The bathroom door swung open as Troy stepped into the house, the faint whir of air conditioning a welcome balm on his body. “Ffffuck, that humidity was brutal as hell!” Troy groaned and peeled his shirt off to separate cloth and flesh. As he tossed the sweat-stained shirt over in a floor hamper, he looked over at a catatonic Alcydes and asked, “You want anything for supper tonight?”
“Don’t care, just wanna cool off,” Alcydes grumbled, his body spread out in front of the closest vent. As the air conditioning turned back on, Alcydes sighed in bliss and pulled himself up closer to the vent.
Troy laughed at the childish response from the kid, and he opened the fridge for options. “Well, we have some soda, fresh fruit, and some chilled leftovers…” Troy listed off as he looked over the shelves inside. As he took in the details though, he frowned at how barren it was. While it had only been over a week since he had moved in, he couldn’t have cleared it out that quickly… right?
Troy thought it over for several seconds, only for several small grunts to come from behind him. Troy looked behind him at the basking Alcydes and watched as the kid reached for the fruit bowl. When the elven boy rolled an orange over to him with a single finger, Troy snorted at how the kid casually tore the peel away with one hand. “Yeah, that would be a good reason why,” he commented, then closed the fridge after he took out two bottles of root beer.
As Alcydes nibbled at his fruit, Troy handed the young elf a root beer before he sat down next to him. “Well, the good news is that we’ll be able to cool off here tonight,” he told the elf, but as Alcydes gave him a worried look, he quickly added, “However, with all that’s been going on, I’ve forgotten to get groceries since we first met.”
Alcydes quickly looked worried at the prospect and grabbed his orange possessively. Troy’s mind momentarily winced at the action, but Troy coughed before he reassured the young elf, “It’s not the last out there, though! All that means is that we have to get new groceries before we go on our next quest.” When Alcydes visibly relaxed, Troy took a sip of his drink before he commented, “So I wanted to bring it up with you now, but do you want to go with me to pick them out?”
Alcydes hummed in thought, and ate another orange slice before he asked, “Will it be cool in there, too?”
Troy let out a snort at the rather sub-par question but gave a nod to Alcydes. “Yeah, it’ll be pretty cool in there,” he confirmed, then took a large gulp of root beer before he added, “Heck, with how grocery stores need to keep produce chilled, it will likely be even cooler.”
Alcydes visibly perked up at the concept of it being cooler, and immediately sat up. As his body moved away from the vent though, Alcydes froze before his body fell back in front of the air flow. “Maybe in a little bit,” he said with mild dismissiveness, before he took another bite of his orange. Troy chuckled at his response but didn’t bother arguing with Alcydes as he continued to drink his own soda.
The two sat on the floor in relative silence for several minutes, the only noise coming from the AC and sipping at their drinks. Once the two had cooled off enough, Troy pulled himself away from the wall and stumbled over to the key drawer. “I think we’re cool enough now,” he joked, and pulled out his car keys before he glanced at Alcydes and called out, “Ready to go on a ride, Alcydes?” The young child reluctantly pulled himself away from the vent, and after they had changed into lighter clothes, he trudged after Troy as they walked over to the garage.
Troy’s hand stumbled upwards as he entered into the garage, fumbling around aimlessly until he finally hit the button. A faint green flash shone under his fingers just before the door began to rise, which Troy ignored in favor of circling around to the driver-side door. With a push of the key button, the car doors unlocked before Troy slid behind the wheel. As he put the key in the ignition, Troy looked to the passenger seat and called out, “Come hop on in, Alcydes!”
Alcydes looked unsure through the window but opened the passenger door before he crawled around the door into his seat. As Troy buckled himself in, he looked back to find Alcydes looking at him confused. “Why did you put that over you?” the young boy asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Troy pursed his lips at the question, only to click his tongue when he realized that Alcydes knew nothing about driving safety. “Well, to make a long story short, we need to put on our belts while we drive to keep ourselves safe if the car crashes,” he responded, and patted the buckle before he reached for the key. When he noticed that Alcydes was still skeptical, Troy was quick to point out, “That, and unlike the much-lighter ATV, we’re surrounded by metal and glass. So if we get hit and aren’t held back, we’ll be getting some heavy cuts at the safest result. At the worst… well, have you ever seen a crate crush its contents when it gets crushed?”
Alcydes’s face paled at the veiled description, and quickly grabbed his own buckle before he clicked it into place. With his passenger now locked in, Troy finally turned the car on and pressed down on the brake. Alcydes started when he heard the rumble of a high-grade engine reverberate around them, his hand latching onto the door handle. As it pulled out of the garage though, he let out a slow breath as the car slowly turned around on the gravel. After Troy hit the remote door opener above him, the two were soon driving down the driveway and onto the dirt road.
Troy’s gaze remained forward as he drove down the hill, his eyes glancing around each time something visually jumped out to him. As he pulled up to the paved road, Troy momentarily looked over at Alcydes to find him feigning interest. Troy gave a faint smile in amusement, then turned his head back forward as he sped up.
While the faint tree line of thirty-year pines thinned out, Troy took a sharp right onto the highway. As he sped up to meet the highway speed limit though, he perked up at the town sign rapidly approaching. “Sweet, the town’s coming up!” he commented, and leaned forward to read the directions:
Welcome To
PINE GROVES JUNCTION
POPULATION: 2742
← Exit 1 Mile Away
Troy looked in the mirrors as he passed the sign, cautious for any drivers behind him. Thankfully, with it being so far out in the woods, Troy was unaccompanied by any cars or trucks as he came up to the distant stoplight. With one final glance around, Troy passed under the blinking red light to head towards the city.
As they drew closer, Troy noticed Alcydes sit up in interest before lunging forward in his seat. “What kind of town is this?!” The boy asked, looking around in mild disbelief.
Troy chuckled at the elf’s reaction and slowed down at a stop sign behind a white van. “Yeah, guess it’s a bit of a jump compared to Shallowcoast, but welcome to Earth,” he joked, and drove down the main road of Pine Tops. In contrast to the bare-bones structures of Shallowcoast, Pine Tops was a uniform set of houses and businesses. After having spent time in the other world though, Troy paused in thought when he passed a Dollar General sporting brick walls on the exterior. While it wasn’t the highest-grade stone, it was definitely several grades over the houses in the coastal town. And if the Dollar General was well-built, it should say a lot about how capital buildings would stand out.
Troy laughed as he envisioned the reactions the guild armory would have to a skyscraper, shaking his head at the idea. When he came to the intersection of Main and Oak, Troy was forced to stop when vans and trucks passed perpendicular to him. Troy groaned as the traffic hit three minutes and looked around at the surrounding shops. As the traffic finally began to die down, Troy looked to his left only to perk up at the sight of a Walmart looming over the landscape.
“There we go!” He exclaimed aloud, then spun the wheel to the limit just as the light turned green. Troy only had to drive for less than a block, then finally took a right to pull into the parking lot. Troy hadn’t really shopped in Pine Tops before, as he often just brought food with him each time he had camped with Carter or the rest of his company. But even with the Walmart being a bit smaller than normal, he was sure it’d have enough to cover for both of them.
As he turned the engine off, Troy looked over at Alcydes with a considering glance. “Now Al, we’re going to be shopping for a good while here, as we need to stock up enough food for of us, along with other goods,” he told the elf while he unbuckled, “That includes food, toilet paper, maybe some tools for while we’re on quests…” Troy drew silent as he looked at the mismatched set of worn jeans, yellow t-shirt and floppy sandals he had found in the basement for Alcydes, then hesitantly added, “Maybe we should get you some extra clothes for you, too. It’s not like those really fit you well.”
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Alcydes let out a grunt at the comment but didn’t argue as he hopped out of the car. After he locked the car, Troy walked with the boy up to the store with a faint bounce to his step. As the two passed through the sliding doors, Alcydes slowed down to look up at the wireless entryway. “I thought you said there’s no magic,” he quietly commented, which earned a look from Troy.
“Oh, it isn’t actually magic,” Troy responded as he pulled a grocery cart back. As he stopped next to Alcydes, he pointed at the black bar up top and explained, “Basically, when the light sensor up there detects something in front of the door, it makes the gears spin. That way, the door opens in time for the person underneath. Then when the object vanishes, it’ll wait a few seconds before it closes the door again.” Alcydes let out a noise of surprised understanding at that, and Troy ruffled his hair before they finally walked into the store.
As the two entered, Alcydes nearly stumbled back when the cold air hit him, and Troy laughed at the elven kid’s shock. “I told you it was a grade above the AC at home,” he jokingly recalled, and Troy pulled him back before he began to look around. The building was pretty standard to most Walmarts, with the electronics way in the back while most of the furniture and Pepsi products were right up in the front. Troy looked around for a moment, then wandered towards the left as he began to prowl through the grocery section.
“Alright, what did I need to get,” he mused aloud while looking at the shelves. He hadn’t written a proper list, but he could at least work out what should be picked up. First some chicken and pork chops, then some bread, along with some ramen and potatoes for easy cooking… Can’t forget the chips and salsa for occasional snacking, or carrots and onions for extra ingredients!
As Troy lifted a few boxes of mac and cheese over the cart, he paused when he noticed Alcydes about to drop two bags of oranges in. “Al? What are you doing with those?” he asked as he moved the mac and cheese away.
Troy looked at the added items, then reached for the oranges. “I think we can actually only get one, especially when we need to fit more items in here,” he responded, and pulled the oranges out. When he noticed Alcydes purse his lips, Troy pointed out, “Besides, we can easily stop back here for more. It’s not like it’s only around for a few weeks a year.”
After Al finally gave a nod, Troy set the oranges on top of the bags of apples before he finally pushed the cart further down the aisle. “Well, we only have a few items to grab, then we’ll be good on groceries,” he commented, only to perk up when he saw jasmine rice on sale.
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Troy hummed to himself as he looked at the selection in stock, mentally judging each item. Too big, too colorful, too many pockets… After some browsing, he pulled out a few t-shirts and held them up for Alcydes to see. “What do you think of these shirts, Al?” Troy asked.
The boy looked between the options, then pointed at the leftmost shirt. “I think the bright blue one is good,” he eventually commented, but seemed hesitant at the answer.
Troy nodded along to that and hung the other clothes back up. “So, what kind of pants did you purchase?” he asked as he tossed the selected shirt in the cart. When he looked inside though, he frowned before he told the boy, “You know, you can go with more than just camo pants.”
Alcydes squirmed at the criticism, and eventually told the man, “I didn’t like the black pants and shorts.” When Troy gave him a more scrutinizing look, Alcydes added, “I don’t like the bright colors they have. They’re too attention-seeking.”
Troy frowned at the comment, only to sigh at how stubborn Alcydes was acting. “I won’t argue with you there, but you should at least get some jeans.” Troy advised as pointed at the boy’s jeans, “They’re at least a lot more durable than your normal pants.” Alcydes let out a huff, removed some of the camo pants from the cart, then he walked over to the jeans.
While Alcydes rummaged through the jeans, Troy began to look through the shirts again. “Anyways, you can’t just limit yourself to dark colors. Some more varied shirts would at least help spice up your outfits,” he commented. As he browsed through the t-shirts, he perked up and then held out some shirts as he added, “Like this Darth Vader t-shirt! Or this one, with Finn’s hat from Adventure Time!”
Alcydes looked up from the jeans he was examining, only to frown in confusion. “That looks like a helmet a dwarven warcaster would wear,” he commented, and glanced at the Adventure Time jacket before he added, “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what either really mean. They just look like bandit symbols to me”
Troy started at the comment, unable to believe what he heard. How could someone not like Darth Vader?! He stared in disbelief at Alcydes, before he finally sighed at the realization of how much Alcydes had missed in the movies. With how Alcydes didn’t grow up on Earth, he’d have to show the kid the movies later.
As he began to put the shirts back though, Alcydes’s voice drifted over for Troy to hear, “You can keep the fruit shirts, though.” Troy paused at the comment and smiled faintly before he threw the Fruit Ninja and One Piece shirts in the cart. At least socks would be a lot easier to buy for Alcydes…
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Alcydes trailed behind Troy as they walked towards the ‘cash registers’, his gait somewhat stilted by the new shoes he was wearing. While he had worn leather shoes in the past, he struggled to find a steady step with these sneakers on. Were they even meant for adventurers to wear? The name was practically hypocritical with how much they squeaked on the stone floors!
Alcydes grumbled to himself but kept pace with Troy. As the elven boy began to look around though, he stopped when he saw bright orange boxes stand out among the soda cans. His curiosity piqued, Alcydes walked over to the boxes only to freeze at the orange slices propped behind the box’s icon. An orange soda? Why hadn’t Troy told him about this before? He had to try it!
Alcydes reached up to the top box, and after some careful budging, he pulled the top package of orange soda into his grasp. As he turned over to look at Troy though, Alcydes froze when he realized that Troy wasn’t beside him anymore. His breath quickened as he looked around, trying to spot Troy. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find any sign of the man! He couldn’t have left him here alone… right?
Now hyperventilating, Alcydes reached up to his guild tag and began to back up towards a solid surface. He couldn’t climb up the displays - The shelves were too flimsy to support his body. And the lights and ceiling were too high up to jump to. He can’t let this happen again!
As Alcydes’s vision began to darken, a calm, feminine voice cut through the mental fog and asked, “Are you lost, dearie?” Alcydes took in a deep breath through his nose, then looked up to find an elderly woman in a blue vest kneeling next to him. Alcydes gave a short nod, and she smiled at him before she held out a hand. “If you’d like, I can call him over for you,” the lady offered, and Alcydes hugged the soda tighter before he nodded a second time.
The gray-haired woman stood up, and the two walked over to a worker’s booth before she pulled a banana-shaped object out from under the work desk. As she brought it up to her ear, the elderly woman looked down at Alcydes and asked him, “Now, who were you here with, dear?”
Alcydes took in a deep breath, then quietly answered, “Troy.”
While the lady waited for a further answer, she eventually wilted slightly when he didn’t elaborate. She then simply gave a smile before she pressed a button on the phone. “Troy, please come to the customer desk in the literature section,” she declared, her voice echoing from the ceiling above them, “You’ve got a little friend waiting for you.”
Alcydes looked up wide-eyed at the sound coming from the ceiling, trying to figure out how they had done it. Was it a series of pipes? A hidden flock of choir-birds in the ceiling, repeating her words? Wait, how would they have heard her then if she was right next to him?
Alcydes kept wondering these questions mentally, until a familiar voice called out to him. “Al, there you are!”
The elven boy spun around at the sound of Troy’s voice, and the man screeched to a stop before he placed a hand on Alcydes’s shoulder. “I nearly fell over in fright when I realized that you weren’t behind me!” Troy exclaimed as he looked Alcydes over, “What you made vanish like that?”
Alcydes felt his face heat up at the comment and looked down at the soda he was carrying before he sheepishly answered, “Wanted to get some orange soda.”
Troy stilled at the response, then stared at Alcydes for a few seconds before he let out a mixed groan of laughter and annoyance. “You know, you should have just asked me if we could get some, rather than wandering off,” he lamented, and placed a hand on Alcydes’s head. As Alcydes looked away to hide his embarrassment, he heard Troy tell the lady, “Thank you so much for helping keep him safe!”
“Oh, it was no problem at all,” the lady said, “He was very well-behaved, especially with the cute little elf ears he’s got on!”
“Oh… oh dear, I’m so sorry!” She quickly apologized, and Alcydes gave her a light glare from the corner of his eyes.
“No, it’s perfectly fine,” Troy reassured her, waving his hands in the air, “It’s not like it’s a commonly known genetic trait, like heterochromia or a cleft lip.” While the lady calmed down, Troy placed a hand back on Alcydes’s shoulder and told her, “Anyways, I need to go pay for the groceries before the meat gets warm. But thanks for the help!”
With the farewell, Troy walked back to the cart with Alcydes at his side. As the two walked along, the elven boy looked up at Troy with wide eyes. He knew that it had only been a few weeks, but it had been shocking that Troy was so quick to protect him. So, why had he…?
Alcydes remained silent for a few moments, then jabbed his elbow into Troy’s leg. “Not an elf,” he murmured as Troy stumbled away, one hand coming up to an ear. Troy looked at him speculatively at the comment, but before he could reply, Alcydes pointed at the folded nub and stated, “Not long enough to be proper elf ears. I’m elfkin, not an elf.”
Troy tilted his head at that and hummed in thought before he shook his head. “You know what? With all that’s going on, I’ll just put that down as ‘neat’ rather than worry about it,” he stated. Alcydes let out a small breath at the casual dismissal, only to start when Troy took the box of soda from him. “However, since you ran off like that, we’ll only be getting a single bottle of soda instead of that twelve-pack today,” Troy said, and set the box back on the pile. Alcydes huffed at that but followed him with crossed arms.