Bob was laughing, “So funny, you running away from a little goblin with a dagger.”
Rolling his eyes, Alburet dug the two handed axe out of his bag, “I forgot to keep an eye on the maul’s durability. It could have happened to anyone.”
Tiny rumbled, “It is okay. I will protect you.”
Fluffball just shook her head, “It was funny. Not quite muppet-like but still amusing. It also still amazes me how alive your minions are.”
“I think Bob could do with a little less life at times,” Alburet mock groused, as the imp was still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
Bob tilted his head back and let out a panicked little scream and began running around the room. As the others all came to their feet looking for some reason for the panic, Bob stopped and looked back at them, “So what did you think of my Alburet impersonation?”
Fluffball snorted as she stifled her laughter, looking away from the others. Tiny blinked, looking puzzled at finding nothing to attack. Alburet glowered at the imp, his eyes alight with images of how to slowly roast the little bastard. Bob stopped laughing on seeing Alburet’s eyes, stepping back from the glowering Summoner.
“It was just a joke master, that was all, just a harmless little joke,” Bob placated as he took a few more steps away from Alburet.
Closing his eyes Alburet, held back his own laughter behind the blank faced façade he had put up. He actually thought Bob running around just like a muppet had been hilarious, Bob had the form down perfectly. Head tilted back, mouth open, weird little bouncy run with arms flailing around overhead. He had glowered just to keep up pretenses, since he was supposed to be in charge. Opening his eyes, he looked at Bob before sighing. “Yeah, it was pretty good, but no more doing that around others.”
Bob sagged in relief, “Yes master.”
Fluffball snorted again, “I thought he did the perfect muppet run myself. Henson would have been proud.”
Alburet turned to wink at her then turned back to the demons. “Alright, enough shenanigans. Let’s get moving.”
They went back to their grind, making one circuit of the village in about three hours. During that time, Alburet reached level 14. “Okay, let’s call it a day. The sun will be setting soon. Fluff, you going to take off, or would you like to grab dinner in Stormguard?”
Fluff blinked, looking at him oddly for a moment, “You mean just the two of us?”
“Like a date?” Bob piped up with a leer as he wiggled his eyebrows.
“You’re dismissed, Bob. You as well, Tiny,” Alburet said quickly, causing the demons to vanish in puffs of smoke leaving Bob’s mocking laughter behind. “We’ve been fighting all day so I thought some food sounded good was all. Honestly Fluff, while you’re cute and adorable and I think any guy in his right mind should try to get you, I am not doing that. I can’t have a relationship and I want to make sure it is known now so no hard feelings come of it later. I will treasure you as a friend though, and will be there if you need me.”
Alburet paused as he tried to get his thoughts untangled, “So, trying this again. Would you like to grab some food with me, with no motives beyond what is stated?”
Fluffball blinked at him like he had two heads as she stood there quietly for a few moments. “I… um… yes?” She seemed uncertain even as she said it, her hands trembling slightly as she swallowed nervously.
Alburet smiled gently and took out his Homestone, “Meet you at the portal guild, okay?”
Fluff fumbled her own stone out as she agreed, vanishing quickly leaving Alburet standing in the ruined inn alone. He paused, wondering just how sheltered and nervous she had to be for such a simple thing like dinner to fluster her this badly. He wondered if he could really help her with her issues as he invoked his own stone and appeared in the graveyard outside the Dead Man Inn. He glanced at it for a moment, wondering if he should tell Stacia to grab some dinner as he would still be out for at least a little bit. He tossed the idea away, figuring he could always nibble something when he made it back to the Inn when dinner was over. With his thoughts in order he set off at a fast walk for the portal guild to meet up with Fluffball.
When he reached the portal guild he found a large number of players all gathered around outside the building in small groups. As he got closer he heard most of them talking about how long it took to get a portal to the next area. He overhead one player complaining loudly about how stupid it was to have to wait. Alburet couldn’t really fault them much. People played games to have fun after all, not to wait around to get to the next area. At the same time, he liked most of the ways the devs had tried to make the world feel more real instead of totally game like. He wondered if they might just make the portals permanent with only a fee required to use them instead of the current system though, to help keep the players happy.
As he stood there pondering he spotted Fluff out on the street, eyeing the large crowd with uncertainty. She smiled at him shyly and waved as he trotted over to her.
“You were in the beta, any idea of a good place for a meal?” Alburet asked as he reached her.
“There is a place I’ve been a few times, but it has a special feel to it.”
He crooked an arm out, “If you recommend it, then I am sure it’s fine. Shall we?”
She took his arm after a brief second of hesitation, “Let’s. The place is down four streets then turn left, after another street it’s on the right hand side.”
Alburet led her down the streets following her directions until they came to the place she had directed them to. He looked at the sign above the door, which declared it Heaven Maid. He wondered what the name could possibly mean even as he opened the door for Fluff before following her in. As the door closed behind him his eyes adjusted to the light inside, allowing him to see exactly where he was.
The decor was that of a small café, with tables and booths with cute decorations everywhere. His eyes traveled the room picking out the numerous stuffed animals that lined the walls on shelves. Two butlers and three maids stood before them, smiling in welcome.
“Welcome home, master and mistress,” the five people said in unison.
Alburet felt his lips quirk slightly as he held back laughter. Who in the hell would have thought to put a maid cafe into this game, he thought. Fluff took his arm again, looking a little uncertain then purred happily when Alburet didn’t object. Alburet glanced from her to the staff, noting the butlers were an Elf and a Human, while the maids were an Elf, Lunari, and Human respectively.
“So what do you think?” Fluff murmured.
Letting his smile broaden, Alburet replied to her by addressing the staff, “It is good to be home. If one of you ladies wouldn’t mind seeing to us tonight?”
Fluff purred louder as the Lunari maid led them to a booth in the back. Alburet had always had a soft spot for anime, so this whole cafe was a wonderful surprise to him. He did note the puzzlement from the server as he and Fluff took opposite sides of the table. The maid quickly replaced her expression with one of happiness as she handed them two menus, asking them to call for her when they were ready.
“So you’re okay with this?” Fluff asked again, still obviously nervous.
“I used to watch a lot of anime to unwind, Fluff. This is fine, though I’m really thrown that it exists here. How did you find this place?”
Fluff looked at her menu intently, licking her lips as she chewed her bottom lip. “A friend of mine told me about it. So when I got to the city during beta I came straight here to see it.”
“You have a soft spot for maid cafes then?”
“Well, I do digital art, I told you that before. I’ve done the animation for a few anime before under a pen name.”