Slash grins at his wife, continuing to live her life with glee even with the impending doom of death lurking.
"What are you thinking about?" asks Sodina.
"I was thinking about the monsters that attacked us and if there is some sort of infestation around this area," says Slash. "I wish we knew what those monsters were called."
The city is still packed to the brim with people as they make their way through the streets. There is something eerily familiar about the place that Slash can't quite understand. The rain begins to pour harder, and the lovers raise their cloaks to shield them.
"We need to find a place to get out of the rain, Sodina!" Slash shouts over the downpour. The rainy season in summer never ends, he thinks to himself.
"There, love, a tavern!" Sodina points at a building about five hundred feet away from where they are. "We can take refuge there."
Sodina grabs Slash's hand as they run toward the tavern doors.
Slash looks up at the sign. The tavern sports the name, "Adventurers Guild." With luck, maybe we'll find a lead here that can help us score some gold coins! he thinks.
Sodina pulls the door open, and to their delight, the tavern is open with lots of people inside. "Let's grab a seat in the corner, okay." Sodina surveys the room and finds a table at the top right of the bar by the stairs "Let's go, Slash, I found us a seat!"
"I have no choice, my love; you are gripping my hand so tightly!" Slash exclaims.
Inside the tavern are all types of people who may be of help to them Slash looks around to see mages, swordsmen, knights, assassins, and a woman with a tail. Adventurers' Guild seems friendly to all.
One man, in particular, crosses eyes with Slash and gives him a disapproving look. He's dressed all in black, like some kind of assassin.
Slash frowns a little. I wonder what that was all about.
He won't forget the look in the man's eyes and the set of several daggers on his waist. The assassin looked ready to kill their prey silently and swiftly. Slash gulps and looks away, back to Sodina.
"Here we are, silly!" Sodina laughs as Slash sits down closely beside her.
Her husband is always stuck in the stars, and it is her job to bring him back down to earth.
"This is…" Sodina tries to find the right word. "Cozy. But a little uncomfortable, no?"
"Yes, dear, these wooden chairs are nothing to write home about." Slash sighs.
A perky young lady walks up with a menu and places it down in front of them.
"Let me know when you're ready!" the waitress says before running off to assist another patron.
Slash picks up the list and looks at it. There is nothing on the menu but lamb, more lamb, and baked dragon meat, a seasonal special.
Wow. Dragon meat! I wonder if it tastes like chicken. What spices will they use? The spices Slash imagines dance around in his head like children playing in the streets on a summer's day.
At that moment, something clamors by the front tavern doors.
"Oh, my, we have a special guest tonight!" a plump man says.
A tall, fair-skinned, well-endowed woman with long pink hair and large hips starts to walk down the middle aisle of the tavern.
Slash's eyes follow her every step.
"That's Busty Bridget," the barkeeper, Chadwick, says to Sodina and Slash, who are looking on with curiosity.
Another man at the table next to them whispers, "She is the most beautiful woman in the land. They say she can slay a dragon just by looking at it."
Bridget approaches him and looks down at the man, who cowers in fear.
Her pupils turn purple with annoyance. "Say that again and my axe will crush your spine in an instant," she snaps.
Slash looks across at her, and Bridget catches his eyes. She winks at him and saunters toward the end of the bar. A single stool is pulled out just for her, and she orders a small glass of wine.
Oh, she is quite beautiful, Slash thinks to himself.
He turns back to Sodina, who is drinking a glass of water with an indifferent look on her face.
"I wonder if she is famous because of her bouncing assets of joy," his wife mutters.