"Can we go kill monsters now?"
"Yes, malfoy, yes. Keep your murderous rage in check for one second we'll go kill monsters soon enough"
Looks like that was enough to appease the crazy for blood arrogant blodie. Slytherin all the way for sure.
I look at malfoy, really look at him for a while.
Just as he rest against the wall, just beside the sword door we're readying ourselves to go in.
Not open yet.
He look, not excited, but he's pushing a lot to go on the next door.
My mind push, making me remember how annie did her best to push the advance away for as long as possible.
Malfoy didn't have this problem.
Actually, that's even more that this, he noticed the problem with me too.
Everything must be fine right?
Guess he's just scared about not being able to go home as fast as possible. Like me. Right?
Our previous conversations make me feel uneasy. As if there were something wrong in my statement. As if I was just blinded by my own goal and thought everyone were the same as me.
Probably overthinking this.
"So what do we change?" Annie ask from beside me, focusing back on her I can see her playing with the hem of her shirt.
A lot.
Simple nervous tick I guess.
A look around tell me she's the most worried of us all.
Won't even talk about jenna exictement it's genuinely scary now "Goblingoblingoblin" what the fuck is jenna saying? Whatever, not my problem for now.
Putting my hand on annie shoulder I put on my best smile and try to calm her worry a bit. It should help for future procrastination.
"Nothing much really, don't worry. We did pretty well in the first door. To be honest, the only thing we really need to do is to remove the errors we did in the guardian room."
And errors that we did. At least I did.
She nod, one time, two time, three time. Her daggers come out and she play with them a bit "alright I guess. I'm in the back as usual?" Her eyebrow raise up as she ask this question.
Tsk tsk tsk, picture perfect image of hope.
"Yes you're at the back, like usual" she nod back, and take a step back before turning around and talking to me again.
"Alright cool, but like, nothing changing orrrrrr?" Alright it's the third time it happened.
Can't allow her to procrastinate longer.
Trying to gain time by talking to me won't work.
Alright alright I get it. Talking can help, but I can't correct her problems alone. She need to face the whole mess of feelings that make her act like this alone.
"Don't worry annie, just go at the back, gonna talk to the others."
Her prime way of escaping her feelings is from talking I believe. Not giving her any more interactions is the move.
I walk forward and clap to get their attention.
"Balrow, front of the door. Guardian man ready to guuuuuard! Shield up"
Don't know why I talked like that. Annie influence for sure.
Balrow give a single tap at jenna shoulder as she keep repeating goblin like a crazy fucker, the he walk in front of the door, letting her in her goblin mind.
"Malfoy, go beside balrow. On the left, when I tell you to put your sword. Do it. Then grab your sword and rush back to his left like usual"
Yes like usual.
I clap again, feeling myself get back in the groove. My voice get slightly louder, making sure everyone can hear me.
"Remember you all, we don't rush, just look at the hole when it open. Wait a bit, and then we'll see if we enter or not!"
I get a chorus of mixed agreements at my words.
Some humming, some SIR YES SIR exaggerated by mousy of course, some goblinyes, and a single nod.
"Great"
My eyes focus on the...
Let's just say eager, member of our party.
I do hope we have some goblins inside. Just so she can cut loose.
"Jenna, how are you feeling?" "Gobli-! Great! Fine, I'm fine"
She has a vendetta.
"That's...great" I lift my hand to pat her shoulder, how can I say this without breaking her excitement?
Her excitement kinda useful.
And she train more than all of us, it would be a shame to break this.
"That's great jenna, keep up the mindset. Just." I lift my hand. My thumb and finger come up just after to show just a little bit of space between them "calm things down a little bit."
"Just a little bit"
"Focus on the door. We need your arrows to touch. they are really useful alright?"
That should do it.
Did she perk up when I called her useful?
Weird.
Alright alright ludger. Calm down, you're overthinking everything. She's one of the good one, she doesn't have any problem.
She's a good not ugly guy or whatever I called them.
Whatever, just to say. She's one of the good one, she doesn't need much guidance.
Just remember balrow and annie. They need a bit more focus for the procrastination, the others looked fine.
My thought land on balrow for a second. I'm still not sure with him.
"Yes...all my arrows will touch"
She's staring at me like terminator
"That's great jenna" I pat her shoulder a bit more "go beside Annie alright?"
"I will."
She keep staring at me, fire in her eyes as she walk, clear, and secure toward annie.
What the fuck is happening.
Eh whatever, just some quirks I guess.
She's getting more comfortable around us or something.
My head turn to look at her burning eyes, full of resolve, she's walking and staring.
Yeah.... Just some quriks.
Deciding to ignore what the fuck just happened for my own sanity, I turn around, take my spear out and start walking toward the right of balrow.
I look at balrow as I put the butt of my spear on the ground, leaning on it.
He has his shield out, ready, straps put on.
Grip ready, even rolled his sleeves.
Malfoy seem to be ready too, his sword is out and he stand a bit closer to the door than any of us, to put on the sword in the door of course.
Good enough I guess.
Then my head turn to look at the other girls, they seem ready too.
Annie realized shit is happening and is focused.
Jenna is just finishing her transformation as the goblin exterminator 8000.
Well, looks like we're good.
Just going to do a last checkup and we'll advance.
Turning my head at malfoy I say "what are going do?"
He look at me, then at the others, and understand what I'm doing. Lifting his sword he wave it at the door.
"At your go, I come up. Put it in the door. When the sword fall I rush to grab it, and then rush back behind balrow on the left."
I nod, satisfied with this answer.
My grip tighten on the wood of my spear, not unnatural, not yet.
Alright ludger, calm down, everything fine you already tested all of this. Make this magic your bitch.
Just do it.
And I'm not gaining time by doing a checkup, that's a completly normal thing to do.
I look down at the badass grandpa and nod at him, he does the same as he lift his shield up in a better position.
"Wait. When the door open rush to protect Matthew if a monster come out before he can grab his sword. If not, wait until he's behind me. Protect everyone and gather information about what's in the hole"
Great, looks like everyone have this memorized.
Is this really normal though? The check up? Or am I doing a mousy and avoiding things here?
No, no, I'm not. My grip tighten. A checkup is a good thing to do.
Let's keep up, I look at mousy.
"Stay back and try to gather information, move in if I find a easy attack. Other things depend on what's inside"
Alright alright pretty easy, my head turn toward jenna and she directly answer with fire in her voice.
"All my arrows will touch."
I blink.
Annie turn her head to look at her and blink.
Malfoy let a glance above his shoulder and blink.
The badass grandpa stare at the door but like...he blink-nod?
FOCUS!
"Great...? That's basically it! Everyone ready? No other things to say?"
I can see annie move for a second, her mouth opening, before she clench her hand around her dagger and participate in the chorus of agreement too.
When it's done, I speak again.
"Well everyone."
I turn around and focus on the door.
"Time for the swordman challenge"