Duelling Dungeons

“I thought you went to bathe George,” Kass giggled when I finally returned to the cafeteria about half an hour later. “Why does it look like George bathed you?”

“Oh, Har de har har,” I grumbled as I finished drying my hair. “Have you ever tried to bathe a giant spider? They’re like cats, cats that climb walls. As soon as I locked us both in the bathroom, he realized something was up and did his very best to stay as far away from the water as possible. I chased him around for about ten minutes before I finally gave up and asked one of the Naiads for help hosing him down.”

“I’m surprised that he avoided you for so long,” Kass said. “He was absolutely coated in gravy.”

“I’m pretty sure he actually liked that part; it made him smell like roast,” I mumbled.

“Where is he now?” Kass asked, looking past me, back down the corridor.

“Back in my quarters. Pouting,” I replied. “Between getting kicked out of the Cafeteria and no longer smelling like gravy, I guess he just didn’t feel like going out anymore.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Kass smirked before throwing a pair of thumbs back towards the cafeteria. “They just finished cleaning up a few minutes ago. Shall we rejoin the party?”

My eyes flicked towards the distant doorway. Even though we were quite a distance from the Cafeteria, I could already hear the sound of music echoing down the hall, the low murmur of conversation. There had been about fifteen or twenty people in there when I left, and now that the match had officially ended, it sounded like there had to be at least three times as many people in there.

“Actually… I think I may pass,” I said, giving Kass a small, tired smile. “After spending all match trying to outmaneuver an opponent that was literally in my head at one point, I’m feeling a little worn out, and I’m really not in the mood for a rambunctious party.”

“That’s fair,” Kass replied as she slithered to the side to let some of our co-workers pass. She stroked her chin for a moment, then glanced back at me. “How about a nice walk around the greenspace then? Voss might be running a small celebration out there for his people, but it should be fairly deserted otherwise. Nice and quiet.”

“That’d be wonderful,” I said, reaching out and taking one of her hands. “Let’s go.”

Since almost everyone was distracted by the party, it was easy to slip past the cafeteria, through the nearly deserted atrium, and up the stairs. We weren’t exactly rushing or anything, but I felt like slowing down once we got to the service corridor.

“Ugh… why do all these matches have to be so draining?” I muttered, leaning into Kass’s shoulder. “Every time one ends, I feel like curling up in a web for two or three days to recuperate.”

“That’s because, unless someone distracts you, you spend weeks dedicating all of your considerable brain power towards figuring out the most efficient way of dealing with our foes,” Kass explained. “And it’s only after the match ends that you can concentrate on something else.”

“I guess that’s true,” I muttered before sneaking a glance over at her face. “... I’m sorry.”

Kass paused and looked over at me in surprise. “For what?”

“For being far too obsessive when it comes to figuring out strategies and planning for our matches. I know I should hold back a little, but I just can’t help myself,” I muttered. “You even ended our bet early because you knew I’d never be able to help myself.”

“Hey! I didn’t cut our bet short because I didn’t believe you’d be able to make it,” Kass replied. “In fact, I’m one hundred percent sure that you would have been able to resist if you put your mind to it; I just didn’t want to deprive you of your enjoyment.”

“Then why did you make that bet with me?” I asked.

“Because while I fully support your efforts to rip apart our opponent’s plans for a week or two, and you know who to focus on, I don’t think it’s healthy for you to be that obsessive all the time. After the first match, you were starting to go a little squirrely. Getting distracted and theorizing about every possible match-up during downtime,” Kass explained, before leaning over and poking me in the forehead. “While theorizing is good, you need to learn to turn your brain off sometimes.”

“I play Dungeon Delve with you and the others, don’t I?” I asked defensively. “And I go out on the town with you and the others all the time.”

“You shouldn’t have to rely upon others to help moderate yourself,” Kass sighed. “What did you do on your off-time before you joined the Manor?”

I shrugged, “Worked odd jobs, occasionally created strategies for teams that were having problems conquering a specific dungeon, honestly, I was mainly just trying to get by day to day.”

“What?!? I had no idea you were having such a hard time,” Kass exclaimed.

“Well, it was my own fault. After leaving the Abyss, I got it in my head that the best way to defy my mother and to make a living was to work as an adventurer, and even though I probably could have made more money doing something else… well, you know how I can be when I get an idea in my head.”

“I do,” Kass muttered. “But if that’s true, what made you change your mind?”

“You and Bella came looking for me, for my skills,” I replied quietly. “And no one had ever done that before, not back in the Abyss, nor when I was working as an adventurer. I was suspicious about your motives at first, but it felt good to be wanted.”

“You know that’s a little sad,” Kass said, putting her arm around my shoulder.

“That was my life,” I replied with a shrug. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t miss it for a minute, but it’s all I knew at the time.”

The two of us fell into an awkward silence for a minute. I wasn’t quite sure why Kass went quiet; she seemed to be thinking about something, but I was trying my best to figure out how to broach something with her.

I must have peeked at her face about half a dozen times before she finally turned her head towards me and smiled. “What?”

“So, since we’re talking about old times… I just want to say thank you for actually spending the time and effort to find me,” I said awkwardly. “I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like if you hadn’t come to find me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that,” Kass laughed.

“I know,” I mumbled, trying my best not to fidget. “However, it’s something I felt like I needed to say… even if it was just to work up the courage to say something else.”

“And that is?” Kass asked.

“Do you think you and I could go out on the town later?” I asked awkwardly.

“We do that all the time,” Kass laughed.

“No, I mean, just the two of us… in, you know, a romantic way,” I said, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks and the top of my ears. Kass raised an eyebrow and grinned, but before she could say anything, I just bumbled forward. “I know you asked me a couple of months ago now, and I promised I’d think about it. The problem is: As awkward and inexperienced as I am socially, I have absolutely no romantic experience, and I’ve been worried that I may say or do something that could ruin our friendship. I probably should have said something earlier, but I kept getting distracted by my planning sessions, and when I wasn’t planning, it never felt like the right time…”

Kass put a finger to my lips. “Your babbling.”

“That’s part of the social inexperience and awkwardness,” I replied.

“First of all, I would love to go on a date with you, so relax,” she said. “I’m pretty sure when I first asked you for a date, I told you I’d wait for your decision. I knew it might take you a while to decide, and I was all right with waiting. And second of all, I already knew about your social and romantic awkwardness; I consider it to be part of your charm.”

“Really?” I asked, relieved.

“Of course. Today’s already been a long day; let’s discuss the details tomorrow,” Kass said, smiling mischievously. “So, since we’re going to be dating, would you like a little kiss to mark the occasion?”

“Kiss? What? I… eh…” I exclaimed helplessly, causing Kass to burst out laughing.

“Relax, I’ll never do anything you don’t want to do. Let’s just take it one step at a time,” she said.

I smiled in relief, then reached out and took one of her hands. “One step at a time,” I repeated.