Within thirty minutes, everyone had respawned, cleaned off, and dressed. They came back to the inn where Patti and Rhen served the hungry respawners old stew. While Rhen and Patti regaled them with tales of the battle, and the new realm, Arannet sat quietly in the corner, smiling ever so often.
Maybe she wasn’t so bad.
With the meal finished, Rhen decided to address the elephant in the room. “Everyone, this is Arannet, our guild appointed representative who will help us claim the find and get everything going smoothly.”
The discomfort in the room was palpable, but everyone gave at least a mumble of hello.
“Please introduce yourselves at your convenience, and let’s do our best to help her get everything done swiftly so we can start exploring Paradise.”
“Is that really what you’re calling it?” Olliat asked, scowling.
Rhen shrugged. “Well, it was.”
Eli shook his head. “Sorry, Deo, but I’m with Olliat. You’re naming creativity needs work.”
Rhen wasn’t good at this. It was a blessing that the delver school had picked his name, and that his mentor had gifted him his after that. He didn’t want everyone to be unhappy… it wasn’t the best name after all.
“Fine. How about we all put our name ideas in a box, and when the paperwork is done, we’ll read them all and vote for the best?”
Murmurs of agreement went up around the room.
“I have some spare paper,” Arannet offered with a nervous smile.
“Great. Settled then. Please, no ridiculous names,” Rhen warned with a stern glare.
“And what was Paradise?” Jakira asked.
“A reasonable and appropriate name,” Aki said, finally coming to his defense.
Rhen gave him a sloppy pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy.”
Rhen stood on his chair. “And with that, I would like to propose instead of immediately getting back to the grind, we go spend a day on the lovely beach of our new realm.”
The delvers cheered enthusiastically.
Arannet cleared her throat, hand raised. “Mr. Zephitz, I’m really sorry but according to bylaw hotel bravo nine six five, you can’t cross into the new realm until it’s been declared safe by the Dungeon Owner’s Guild.”
Rhen quirked a brow and his like-o-meter for Arannet dropped a good chunk. “Well, couldn’t you come see that it’s safe?”
She paled, stammering, “Me? I… uhm. I don’t think I’m qualified to make that assessment. I just pass what I note off to the guild and they make the assessment.”
Joseph sat back and crossed his arms. “I know her type. She just wants to spoil our fun.”
The delvers mumbled angry agreement. Great.
Rhen had to put a quick pin in it. They couldn’t be actively working against her, or nothing would get done. He had to make her see reason. He got off the chair and walked over to Arannet in her corner while the others grumbled to one another.
He whispered, “Look, they all worked their hands to the bone and then died for this. Do you know how getting ripped apart by a gigafish feels?”
She shook her head. He didn’t think so.
“They deserve this.”
“I understand, Mr. Zephitz, but the rules are the rules for a reason.”
Rhen glowered. “And what reason is that? We fought a gigantic monster fish with seven thousand teeth in the crushing black depths of the lake. What’s going to be more dangerous?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “It’s less about your safety and more about the realm’s. What if you encounter a sapient species? What if you kill one of them thinking they’re a monster? What would that do to future negotiations for the Kingdoms?”
Did she think they were all idiots? Rhen had to bite back a colorful curse and sighed, collecting himself.
“We’re not there to kill things, we’re going to relax.”
The room quieted, all eyes on the pair of them.
She squared her shoulders and straightened her spine as if it’d give her any more height to stand up to him with. “What happens when you’re attacked?”
“We swim back to the nexus and leave.”
“The rules are the rules for a reason, Mr. Zephitz. People said that before, and things went poorly.”
Rhen ground his teeth. “We’re not those people.”
“That’s beside the point. Accidents happen,” she said with an innocent shrug.
“Fine, what’s the penalty for breaking HB965?”
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Arannet’s eyes bulged. “You would just… just disregard the bylaw after I’ve told you it exists?”
“Well, it’s a stupid one, so yes.”
She crossed her arms, cheeks turning red. “Well, if you want to know, the guild will strip your title, prevent you from ever getting another dungeon, and fine you whatever they deem appropriate for the damages done.”
The room was quiet.
Why…
Why did they have to send this law ninny along with him? He should’ve just done all the paperwork at the guild tower.
Rhen surrendered. “Okay everyone. No beach break, yet.”
They all glared daggers at Arannet, and she withered.
Jakira stood. “How about a river party?”
“In the charred wasteland topside?” Barrek growled.
“Sure, it’s ashy, but we can set up some baths, get some terrocken leg roasting, we could even do a bonfire! It wouldn’t be a danger because everything is already fried!” She grinned, bringing levity to their grim situation.
Rhen felt bad for promising everyone a beach party, but she’d swooped in to save him. He loved her brightness.
“I think this is an acceptable compromise,” Aki, who glowed a little bit suspiciously pink, weighed in. “I will help set up the baths.”
“I can heat them,” Rhen offered.
The delvers perked up, getting more agreeable to the idea. Rhen wondered if Aki had secretly activated his soothing aura ability and just tucked all that pink mist up under his legs.
Exhaustion hit him like a wave, and he remembered that it was dark out. “It’s agreed then. First thing in the morning, we’ll head out and get everything set up for a riverside party.”
Arannet opened her mouth to say something, but Rhen shot her a glance that said not another word. She mashed her lips back together and clasped her hands at her hips. He was certain she would’ve said something ridiculous like, “According to bylaw stupid fluffer stuff two eight one, we need to start working on the papers now.”
Rhen knew the paperwork was important—to some people—and he knew that some of them needed to be done before the week’s end, but the delvers deserved a celebration for the success. He’d worked far too many dungeons where he was given a slap on the back and docked pay for discovering a nexus node, and he wasn’t going to join their ranks.
No, only a proper celebration would do. River bath party, with a hakir salt soak, and bonfire-cooked terrocken leg would do for now, but as soon as they could get into Paradise, they were having that damn tiki party.
Rhen stuck around in the dining room while everyone finished their meals. He circulated among the tables, giving everyone his heartfelt congratulations and thanks. He caught a glimpse of a “Dungeon Overview” draft that Arannet was focused on, her eyes glued to the page. He wondered if she was just that dedicated, or if he’d made her so uncomfortable she had to distract herself. He felt a twinge of guilt at the thought. She was just trying to do her job, but why did she have to be so married to the law?
Since they’d all just recently resurrected, the delvers weren’t tired, but they went off to sleep to get back on a healthy schedule anyway. Arannet popped by on her way up to the room and whispered a quiet good night and an even smaller, “Sorry about that.”
Rhen stopped her. “I understand. You have to do your job. We won’t get in your way.”
“It’s not like that, I mean… yeah okay. Thanks. Good night.” She ran up the stairs without another word.
Rhen sighed, then got back to work. He and Jakira piled the dishes up into deep bins and brought them to the kitchen. There was a wash basin in the corner of the kitchen that would need to be flushed out soon, but it would do for now. He sat on the stool over the water and scrubbed the bowls, dunking them intermittently to clean off any stuck pieces of flaky broth. He really needed to get some sort of indoor plumbing solution figured out.
Corraphine, he reminded himself, was a good start to that. The dungeon control center had said it was likely in the aquatic chamber, though after weeks of farming it, they hadn’t seen any gems sticking conspicuously out of the walls. Perhaps they were farther in, or down, or deeper in the walls. Whatever the case, he was going to find them. They needed running water for a number of reasons.
“Hey.” Jakira put a gentle hand on Rhen’s shoulder, rousing him from thought.
He turned on the stool to look at her. She had a kind smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement. He smiled back. “Hi.”
“You were snoring a little bit.”
Rhen cocked his head. “Was I?” He looked back to see the bowl had dropped to the bottom of the basin, and the sponge was floating lazily around it.
“Why don’t you go up to bed? I’ve got this.”
Rhen retrieved the bowl and sponge. “Last one.”
Jakira chuckled, returning to the stew pot. “That’s what you always say.”
“Do I?”
“Well, not in so many words. It’s always, “There’s one more nook up ahead I wanted to check.” Or “We only need a few more cores to get such and such ability.” You’re always pushing yourself. Always striving…” She trailed off, smiling into the pot as she scrubbed.
Rhen hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose it was instilled in me from the delver school. You weren’t done until the job was done.”
Jakira dropped her pot and fell to her knees, coming eye to eye with Rhen on his little stool. She put her soapy hands on either side of his face and stared him straight in the eyes. Rhen’s heart pounded faster, and the tired feelings fled.
“You. Are. Enough.” She punctuated each word with a little squish to his cheeks. “There is always going to be one more this, or that. It never ends. Trust me, five years at the Down-N-Out taught me that if you’re going to get time for yourself, you have to make it.”
“How’d you get so wise?” Rhen said, his lips squished like a fish in her grip.
She smiled and handed him her drying cloth. “The hard way. Years of suffering thinking that if I were just a little more perfect, I could make enough money to escape.”
Rhen wiped his cheeks, anger bubbling in him thinking of her doing her best for years, having her food restricted by the matron, rising before the sun and sleeping only long after it’s gone…
She returned to scrubbing her pot and went on. “In the end, it wasn’t about the money, it was about my choices. When I saw you, big smile on your face, chasing your dream, I thought, wow, I want to be him.”
Rhen set the bowl aside, turning on his stool to watch her.
“Even with almost nothing, I was able to leave everything I had behind, nine years of slaving away in Desedra inns, on a chance and a dream. Your dream, but one that I could be part of, maybe even carve a little space out for myself in, if you’d let me.”
Rhen stood and walked to her, his heart bouncing off his ribs.
What was he doing?
He pulled her away from the pot, one hand gripping her cheek and the other sliding around her back.
Then he kissed her.
She was tense at first, surprised, but relaxed into him and wrapped her arms around his back. Her soapy, wet hands soaked through the back of his shirt, making it cling to him as he clung to her. The warmth of her lips was intoxicating… too intoxicating.
He pulled back and she gasped, her eyes still closed and cheeks glowing with gold.
“I will always make space for you.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Thank you.”
She jumped, as if coming to her senses, and pulled away from him. “You should get to bed. I’ll finish up with these and have Aki help me switch out the water in the wash basin. I’m sure he’ll be eager for something to do,” she said with a chuckle. She picked up the scrub brush and went to work in the pot, her gaze fixed in the depths of it but her thoughts clearly elsewhere as her cheeks glowed brighter.
Rhen smiled. “You’re the best, Jak. Never change.”
He headed for the stairs, exhaustion returning to his limbs. He barely remembered stripping down and plopping into bed. Sleep took him swiftly, and he dreamed of gold-flecked blackness.