Buying equipment and picking your first job

You wake up with Roy lightly snoring next to you as you slowly open your eyes, and begin to register your senses, as your eyes come into focus as they adjust to the bright light streaming in through a window across the room, the next sense to register was your smell, as you sniff the air to smell the stale musky scent of sex which you enjoy, as you think back to your encounter with the sleeping man beside you. You wonder how he'll feel about the whole thing, as you wonder if it was just a casual thing or if it meant anything more. You pushed those complex thoughts to the back of your head, as right now you wanted a bath and something to eat, and didn't want to think of anything beyond those tasks. You hear Roy stir as the taps fill the bath tub with hot water, as you find yourself amazed about this luxury being made with such ease, he stumbles through into the bathroom as you have finally finished filling the tub, and are just about to lower yourself in.

"Morning." He mumbles as you see his untidy long brown hair move as the mouth they obscure waves slightly, causing you to giggle at the sight.

"Morning Roy, sleep well I take?" You ask as you lower yourself into the hot water, as sigh as feel the warm water wash over you, as you enjoy the moment, before getting ready to start to clean.

"I always sleep well, it's waking up I have problems with." Roy replies as he walks over to a smaller basin in front of a mirror, and turns a tap cupping the water in his hands and splashing his face, before finally moving the hair from his face.

"You'll have to learn to get better if you're going to get used to travelling." You reply as you begins to wash your soft skin, feeling delighted with how soft it looks, as you haven't seen it look so good since you were very young, and it was just you and your mother, with less people to share the hot water with.

"Travelling..... yeah I suppose you're right." Roy replies as he looks over at you and smiles. "Although I must admit I do feel a lot more well rested than usual." he continues with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Well that's good, we got a busy day, some supplies to pick up, and then picking a job." You reply with a smile as you begin the task of washing your long golden blonde hair.

"We?" Roy asks with a badly concealed smile on his face.

"Well I assumed you'd want to tag along with your new hero, and besides you fought well yesterday." You reply with a smile as you continue to wash your hair.

"Well I'm happy to join your merry band, but are there any reasons you missed off?" Roy replies with a knowing smile.

"Well there is something about you that I like." You reply with a seductive smile on your face.

"Oh and what might that be?" Roy says as he looks into your blue eyes with a cocky grin.

"Simple." You says with a soft smile as you continue to wash your hair. "You're bigger than me, so the monsters are more likley to attack you while I can get behind them, and hit them where it hurts." You reply with an evil smile as you poke your tongue out at Roy, who laughs and shakes his head.

"Well I cant argue that I guess." He replies as you stand up out the bath and pick up a large towel, as you gesture to the bath for Roy, as he walks towards it and tests the water with a single toe.

"Don't worry though being my personal meat shield does come with it's perks." You reply as you begin to dry yourself off with the soft white towel.

"Oh and what might they be." Roy replies with a sarcastic tone as her turns to look at you.

"Well for starters you'll be close to the action, getting plenty to write about." You reply with a sweet smile as you continue to dry yourself off, as Roy shakes his head and puts one foot into the water. "Of course there might be some other perks." You continue as you slap Roy on his ass, sending him off balance and slipping into the bath as he was trying to lower himself gently. As you giggle as begin to dry your hair while Roy makes faces at you as he begins to bathe.

The rest of the morning rushed by, as you got dressed slipping your new armor on over your travelling clothes, and picked up the gold you tucked away yesterday, the armor takes a little getting used to, but quite quickly you soon forget it's even there as you eat breakfast with Roy, and avoid knowing glances from Thomas as he delivers your food and drinks with far too many winks and grins than you felt comfortable with. You later learnt that he was spending his evening getting reacquainted with Trixie, having drunkenly discussed why they never even tried to get it on when they traveled together, and deciding to give it a shot after feeling all nostalgic, although thankfully both you and Thomas decided that neither Trixie nor Roy needed to know about their respective nights.

You manage to find yourself some decent pair of daggers, thanks to Roy's eye for metal work having seen his mothers equipment, plus his own lessons, you then find a few days worth of dried meats and fruits as well as some spare canteens to pack away. The crowning purchase was some ornate tools which you could use to pick locks and disarm traps, sold as a plain wooden jewelry box on a stall containing trinkets, the only reason you knew what they were was down to a symbol you recognized from Trixie's lessons to help people in your trade spot people of ill repute who might be able to avail you with supplies of the less than legal and morally sketchy variety. The kindly old crone on the stall smiled at you as you bought it.

"Such a pretty young thing, I hope you find some nice things to keep it that box." The old woman said with a smile.

"It is certainly a nice dream to aim for." You reply with a sweet smile as you pay a few extra gold for the box much to the old woman's delight as she waves you off, as you stealthily open the box, and lift the false bottom revealing the hidden tools beneath.

"That'll come in handy if we have to get through a check point." Roy says with a smile as he lifts the large rucksack he'd bought covered in various useful adventuring supplies, much like your own but with much more, including an enormous wooden pole almost twice as tall as you, as both you and Roy look at it with a hint of amusement between you.

"That's an awful big thing you've got their, I hope you know how to use it." You joke as you both crack up laughing at the unwieldy object.

"What possible use could anyone have with a ten foot pole, I mean if you really really needed one, surely you'd get a magic one, one that collapses down, hell if its magic it even be stronger." Roy says as he looks at the huge staff.

You both continue to joke for a few more moment as you head off into the markers to find some armor for Roy, as well as finding you some spare clothes, and even some cloaks for when the weather turned nasty. You found that normal clothing was remarkably cheap compared to armor which when you say how much Roy had to fork over for some very fine leather with a half plate of armor makes you glad that Trixie gave you what she did. You also ended up browsing a few weapons in the smithy, grabbing yourself a short sword, and while testing it on a practice dummy outside, finding you can just about put into practice what you learnt yesterday with them but not quite as easily, you see someone trying to shoot arrows into a target. The woman seems to be testing out some arrows she made, and soon she notices you watching and examines you.

"Excuse me miss, I couldn't help noticing your ears, and well I don't want to be rude, but your kind have an aptitude to this sort of thing, and I was hoping you could try and see if these arrows are any good, as my aims so bloody awful I cant tell if its me or them." You woman says with a awkward laugh as she walks over to you.

"Well I can give it a go, I can roughly get them to go where they need to." You reply with a smile as you look back at Roy as he tries to use his charm of the blacksmith over the price of his new armor. You take the bow from the woman, who smiles as she hands you a quiver with a about ten arrows in it, and steps back as you remember back to the festival games you used to enjoy once a year, and remember what your mother taught you with them. The first arrow misses the target almost as badly as the woman who made them, but the second shot strikes the target near enough to where you aimed it, you look back at the woman who looks pleased and nods for you to continue. The next few shots you find yourself remembering the finer tips and tricks about breathing and soon you're hitting the target dead center, with your arrows clustering in the red ring in the middle. You feel quite pleased with yourself as you turn back to the woman, as you take a few steps back and try to shoot from a further distance, hitting the mark again, much to yours and the woman's delight.

"Oh wow it looks like they do fly straight then, either that or you can compensate well enough to use them." The woman giggles as you turn back to face her, after admiring the arrows in the target. "Oh where are my manners, the names Morgan, and I'm a Fletcher as you can probably guess." The woman says as she extends a hand out to you

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Emma, and hopefully I'll be a new hero soon." You reply with a smile as you shake Morgans hand.

"Oh an hero, well then what did you think of the arrows?" Morgan says with a smile.

"Yeah they work perfect, go as well as I can aim them in any case." You reply with a smile. "In fact I was wondering If I might be able to buy some, and possibly also a bow if you have any." You continue as you hand back the bow to Morgan.

"Well of course I have some, I'll tell you what, you keep this bow, and I'll sell you a full quiver of arrows." Morgan says beaming at you as she hands back the bow, and then rushes over to a stall and fishes out a big leather quiver with many arrows inside. You fish out several silver pieces you had as change from your earlier shopping and soon return to find Roy smiling as he wears his new armor trying to make sure he has the flexibility he was after, finding the restriction the armor gave him to be pleasingly light.

Roy heads back to his home, while you sneak of to the stall selling potions and other magical items, a man with a long white beard on his face turns and smiles at you.

"Ah don't tell me, you're an adventurer." The mans says with a big booming voice and a hearty chuckle. "The name is Francis how may I help you?"

"I was wondering if you had any potions that might be of use to an adventurer like me." You reply with a smile as you look at the various bottles on display with shades of colour you've never seen before.

"Of course we've got protection potions, strength potions, healing potions, all manner of things, what exactly are you after my sweet thing?" Francis says in a softer but still loud voice.

"Well a few healing potions sound perfect, and what protection potions do you have exactly?" You ask as you try and hint at what your after not wanting to broadcast to the market about wanting pregnancy preventative potions.

"Ah of course of course, well we have protection from your elements, earth, fire, ice and that sort, we've got ones that'll make your skin as tought as bark on a mighty tree, ones that will make arrows veer away from you." Francis lists of with great pride and delight.

"Errmmmm and what about against the flesh." You whisper as you lean in towards Francis so only he can hear.

"Oh right yes, a tricky mistress that nature, but I think I might have what you need." Francis says with a soft smile as he nods and fetches out a few smaller vials in a small box.

"Now miss drink one of these every two weeks and it should keep you from falling pregnant, but be careful the magic is delicate stuff, and other magics can sometimes conflict with it, we in the trade call it harlots relief, a little tasteless I know but certain lands abhor its use, and well it's the only way we're allowed to sell it." Francis says quietly and you smile and nod at him.

"Alright I'll take some healing potions, and some harlot, please." You say in a quiet enough tone as to not be overheard.

"That'll be 110 gold, and thank you for you fine patronage." Francis says as you suddenly realize how expensive magical stuff would be, and hope that you can quickly earn from your first few jobs, as you take the five healing potions, as well as the 10 small vials of what will keep you from getting knocked up.

By the time you head back to where Roy left you you see him coming back with a impressive looking long-sword kept in an ornate leather scabbard with some small inscription on the side.

'There might be hope for you yet kid. Nate.'

You suppress a laugh at the inscription of what you assume to be a gift from Roy's trainer, and head back to the Tavern wondering if you'll have enough time to find your first adventuring job before the day was out. You look up at the sky and see the suns still rising high into the sky so your reckon you've got a good long while, as you make your way through the still somewhat confusing streets, thankful to have Roy as a local guide, as you make a note to try and pick up a map when your next passing some stalls that sell them.

"Ah so our heroes return." Trixie says with a smile as you and Roy walk through the tavern doors and see the red haired lady sat at a table with Thomas.

"Thanks, I think we might almost be ready for our first job." You reply with a smile as you sit across from Trixie as Roy follows suit and takes a seat next to you.

"Well Thomas has kindly dug out a few jobs you might like, which should be challenging but rewarding." Trixie says with a smile as she passes the list to you.

'Help wanted, strong adventuring types to help assist wizard with arcane experiment, risk is assuredly minimal but protection wanted none the less.

E.gadd - 100 gold reward per adventurer.'

'Adventurers needed, Ork bandits have been raiding farms and we want them driven off, violently or peacefully.

J.Pemberly - Hoperidge farms -200 gold reward.'

'Help wanted, Bold adventurers wanted to help retrieve a family heirloom from the old estate.

C.Howardson 500 gold reward'

'Help wanted, Two adventurers to escort young lady to new town a few days travel away.

Fair Lady S. 800 gold reward.'

You read the short notes on the four listed jobs and look over to Roy who looks back to you, as he shrugs as he has a little clue as you do about which one to pick, aside from the ones that pay better seeming to grab your eye, notable the escort one, which would more than replenish what you've spent so far.

"Any advice you can give us?" You aks as you look up to Trixie as Thomas comes over with a tray of drinks over his head, stopping to deposit a fresh glass for Trixie with lingering eye contact between the two.

"Well you should be able to handle all of these with the basic equipment you'll have, the one thing I'll say with regards to the higher paying ones are is, if it sounds too easy it probably is about to get messy, but then again that's part of learning, adapt and rely on your instincts and each other and you'll do fine." Thomas says with a smile, as you look down at the list, eager to start your adventure