Tiny Troubles | Page 2

"Then that means I have to find a load of bosses and bash their heads in!" Sean smirked. "If bosses give money, just kill the bosses!" He took his sword back out. "So... where are the bosses?"

 

A soft, hearty laugh came with a pat on the back. "Just be careful with that plan, since bosses also mean more likely death in reality. And the last thing you need is another one on your plate, right?" When he came up with a new question based on the boss plan, however, she realized her fatal flaw in the possibility when she recommended it as possible at all.

"Bosses... Kind of vary. I'm not a bounty hunter myself... But when I do find them, it's usually by talking to people, finding out what creatures have been causing danger for the area. Basically, look for quests that are meant to help protect villagers from monsters. Eventually, one will be for a big beastie that no one seems able to stop. But don't try to stop it alone, okay? If you find yourself in a pickle, call for me next time. It's what friends do- help each other."

 

"Yeah... What friends do..." Sean seemed to wince a small bit at the word "friend" as if a haunting memory had suddenly come back. Shaking his head, he turned back to Solaria. "So how about we get to a town and ask around for a while?" He started to look around for signs of civilization, still unsure if there's a map function.

 

She didn't seem to notice his sudden wince, or at the very least, she tried to ignore it if she had. Sure, it was clear he'd trailed off a bit oddly- but considering his predicament, she couldn't really be shocked by that. If he was calm in a situation like this, it'd just be more worrying in its own way.

"There's a village not far from here that I've been going into recently to help out. Why don't we start there? It's easier to find bigger fish to fry in bigger cities, but you never know what you'll find in general, right?" She pointed as she spoke to show the direction of the small town she knew nearby. "But I wanna stop in on a patient while we're there. It should only take a second. Mind?"

 

"No, I don't mind," Sean exclaimed with a smile. "Say, about the whole friend thing..." Sean walked in the direction of the town, starting to look as much like an adult as some of the veteran swordmen. "During that quest, there was a teammate there. The best I can describe them as is selfish and oddly liking causing chaos. When I died... They did nothing to stop it. Nobody did anything to prevent me from dying. It felt like I had been abandoned. But I know I have you. Thanks for everything." Sean genuinely smiled, tearing up a bit.

 

His pain was rather obvious in his words. It wasn't like she hadn't met people like the ones he seemed to have before- hell, she'd played enough games to meet a fair number of them. If anything, she found it hard to believe she hadn't met many of them so far in this world itself- it was likely something that existed, but she just rarely saw them.

"I mean... I've been in parties where we didn't really work well together, but that's just luck of the draw if you don't party with people you specifically know. Even then... In the heat of the moment, everyone's goal is different. I'd rather die than see someone die, to the point that even when I'm supposed to be acting as support... I basically try to tank. That's not exactly good sportsmanship or teamwork either, you know."

 

"Yeah..." After a small bit of thought, Sean suddenly thought of something. "Say, that person sort of was an anti-you..." He began to think about something. "I have no idea what to say, so let's just get to the town."

 

"An anti-me? I don't even know what makes me me myself. What makes me me to you, Sean?" The words came out as naturally as air, a giggle following as she grabbed his hand naturally to lead the way. When she did and recognized the warmth, she noticed how unconsciously calm she was about it.

It was kind of creepy, since lately, thinking of holding hands with someone else was a bit awkward.

"Ah- sorry if I'm dragging you. I do this with my brother a lot. But um... Say, while we're talking about personal problems... Mind helping me with mine too? Since it's gonna take us a bit to get to town anyway."

 

"I don't mind. It's okay." Sean chuckled a bit. "What makes you you... Well, you care about others and would do anything for them." He smiled softly. "And it's totally fine if you spill your problems onto me. I'm here for yo-" he couldn't finish before he tripped on a tree root and plunged headfirst into the ground. "I'm fine, I'm fine," He laughed, getting up and continuing to walk.

 

Before she could go into a bumbling banter about her own issues, she watched the man trip on a tree's limb and fall into a face plant. What irritated her was the sense of schadenfreude she felt- the way she wanted to giggle from the sight, particularly once she knew he was fine and not wanting any aid.

"That makes me a martyr is what it makes me." The girl soon mused, finding it best to continue the conversation as if nothing had happened. If nothing else, it was best for her. If she didn't, she'd worry and want to heal the minor scratches and just tire herself out. She couldn't do that, not when she knew it'd probably have a bad effect on the one in question too. "My issues are kind of bland. To be honest, I shouldn't really be calling it a problem, probably. It's a silly fear. Actually, fear's not the right word here either. Uh..."

Her fingers fiddled before her as she tried to focus on the road ahead less than on her choice of words to explain what had been on her mind prior. "It's been a long time since I've, uh... 'liked' someone. I guess I just don't really know what to do with that. It's funny. I'm not afraid to beat on a boss monster at all, but thinking I might like someone makes me go into such a tizzy."

 

"A case of first love, I see." Sean stood with his hand on his chin like some kind of love expert. "If you want to make a move, start by having chats with them, become their friend. Then start to drop subtle hints about liking them. The trick to relationships is taking it slow." His face suddenly lit up. "But I guess your problem is more dealing with the fact you're in love, right? Well, just always know that you ARE in love. Don't try to dive deep into it until you actually get the person you like." Sean looked up at the sky yet another time. "I wish I was in love."

 

First love? Did it look that simple? Somehow, his reaction made her giggle a bit more than usual. "I'm a bit old to have my first crush, I'm afraid. But it is only my second if that's the case. And... we already are friends, to me. But I think of a lot of people as friends... Just because I do doesn't mean they do, I guess..." She felt her fingers fidget and twiddle between each other, awkwardly dancing away the embarrassment she felt just talking about the topic.

"It's really just dealing with it. It's not like I've never had this feeling before, but... It was a long time ago when I did. And it's kind of uncomfortable, I guess, thinking about it. I'm not sure why I'm uneasy with it, though. Normally it'd be seen as a good thing, wouldn't it? But yet somehow..." Her hands moved briskly- one to scratch her cheek, the other balled at her side as she tried to focus on her footsteps. "Well, somehow... I'm scared, I guess. Like you have anxiety around small creatures... I'm afraid of this kind of emotion.."

She had a basic idea of why, she realized. Her hands moved back together, clapping as she accepted the reality a bit too quickly to make sense. At least, she wanted this to be the reason- and not something horrifically childish. "My mom and dad never dated anyone outside each other. Ever since I was small, I saw how close they were and wanted a love just like theirs. My first love fell through years and years ago now, but... I guess since I really wanted to be like my parents, it's kind of awkward that I haven't given up when I failed the first time?"

 

"So it's that you don't want to be in love but you are, or something? Love is complicated..." Sean chuckled a bit. "I wonder what love truly..." He paused, hearing a sound from a nearby bush before a squirrel popped out right in front of him. "KYAAAH!!" He yelled like a girl, reflexively stabbing the squirrel in fear. "Oh... I guess that's one way to do it..." He nervously laughed. "Okay, so... Mind telling me who you have these feelings for? I won't tell, I promise."

 

The scream from seeing the squirrel had made her jolt. Seeing the fear wasn't actually so bad to Solaria. It had just surprised her when he stabbed it so swiftly. "Yeah, we should really work on calming you down... Though on the bright side, you did see you're stronger than it, I guess?" Mentally, though, he was suffering. There was no doubt about that.

His swift return to her own issues was a sign of distracting himself. For the moment, she'd accept it. They could work on both their issues at the same time, over time.

"Love is complicated, indeed. As for who it is... I don't know if you'd know him? His name is Verity. I met him around his first day- at the time, he was kind of... Off-put by people in general. He's become more friendly, I think, though. He's got a good head on his shoulders and he's a good guy in general. He works hard to keep me from throwing myself in the way when we're in a party. Actually... We've even had an offline meet up. That's why... I'm fairly certain we count as friends."

Her mind returned to memories from the meeting in the city. It was rather amazing, as she recalled- her ability to pick a fight in hopes of driving someone bad away had caused more trouble than good. She was careful, and yet somehow caution created complications. "He really saved my ass that day, too..." Well, this was surely embarrassing.

"So, you asked what love is like, right? Does that mean you haven't had your first yet? I'm kind of surprised somehow."

 

"You're... surprised?" Sean started to blush a bright red. "Uh... Uhm... It's just nobody has particularly caught my eye yet... Or, at least, not that I know of." He continued to walk. "I think I can see a town up ahead. Let's get there and hope I'm not set off by small humans."