# 015
"I'm fine, Rose, really." The slime is connected to my soul and can feel my mood as well as I can feel hers. "It's just complicated human stuff. ... Yes, I know, humans are weird. Now, how about we explore the town, so you can get to know us a little better?" And, I can take my mind off of it.
The three of us spent the rest of the morning doing just that. Everyone seemed to love the two odd slimes, especially Rose who ate up the attention. Finding ourselves outside the local guild house a while later, I figure that it's a good idea to introduce her since she'll probably be wandering around a lot.
"Hey, is the head in?" I lean close to ask the receptionist so she can hear me over the noise. The whole place is filled with a bunch of loud idiots who would probably be laughed out of any other guildhall. But, the country needs adventurers, even bad ones. "I have a couple of new pets and want to make sure that people know not to mess with them. Queenie isn't likely to wander, but Rosie might get bored and explore the town."
"Aww." The receptionist coos down at them. "I didn't know they came that big, let alone in pink."
"What's the matter?" One of the loud idiots decides to show off just how stupid he is. "Afraid that somebody is going to pop your little pet?"
"No..." I send the receptionist an apologetic look, both for the fact that she has to deal with idiots like this all day, and for what I'm about to do next. "I'm afraid of having to buy a gravestone for whatever moron decides to mess with them. Queenie, Engulf!"
"..." He doesn't even have time to scream before being completely encased in slime.
"This is a queen slime." I announce to the stunned room. "I see only a couple of you know what that is, so I'll let them explain later. But, if you ever see one in the wild, run! Rosie is unique as far as I can tell, but if you see one like her... well, it's probably too late to run." She bounces off of one of the thick beams holding the wall up and back to me faster than the eye can follow. "Queenie, Release!"
""..."" The crowd just stares as the slimes cuddle up against my legs begging to be petted.
"Thank you for the impromptu lesson, Mister Ryder." The guild head says with a smirk on her face for the room. "All too many of my guild members fail to even bother learning about the forest, thinking that all it contains are common slimes. But, there are queens and kings out there, and you never know when a dungeon is going to pop up out of the blue." She chuckles. "Thank you for the warning about that, by the way. And, for saving my people by killing those wargs when you did."
"You're welcome." I bow my head to her. "And, you might be glad to hear that those two quit the adventuring life. My parents took pity on them and gave them jobs where they aren't likely to get killed."
"Oh, if only everyone who wasn't cut out for adventuring would learn the same lesson." She says while staring pointedly at the fool that I sicced Queenie on. "I'll make sure that word gets around not to mess with your slimes. But, could I get a good look at them?"
"Of course." I grin back at her. "They both love attention. Isn't that right, girls?" They jiggle happily when I bend down to pet them. "Rosie here is sapient, by the way." I add, earning a stunned look from the guild master. "That's why I came in today since I'll be letting her wander as she pleases. Within reason, of course."
"Truly?" She forgets all decorum to rush forward and examine the slime. "Where did you find her? When?"
"Deep, deep in the woods, just yesterday." I reply and lift my little pink beauty up in my arms. "Ran until kings started to be a common sight and then ran some more. She's been all alone out there for who knows how long. Gave me the toughest fight of my life, but I knew that I couldn't just leave her out there."
"Worse than wargs?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Wargs you can cut, my swords just bounced off of Rose." Her eyes go wide at that. "Had to wear her down by coating my blades with lightning, and even that barely worked."
"You know you're wasted just collecting toilet cleaners, right?" She shakes her head at me.
"I'm no adventurer." I smile at her. "And, the slimes we sell are good for more than just the privy. They can get even the toughest of stains out of laundry, do the dishes, scrub the floors, and make it so you never have to dust again." I run through the spiel. "And, best of all, they never need to be fed, they can survive off of nothing but ambient mana."
"Hahaha!" She cracks up at my sales pitch. "Almost word for word the speech your father gave me. Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."
"Oh, sorry. I already have a girlfriend, but I'll be sure to keep you in mind." I tease and actually draw a blush from a woman older than my mother. "Ow!" I laugh while rubbing my shoulder; she was able to push me back half a step with just a casual swat.
"Damned teenagers." The woman shakes her head at me before turning around to glare at the snickering crowd. "I'll be in my office if anyone needs me." She says in a tone that means trouble for anyone who dares bother her.
"Oh, gods." The receptionist breaks into nervous giggles once the guild master leaves. "You must be insane. I've never seen anyone tease her before, let alone flirt with her. You're lucky she didn't smack you into the wall."
"Hey, I was serious." I smile down at the girl manning the front desk. "She's pretty cute for an older woman, and that blush was just adorable." We both start giggling then.
"Mad man." She shakes her head at me. "Did you really kill some wargs all on your own?" Every ear in the place perks up at that, I know they all must be dying to ask the same question.
"I got lucky." I shrug. "Do you know the twins Maddie and Mason? Well, Madison was following me around after I took pity on her and let her get some easy cores when a howl came to us on the wind. Her brother's scream following it just a moment later..."
I break into full story-teller mode for the receptionist alone, doing my best to ignore the gathered crowd. Detailing my idiot girl's frantic flight towards her brother, the brief encounter with the wolf and how I took down the wargs in a few simple moves.
"...After that, we just turtled up and waited for my Dad and the guild master to clear the woods." I finish up. "It wasn't much of a fight, I know, just a couple of lucky shots. But, if you want to hear a real fight? Let me tell you about how I met Rosie yesterday..."
I'm not sure why I'm chatting her up, why I even went so far as to flirt with the guild leader. Not when I normally can't stand anything to do with the guild. But, I guess having a girl throw herself at me has changed me a little.
...
After leaving the guild, with a promise to bring the slimes back to see the receptionist again, the three of us continue our tour of the town. Everyone we meet is curious about them, Rosie especially, no one has ever heard of a pink slime before. And, she really is cute, surprisingly so for a melon-sized blob of jelly.
"Ah, young Mister Ryder, I was hoping that you would make your way around here." The mayor himself greets me when we stop in at town hall. "Karla informed me that you found a smart monster in the woods and were showing her? around town."
"Yes." I return his greeting with a smile. "And, I suppose they're technically sexless, but both Rose and Queenie feel like girls to me. She doesn't mind me seeing her that way either, so it all works out."
"Fascinating." He strokes his chin while peering at my girls. "And, she was just out in the woods for years, no others like her?" He's probably worried about his town being overrun by intelligent monsters.
"As far back as she can remember, yes." I pick her up to cradle her in my arms. "That's why she's so curious about the town and the people in it. Rosie didn't even know there were other people until after the bond formed. That and she loves all the attention everyone is giving her. I think that might be a slime trait though, as Queenie eats it up too."
"Hah!" He laughs and then offers a courtly bow to the slime in my arms. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Rose and you are welcome to visit the town any time you like."
"She says thank you." Not really, but she does like the chance to explore some more. "I'll make sure that she behaves, but please let me know if her presence causes any disturbances. Since she is her own person, I'm trying to give her as much freedom as possible. But, I know that not everyone will be comfortable with a monster wandering around town, especially if she decides to come here on her own."
"Honestly, I can't see anyone having a problem with such a cutie." Rosie wiggles at the praise the mayor gives her. "But, I'll be sure to inform you if any issues crop up. It's amazing though. To think that a unique intelligent creature was just out there and we had no idea."
"She is amazing, isn't she?" I chuckle and give the slime a squeeze before setting her on the ground again. "I think we're going to head home now, I'm still suffering mana drain from the fight yesterday, and she needs a while to consolidate all this new stuff she's experienced."
"Of course, of course." He smiles. "But, do feel free to stop by again any time."
"Will do, Sir." I nod my head to him before leaving.
...