three…”

Coughing awkwardly, I continued to eat a bit. Getting occasionally challenged to drink more, but refusing because, honestly, the bitter aftertaste made me visible cringe. But there was still no buzz or anything aside from the terrible flavour left in my mouth. Quickly getting my fill on food, I leave for my room.

S, unable to drink in the first place, joined me in eating then followed me out, asking, ‘Do you really not feel anything?’

“Yeah. It was not as if I want to make myself look strong, it is just nigh impossible for me to get drunk in the first place. I… do not wish to go into why though. It is a depressing, long story.”

‘Are you sure? I have nothing but time…’

“Yeah. Let us celebrate after our victory, rather than brood on the past.”

With that, I went to sleep.

-

I awaken, knocking bombarding the door. The light already in the room is enough for me to see, and by opening the blinds, my eyes scream in agony. The sun directly shining onto my window. Removing any grogginess from my body, although afterwards- ignoring the knocking for now- I can still taste the drink in the back of my throat.

My groaning at my terrible decisions lead to the knocking stopping, being replace by S asking, ‘So, are you actually drunk?’

Cursing the sun under my breath, I proceed to open the door to allow S inside, covering my eyes with my free arm.

‘Is this the infamous ‘hangover’ the others are complaining of?’ She asked, tilting her skull. Although she doesn’t have a face, the distance her mouth is apart let me place an expression on her- currently picturing her as either gormless or teasing...

“You don’t have eyes to kill, right?” I countered. And when she nodded, I, turning my face to the side, open the blinds once again. Hearing her grunt of acknowledgement, I closed them before facing her once more.

‘Makes sense…’ she softly mumbled, walking off whilst gesturing for me to follow heed.

Doing so, she lead me to the dining room where the majority- seemingly suffering from the same ailment- holds their head respectively. Five of them held their head in there hands, refraining from both light and sound as much as physically possible with their crouched over posture, meanwhile Helen and Serv were like they always were. The former overly peppy to a degree you flinched to protect yourself from her tail flying off, and the latter apathetically standing over her to be of assistance.

After brooding on if the pain of speaking would be worth it, Jessica initiated a conversation, “Sam… Urgh... H-how much money did you make on your side?”

Postponing of answering, I came behind to and dropped every one of the eleven coins fell on the table. The clanking of them bouncing off one another making the five hangover survivors cringe in agony. Only then do I say, “One platinum, thirty-two gold and fifty silver exactly.”

Pacing herself, she eventually regained to explain, “A-alright… The others made five gold, and given we’re splitting it evenly between us nine and Lithy. Tha-...” She held her head in a vicious snap towards the table, hiding her face behind her arm as she did so, exclaiming, “Urgh! Why am I doing this now?! Just place a tenth of that on the podium for my goddess’s sake!”

S fulfils that for me. Not caring for detail, she simply grabbed two large, golden coins and left. From the open door leading into the main corridor, an pale white light shone for a few seconds, ending just before the door closed by itself. She then came back in, placing a couple small golden and other coins on the pile.

Serv then took over, taking the logical step to split the remainder- in an excruciating long and purposely drawn out process- into nine equal piles. Giving each person one such pile as obnoxiously audio-wise as possible.

The five people who were about to either murder specifically me and Serv or self mutilate fled as quickly as their legs would carry them; each likely darting to their own rooms.

“So, Miss S. Did you four get any quests yesterday?” I ask, leaving the room to the outside with her, as Serv helped Helen finish her meal.

She stopped, pausing for a moment before answering, ‘Yeah, but it’s a full party one… Why?’

“I am just bored… what do you wish to do?” Stretching my arms, I give a deep yawn.

‘We can just grab something to eat. I woke you up, didn’t I?’

“Honestly, I am getting used to that. Anywhere you wish to go?”

Again, she stopped mid-step. This time however, her head fully cocked to the side as she asked, ‘By the way, how is the walk from here to the guild?’

“Bloody,” I quipped. S almost fell over trying to tilt her head more, so before she did I elaborated, summarizing the events in a succinct manner.

Amidst laughing… Well, laughing through telepathy and chattering her teeth, she looked to the far off sun.

We had left the overly massive guild house Lithy made for us, and were in one of the five fields of plain grass which made up the gardens to the estate, with a front, central building section with a, now desolate, driveway for carriages. A light wind made the nigh oceans of grass dance gracefully, like waves rippling in a sea. The peace and serenity given by this lead to a silence as we walked, which left me to forget my worries.

The same, apparently, wasn’t the case for S, who paused. Her gaze affixed on the dominating sun in the otherwise flawless, azure sky.

‘Sam… Mind if I ask you a question?’ I nod, and she continues, ‘Why are you so formal with me?’

As she turned to me, I shrugged. “Why would I not?”

‘You’re amazing… You fought miss Jacqueline head on to get me back, you killed a wild dragon in one shot, and you even out drunk adults as a child. I… I’m just a skeleton with a sword. You don’t even know the real me!’ Her face couldn’t show it. But from her pacing, tone and words, tears seemed to fall from her eye sockets.

“Miss Ess, I have said this before, yet I will say it again until you believe it. I do not care what or who you are. You have already done enough for me to respect you until the end of this earth, and forgive any past or future pain you may directly or indirectly cause me... Why do you bring this up however?”

‘I… I don’t know? It’s... just, finally set in I guess. How much you are giving to me for such a shallow reason. I know the others are also working to reach my goal, but the more I find out about you the most amazed I become. Yet you don’t even want to tell me more about yourself.’

“Why depress a great day? If you want to know about me, ask at a more fitting time. For now, let us just celebrate our successes as they come. No story of my past is uplifting by any metric anyway...”

‘So… you will trust me to listen when you want to say them, right?’

“Why would I doubt you? Anywho, let us decide on what we will do now, as we await the others recuperating,” I stated, ending the conversation there as I continued to walk off.

After a moment of silence on her behalf, I heard the patters of her footsteps as she rushed to catch up to me.