Ronald Hanover was pacing in his living room. He was tossing the inside of his head to think of what went wrong. He stopped himself immediately. Nothing was wrong. He should not say it was wrong. But he still had to find a way out. No. A solution.
Adria just told him that she loved him. LOVE! The big L!
If he was in his youth, he would probably take it seriously. She was the sort of girl that Ronald would marry without a second thought (if he was younger!). Daniel,who still bore the aftereffect of his own mistakes (Julianne was not one of it),would have told him that he was an idiot for not doing that within a second. But Ronald was old enough to be her father. Hell, he was older- looking than Minalan. And then there was the problem with Adria herself. She was an NPC.
’Are they even supposed to be able to grasp the concept of love? This is just getting a little too scary.’
It was embarrassing for Ronald to admit that he fled in six seconds. He had spent his time outside of Royal Road for less than a quarter of an hour, but inside, close to an hour had passed. He wondered if Adria was still waiting for him to come back in. Thinking in a second, he realised that she would do that.
’I need more time to think..’
Another quarter of an hour, and he came up blank. Sighing, he logged back in. He could not make Adria wait any longer alone there without an answer. He made firm his decision to reject Adria thoroughly.
xXx
Winter logged back to the countenance of Adria,who was waiting patiently. She was fishing while waiting for Winter to come back.
“Welcome back, Winter. Was my confession that bad that you had to run away?”
Adria, who remained where she was, pouted.
’No honorifics now? This is pretty serious.’
“It is not that. I was surprised. You sprung it on me so suddenly. I needed time to think.”[/i]
“And?”
“And what?”
“What is your answer?”
“My answer?”
“Yes. I said ‘I love you’ Winter. What is your answer?”
“Um..... I think I need to sit down.”
He felt silly for having said it, for both of them were already seated. Adria was really close, too close for Winter’s comfort. She always sat that close to him during the whole journey, but this time, he felt the closeness a little suffocating, for the first time. Winter was not seeing her as someone else’s daughter now, but a proper girl that was old enough to love. It was a hard concept to wrap his head around, but he had to do it.
*Silence*
Winter was stalling for more time. He was panicking. His firm decision to say ‘No’ crumbled with every passing second, yet he did not wish to be cruel to Adria. Winter finally decided to just go through with it, before he could not do it.
“I am sorry, Adria. I cannot accept it.”
“But.... why?”
’Here we go.’
Adria had the stricken look he thought he sported in his youth, when his affections were rebuffed, some very strongly. It broke his heart that he had to do this, but he had to, for this was not meant to be.
“For one, I am too old for you. I believe you should look for someone closer to your age.”
Rejection tactic number one: Mention the age difference. It is unseemly for your spouse to have three decades of age difference. That is common sense.
Adria kept quiet and began thinking. Winter began having hope, that was crushed in two seconds. Worse, Adria came up with a very good answer! Illogical as it was.
“That is okay, Winter. I think I can ask Freya to make me older.”
’Crap!! What sort of goddess in this game are you!’
Tactic number one was out. So Winter proceeded to number two.
“I do not think Minalan will approve.”
Rejection tactic number two: Mention that the spouse’s parent(s) or relative(s) will disapprove of the union.
Winter was especially sure that Minalan,who was obsessed with his own daughter, would strongly object. He was counting on that.
“This is not Father’s business. I am old enough to be deciding my own path now.”
’Crap! Damn you Freya, for letting her grow up! Twice damned!’
Winter did not care if a lightning bolt suddenly struck him, for cursing a goddess that every NPC seemed to follow like a religion, in reality outside of Royal Road. Winter began going through the list of his rejection tactics, but nothing else came to mind. Adria was smiling in victory, as if the matter was decided.
Winter threw the first thing that popped into his head.
“Adria. Do you like battles?”
This wiped the smile off her face.
“Of course I do not, Winter. Who would?”
“Well, I do. I live to battle.” It was a big lie, but Winter pressed on. He noticed that she dislike bloodsheds.
“Then I will try to like it too, though it may be.. hard. If only for you.”
What do you say against that? He tried different method along the same line.
“How about leaving Minalan to go on adventures? Can you do that?”
“I already did....”
The answer was not as full of conviction as the previous ones. Winter sensed Adria was hesitating. This was his chance to drive his point home.
“Can you? You may have to be gone longer than last time. Years.”
“I....”
“Can you leave Minalan worrying every day if you are ever coming back? You saw how he was when you came back with me.”
She was struck dumb. Winter could imagine the choices whirring in her head, between her love for him and her father. Winter whispered the final piece.
“I am sorry Adria. I cannot love you back. You are not human. You are an NPC.”
She snapped her head up, her face was showing anger, an expression Winter was unfamiliar with.
“What did you say, Winter? You cannot love me back because I am not human, what do you mean by that!”
’Wait. This is weird.’
“No, Adria. I said I cannot love you back because you are an NPC.”
“Because I am.... a little girl.....”
’Wait. That was not what I said!’
Winter was about to correct his words again when the familiar spine tingling was back. He was too late in reacting as he did not expect that coming from her. This time it was not a finger poke over his arse. Winter could tell that much. What hit him on his face and half his body was a solid impact that launched him into the river.
You received critical damage! HP-254
When Winter managed to get over the surface, Adria was gone. A beautifully crafted fist the size of his torso was sticking out approximately where he was seated. A fish was biting the line Adria set. It was struggling to get free, shaking the fishing pole. Winter ignored it.
xXx
While Winter was swimming in the Lir River, Aloine walked into the gate of Cosare. A few players that immediately noticed her due to her pretty revealing attire, were trying to gather up the courage to talk to her.
“This should be where he is now... Where can I find him...”
Penelope, who finally decided to pursue matters with the snow-haired, mature player, pestered Julianne for three days, before she coughed out anything. She was a little ashamed to even resort to friendly act with the ‘muscle-brained’ girl. But she achieved her goal, which was what was important. Penelope was furious when Julianne refused to give up any details on the forgettable man, when she mentioned that she wanted to try pursuing him. She had to recant her words, treating it as a teasing joke, and instead having to say that she was interested in learning a few tactics from him. Julianne was dubious, since the excuse was thin, though it was the best Penelope could come up with in short order. After a little more wheedling, Julianne relented, and gave Penelope the town where her godfather always spent his time in, Cosare.
“Hello. Can I help you?”
A decently handsome warrior was the first to take up the courage to talk to Aloine, under the mute background of curses from the rest who were too late. He probably should have not.
“Yes. You can stand on that side and stab yourself over the heart.”
Aloine walked away quickly. The warrior’s mouth was gaping like a fish that had been speared. He was expecting a rejection, but not that vicious! Players who were late to gather their courage patted their own back in relief. They were saved from the emotional damage.
‘Odette. Where does this godfather of yours usually hang out?’
Aloine, who also forcefully befriended Odette before she set out, decided to whisper to her.
‘Eh? You are there already? That is real quick.’
’Never mind the details! Just tell me what I want to know!’
Aloine, however, decided to be tactful. She had to play this right.
‘Well, I have time, and thought I should get it over with, so I can go on adventures.’
Julianne, was in truth, dubious as to why Penny wanted to get in touch with Winter. She was unable to figure out any good reason, yet found no good reason to say ‘No’ to her request. So with trepidation, she helped Penny as much as she could.
‘Okay. I think he mentioned a restaurant in the merchant district. He said that he learned his cooking recipes from there. I think he mentioned that it is the only one in town serving Rainbow Fish. I cannot remember the name, sorry.’
Aloine remembered the small bites of delicacy with good bonus. She was disappointed that they were limited to one serving per player.
‘That is fine. Thank you, Odette.’
‘Anytime, Aloine.’
She even had to say ‘Thank you’!
’One of these days I will make her thank me.’
Turning back to the warrior she viciously killed with her worse, she sweetly smiled this time, bringing the dejected warrior back to life.
“I am sorry, I had a rough trip here. Can you show me where you can have a good meal? I heard the Rainbow Fish here is especially delicious.”
The warrior nodded up and down, daring to feast his eyes upon the elven features of Aloine. She endured it, and both of them set off with the warrior, who was suddenly envied again for his dumb courage.
“Of course I can show you.... I know everything about this town. You are looking for Sella’s restaurant...... you see...”
xXx
“Sella, I think both of us can make a profit here. But I feel I benefit is too little from our deal. Can you not give me a better price?”
Zaya,who had logged back in since the day before in Royal Road, was talking herself into Sella’s graces. It was a merchant class skill, <
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*Ding*
“I am sorry. I think I better have a look at that customer. Let us talk again later?”
The transaction has failed!
Penalty of reduced reputation with Sella the Inn Cook
Penalty of reduced 20 Mercantile reputation
Zaya silently groaned at the coincidental interruption. She had spent an hour buttering up Sella to close the deal, and someone had to show up way before dinner time and ruin all her work! Zaya was undecided between being grateful or angry, as she thought she might have rushed the deal. The reputation drop was negligible, as her <
’I wasted a day for nothing... Oh well.’
It was a lesson Zaya learned well. A deal could fail suddenly for any reason, and it was best to accept it and redo it with better preparation.
“I am sorry. We are not yet open for dinner.”
Sella,who went to check the restaurant entrance for whoever entered, spoke. Zaya did not need to turn her head, as her seat was facing the door. A weak-looking warrior with a decent-looking face followed the entrance of a beautiful, golden-haired elf. Zaya had to admit she was stylish and had the beauty associated with energetic youth. Her clothing were a little too revealing for her taste, but it suited the elf perfectly. Her golden-colored eyes, set in contrast with large. dangling blue earrings, combined with the thin gold loop above her left ear, made her beauty seem sophisticated.
’This is rare, an elf around this area. Wonder if she looks even close to that in real life.’
“I know you are closed. I can see that. I am looking for someone. I heard he dines here a lot.”
’Well, at least I now know her personality is bad. Though that warrior there is too dumb to run away.’
“Yes, and the name of this customer is?”
“His name is Winter. He is a Magician.”
Zaya started upon hearing the name. The closest elven lands were at least three weeks journey from Cosare. She supposed she should not be surprised that the weird mage had strange acquaintances.
’Maybe strange is a little overboard. I guess I dislike this sort of girl too much.’
Zaya hated the beautiful elven girl for her haughty confidence.
“Yes, this customer dines here often, but I have not seen him for the past three days, I believe. Anything else I can help you with, exalted elven Magician?”
“I will wait for him to appear. You can go now.”
She directed the last to the warrior, who acted like a whipped dog. Zaya was mildly curious what this elven girl had done to that Warrior for him to behave that way. The warrior quickly exited - no - fled. It was a good time for Zaya to quit for the day, too. She promised Sella to be back to talk further, which recovered a little of their damaged relationship. The last view she saw before exiting the restaurant, was of the elven mage moving to seat herself at a table nearest to the entrance. Zaya promised herself to be back as soon as she could, to see if she could catch Winter and find out what was going on, before he stepped in. She had a few time-sensitive deals she had to work on for now.
xXx
Winter collected the fishing poles and bait, before heading back to town. He let the caught fish go. He was not in the mood to care about a fish, when he had a much more serious problem he had to take care. Running through the conversation in his head, he came to a strange conclusion.
’Could it be that the system disallows the NPC to hear and understand certain words?’
He tested his theory with a few NPCs he passed by, and it held true. They were unable to hear the word NPC,and variations of it, whether it was expressed or implied. The words were either removed from their hearing, or interpreted as a nonsense word. Winter supposed the system was created that way as a clear barrier that separated real life from virtual world. He understood the need for it, but now found it very inconvenient. He racked his brain to think of how to explain what happened to Adria, and how to remedy it. Before he knew it, he was already standing in front of Minalan’s shop.
Winter had a bad feeling. It was early afternoon, and the sign said ‘CLOSED’ instead of ‘OPEN’. The feeling was realised when he saw Minalan with his arms crossed in his usual seat. A chair was ready for Winter. It felt like an interrogation and inquisition to him. Winter thought Minalan deserved a little explanation, what little he could give, anyway .
“So..... what happened, Winter? That was the first time I had seen my daughter cry since she was seven! What did you do! Depending on your answer, I will kill you, or kill you.”
“Wait... why do both choices result in death?”
“Why do you ask? You made her cry. That is immediate death sentence! And I still have to decide how many times I have to kill you. Outlanders are known to be unable to die and will come back after four days of rest. This is the first time I am against Freya’s Grace!”
’Uh.....is this even possible in Royal Road?’
It was not a quest or anything. It was a pure and simple relationship problem.
Your relationship with Minalan has declined
Your relationship with Minalan is now at Neutral
Your relationship with Minalan is worsening
’Seriously?’
That was the word that popped into Winter’s head when he saw the system message.
’Never mind... let us do this properly’
“I said something she did not want to hear.”
“And what was that she did not want to hear?”
“That I do not love her...”
Minalan’s eyes blinked once, then widened until Winter could see the whites clearly. His body was locked rigid in his seated position, with his fingers tightly clawing his robe.
“Did you say... Love?”
“Yes. You heard me right. I said she loves me.”
“That is all?”
“Do you think there is anything else?”
Winter challenged Minalan back with his statement. Probably half a minute of silence passed, before Minalan spoke again. He looked suddenly deflated.
“I suppose I should have seen that coming. I am in as much fault in this as you. She does not have a mother figure to teach her about love.”
Your relationship with Minalan is increasing
Your relationship with Minalan is increasing
Your relationship with Minalan is now at Friendship
Winter nodded, as he felt this was not his time to speak.
“This daughter of mine grows up so quick.... and Freya’s blessing turned out to be a curse.... By the branch of Mother Tree... this is just confounding...”
That would be as close as Minalan swearing, if Winter gauged it right.
“Could you not let her down gently?”
“I did try, but Freya did not bless me with a silver tongue or the right gift of language.”
Winter tried to tell as much as he could without activating the system block. Minalan nodded his acceptance, as he knew that Winter was not great with words.
“What do you plan to do now, Winter?”
“I plan to set everything right.”
xXx
Inside of her room, Adria was crying. She had not cried for as long as she could remember. Not even when other children in town ridiculed her for not having a mother. Not even when she fell and hurt herself. Not even when she felt the suffocating need to want the missing mother figure whenever she saw other children being picked up by their mothers to dine. She had a loving father who was unreliable in her view. Therefore, she had to be strong. Yet the hurt she experienced at this moment from her rejected love was too much for her to bear.
*Knock* *Knock*
Adria could hear someone knocking on her door. Her father already did it earlier, and she had refused him entry.
“Go away, Father! I want to be alone!”
“Adria, it is I.”
It was not her father, it was the voice of the man that rejected her.
“Go away! I hate you!”
“Adria....”
“GO!”
Adria heard the muffled shuffling of feet, and the world around her was as silent as she wished it. If she could only stop crying.
xXx
“I am sorry, Minalan, I tried.”
A dejected Winter closed the door that led to the family section.
“I understand. I think we need to let her be alone for a little while.”
Sighing, Minalan shook his head. He understood love well enough. But this was the first time he had ever heard of a denizen of Versailles loving an Outlander. It was his daughter, too.
“I think I need a drink. No. A lot of drinks, for now.”
Minalan,who had never known his friend to touch alcohol, nodded. He wanted a lot of alcohol too, but he had Adria to wait on.
“Go. I think I will stay here and try to get her to calm down.”
“I will be back later. You can count on it.”
“Make sure you do.”
There was no need for Minalan to spell out the ‘Or else’ part. Winter wanted to come back himself. Closing the shop door lightly, Winter made his way to Sella’s.
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Author's Note:
1. Thank you to -The Slacker- for the diligent PR
2. Crediting myself here!
3. It is my 100th post, folks! Not quite (since I misread it, but I am surprised I posted that much)
4. Do leave comments for anything you can think of. I appreciate reading them, even for punctuation mistake!
5. Enjoy, folks!