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Also I'd like to apologise for the more inconsistent posting as of late, my work schedule still has my writing habits in shambles but I'm hoping to take the reigns again soon, but it's likely that I might miss a week or two here and there, though I'll never leave you waiting more than a fortnight.

Dahlia found herself inside a roaring chariot which, after searching on the phone John gave her, she discovered was called a car.

Though excited and eager to see John’s world with her own eyes, she knew she had to stay hidden. She remained in a shrunken form inside of Brenda’s bag, passing the time by searching the web, learning more of this new world.

She jerked forward as the car came to a stop. Brenda spoke to another woman and Dahlia felt the bag being lifted and carried.

The two women chatted, but Dahlia took no interest in the conversation, finding it dull. The faerie heard the sound of splashing and peeked out to see both women swimming in a large outdoor bath, wrinkling her nose at the unfamiliar scent reminding her of the unpleasant smells from Dewdrops potion experimentation.

Dahlia expanded her aura and sensed no danger in the vicinity, and taking advantage of the women’s distraction, she flew to the building, slipping inside.

“Better check for threats in here too,” Dahlia muttered, beginning her exploration. The living room didn’t hold anything of interest to the faerie, so she moved into the kitchen.

Her eyes sparkled when she spotted several bottle openers on the refrigerator. She flew over to take a closer look, plucking a purple one. “This could be dangerous, I should take it to inspect later,” she reasoned.

Dahlia began opening and closing each cupboard and drawer, finding a paper bag labelled “Whole Foods”. She smiled before taking the fridge magnet and dropping it into the bag before folding it over. A drawer full of takeout menus, sauce packets, napkins, coupons and other takeout items caught her eye next. Rummaging through the drawer, she added a few choice items to her paper bag including a full bamboo cutlery set.

She froze and gasped upon discovering a small box marked with “Amazon”. She picked it up, turning it around in her hands before opening it to look in the empty box. “Humans seem obsessed with these. There must be something to them. I should take it to investigate,” she mumbled, placing her paper bag inside the box.

Keeping tabs on the women outside, Dahlia followed a familiar aura upstairs to a bedroom. She found an idol of a rather shapely female, similar to the one she’d seen in Brenda’s room. “This must be the prevailing goddess of this world,” she rationalised.

She continued her search, collecting hair clips, some lost coins from behind a chest of drawers, an unopened lip balm, and an empty plastic bottle labelled “evian”. Every item was stored inside her box.

Her snooping halted as she felt Brenda and the other woman getting out of the water and drying off. Dahlia shrank down and hid inside Brenda’s bag again as she entered the house and walked through to the other side.

Brenda’s next destination was to meet another woman. Initially disinterested, Dahlia perked up when John came up in conversation, causing her to focus her entire attention on the women.

Agni and Alison gleefully polished their plates, eagerly refilling them with chicken skewers. Ellie, on the other hand, sipped on the strawberry milkshake Sunni had kindly brought her.

At the same time, John and Robin engaged in a battle, exchanging intense stares after consuming some chicken, their faces reddening, with sweat and tears forming on them both.

“I can tell it’s too much for you, John,” Robin challenged, trying to keep his composure. “No one will think less of you for giving up now, just take a sip of your shake, it’s no big deal.”

John wiped his forehead. “I don’t know what you mean, I could eat these all day. You look at your limit though, feel free to take a drink,” he retorted.

Violet, sitting on the table between the two, watched with amusement. “Since neither of you seem to be affected by the food, maybe I should take your shakes back to the kitchen. Wouldn’t want them to melt, would we?” she teased, grabbing the glasses.

As soon as she’d hopped off the table, shakes in hand, both guys snatched them out of her hands and began chugging, leaving Violet laughing. Ignoring their gasps for breath, she walked over to Agni, placing her hands on the slime.

“Hey, hon. So, how’d you enjoy cooking?” the ghost asked, lightly rubbing her shoulders.

Agni leaned back, resting her head on Violet’s chest. “Agni had fun. Agni wants to make more food Lia would like,” she replied.

Violet smiled, stroking Agni’s silver hair. “That’s great. We’ve found you one interest already, and I can tell you enjoyed the food you made too.”

Quest Update: I Can Show You The World

Interest Discovered (1/5): Food

The slime golem nodded, taking another bite of her food. “It’sh delishioush,” she said, swallowing. “And Lia said she liked it too.”

Violet laughed, moving behind Alison and gently draping herself over her. “Looks like you’re enjoying the food too. The heat doesn’t bother you? John and Robin were really struggling, but here you are happily munching on them like chicken nuggets,” she remarked.

Much like Agni, Alison nodded and hummed, swallowing her last mouthful. “I-it is sp-spicy, b-but I don’t th-think it’s t-too bad.”

Violet giggled. “Sounds like you’re tougher than the boys. And Ellie too, she only managed a nibble before needing something to cool down,” she teased, poking at Ellie’s sides.

“Hey, I never claimed to be good with hot food. I like spicy, but when it’s too hot to enjoy, that’s where I draw the line,” Ellie defended herself. “Oh, we said we’d ask you to send some food over to the crafting guild and they said they’d settle up their tab later, we should send some of these skewers across too.”

Sunni joined the laughter. “Aye, ya wee gyalie is quite impressive. It ain’t the hottest thing we can make but five-hundred-thousand Scoville isn’t something to shake a stick at… at least for a human,” she said. “As for the triplets, I’ll send some over later on, not to worry, dearie.”

“So, Alison,” Ellie began. “Where’d rusty go? We came through the gate and I just kinda forgot he was supposed to be around. Is he just waiting for us on the other side?”

Alison shook her head. “Oh, n-no. I j-just th-thought it would b-be better if he w-wasn’t in the w-way. H-he’s on my b-back,” she explained, turning around and flipping her hood up to reveal the image of the metal corvid.

The image moved, and Rusty began to climb out, a fascinating and eerie sight, like something out of a horror movie.

Rusty’s reappearance caught John’s attention. “Oh, I wondered where he went. So you can just store him anywhere you want? Under your hood was a pretty cool idea because he was completely hidden. Have you thought of where to store him when you’re not in your ‘adventuring gear’?” John asked, his excitement for the metal animal reinvigorated.

Lia also seemed to take enough interest to wrestle her body back, quickly moving over to the metal bird to inspect it. “This is fascinating, it seems like a golem, but it has no core,” she mused. She paused, listening before she continued, “Yes, I know what I said, but this is too interesting for me to ignore. Just let me take a look then I’ll let you out for longer. This could give me some things to think about while you’re enjoying your time… Okay, good, thank you.”

Lia bombarded Alison with questions, but the zoologist didn’t get the answers she sought. Disappointed by the lack of information, Lia turned her attention to Rusty, observing his reactions and behaviour.

“Wow, it acts just like other corvid species. It seems intelligent and curious about its surroundings. It’s also exciting how it responds to your commands. I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Lia remarked to Alison.

Before Lia could continue, her body shifted back to Agni’s. “Lia promised it was Agni’s turn. Lia can ask questions later; Agni still wants to play,” Agni said, pouting. She turned to John with a smile. “Ceruleia told Agni that part of cooking is cleaning up afterwards. Can John help Agni and show her how to do it?”

John nodded, collecting the plates and mugs. He did feel a twinge of disappointment that finding out more about Rusty was cut short, but Agni seemed to bounce with delight as she helped him.

Sunni attempted to stop them, letting them know that it was Ceruleia’s job, but Agni insisted that she wanted to do it and that John was showing her how.

John had expected a medieval fantasy kitchen, but he was surprised to see the floor sparkling, metal surfaces lining all of the walls like a modern professional kitchen. To his relief, he spotted a dishwasher by a chrome sink.

“Well, looks like we’ve got an easier job than I was expecting. Just rinse everything with water and put the things in the dishwasher,” John instructed. “So if you grab that hose there, we can get started.”

Agni picked up the hose, looking confused. “You mean this thi-” she interrupted herself pressing the lever on the side and spraying herself with water.

A wave of panic hit John, he didn’t know what cold water could do to a lava slime, and thinking about it he should have probably thought of that before agreeing to the task. Agni herself stood looking shocked and confused before she sprayed herself again. “Mmmh, that feels really nice,” she cooed, smiling. “Oh, but Agni got the floor wet.”

“Well…” John said, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times. “I’m glad you’re okay. Maybe don’t spray yourself again, but don’t worry too much, we can mop the water up.” He thought for a second and then spoke again, “What exactly felt nice about it? Was it because it was cold? Or was it that it was wet?”

Agni nibbled on her finger, then looked at John with a bubbly smile. “Both, the water feels nice on Agni’s skin and the cold feels refreshing and interesting,” she replied.

She paused again, placing her finger on her cheek. “Huh? No, Lia promised, it is Agni’s time… Uh huh… okay?” she muttered then looked at John with purpose. “Lia said that activities focused on sensory stimulation might be good for Agni. Wait, what does that mean? Oh? Ooooh, yes. Agni enjoyed the water, and the food, and the drinks.”

Agni refocused on John and asked about his hobbies and interests. John took a moment, realising that the question wasn’t as straightforward as it once had been. He shared with Agni that gaming was once an escape for him, but joining the Abyss had changed that.

He then confided that he’d been hesitant to try it again because, for so much of his life, it had been a crutch. Reflecting on her question, he told her that some of the moments he enjoyed the most, other than spending time with the girls, were the quieter moments that he’d been able to experience, like walking through the woods. On the heels of that, he suggested that they could take the scenic route on their way to visit Lani.

Agni’s eyes lit up as she wondered aloud what they might see, or do. John mentioned that they might spot some animals, and if they were lucky, they might come across a stream or river that they could take a dip in.

The slime golem’s excitement multiplied and she almost vibrated as the two made their way back into the main room to join the others.

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