Prologue: My Being With You (1A)

[. . .]

Her life was nothing extraordinary.

Centralborne was a lush environment; a town, filled with color and life.

The booming agricultural market that was the basis of their economy, the quirky locations that ranged from various niches, and finally — surely the most riveting — their established Adventurer's Guild.

['ASIA 2.0' SERVER START-UP..]

The clouds were always clear at this time of day, leaving no blockage for the Sun which bathed her dozed-off body in light. The Inn had been her family's home ever since they had inherited it from their Master, and so, she had no qualms about sleeping in positions she would find impossible to pull off whilst awake.

[LOADING..]

She loved it.

[LOADING..]

This world..

[THE SERVER IS NOW ONLINE.]

"—It's time for a fresh new day!"

A burst of energy flowing within her, the girl had quickly risen from her tattered bed, letting out a roar of joy as she'd pump her fist towards the air. Her emerald-green eyes sparkled; the excitement causing the woman to leap out of her bed.

Abaria Flowersong. No matter what situation she was put in, she always sported a smile. Unlike what you would expect from a young lady, she spared no time to change.

After all, the Inn was set to open at early day.

"Sometimes.." She'd hastily comb her hair, "I feel like singing. Like a pretty little princess~!"

Yes, she did tend to narrate her own life, but further priorities are to be prioritized. Swinging a wooden door open with all of her energy, she'd skip down the wooden stairs; down onto what she deemed her home.

It was dubbed 'The Fair Lady'. The inn acted as a provider for hospitality, mainly for travelers and adventurers who would come along. The interior possessed a low-hanging chandelier; its light dim and orange, whilst exuding a more luxurious aura than the rest of the furniture within the space. Round, dark-oak wooden desks and stools were strewn throughout, giving the vibe of a party lot. Various amenities such as barrels upon barrels of rum were placed to the sides, and on the shelves behind the Innkeeper's counter.

Behind her counter, that is.

Humming a folk tune native to Centralborne, Abaria skipped towards the innkeeper's desk, leaning onto it with a sense of carefreeness. She was living the best life, the best job, which allowed her to talk to people.. her favorite activity in the world.

Although, she did like some form of silen—

"—Sis!"

Abaria screamed in surprise, as her thoughts of peace were pulled away from her. Her eyes darted to the source of the noise.

"W—What is it, Sofia!?"

"We're in big trouble, I'm tellin' you!" The figure replied, her footsteps approaching, "The slimes are back, and they.. they're in our attic!"

'Sofia Flowersong'. Abaria's younger half-sister, she stood at quite the petite height, and with a more exhausted expression than her older sister could ever have. Her similarly — but dull — green eyes, and dirty blonde hair fashioned into a bob, it was clear that her messy appearance was due to stress.

"Whaaat?! How'd they get in there!?" Abaria exclaimed, gasping in shock.

Letting out a grunt, Sofia became crossed, "Well, someone must have opened the attic window late at night, because that's the only way they could've gotten in! I would've dealt with them myself, but there's a solid five in there.. I swear, these loiterers and their stupid gags..!"

"Let's just have the adventurers deal with them."

Abaria simply replied, smiling much to Sofia's bewilderment.

"You can't be serious.. No! With how much alcohol we have to buy for the old grunts every day, we can't just waste money and put up a quest.." She'd protest, clutching the bridge of her nose.

"It's fine! I meet a lot of generous people who'll just ask for a room in return." The ginger-haired woman cheekily smiled, "You've got the door locked, right?"

"Uh huh.."

"Just go ahead and tidy up the place for now. Put your trust in me!" Sending a peace sign to Sofia's way, and while Abaria's positivity was contagious, her sister would merely nod unenthusiastically, making her way towards the Employee's Room where her cleaning supplies resided.

Once again humming to herself as she remained in place, it never took long for any guests to arrive to 'The Fair Lady'. It was the most desired inn in Centralborne, and with the familiar swinging of doors.. the light beamed into her eyes.

[Anyways, I'm just saying that you're being a real pussy for not accepting her invite. She's totally into you.]

[Just.. fuck off. I'm 180 lbs, and a virgin. Would you even date me?]

[Hell no! But I'm biased, so I'd do it if I'm dared to.]

[Don't do it if you're dared to, jackass!]

A brief flash of light would seep into the inn, and quickly so, two men would enter. They both held incredibly muscular statures — as common with adventurers — and were clad in heavy, black armor. Abaria quickly smiled as that was her trademark, as well as being part of her professionalism.

One of the boys, the irritated, grumpy one, had incredibly pale white hair and captivating heterochromia; one blue, and one red. The other sported a more pink-ish, long hairstyle; seemingly possessing a magical staff strapped to his back, the other having a great sword.

They both approached her, their conversation continuing; [Now that I think about it, it was kinda gay for you to ask if I'd date you LOL. I'm screenshotting that!]

[Says the guy who pretends to be a girl for scam money. Find something better to do..] Now right in front of her, excitement would well up within Abaria, as she was certainly interested in their personalities. She'd open her mouth, ready to speak—

[ABARIA FLOWERSONG, THE INNKEEPER]

TALK <

LEAVE

"—Welcome, welcome, newcomers!" She'd greet, smiling happily. "How can I—"

[SKIP]

"You came at the perfect time. You see, The Fair Lady is—"

[SKIP]

[Look, it's not that I'm teasing you for no reason.. you just gotta believe in yourself more!]

"There are terrible slimes trapped in our attic, and if you don't—"

[SKIP]

"Will you help us, brave adventurer?"

[WILL YOU ACCEPT THE QUEST: "BRAVE AGAINST THE SLIMES?]

YES <

NO 

[Yeah, yeah..]

Sighing as his heterochromatic eyes would glare towards his reassuring comrade, Abaria would take a pause. She certainly didn't expect anyone to accept her request even if she reassured Sofia before, but with these kind gentlemen..

"Thank you so much!" The Innkeeper giggled, blushing with relief. "I'll be sure to repay you in full! Stay safe in there!"

[. . .]

The young boys would turn to gaze towards Abaria, who continued to smile happily with her arms in front of her. 

One would whistle, [Damn. The NPCs in this game are hot as hell..]

[Wish they'd make an eroge game out of her. Some sort of NTR shit for Abaria and her sis would be good.]

The pink-haired adventurer chuckled, [Come on! 'Dunno why you chose that quest for noobies, but let's do another LV. 30 raid after! I'm going full glass cannon this time.]

[Just need some items from here.] The other would reply, and soon, they'd quickly part ways; one going up to the attic and the other exiting the inn. 

With the both out of sight, Abaria took her time in squealing with glee. Centralborne adventurers were the kindest people she's ever met, and with them around, she never wanted to leave! Keeping her patience, it would pay off as in no time at all, the white-haired adventurer would return; slime dripping off of his weapon.

"Wow!" Her eyes sparkled, "You're immensely strong, adventurer! I—"

[SKIP]

"Your efforts will forever be remembered! Here, I'll provide you with some—"

[SKIP]

Hastily attempting to repay the adventurer for his incredible bravery, Abaria would rush towards the Employee's Quarters; her sister having already left. Sliding out a key from her skirt pocket, she'd let out a prideful smirk, unlocking the nearby safe and bringing out a few vials of a red liquid.

[This cutscene takes way too long..]

"Thank you, adventurer!" She'd return, dropping vials into his hand. "And, I'd just like to once again—"

[SKIP][SKIP][SKIP]

"Please, come again!"

As his heavy footsteps began moving away from Abaria, she'd let out a sigh of relief, leaning upon her wooden counter. Her eyes would gaze towards the exit, feeling a sense of longing for the exterior of The Fair Lady; the gentle breeze, the bright sun, the fresh air and nature..

But, it would take some time before she gets to have some of her own time, so stomaching her desires, Abaria remained in her place, slapping her cheeks.

"You got this!" Her smile widened, "One problem's taken care of itself! Sofia's off cleaning upstairs, so now, you'll just have to tend to your guests.."

[REFRESHING QUEST..]

[——]

"..Hmmh."

Within a few, brief moments, the air within the inn seemingly became colder; as Abaria's expression turned solemn. The relief within her sparkling emerald eyes dissipated; her skirt waving around as she swayed from side to side.

"Nobody's come for the slimes yet.." The innkeeper sighed, twirling her ginger hair. "Oh, well! I can't wait to see which faces that'll come by~!"

Over time, the inn once again was filled with Abaria Flowersong's humming; her melodic voice, echoing throughout the downstairs tavern. She had always been praised by her singing, assisting her sister's sleep by singing her lullabies.

..Somehow, it felt so lonely.