Talk With Alice

Leaving Mia behind, I went to join Alice, who was near the door conversing with a pair of female adventurers. Before I arrived, I heard a bit of their conversation.

“...and your party only has one guy in it? That must be tough, with all the competition,” said one girl.

“Yeah, he’s like, pretty cute, huh? Our guys are old or ugly. I’m jealous,” said the second girl.

“We aren’t like that, yet,” Alice said. The girls giggled. Figuring they were referring to me, I liked the sound of that ‘yet’ quite a bit. Sitting back a bit longer, I eavesdropped a little.

“Say, isn’t your dad like that super famous former adventurer? Like Arbo or something?” Said the first.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him, he’s that guy that got promoted to bishop like right away! What’s it like being raised by a celebrity?” said the second girl.

“Huh? Celebrity? I didn’t know father was that popular,” Alice said, getting really into the gossiping.

“Cmooon, spill it,” nagged one of the girls. The second backed her up. Getting bored of the new direction the conversation was heading, I walked up to them.

“Hey, Alice. Wanna introduce me to your friends?” I said.

“Oh, hey Flynn. This is Kim, and that’s Wanda,” she said, pointing at the blonde and brunette adventurer respectively. “They were just leaving.”

“Huh? But-” complained Wanda. Kim elbowed her in the side, winking at Alice.

“It was nice meeting you, Alice. Good luck,” Kim said, dragging her friend away and leaving us alone.

“Some colorful friends you got there,” I said, watching Wanda cling to the doorway only to get pried off by Kim.

“They are indeed,” Alice agreed, smiling. “So what brings you over here? Surely there are others you could be talking to?”

“There are. I just chose to come talk to you. Is that a problem?” I asked, staring her dead in the eye.

“No, not at all,” she blushed, looking away. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I did have a few questions about your religion. It wasn’t really a thing back in my homeland. What’s it all about?” I asked, taking a seat nearby. She did the same as she began her story.

“Well, in Regnica and many of the neighboring countries, the main religion is that of the Twin Goddesses, Esther and Heather. Esther is the goddess of life and new beginnings, while Heather is the goddess of **** and endings. The two work side by side to preserve the natural flow of our world,” she said.

“Alright. I’m familiar with that much by now. What exactly does your religion believe in? Also, what’s it called?” I asked.

“It is most commonly known as the sect of the divine twins,” said Alice. “I’m an adherent to the Church of Esther. We worship her and her gifts of life, mercy, love, and forgiveness. While we also recognize Heather, her role is...a necessary one that must be respected, but we do not worship her like the Church of Heather, as worshiping the goddess of **** and endings is a tad macabre. Their followers tend to be a bit fanatical, if not nihilistic.”

“Good to know,” I said, making a mental note to avoid Heather’s devotees. “I noticed you aren’t drinking. What are the church’s views on ****?”

“We don’t prohibit it, merely advocate caution against overindulgence. **** is a gift from the divines, like the rest of what is on the earth, so to reject it would be to reject the gifts of the divines,” she said devoutly, as though she was reading from her holy book.

“How about sex? Is chastity as important for you as it was in the religion back home?” I asked.

“Sex is an act that brings forth new life, and as such is one of the most celebrated acts of devotion to Lady Esther,” she said, blushing profusely. “Though, I am still a virgin.”

“I see. Back home, sex was something the church said should only happen between those looking to spend their lives together,” I said, thinking back to my early days spent at church.

“I can certainly see the appeal of that way of thinking as well,” said Alice. “Sex would be more enjoyable with someone special...at least, I assume so...”

“I agree entirely. While sex feels amazing physically, having sex with someone you share a deep bond with is emotionally fulfilling as well,” I said, remembering my first time with Rachel.

“I see...um, would you perhaps be interested in forging such a bond, with me?” She asked, the red blush contrasting heavily with her pure white aesthetic. I smiled.

“If that’s what you wish, I’d be happy to,” I said. “You are a rather beautiful woman, after all. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to.”

She blushed. “Thank you, Flynn. We should go find somewhere more...private.”

“I agree,” I said. “Here, follow me. Let’s find an inn we can go to.”

Alice and I left the guild discreetly. We went to the an inn nearby, one more classy than the vomit covered Copper Tankard, but a bit pricier as well. It didn’t take long to get a room key, so we headed up to our room.