Of Warm Mornings and Wobbly Bosses

Sunlight crept gently through the window of their rented inn room in Silverhaven, scattering warm rays across the wooden floor and the foot of the bed. The chirping of morning birds and the distant clang of merchant carts echoed from the streets below.

Selena stirred under the blanket, sighing softly as she rolled to the side, her arms tightening instinctively around something warm and solid.

Something... breathing.

She blinked slowly, her mind groggy.

Then her eyes shot open.

Selena: H-Huh?!

She was tucked in Red's bed.

Not only that, her arm was wrapped snugly around Red's chest, her face resting against his side like a sleepy kitten clinging to a stone furnace. Red wasn't in his usual pitch-black armor. He wore only a simple black tunic and loose pants, his raven-black hair slightly tousled from sleep.

He was still asleep.

Selena's heart practically exploded in her chest. Her face flushed from her chin to her ears as she released him like she'd touched fire.

Selena: EEP!

She tumbled backward, rolled out of bed with a squeaky thud, and scrambled to her feet in a blur of tangled blankets and flailing limbs. She tripped on the hem of her tunic and staggered into a chair, knocking it over with a loud clatter.

Red's eyes opened slowly.

Selena froze mid-crouch, half-hidden behind the overturned chair.

He blinked.

Red: You alright?"

he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

Selena: I...I...YES! Just dropped something! Just...um...morning stretch!

she replied quickly, tossing the blanket behind her like a makeshift cape. 

Selena: See? Stretching! All part of my daily rookie adventurer routine! Yep!

Red sat up, watching her for a long, puzzled moment. Then he stood, walked over to the washbasin without a word, and splashed cold water on his face.

Selena, still behind the chair, groaned quietly into her palms.

Selena: Stupid! Why did I fall asleep next to him?! Idiot, idiot...

By the time Red was dressed in his full armor and ready to go, Selena had managed to clean herself up and braided her hair into a quick ponytail. They exited the inn with minimal fanfare, though her cheeks remained pink for a suspiciously long time.

Downstairs in the guild tavern, the usual clamor of wooden mugs, breakfast chatter, and early quests filled the air. The scent of roasted ham and eggs mingled with fresh bread and earthy coffee.

Red sat at a corner table, his twin black swords resting beside him, while Selena munched on a buttered roll and eyed a mug of black coffee uncertainly.

She took a cautious sip, then winced.

Selena: Bitter!

Red sipped his own, unbothered.

Selena: How do you drink this stuff?

Red: Wakes you up.

Selena: I was awake the second I realized I fell asleep on your bed.

He didn't comment, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, just enough for Selena to notice.

She narrowed her eyes.

Selena: You're laughing at me inside your head, aren't you?

Red: No.

Selena: You Are!

Once breakfast was finished, the pair headed back toward the central quest board. The morning crowd had already thinned, leaving only a few adventurers idly browsing.

Selena scanned the board, a glint of determination in her eyes.

Selena: Slime quest again?

Red: You sure?

Selena: I've got slime experience now. I've studied their habits. I've faced their jiggles.

He arched a brow.

Selena grabbed the same quest from the previous day, marched to the desk, and slapped it down in front of Sophia.

Selena: Slime duty. Round two.

Sophia chuckled.

Receptionist Sophia: Back for more goo, huh? You rookies and your slime sagas. Alright, same area, same payout. Bring the cores."

Outside the city again, the fields were just as peaceful as the day before. The sun was bright, and the slimes were just as colorful and bouncy as ever. Pink slimes jiggled happily through the grass. Yellow slimes napped in flower beds. A particularly fat blue one wobbled in circles like it had lost its way.

Selena cracked her knuckles.

Selena: Alright, little jellybeans. It's round two!

She chased one across the grass, dagger in hand.

Selena: Don't make this weird, I'm just doing my job!

She lunged, but the slime bounced sideways, and she face-planted into a bush.

Selena: Ow.

Red stood under a nearby tree, arms folded, saying nothing as usual.

Selena sat up, twigs in her hair.

Selena: You know, a little encouragement wouldn't hurt.

Red: You're surviving.

Several minutes and one slipped boot later, Selena had successfully collected another small pouch of slime cores. She held them up triumphantly.

Selena: Yay! Done!

And then the ground trembled.

Selena blinked.

A shadow loomed from the tree line.

A massive, wobbling blob of translucent pink bounced into view. It was nearly the size of a carriage, with two black dot-eyes and an oversized smile that somehow made it more menacing.

The Boss Slime.

Selena: Okay... Selena muttered, stepping back.

Selena: That's… not cute anymore.

The giant slime gave an adorable "BOOP" sound, and launched itself at her.

Selena: AAAAAAHHH!!!!

She rolled just in time, dirt and grass flying. The slime landed with a seismic splat, causing the ground to quake again. It bounced high and came down again like a gelatinous hammer.

Selena stumbled to her feet.

Selena: Okay, you wanna play?! Fine!

She charged, dagger out, only to bounce right off the boss's side like a pebble hitting a mattress.

She landed in a heap, covered in sticky residue.

Red hadn't moved from the tree.

Red: You're... figuring it out.

Selena: This is not helpful commentary!

She shouted, slipping as she stood again.

The Boss Slime bounced again, this time trying to trap her under its gooey belly.

Selena ducked and ran for a rock, grabbed a long branch, and leaped onto the stone's top. She held her dagger in one hand and the branch in the other like a makeshift spear.

Selena: You want drama? I'll give you drama!

The slime bounced, Selena jumped and flung herself downward, aiming for the slime's glowing core that shimmered faintly in its middle.

With a loud squeaky POP, the boss exploded in a rainbow burst of goo and sparkling slime mist.

Selena landed with a thud, sticky but triumphant.

Her hair was soaked in pink jelly. Her arms were covered in goo. She blinked, spat out a bubble, and looked up at Red.

He approached slowly, looking down at her.

Red: Messy...

Selena: But victorious," she replied proudly, raising the large boss core she'd recovered.

Red: Somehow...

Back at the guild, Selena marched into the hall like a sticky war hero, carrying the usual pouch of normal cores plus one oversized pink one glowing faintly.

Sophia's eyes widened as she opened the pouch.

Receptionist Sophia: Well, well. You found the boss?

Selena: It found me

Selena muttered, flicking slime from her sleeve.

Sophia laughed.

Receptionist Sophia: Normal bounty is twenty copper for the regulars. For this boss core? I'd say… five silver bonus."

Selena's jaw dropped.

Selena: Five silver?!!

Receptionist Sophia: Big fella, rare. Makes good potion reagents.

She handed over the coins with a wink.

Receptionist Sophia: Congrats, Rookie. You're starting to smell like success, and strawberry jelly.

Selena accepted the money, her eyes wide with wonder.

Red nodded once.

Red: You're learning.

Selena smiled up at him, hair still stuck with a twig and a pink blob of goo on her shoulder.

Selena: Yeah, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. she said brightly