The Achievement Junkie

Zariff reached out and placed a hand on Tridon's shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Sorry friend, but we can't do that. The association will be paying Rydel a handsome sum for that pelt, and that pup is under the association's watch and Jack's. Unless either of them agrees wholeheartedly, you'll never get any blood or a chance to inspect him. You're lucky that you even got to handle him."

When he finished explaining things, Zariff moved the thinking Tridon to the side and led the others through the door. They made it out but halfway down the hall, a shout from the courtroom door reached them.

"Don't think this means I won't get my hands on those things! You know me Zariff; once my mind is set on something, nothing in the world can stop me from getting it, not even you!"

Letting out a sigh, Zariff and the others pushed forward unfazed. In the back of his head, Zariff was unsure how far Tridon would be willing to go. Considering their great friendship and the association's direct involvement, Zariff doubted that Tridon would try anything too far-fetched, but he had a sliver of doubt and worry as well.

It was almost noon by the time they returned to the shelter of the association building, dodging crowds, people, and further questioning. As they walked in, they were greeted by a familiar, "Well, how'd it go?"

"Like expected we handled it flawlessly," Jack responded and turned to see Maura, but was surprised to find Slivia instead, buried in paperwork. "Wait, where's Maura?"

"Are you looking for me?" The familiar voice from earlier drifted over from the bar. "What? You're not happy to see Sliv on the first day of her new job?"

"No! It's not that…" stammered Jack, trying to backpedal the conversation. He leaned on the reception desk and spoke softly, "You… you're the new receptionist? What about adventuring and finding the man who saved you?"

Feeling Jack's sudden closeness, Slivia lifted her head from the papers and realized she was being talked to. "Um, sorry… what were you saying? I'm trying to hurry and finish the last of this paperwork before my shift ends."

"Your shift?"

"Yeah, I have the morning shift and Maura taking the afternoon. That's what we decided." Slivia glanced at Maura and smiled, happy to have a sisterly figure back in her life.

"Oh, I didn't know that." Jack stood back up as nonchalantly as his nervousness let him. "So you're almost off then, right?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Slivia looked up to Jack, keeping her genuine smile.

"Well, I've was planning to look for something important and I thought it would help to have someone else help me," stated Jack.

"Oh… well, I guess I could—"

"Ya need help finding something?" Another familiar voice called out from the bar. "I'm sure me and Rydel can help ya find it real quick."

"Actually, I think I'm fine with only one person helping me," responded Jack, trying to cut the idea short.

"Oh, then Rydel would be perfect with his eagle eye and everything."

"I think Slivia's help will be more than enough," stated Jack, string down the samurai and mental saying, 'Shut up! I'm trying to ask her out!'

Both Rydel and Maynard exploded into laughter, catching the rest off guard. Rydel waltzed over to the seat between Maynard and Maura. He waved and said, "Well, I hope you two enjoy your date!"

"I didn't say that—"

"I'll come," Slivia replied instantly the moment she realized what Jack was trying to do. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes, so why don't you get something to eat. You missed breakfast, right?"

Jack clutched his empty stomach and chuckled, "Okay, I'll grab a bite to eat in the meantime."

"Great, then it's a date!" Slivia giggled and got back to work, hiding the fact that she enjoyed seeing Jack's blushing face.

Following Rydel's example, Jack claimed the last open seat on the other side of Maura. He leaned in against the bar, catching a whiff of the lacquer from recent repairs. To his surprise, there was a woman in the kitchen area, secluded behind the bar.

He stared at the women for a moment before a heavy hand landed on Jack's shoulder. "Get something for the brat. This one's on the house!" The entire room went quiet as all eyes stared at their branch chief as if he had gone mad. "What? The brat saved me six hundred gold, that's worth a cheap lunch."

As Zariff's laughs filled the room, everyone relaxed and got a good chuckle.

"Coming right up!" yelled the woman. Suddenly, her speed increased three times over. She flew across the kitchen, gliding past wood-lit stoves, countertops, and cutting boards. Within minutes, she exited the kitchen with a plate in hand. "Here you go, a lunch fit for a hero."

Jack got a good look at the woman's face. She seemed familiar, but he knew that he'd never met her before. The woman was beautiful, with an air of maturity to her that proved she had aged well, like a fine wine.

When he saw the plate, his mouth began to water for the first time since he was summoned. There was a perfectly cooked, medium-rare steak with an array of roasted potatoes and onions on the side, with a mushroom gravy to top it all off. The aroma was intoxicating, causing his mind to drift in anticipation of the first bite.

"Hey! I said, 'cheap lunch,' not the best in the house!" yelled Zariff, stubborn as always.

"You know he deserves it, and this won't dent your six hundred gold," reasoned the woman, staring down Zariff as she placed the food in front of Jack. "But since you've managed to hold onto some coin from a planned expense, you and I will have to chat about some possible ways to use the funds."

Zariff immediately shrunk back, shaking his head rapidly. "On second thought, the brat deserves a good meal. I better hurry up and store this gold before I forget about it." Without hesitation Zariff dashed upstairs, fleeing the scene.

Jack was too busy enjoying his meal to pay attention to the conversation between Zariff and the woman, but he was shocked to see Zariff take off without even defending himself.

Before he could process the situation, the woman turned back to him and smiled. She slid him a cup and asked, "So, you're the hero everyone's been talking about?"

Accepting the cup, Jack took a sip and was delighted to taste the exotic alcohol. He returned her glance and replied, "Yup, that's me. I'm still new around here, but I'm glad to be a part of the association."

"And what do you think of the branch chief? Has he been giving you a hard time?" The woman put her hands on the bar and leaned in, showing off her curvy figure. "He has a habit of messing around with new members, especially if he likes them."

"Nah, he's hard on the outside but he's as soft as a teddy bear. The old fart has his moments and I always make sure to avoid those, but he's a great guy when you need him." Jack shrugged and took another bite.

"And what about his daughter, Maura? I'm sure you know each other well, based on her earlier comments," asked the women, tilting her head ever so slightly to appear all the more seductive.

"Hmph!" Jack coughed and pounded his chest, trying to keep down the food he had just swallowed. "I… I know her. She's a good friend I guess," he muttered and grabbed the cup to occupy his mouth, not wanting to say anything else.

"Oh? Only a friend? You don't see her as anything else—"

"Mom! That's enough!" yelled Maura, pounding her fist on the bar hard enough to rattle the cups and plates.

Suddenly, Jack spat out his drink and coughed harshly to clear his throat in surprise. "M-Mom!?"

The woman giggled, "Sweetie, you know I'm asking for your own good. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn something that you—"

"I said enough!" shouted Maura, anxious to stay out of her mother's schemes.

"You're… her mother? So that means… you're with that old fart?" asked Jack, hesitant to ask further.

"My husband may act like an idiot at times, but he has his redeeming qualities as well. As for my daughter, you still haven't answered my question. You never imagined anything beyond friendship?"

"I… um…" Jack was at a loss for words as the entire room was focused on him thanks to Maura's loud interjections. He even looked back to see Slivia's gaze tracking his every action and reaction. At this moment, he just wanted to disappear.

"You know what, you two should get going before the streets get too crowded by the noon rush. Take off now and I'll finish up the rest. Okay?" Maura interrupted again, forcibly pushing Jack off his chair towards the reception desk. "Enjoy your date!"

Jack didn't waste a second to grab his opportunity to leave. He took Slivia by the hand, pulled her out from behind the desk, and rushed through the doorway.

The awkward, tense atmosphere passed over quickly and everyone resumed their previous activities. Maura sat at the bar, hurriedly finishing her plate to leave.

The woman sighed, "Why do you do this? If you want to get to know him, you'll have to try better than that."

"Who said I want to know him better?" stated Maura, placing her fork on the now empty plate. "Thanks for the food, but I'm needed at the front desk."

While Maura got comfortable behind her desk, Maynard called out, "Marisha, what are ya up to this time?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Marisha took Maura's empty plate and Jack still full plate back to the kitchen, lightly shaking head as she returned to her kitchen duties.