A Day Like Any Other 1

He met her on a day like any other.

Or at least it would have been, if Shintaro hadn't literally been to Hell and back that morning. He'd never ever ever been considered a morning person, but today was especially bad. Normally he only had to deal with being overtired and grumpy, but this morning was special.

He and his new group of companions travelled into the depths of the coldest circle of Hell, in an attempt to close the portal that led there from the other side. The things they dealt with over there were horrific, to say the least. And they lost two of their strongest party members in a cruel twist of fate. Needless to say it ended in bitter defeat, and the party returning with their tails between their legs looking more ragged than usual.

They did manage to save someone- a mooseman, as it turned out; who had been stuck in there for years. Ironically, only Hell knows how he survived for that long. All that aside, Shintaro, the moose and Racter went straight to the tavern upon returning.

They were ready to eat away their frustration and drink away their sorrows. Shintaro had a hunch the Mooseman wasn't actually upset, but rather just wanted to get drunk.

Forget surviving in Hell, it was a miracle this guy wasn't thrown out of the tavern the way he was acting. It was not unreasonable though; wherever it was he originally came from, it was probably vastly different to the capital.

Eventually one of the wood elves from the party turned up. For all he was worth though, (which admittedly, probably wasn't much.) Shintaro couldn't remember her name. It didn't matter though, after a few servings of ale it didn't look like she cared too much for names.

For a large majority of the afternoon, Shintaro sat there awkwardly with the barbarian draped over him, being much closer and much more touchy than he really would have cared for.

He wasn't good at handling situations like this, especially if he himself was involved. He just sort of... Accepted his fate while she climbed all over him and he uncomfortably shifted to try to get her to move on occasion. It didn't help that she would start telling him off when he so much as glanced in someone else's direction- even though his only intention was to avoid eye contact with her.

The only other thing worth noting was Racter's drunken antics.

While Shintaro had kept things light during the day, Racter had gone right for the strong stuff, Downing a whole bottle in mere moments.

The gruff looking 30-something male was parading himself around the tavern letting as many people as he could know that 'she used to be a queen' and that 'these peasants owed her their respect and undying adoration.'

Honestly, the way he would go up to someone at the bar and look down at them- regardless of height- was quite impressive; if not downright hilarious.

Shintaro almost envied the confidence the drunk man seemed to exude, and only wished he had that kind of bravery, if only it didn't come side by side with the lack of common sense.

The evening continued like this, with Shintaro picking at the remains of his meal, too afraid to leave his seat to go and buy another drink for fear the girl draping over him would start yelling at him for leaving her. After what seemed like an eternity, The other wood elf, Clare- as he recalled; walked into the tavern as well. She seemed slightly flushed, but not out of breath. She looked as though she'd been running, though he couldn't tell if it had been away from anyone; or perhaps after them.

In the most pointed way he possibly could; he looked at her with the most pathetic facial expression he could muster, willing up all the desperation inside of him. This face had only one purpose. One message to convey: 'Please save me'. Although she clearly noticed him, he thought he could see her holding back an audible groan. As long as he'd known her, she hadn't been especially friendly, but didn't seem like a bad person.

He didn't really have many others he could turn to now anyway. He certainly couldn't ask her majesty the queen for help right now, he thought; glancing briefly over at Racter who was demanding someone bow to him at that very moment.

Despite her irritation, she did come over and help him; albeit begrudgingly.

"Hey, Leia." She was speaking directly at the woman who was leaning all her weight on Shintaro (Which he would rather not admit he was struggling with.) She gestured over at the bar not-so-casually before speaking again now that she had the barbarian's attention. "That man over there is really checking you out, you should go talk to him."

Leia's attention was instantly shifted (and her weight) off of Shintaro and towards the first man she saw along the bar. Within moments she stood up and turned to Shintaro, giving him a playful smile with an "I'll see you later." Before moving on to spend time with her new victim. He shuddered a little at the thought. As bad as Shintaro felt for the guy, he was mostly just thankful that she was finally gone and he could breathe again.

"Thank you... so much." He spoke with genuine gratitude in his voice. Never before had he felt so indebted to another living being.

"Your thanks are unnecessary." She shrugged it off, turning away so she was no longer looking directly at him. "Hard not to help when you looked at me so pathetically."

He let out a soft chuckle reflecting on how lame he must have looked. It was okay- it's not like he wasn't used to being seen that way. He was by no means a strong or handsome man, and least of all courageous. Being a wimp was one of the few things he seemed to excel at.

She ended up sitting down at his table after she ordered herself a drink, but didn't speak to him. They simply sat in silence leaving him to his thoughts. His eyes continued wandering to the other members of the troupe scattered about the tavern. The man who controlled the sands to his will- currently proclaiming his right to rule over the fools in this tavern as their queen, as it should be. The Moose from Hell- Shouting what he assumed were profanities at someone behind the counter, although his accent was thick enough that it was difficult to tell.

The halfling who stood as tall as he did- when they were on their steed; a raptor of all things.

The Wood Elf scout sitting across from him- who he could never seem to get a solid read on,

And the barbarian who could cleave a man within one inch of their life- who he was absolutely not afraid of.

An interesting group, to say the least. And one he was glad to be a part of, for the time being.

The evening carried on like this with revelries and a general feeling of cheer surrounding them- from all but the angry Moose. The night began to settle and the lights from outside began to dim as the sun went to rest and the torches in the street were lit to take it's place.

The tavern began to go quiet all of a sudden, though Shintaro didn't know the reason why. His table had been quiet enough for the past hour regardless.He turned his head to see what it was all of the patrons seemed to be looking at and his eyes settled on that of a woman coming on to stage. It was only slightly elevated, so he could see the woman quite clearly, and take note of her features. And by Fistandor's name did he take note of her features.

He had to catch himself so as to not gape at her. He was by no means a ladies' man, but he didn't want to be rude. He knew his manners, at the very least. He also knew it was rude to stare, but he really couldn't seem to help himself. Perhaps it was the way she stood still; her flowing outfit seeming to compliment her form perfectly. Or maybe it was the way she moved- dancing with a sense of elegance that flowed from her every step. It certainly may have been the way she sung, her voice like a chorus of a thousand angels- Or the way she played her harp, her fingers dancing lightly from string to string, plucking at them with trained precision.

It made him feel giddy; almost as though she plucked his heartstrings with each note she played.

Needless to say, he was captivated.

He couldn't really tell how long her performance went for. He just knew that it wasn't long enough. When she descended from whatever glorious podium she belonged on and came down to the bar to mingle with these mere mortals, Shintaro's gaze followed closely behind her. A few people approached her and made comments about her performance, commending her on a job well done or just flat out trying to hit on her. One of these people was the Halfling that had been travelling with them- Tedal, if he was correct; though they definitely fell into the second category of people who approached her.

Tedal had always confused him. They were an extremely ambiguous person, and Shintaro couldn't quite place if they were a guy or a girl. Sometimes he wasn't even sure he wanted to know. Well, regardless of gender; they were trying to hit on the performer. And if the fact that it was obvious enough to him at a glance wasn't enough, the things they were saying made it sound like they were downright trying to seduce her. Shintaro had to applaud their bravery, if nothing else. He could hardly bare the thought of even talking to her.

But then that was just it: The thought. It had crossed his mind. And it was there to stay.

He sat there staring at her like an idiot, watching the halfling's attempts at winning her over, and daydreaming to himself; imagining what he would be doing or saying in Tedal's position.

He imagined himself being suave and cool, charming the lady with ease using his quick thinking and smooth words. Of course, it was all entirely in his imagination. There's no way in a million years that would ever actually happen.

...but what if it did?

He cursed himself for theorizing so hard. If there was even the slightest chance of success, he was usually willing to try it. What did he have to lose anyway? His pride? He wasn't really sure he had all that much to begin with anyway. The thought circled around in his head four or five times, constantly attacked by an onslaught of doubts and insecurities.

Just do it! One voice would say; You'll just make a fool of yourself. She probably already has a boyfriend anyway. Another would reply. It was frustrating. He felt as though he had two conflicting voices constantly arguing in his mind, and it was giving him a headache.

Eventually, if not just to shut them up; he stood up dramatically with the full intention of approaching her. Clare obviously noticed this, and was a little startled since they'd been sitting in silence for so long by his sudden movement. She didn't say a word as he stumbled away like a drunken idiot, though. It's not that he was really all that drunk though, but to be fair he was an idiot. That was the only reason he was klutzing his way through the tavern to where the object of his affections lay in wait. He only managed to run into two chairs and one person on his way across the establishment before finally making it to his destination.

He was so so close to her right now. She was right there. Next to him. In arm's reach.

She turned to face the person who had approached her, and looked at him with her deep green eyes, the colour of a lush forest in the middle of spring. He gulped as he watched her eyelashes flutter when she blinked in his direction, staring directly at him with her piercing gaze. In that one moment he both simultaneously regretted ever approaching her and was the proudest he'd ever been of himself.

He must have looked like an idiot though; standing there shaking like a leaf in the wind, as though a single touch would make him topple over. He was holding onto his glass so tightly, somehow feeling that it was his only lifeline, and that if he were to let go of it he would surely die.

"H-h-hey there!" He spluttered out suddenly, like he would to an old friend "I thought your p-performance was beautiful!" Just like you- he held himself back from adding at the end.

He thought that if he swallowed any harder than he was, he'd probably lose some internal organs somewhere along the line.

She turned with surprise at the new voice, anything was better than the halfling at this point. "Oh, hey there," She said warmly, a tone of absolute geniality. "Thank you so much!"

Smiling as she spoke, she then mouthed the words "Help me", as her eyes spoke of the discomfort she was feeling from the unwanted attention.

Shintaro picked up on her message.

How could he not? He was following every movement that her perfectly shaped lips were making. He felt a sudden rush of comradery, recalling his own predicament with the Wood elf barbarian only about an hour or so prior. He felt it was his job, nay; his duty to save this fair maiden from her discomfort.

"S-so, uhm; if it's alright with you, would you mind joining me at my table?" He fumbled around with the words, but he was fairly certain it came out comprehensible.

"Ah," she said with a brief hesitation, her face taking on a blank, slightly startled look. She'd gotten used to men around here leaving her be that it wasn't something she had to answer often. "I'd love to, it's been a long while since I've spent anytime with someone new and..." She glanced back at Tedal briefly, "Pleasant," the smile returning to her face.

His brain began to go into overdrive.

What?

She said yes?

Was this what success feels like?

He regained his thought process and his eyes wandered to Tedal who was shooting him a nasty look. He smiled and gave them a small wave, just... acknowledging their existence, for the most part. He'd rather not get into a fight with them, but he had a job to do here.

"Excellent!" He finally responded, both surprised and pleased at the result.

He turned to the barkeep and ordered two more glasses of ale. When the man behind the counter was done pouring their drinks and Shintaro paid him his coin, he looked back at the woman besides him and gave her a dorky smile. "Shall we?"

"Very well," she replied, delight lightly gliding through the words she spoke.

The two of them made a move towards an empty table, Shintaro leading the way. This was probably the first time he'd ever done something like this. Actually seeing a pretty lady and going up to them and talking to them of all things; let alone inviting them to a table and buying them a drink. He felt incredibly giddy.

He had successfully saved the princess, and was feeling overly proud of himself. Not that he'd done much, really. In fact, he'd barely done anything at all. She owed him nothing. What if she wasn't even grateful? What if she didn't even care? I mean, he couldn't blame her. He hadn't done anything all that impressive. Infact, she was probably only using him as an excuse to get away from Tedal. Yeah, that was probably it. Infact, that was definitely it. Any second now, he'd sit down at the table and she'd just scoff at him; with a "What? You thought I was going to talk to you? HA!" And then she would laugh at him with cruelty in her voice, enjoying every last second of his needless torture. I guess it still wouldn't be so bad he thought to himself briefly, and then quickly shook his head and decided to banish that thought for good.

It was too late to dwell on all of that anyway; they'd arrived at the table. For a moment he was about to sit down, but asked her to excuse him for a second and went back where he'd originally come from, speaking briefly with Clare, who had been sitting there this whole time. "Hey Clare." He started casually "We're sitting over there and I was wondering if-"

She didn't let him finish, interrupting his invitation

"Hold that thought. I don't want any part in it; I'd only get in your way." She said with a bit of a snap. She finished the last of the liquid in her glass then stood up and walked off to the bar, presumably to get a refill.

Shintaro stood there for a moment staring after her, wondering if he'd somehow offended her. That seemed like the kind of thing he would do. Without pondering on the thought for too much longer, he went back to the table where a beautiful elf was waiting on him, and surprisingly; was still there. He'd half expected her to use the chance to escape. He pulled a chair out and offered it to her before going and sitting down on the other side of the round wooden table. It wasn't large, so they were still quite close in proximity even on opposite sides.

He settled into his chair and then came to the realization that it wasn't over. This wasn't the end goal. Now that he'd gotten this far, he actually had to keep up a conversation with her!

He tried to hold back the dread and regret and start up some smalltalk.

"So" He decided to start simple "Have you done any training for your performance? Your d-dancing and singing was uh... really something else." He stared down into his glass, finding eye contact with it much easier, as he recalled her dance in vivid detail.

She giggled at his obvious shyness in the situation. She thought it was cute, refreshing in a way. "I've trained in dancing a lot, but never anything that anyone might call professional, it's something I've always wanted to be good at but it never really came naturally. Singing on the other hand, well, I've been doing that since I could talk, it's such a lovely way to express yourself." Her gaze lingered on him a little, fondly unfocused for a moment as though she was remembering something. She giggled again, this time capturing his attention in full. "Isn't there something important you're forgetting?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly in a playful attempt at teasing him.

"Huh?" He looked up at her with confusion. Had he said something wrong? What was that laugh? Was she laughing at him? She probably was. This was exactly how he'd imagined it. This was her way of torturing him with confusing mind games. He started to panic. What had he forgotten? Probably something really important "Uhm, well..." He started stuttering terribly, trying to find something he didn't know he'd lost.

"OH!!" He said with a sudden realization. "Yes! Of course!" As though it had been obvious "You were amazing with the harp as well! I could hardly believe it!" Ha. His genius brain had saved him.

Another stream of laughter escaped her, "Well thank you, but that's not quite what I meant.." She continued, leaning towards him slightly. "If I were you, I'd probably want to know the name of the person I'd just started talking to, no?" She looked him in the eyes, deep green eyes utterly dancing with amusement.

"Ah!! Yes! Why didn't I think of that..." He muttered that last bit to himself. "Uhm, so, if you don't mind my asking; what is your name?"

"Alexandra," she replied, pushing her hair back behind her ear where it had slipped forward.

"Alexandra..." He spoke, sounding out the name for himself. "That's a pretty name." This one wasn't supposed to be out loud, but it came out that way. He was daydreaming to himself for a long moment before she spoke again, since he clearly wasn't coming back with a response on his own, and needed to be led along at this point.

"And you, my dashing knight in shining armour?" The playful tone mimicking the way her laughter danced from her lips, more over the comment he had made about her name than anything else.

"Right!" He sounded alarmed, snatched from his wandering thoughts. "I-I'm Shintaro." He didn't wait for her response, but instead began rambling on by himself, eager to justify his unusual name. "My mother named me- apparently it's a foreign name from a land far to the east. It's supposed to mean 'he who shines' or something like that. I know it's pretty weird." He started to laugh awkwardly to himself, hoping she didn't think him too strange, or at least not as strange as he seemed to think he was.