"Speaking of money, what did you start with?" asked Scott.
"I chose to do a premium tutorial dungeon as well, but spent most of my loot compensation on equipment. I have just a little under one gold left."
"Same with me." said Ero.
Herbert made a chittering sound that Ero translated as, "Me too."
Scott rubbed his chin. "Sounds like we might be close to four gold after we finish this job. Are we going to pool our money or just keep separate accounts?"
It was Herbert who spoke up first. Ero translated for the chittering rodent. "Herbert says that we should start by opening a savings account that provides a reasonable interest rate, but does not include excessive money handling fees. We should take half of the money that we have on hand and place it into that account and evenly distribute the rest."
Scott blinked at Ero then glanced down at the cape wearing Grassrat. "Herbert, you know about financial matters?"
Herbert chittered excitedly and Ero translated once more. "A Grassrat knows to save food for hard times. The grass dies back in the winter. Besides that, part of my tutorial training involved learning about necessary aspects of functioning in a society other than my own."
Scott glanced at the rat then to Ero and finally to Rhea. "Sounds like a good idea to me." He did wonder how much Ero had embellished the grassrat's words. Even as a baby Herbert seemed quite intelligent. It was one of the mysteries of the so-called monster races.
Rhea and Ero nodded. Scott looked down at Herbert. "Good idea, let's go with that."
After they finished discussing the rules of how their party would operate financially, Scott decided to bring up something that had been building within him for days. Rhea could not help but laugh as he expressed his desire. "You want a giant robot?"
Scott rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Come on! We could be total badass giant robot jockeys."
"Actually, it's not a bad idea. Some monsters are huge and the ability to have a giant robot battle with them could do wonders, but..."
"But?" asked Scott.
"You should know that war-mechs aren't allowed for civilian use in most countries without special dispensation. Even if you managed to get that, the least expensive commercial models cost over a hundred platinum Fayth." said Rhea. She lifted a finger before Scott could continue. "That's not even for the giant ones. We'd be talking dozens of Aurans for a low-end version."
"A few billion copper Fayth?" asked Scott, an incredulous expression on his face. His anus would normally clench at such an amount of money having been mentioned, but this time it was too shocked to even make an attempt to pucker.
After that pronouncement the group had a nice meal at the restaurant and discussed other things. Scott explained what had happened during his tutorial training, and the others shared their own tutorial moments. Rhea had finished her tutorial quicker than the others as she already knew the best methods for completion, but she still spent a little time farming monsters to build up money.
Inevitably, the discussion turned to one that surprised Scott greatly. He spoke up, "What? Are you serious?"
Rhea nodded then unleashed a sigh. "Yes, Sarah stopped by your house."
Scott leaned back a little then gently lowered his fork back down to his plate. He had just been about to take a bite of his spaghetti when the topic had changed. "You, what happened? Did she say why she went there?"
"Not really, though she was concerned by my presence." admitted Rhea.
"I'll bet... Why were you at my house anyway?" he asked.
Ero offered Herbert a bit of the lettuce from her salad and he gratefully accepted. After the transaction they both turned back to look at the other two members of their group. This promised to be interesting. While Herbert knew very little about the situation, he could tell that it was a tense subject.
"I was about to head off to see the captain about the government deal. Sarah arrived before I left."
Scott frowned then propped his chin up on his hands. His eyebrows pressed together. He took a moment to think before he asked, "She wouldn't tell you what she wanted?"
"She wanted to talk to you. Though, as a parting shot she made up a lie." said Rhea.
He closed his eyes then took a deep breath. "What's wrong with that woman? What lie did she tell?"
Rhea flinched slightly then curled her fingers into a fist. "I've already checked, and it is not true. Alright? It's not true."
"What's not true, Rhea." asked Scott softly.
"She... Sarah tried to claim that you were the father of her child." said Rhea.
Scott nodded. "Ah, is that all?"
Rhea blinked at him. "Is that all? Really?"
"I couldn't be the father of her child unless life had decided to play an incredibly cruel joke on me. So, I believe you." said Scott. He vividly recalled that Sarah had claimed that Jake was the father of her child. Unlike their relationship, which had been involved proper protection and planning, Sarah had forsaken the concept of condoms or the pill during her time with new old boyfriend.
"Scott... I, are you sure?"
He gave Rhea a look. "Are you lying to me? It would not be the first time, but I decided to put that all behind me."
"What? No! I would never lie about something like this!" exclaimed Rhea. She stood up from her seat and slapped her hands down on the table. "I swear, I'm not lying. I did check!"
"I know." Scott offered her a warm smile. "We don't have any more secrets, at least nothing earth-shattering."
Rhea bit her lower lip a little then sighed. "I'm sorry..."
"No reason to be. We moved past all that, and I understand your reasons. Hell, now that I've seen just a little of this world, I even appreciate a few of those lies on my behalf." said Scott.
"I... Yes. Thank you for that." said Rhea, a slight stutter in her tone. She looked away from him briefly. "Maybe I should have just not answered the door."
"Why? Sarah's the one who has no business showing up on my doorstep." said Scott. "My wife can do anything she likes in our house."
"Wife?" Rhea's eyes lit-up and her smile returned. "I like the way you say it."
Ero handed Herbert a small chunk of radish, and the Grassrat handed her a peanut. They both chewed on their meal while they continued to watch the soap opera playing out before them.
Scott reached forward and gently took Rhea's hands in his. "I'm not the best guy in the world. I lack ambition, drive." He took a deep breath. "I never really had anything in my life worth fighting for until I met you. No one, especially not a woman who cheated on me the same night that I proposed to her, can change how I feel about you."
Rhea's face became flush and she closed her eyes. Emotions were a difficult thing for her people. They did not understand them completely, but they did feel them. At that moment many complicated sensations washed over her. "Scott..."
"Rhea." he said softly.
Ero munched on her peanut, and watched the sappy romantic moment with keen interest. This was better than television!
The blue haired high-elf extracted her hands from her husband-to-be and then took a step back. She gazed at him with a vibrant intensity. "Thank you."
"Hmm? What for?"
Rhea smiled softly at him for a moment. "No one has ever said something like that to me before."
Scott stood up then walked over and slipped an arm around her. "I'm glad that you took a chance on me."
The tips of her ears turned bright red. She kissed him softly on the cheek then wrapped her arms around him. There was nothing else to say, but the silence in the moment spoke volumes.
Of course, that silence was broken by the sudden outpouring of cheers from the other patrons in the restaurant. Scott and Rhea broke apart, shocked by the sudden noise.
"Aw, that was so sweet!" cried a girl holding a server's tray. A man at the bar called out, "We rent out rooms, you know."
"Hey, do you see their hair?" asked someone in the far corner. Two other people at his table loo
ked at Scott and Rhea more closely.
"Think they're one of those couples?" asked the man.
Another man, one with beady eyes and a sneering expression, snickered. "Damned cosplay freaks. What kind of idiots change their hair color and try to pretend to be other people."
"Maybe they're the real thing?" asked a red haired girl at the table before she filled her wine glass.
The people at the table had a merry laugh at that. The first man spoke again, "Right, Origin and her boyfriend would just happen to be having a lover's discussion in the middle of this restaurant."
"People gotta eat." said the redhead.
First guy snorted then stabbed his meat with his knife. "Whatever, that shit aggravates me."
"Dude, you're just mad that Origin didn't write back when you sent her that love letter." said Beady eyes.
A loud grinding noise echoed through the air as First Guy's teeth ground against each other. "That stuck up ice-bitch! What kind of woman receives an epic love letter and doesn't even give the guy who wrote it a handjob, or something? No damned manners at all."
"I think I see why she didn't write back." remarked Redhead with a smirk of wry amusement.
First Guy snorted at his female companion. He waved a fork around in her direction. "She didn't write back because she thinks she's too good for me. My father owns a game franchise that covers an entire solar system! Six planets, and thirty-seven inhabitable moons!"
"Maybe your father should have sent her a love letter then." said Beady eyes.
The snort returned. "He did. She shot him down."
"Let it go, man. She has a boyfriend now." said Beady eyes.
"Fuck that, and fuck all those cosplaying assholes." First Guy raged a little then gripped the edge of the table tightly. "I sat behind that stuck-up princess in high school chemistry."
"Really? Did you ever talk to her?" asked Beady Eyes in growing excitement.
"I picked up her pencil for her once... the bitch." muttered First Guy.
Beady Eyes leaned forward. "Did she say anything?"
"Yeah..." First Guy closed his eyes and acquired an expression that bespoke a memory of wonder and enchantment. His hands rose to his face and he puckered his lips a little. "She said, Thanks."
Beady Eyes squealed a little and kicked his feet under the table. "No way dude, did she let you touch her tits?"
"No! Not even once, the bitch." First Guy growled. "Worse, she even actively dodged when I tried to trip and fall onto them during our human courtship rituals class."
Redhead spoke up. "What? The nerve! Were you partnered together?"
"Yes! She would step back and toss her hair instead of letting me accidentally grope her breasts, as is the human custom." remarked First Guy.
The beady eyed restaurant goer frowned. "That's not right. How were you supposed to learn anything if she wouldn't help you?"
An angry sighed escaped the lips of First Guy. "I know. I even told her that. Do you know what she said?"
"What?" asked Beady Eyes.
A derisive snort was First Guy's answer. It took a moment before Beady Eyes understood what his friend meant. "All she did was snort at you?"
"Wow, so cool." remarked the redhead. Her eyes began to glimmer with a feral light. "No wonder every guy in school tried to accidentally bump into her after class."
"I tried it once, too. All she did was sigh and shake her head after we stood back up." First Guy grumbled softly then shook his head before giving the foursome at the other table a dirty look.
"So cool." said the Redhead once more.
"Now look at these fools. One bitch wishes she was Origin, and the other is trying to be that mystery asshole that she's dating." said First Guy.
"Why do you care so much, man?" asked Beady Eyes. "It's not like you know those fools."
"It just grinds my gears, dammit! All these idiots dressing and acting like those two. This is the third couple I've seen this week!" raged First Guy.
Redhead waved her hand back and forth in the air. "Come on man, just let it go. They're a couple of kids having fun."
"Fun my ass. I went through hell trying to get Origin's attention, and now these feebs are sitting around playing make believe that they're someone they're not!" snapped First Guy.
Beady Eyes glanced at the redheaded woman and then they both looked to First Guy. "Uh, isn't that what we're all doing?"
First Guy pointed at Beady Eyes without looking away from Rhea. "This and that are two different things."
Redhead quirked her eyebrow at the irate man then glanced over to the fake Origin. "What's her character name supposed to be anyway?"
"I think its Ray, or something." said First Guy dismissively.
"It's Rhea Ardent." Beady Eyes said before he snorted. "You call yourself in love with her and don't even know her most common character name."
"Idiot. I know that much! That's her character on the casual server. Why would she be the same person here?" said First Guy.
Beady little eyes pierced the man for a moment then their owner sighed loudly. "Whatever man, it's just a couple of posers and their little friends. Let it go."
"Hell no. I want to teach those fanboy noobs a lesson. I recognize some of their gear, low-end trash." said First Guy.
"I'm out. I don't do PVP if there isn't something in it for me." said Redhead.
First guy glanced toward her. "You can take some of their loot."
Redhead rolled her eyes. "Come on. What could a noob possibly have worth taking?"
It was then that Scott pulled out his Crysta-Com to check on something. Redhead's eyes lit-up. "I'm in. That's a gold coin or two at least at the pawn shop."
A sinister laugh was First Guy's response to his companion's sudden change of mind. This promised to be entertaining.
They waited patiently as the noobs continued to have their dinner. The quartet laughed, and occasionally sang cute little songs, the happy bastards.
After a while First Guy became irritated. "When are those happy singing bastards going to leave?"
His beady eyed companion shrugged his shoulders. "They seem like they're having fun."
First Guy grumbled lightly for a moment, and Redhead decided to force the issue just to shut him up. She stood up from her table and strolled over to where the other group was sitting.
"Greyson! What are you doing here with this whore!" snarled the redheaded woman passionately.
The four people at the table flinched under the verbal assault then turned to look at the newcomer. She was a statuesque common elf with flaming red hair and a dash of freckles across her nose.
Scott glanced up at her with a flat expression. "You have the wrong guy."
"How can you say that to me after the wonderful night we spent together!" cried the Redhead.
Ero started munching on another peanut. Today was truly fascinating. Dinner was proving to be better than television at every turn! Oh, the drama!
Rhea frowned at the weird elf, and Herbert merely looked confused. Scott was the only one who spoke among them. He had formed an idea.
Something about this situation did not seem like an accident. He had a better idea of what might be going on when he saw two men staring intently at the group. It was obvious that they wanted to cause a scene for some reason. There was no way that she could mistake him for someone else. "You're right. How shameless of me. Won't you have a seat?"
Redhead blinked, as did the others at the table. Scott merely smiled pleasantly at her while she formulated her next move.
"N-no! I won't have a seat, you womanizer!" She reared back and slapped him, or rather she tried to do so. Scott dodged her attack casually.
The redheaded woman was as surprised by how easily he had dodged as she was by the fact that he was not rising to take her bait. Wasn't this guy a total noob? He was dressed like a noob. Reincarnated people would be dressed in stronger gear.
Scott winked at Rhea briefly then turned back to the redheaded woman. "I'm
sorry that I mistreated you. How can I make it up to you?"
Confusion had begun to rise up within the red haired elf maiden. "What, I don't think you can make it up to me..." she said in a non-comital manner. What was happening here?
He reached out and took her hands, "Such a beautiful and intelligent woman. Clearly you can think of something."
Redhead's cheeks turned as red as her hair. "No, no... There's nothing."
"I've been a horrible person, haven't I? Dallying with you, just before I take the time to have a nice dinner with my family. I should have told you that I plan to marry her. Can you forgive my indiscretion?"
"What the hell are you saying?" asked Rhea, her eyes wide in surprise. She had caught his wink earlier, but even so, this was annoying on many levels.
"This is freaking weird..." said Redhead. Why was this guy playing along?
"Ah, yes... I can see how this would be awkward for you. If only I were a better man, perhaps I could have been worthy of someone as warm and captivating as you."
"Yes, that's right... If only..." murmured Redhead. This was becoming an entirely different sort of conversation.
"What is this?!" exclaimed Rhea.
Scott turned to her. "Oh, sorry honey. I didn't tell you, yet! This is the girl I told you about, the one who might spice up our love life."
"What? Are you high?" asked Rhea, her eyes were wide and perfectly expressed her confusion.
"Wait a minute, pal! I am no one's spicy addition!" exclaimed Redhead, flustered.
"Oh. Sorry to have troubled you then." said Scott before he turned back to his spaghetti like nothing had happened.
"Y-yeah, no problem." said Redhead, confused and ready to leave the table. Everyone was staring at her. She scurried back to her table and sat down, her face aflame with embarrassment.
Rhea pointed her fork at Scott, an angry scowl on her otherwise beautiful face. "Scott..."
"Never met her before in my life." he remarked gaily.
"Sure didn't seem like it." said Ero while she munched on a peanut. Herbert chittered his agreement.
He waved them off then casually said. "Don't look, but she is sitting with two guys. They were staring at us quite intently."
Origin ARS 5 Page 18
