Jess looked up at Mike and sighed wearily. “I’m being a tad dramatic, aren’t I?”

Mike chortled, pausing his polishing of the glass for a moment before shaking his head ruefully. “I’ve enough sisters to know that answering yer question would be a rookie mistake.”

It had been about two hours since Jess had laid out across the floor, hoping that any of the adventurers would notice her. They acknowledged her existence by avoiding stepping on her, but that was the limit of their interactions. They didn’t even hesitate on their way their way over her, like she was merely a human-shaped rug.

Maybe they do think I’m a rug? She thought to herself, concerned. Mike had been kind enough to donate her some clothing, but they were on the tatty side. Rough, shapeless woollen dresses that reached to her ankles. She felt a bit like she was wearing a sack in her current ensemble; it was large, shapeless and a dark mustard colour that erred on the side of brown. She sighed again.

“If yer bored, go stretch yer legs,” Mike advised her patiently, delicately arranging the glassware he had cleaned so that they sat in perfect neat rows.

“How much would a nice dress cost?” Jess asked, ignoring his suggestion.

“A decent work tunic would cost ye about a gold,” he answered.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” said Jess, wrinkling her nose.

“Then perhaps ye should go stretch yer legs and go find out,” Mike answered, stepping back to admire his work. He gave an approving grunt.

Jess remained on the floor considering the option with pursed lips.

“Floor needs sweeping. Ye need to move either way,” Mike said, reaching for the broom.

“What if I don’t have enough gold?” Jess asked. She hauled herself into a sitting position before rubbing her aching back.

“Then ye won’t be buying yerself a new dress,” Mike answered as he walked over to where she sat and offered a hand to help her to her feet. “Why’d ye need a new dress anyway?”

“I’ve been thinking about my next steps,” Jess explained. “I need to figure out how to get home. I need to be doing something.”

“And the dress helps… because?”

“I need people to take me seriously. The clothes you gave me are comfortable, but hardly presentable.”

“Ye could always go questing? Adventurers sometimes get paid in gold.”

“Didn’t get me very far last time,” Jess reminded him. “But I suppose… I’ve nothing better to do, have I?”

Mike said nothing. Instead, he chose to sweep the floor, paying special attention to avoid missing any hiding specks of dirt whilst suspiciously avoiding making any eye contact with Jess.

Jess gave a small sigh. “Alright. Alright. I’ll take the hint.”

She checked for the small cloth pouch which had replaced her lanyard and necklace. It was tucked safely underneath her clothing, hung around her neck on a soft strap of leather. Not as comfortable as a handbag, but at least it was harder for pickpockets to take.

The street outside was as quiet as usual, so Jess headed towards the busier streets until she reached Central Road. As the name suggested, Central Road ran through the middle of the city, splitting it in half and connecting the Western and Eastern gates.

She wasn’t sure where she could even find the quests. She wouldn’t have known that Nevin’s task was a quest if he hadn’t explicitly told her. A large number of adventurers seemed to hang around the noble district and surrounding squares. Maybe the key to questing was exactly as she had done before? Just completing chores and favours.

Jess had done a reasonable amount of people watching, but what was the key to communicating with adventurers? They ignored her, but they don’t ignore each other. Maybe it wasn’t about who they interacted with, maybe location was also key.

With renewed purpose, she beelined towards ivory square. It was one of the smaller square gardens near the middle of the city, but no less busy. Ornate flowers and vines adorned white arches that marked the entrances to the greens. The blooms looked similar to orchids, but their colours were haphazard, as though a child had completed a colouring book. Even blooms on the same plant were wildly different in colour. Jess made a mental note to return to investigate further at a later date. Right now, she needed to stay focused.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Locals strolled at a sedate peace around the pathways that looped around the area. Bushes and shrubs, as well as tall flowering plants that Jess didn’t recognise lined these pathways. It made the area seem larger than it was, delicately obscuring park goers from view to give the sense of privacy as people walked around. It also helped to disguise the guards that loitered around the area, surreptitiously keeping a careful eye on the residents and adventurers alike.

In the centre of the park, A large circular mosaic paved the ground in whites and soft yellows. Here, there were some performers eking out a living. A young juggler paraded on one side, joking with an older gent who played a fiddle. He stood while whirling balls in many different colours with expert skill. On the other side, a young girl… or boy? A young person danced merrily while playing on reed pan pipes. The ridiculous tassels on their shorts and sleeves jiggled erratically with each movement.

A bit underwhelming, thought Jess. Maybe the better performers are closer to the castle. Or in the castle? She shrugged to herself before scanning the area for her true quarry.

There were adventurers in the area, but they didn’t seem interested in the entertainment on offer, not that Jess could blame them. Instead, the adventurers huddled together in groups, jostling one another like piglets around a trough. Some could be seen breaking off in pairs and… moving oddly. Jess sat on the bench and observed. She felt as though she should be narrating over documentary footage. And here we find a pack of adventurers. Up until now, these adventurers had been thought of as solitary migrating individuals, but recent footage has shown that they may actually come together to form packs.

Jess’s face scrunched up as she watched the pair that had separated from the larger group. It was a woman in rich, red robes that sparkled in the sun and a younger gent with leather armour and a curved sword at his waist. She had a staff slung across her back with an equally red orb on the end that Jess presumed was blown glass. Has to be glass. You don’t shove a tennis ball sized gem on the end of a walking stick.

The two were… up to something. Jess’s frown deepened as she watched their antics, alternating between standing statue still and then miming an action. It was like watching the world’s most awkward game of charades, except neither of them were guessing and both were acting out the clues. The man waved at no one in particular. The woman fist bumped the air. The man gave a thumbs up. The woman laughed raucously and slapped her thigh which took Jess by surprise. It was the first time she’d heard a sound from them. In response, the younger gent flexed his muscles like a bodybuilder, striking a pose. The two then stood for some time longer, staring without moving before the woman broke the stillness by blowing a kiss at the gent.

Realisation struck Jess like a hammer. Of course, the adventurers could communicate… they just weren’t doing so out loud. Telepathic perhaps?

It left a sour taste in her mouth that this wasn’t something that she could just learn to do. A new language, sure, with time. But, just as sure as she never received her letter to Hogwarts, she knew she’d never had telepathic powers either.

Perhaps there was another way though…

She rolled up her sleeves and strode up to the pair. There was only a couple of metres between them but neither of the adventurers reacted to her approach. She decided to take a leaf out of the guy’s book and struck a bodybuilder pose to flaunt her pathetic biceps. Then, when no reaction was seen, she ran through the remainder of the limited Mr Universe poses that she knew. It felt a little odd during the actions in silence, so she feigned straining noises as she did them.

She groaned, posing for a final time before relaxing but there remained nothing to show that either of them had even noticed her. Frustrated, but also a little emboldened, she upped her game. With her folded arms acting as wings, she flapped, scratched at the ground and clucked as obnoxiously as she could while circling the pair.

No matter what outlandish behaviour she displayed, the adventurers either didn’t care or didn’t register her presence. She completed a number of ridiculous struts that would fit in nicely with the Ministry of Funny Walks and turned away from the oblivious adventurers, defeated.

She came face to face with a handful of locals watching her and her cheeks flushed. She had hoped that she would be noticed, but not like this. Standing in front of a classroom regularly had significantly reduced her risk of stage fright – but that was when the crowd was within her realm of control. This felt entirely different though she realised it was an expected outcome, given the situation. What fool puts on a performance in a public space and doesn’t expect onlookers?

From the midst of the group, the juggler approached with his hat in his hands, and he offered it towards her like a bowl. Jess stood and stared blankly, unsure what the offer meant. The group began to disperse from behind and the young juggler glanced back at them before flashing Jess a grin.

“You’re new here, yes?” he asked. His accent was different to the others that she had heard, but she couldn’t place it.

She nodded, still eyeing his hat uncertainly.

“Performers lay down a bowl before they start their act,” he said, giving the hat a jiggle. There was a metallic jingle from within. “I didn’t want your efforts to be wasted so I collected the offerings for you.”

Still flushing with embarrassment, she accepted the offered hat and checked the contents. A handful of copper and silver coins lay within. Her display didn’t deserve anywhere near this amount of compensation.

“Thank you,” she said, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Any time,” he said with a smile, accepting his emptied hat from her. “You might want to work on your dancing though.”

Jess felt as though her soul had dissipated from her body. Looks strange. Acts strange. Could this be any worse?

“Hah, yeah,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “I’ll er… I’ll bear that in mind.”