Battle Master Online (The Tales Of The Shield Knight)4.05%

2***Surprises

5:00pm

"Thank you Mr. McFarlly, but your too kind! I couldn't accept this!"

"Nonsense my boy. You deserve this. Thanks to you my little shop has been doing wonderfully! In fact this is the least I could do." He replied, shoving an envelope into my hands.

"But sir, isn't it a bit much to give me a bonus? Especially one this big?!" Yes that's right. I am here, having a debate with an elder of the community about a bonus check! I know right!

And what makes it worse is that the roles are reversed! Instead of me asking for the bonus and Mr. McFarlly, my employer, denying me the right to one, he's giving me one, no questions asked, and I'm denying it as subtly as possible!

Now, now, I know what your thinking, Take the damn bonus and walk away idiot!!!, but the thing is my conscience won't allow me to do that.

You see, 4 years ago, his corner store, McFarlly's, was in trouble. Because of the death of his wife 10 years prior to this point he went into a state of depression. The rest of the community kept the store in check for him while he recuperated but the store was still suffering, only slower this time, and eventually life caught up with them and they just, left.

When he finally got to his senses he found the store in a state that could only be considered as run-down. He was in desperate need of help and it just so happened that around this time I was also in need of a job for my own mission. We meet, he offered me a job with minimum wage, I accepted, and now he's giving me a bonus that's over four times the usual bonus he forces on me!

"But sir, shouldn't you be saving for your retirement now that the business is booming once again?" I asked, politely easing the money back into his outstretched hands.

"Don't you worry about me boy, you hear? Didn't you mention that you were saving for something?", he challenged me, easing the money back into my hands.

"B-but sir, that thing isn't really all that important....."

"You need the money for that fandangled game that's been on the market for 7 years now am I right?", he asked, cutting my retort short. At that I looked down, playing with one of my brown hair spikes while I was at it.

"H-how did you know?" I muttered under my breath. Apparently he heard me because he answered, "I may be old, but these ears still hear a lot ya know."

"Oh," I said, cause that's all I could say. I was getting more and more embarrassed by the second. I didn't want him to go through this just because of a game.

"I also heard that you are gonna buy one for your mum.", he continued, "And that you weren't gonna buy one without the other." I looked up at that statement. How did he know that?! I made sure not to tell anyone that part.

He saw my disheveled expression and tomato red face and decided to elaborate. "Relax boy. Everyone pieced it together when we checked the price of those things and found that you could have bought the thing 2 years ago but you made no attempt to do so." Well that in itself was true, but it would still feel wrong. Even worse now that he knows why I needed the money

Before I could protest any further however, he sat me down with a serious look on his face.

"Listen Nynn.", he started sternly, "Don't think for a moment that I'm doing this because I feel sorry for you, cause I ain't. I'm doing this as a thank you for bringing my store from the brink of bankruptcy. If you think your moral won't allow you to take this check, well my conscience won't allow me to walk away without giving you something for your hard work. Not to mention that it would be rude of you not to take it." I mulled over what he said and silently reprimanded myself for my selfishness.

"Now go and buy yourself that game!", he said, practically ordering me to do so.

"Yes sir!", I replied, bolting out of the corner store, tears threatening to escape my eyes.

'I can't believe it,' I thought happily, making a full on sprint for my apartment. 'I'm actually going to by the game!'

____

"At laaaast!!!!!!" I shouted, doing the Simba-thing with a bag in my hands. In said bag lies two customized consoles, headsets, and last but not least, the game itself. I started heading home with content radiating off of me.

I was whistling and skipping, the evening sun feeling warm and gentle on my face! A breeze ruffled through my Thunder Beast Knight t-shirt (), making me giggle for practically no reason! I was on the top of the world!

*notification music*

'Ah, the third one'll be posted soon!' I thought to myself as my body subconsciously picked up speed!

My fingers were still shaking from the excitement of handing the money to the clerk at the store to pay for them, even as I turned off from the town and into my street of monochromatic houses!!!

In my street, every house was the same styled, two bedroom, one bathroom dwellings, with only their different colours and front lawns distinguishing them, but my mind wasn't on that today!!!

'Soon! So soon! I'm not ready for this! Mom will finally stop being so dreary, and I can follow the Lore hunters in in-game time as I play with her!!!' I thought once again, infusing more haste in my steps!

Today, nothing more was on my mind save for the need to get down to start playing!

'Now, how am I supposed to get mom to play....?' I thought to myself, my footsteps slowing down a fraction as a knot started forming in my gut! Ever since 'that' incident with my dad, my mom has been more reserved about the time she spent with me....

... oh don't worry, she's not ignoring me or anything!!! She's the same caring and compassionate mother she was before - I think? I was eight when my mom became this way, so I'm not all that sure of how she was before then. She just... never allowed herself to have fun!

Whenever I tried to get her to do something with me, she'd always have an excuse not too! And when I did, she'd always have this fake feel to her happy, even when she told me she was okay. On the night of those times she would check if I was asleep and then quietly cry in her room. I finally found out after 2 years however, so I eased up off of her for the most part, but not this time!

This time, she'll play this game, and she'll have fun doing it!!! And nothing's gonna stop me!!!

Well, nothing except for a puppy at least....

"Awe." I said in reflex as I saw the little figure waddle across to this side of the road! seeing dogs is rare in this area, and it's even rarer to see puppies, so I was mighty surprised at the slightly malnourished little thing walking around!