On the town

You walk through the halls of the dwarven capital with Clarissa. She offered to take you around to see the sights, and thus far it hasn’t disappointed. It was a whole city, carved from the rock of a mountain, and yet it felt like a friendly, livable place.

You noticed, however, that there wasn’t nearly as many people as you’d expect. When you point that out to Clarissa, she nods. “Our population is slowly declining. That’s why we want this alliance so bad, the city needs fresh blood. The humans from the portal helped, but there’s only a few.”

You nod. “The isolation is killing you slowly.”

“Exactly.”

You smile. “Well, we can work together to fix it. You now have two human kingdoms allied with you, and more to come.”

Clarissa laughs. “Your confidence is admirable, Josh. And infectious. Honestly, when I met you I had doubts about you. I guess you could call me a true believer now...”

You shake your head. “I’m not some deity, or aloof king. I want to hear doubts. Even if I disregard them, it’s important to have people around me who tell me when I’m doing something dumb.”

“I know the other girls aren’t shy about that sort of thing.”

You laugh. “They’ve all seen the stupid decisions I’ve made. I mean, I put myself into a coma once. I’m in now way perfect.”

Clarissa blushes. Gingerly she reaches out and takes your hand. “I disagree there...”

You’re about to answer but you’re interrupted as nearby onlookers cheer at the scene. Clarissa gasps and tries to pull her hand away, but you pull her closer instead. Leaning down, you live her a quick kiss, to the delight of the onlookers.

Blushing furiously, Clarissa looks at you. You smile at her. “It seems we have some fans.”

“Y-yes, well...you’re something of a celebrity. The story of the things you’ve done has spread quickly.”

You nod. News always travels quickly. Another question occurs to you. “So why does everyone stay away from me? Do I smell?”

Clarissa laughs and gives up trying to get her hand away. “Like I said, you’re a bit of a celebrity, most people are a little intimidated by you. Plus...I’m here.”

“Why does that make a difference?”

Clarissa sighs. “Daughters of the forge are revered for our connections with fire and earth, but also, people shy away because of the physical change. I barely look dwarven anymore.”

You give her hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry about it. You’re family now, Clarissa. And you’re beautiful.”

She blushes again. “A-anyway...there will probably be a lot of rumors about us after this.”

You smile. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all, I just want you to know.”

You lean closer and whisper, “And what if I told you that they don’t just need to be rumors?”

Clarissa gasps and looks at you. “Josh! Are you always this forward?”

You laugh. “Only when I know it’s going to be well received.”

Blushing, she looks down, her copper hair hiding her face. “I’m not very good at hiding it, am I...”

“No, but there’s no need to hide it.”

She smiles. “So...should we finish your tour back at the guest hall?”

You laugh. “NOW who’s the forward one?”