Adventurers Guild Adventurer's Guild - Tavern

With Gourd keeping the distance, Ayumi first frowns, then starts fuming with rage, causing a faint red mist to appear around her.

Slowly speeding up, she continues chasing after Gourd. "Get over here!"

 

"Perchance you could come over instead?"

He didnt accelerate but still moving away until Ayumi reached him, then he used her own momentum to flip her as she charged. The gourd did gently laid her on the ground before she slammed though.

"By the way, why are you wearing a pitato sack?" He bent over to look at her, upside-down from her view.

 

Before Ayumi notices what happened, she suddenly lies on the ground with the pumpkin head looking down at her.

"It's not like I have anything else to wear!" She shouts before throwing herself upwards in an attempt to both get up and headbutt gourd.

 

Ayumi's headbutt produced practically the same result of someone headbutting a pumpkin, namely knocking it back for a few inch at the cost of head trauma. It would bruise for normal person, maybe some concussion.

"Point for you, that was rather unexpected." The gourd shook his head. "But then again, people usually have enough sense not to headbutt a helmet."

 

Having grossly overestimated the strength of her own head, and underestimated the strength of the pumpkin, Ayumi almost knocks herself out.

She lifts her shacking hand towards Gourd's head.

 

"Anyway! Adventurers should look presentable at least. Come along now." He picked Ayumi up like a sack of potato and slung her over his shoulder. "I know a decent tailor nearby..."

 

Barely conscious, Ayumi doesn't even properly hear what Gourd is saying. The only thing she can think of is that surely, the Gourd must be kidnapping her to eat her. So the futilely tries to grab onto something, and moans: "Don't... don't eat me..."

 

"Oh... I forgot to ask him if I can make items based on him..."

 

A gourd whistled as he carried an unconscious girl, none of the onlookers did much to stop him. He took several turns before reaching a rather nondescript tailor, an easy-to-miss building at the edge of the market district. It was manned by a bored old man that somewhat resembled Gaap in attitude, even down to the slight stench of alcohol from him.

"Damned pumpkin, kidnap all the hobos you like but don't bring them to my shop." The tailor gruffly said. The gourd still haven't caught his name so far.

"Nah, she's a colleague." He gave his luggage a look-over. "...despite the potato sack. She hit her head earlier. Anyway! She'll need some clothing."

He nonchalantly left Ayumi on the sewing table while browsing the available clothes, humming a rather obscure tone as he did so.

"This one's her size. Crap material though, skip. This... too many holes. This..."

*****

"...eey? Can you hear me?"

A gourd smacked a bundle of wet rag on Ayumi's face, finally returning her among the conscious. They're back in the tavern at a side table, the sky darkening outside. She'd have some mild headache for a while but bothing serious. Normally.

She now wore a dark green form-fitting tunic with mismatched brown trousers, and there's another equally mismatched set on the table. Nothing impressive, but the material's hardy and the size was correct. Wouldn't stop a knife but good enough for daily usage.

"Sure slept like a log, sweetheart. How's the head?" The gourd smugly patted her head.

 

"What!?" Ayumi awakens, startled. Looking around, she is in the tavern, and her body, inconceivably, is still whole without bite marks. She even is wearing decent clothes! And the gourd is next to her? She looks at him, confused about the whole situation.

Just as she is about to question (and threaten) Gourd, he pats her head. Out of nowhere. And calls her sweetheart!? Her brain stops, and she blushes. "W-wha... why are you... s-sweetheart?"

 

"Ah, I haven't learned your name yet; you caught my interest." He continue patting. It wasn't a lie, technically. The gourd never met someone both living and dead at the same time. His senses were giving conflicting result, and he'd deal with the dead for a long, long time. It would take some gargantuan effort to fool him up close, but for her to show signs of both dead and alive? That's a first.

 

"I... I'm Ayumi..." she mumbles, her thoughts running wild. He's interested in me!? Why would anyone... A-and he called me sweetheart...

After thinking about the current situation, she barely remembers something relevant. "Uhm... what happened while I was... unconscious?" She asks, taking glances at Gourd and then looking away, blushing.

 

"Ayumi? Pleased to meet you. Call me Jack, I guess?" He ruffled her hair.

Brought you to get some clothes, then return here. Nothing fancy, but at least you don't look like a beggar now." He said plainly.

 

"J-Jack..." As he ruffles her hair, Ayumi blushes and a faint, pink mist appears around her.

"Yeah... nice to meet you! And... thank you for the clothes."

 

Elaine makes her way into the Tavern, whistling as she thinks about getting a new piece of equipment soon. She notes a familiar face.

"Yoohoo~ Jack, it's been a while~"

 

"You're welcome! Suits you much better than that potato sack." He nodded sagely. "Food? About time for dinner."

"Ah, Elaine! Been a while, I thought you finally wandered off into Smaug's lair and got eaten for your trouble."

 

"Ah, food sounds great!" Exclaims Ayumi.

Then, she notices Elaine. Still addressing Jack, she asks: "Who is she?"

 

"I was busy looking for armour! Too bad most shops around here specialize in heavy equipment, and the increased protection won't really compensate for the added weight it gives me. Wonder if I should find a leather smith instead. Also..."

"Oh, who's the cute girl with you? Your future spouse, maybe?"

Elaine grins, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

 

"First Elaine, now this new women. Am I in some sort of harem novel?"

 

"Bill, stew and ale please! Two sets."

"It's Elaine. We went on some jobs together. Elaine, Ayumi." He introduced the two, then leaned on a whisper. "If you ever go with her, don't trust her direction. She could get lost on a straight road."

"Train up so you can ignore the weight!" He told her jokingly... maybe? Was he serious? Hard to tell.

"Who knows about the future?" He dodged the question and took a sip of his newly arrived ale.