[Third Person POV]
The buzz of the plaza faded behind them as Rick and Valbis Valtari wove through Waterdeep's winding streets. Lanterns glowed amber along the cobblestone paths, casting warm pools of light that softened the brisk evening air. The city was a strange blend of medieval charm stitched together with the energy of a place that had seen far too many adventurers come and go. Vendors packed up their stalls with tired shouts of last-minute deals, while armored sellswords wandered past with the casual confidence of people who treated danger like a daily chore.
Rick seeing every sigil-painted storefront, every magical lantern, every passing mage or bard made made him incredibly fascinated. Still, he kept his reactions restrained, no way was he embarrassing himself in front of this beautiful woman walking beside him.
He cleared his throat, forcing a smile. "So, uh… your name's Valbis, right? And you said you were—"
She cut him off with an amused sideways glance. "I was asking you something, remember? Your name. Rick Dickson…" Her brow arched. "Are you a noble?"
Rick blinked. "What? No—God, no. Look at me. If I were wealthy, trust me, I would have noticed."
Valbis hummed thoughtfully. "I only asked because it's unusual for common folk to have surnames."
"Oh. Right. Well, mine's just the unwanted bonus that came with the original package." He paused. "I didn't get to choose it. If I had, I would've picked something less... structurally embarrassing."
'Right, surnames aren't standard here. Should've remembered that. There's so much damn lore in D&D it's a miracle I remember anything at all.'
'Wait a minute, why the f*ck am I still going around with same name? You know what, I'm going to change it to something cool like Colt Ryder, Archer Cash, Jack Storm, or maybe even Callahan Stark. Yeah. Literally anything that doesn't sound like a rejected porn star.'
Their path shifted as the main roads narrowed into cozier side streets. Wooden signs swung from overhead beams, taverns, blacksmiths, general stores. Stacked together so tightly they almost formed a wooden forest above them. Somewhere nearby, someone was roasting meat. Somewhere else, a bard played an energetic tune on a lute. Everything was alive.
Valbis pointed at a tall stone building ahead. "There it is."
A massive inn rose before them, wide, old, reinforced with dark timbers and thick stone walls. Warm firelight glowed from the windows, and the unmistakable sound of rowdy chatter, drunken songs, and clattering mugs spilled into the street.
Above the door hung the sign:
THE YAWNING PORTAL
Before Rick could react, Valbis grabbed his arm with surprising strength. "Come on, let's get inside!" she said, practically dragging him through the doors.
The moment they stepped in, the atmosphere slammed into him like a brick wall, rowdy chatter, clanking mugs, people yelling over each other, chairs scraping, boots stomping, an off-key laughing chorus from someone way too drunk, and music from a three-string lute valiantly trying to compete with all of it.
But the centerpiece, the thing that stole his attention instantly was the massive, yawning pit in the middle of the taproom. A perfectly circular well, descending into darkness so deep it seemed to swallow the torchlight.
An honest-to-God bottomless dungeon pit. Just sitting there. In the middle of a damn bar.
"Holy…" Rick whispered, staring. "This place… is OSHA's worst nightmare."
Eventually Valbis brought Rick to the Bar where a hulking middle-aged man stood cleaning glassware.
"Hey, Durnan," Valbis called. "Two large mugs of ale for me and my friend here"
"Uh, you don't need to pay for my dr—"
"Shush! Just let me pay for it this and next time you pay me back."
"I don—"
"8 copper coins." Durnan rumbled, and before Rick could finish protesting, Valbis slapped the coins down.
She turned to him with bright eyes and set a large wooden mug in front of him. "Here!"
Rick stared at it for a moment, then sighed in resigned acceptance.
"Well… when in Rome, follow the Romans' questionable decision-making."
He lifted the mug and took a long drink.
Rick eyes snapped open
'Only sh*t that's good.'
His voice dropped to an impressed whisper.
"Unreasonably good. Dangerously good. 'I may develop a problem' good."
Valbis burst into laughter, nearly choking on her ale. "*Cough Cough!...By the gods—what was that? You always react like this?"
""Ah, well, I've had a day. Slaved away at a construction site, then somehow ended up with two overpowered items that let me go anywhere and basically made me a powerhouse, which also got me randomly sent here in this fantasy disneyland, we'll maybe not disneyland... okay certainly no disneyland, but still magical."
"And as of right now this beer is currently the highlight of my existence."
"Yeah," Rick muttered, taking another long drink. "Welcome to the Rick Dickson Experience. No refunds, no warranty, occasional screaming, and guaranteed all-around strange"
Her smirk softened into something warmer. "I don't mind strange. "In fact, " She tilted her head slightly, eyes lingering on him. "I think it's kind of cute."
Rick choked slightly on his ale. "...Huh?"
Valbis didn't elaborate. She just sipped her drink and watched him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.
Rick stared into his mug, mentally screaming.
'Oh sh*t! Is she flirting with me, what the f*ck do I do?? I never been flirted with before!—I mean my appearence is slightly above average but not 'mysterious fantasy beauty' level. It's not the personality—no way. Definitely not the cash. Is she… being nice??"
Rick swallowed hard as he took another drink, because that was the only move he had. As he tries—and failing—to piece together whether Valbis was actually flirting or if the beer was just hitting him with emotional hallucinations, a deep voice rumbled behind the bar.
"You two flirting, drinking, or planning to fall into the big hole? 'Cause I need to know who I'm charging extra for cleanup."
Rick almost spat out his ale, and Valbis turned, cheeks slightly warm. "Durnan, we're just talking."
"Talking," Durnan echoed, wiping a glass with the tired, practiced motions of a man who had seen every possible variety of "talking" in this place. "Right. Sure. That's what the last couple said before they tried to make out on the rope elevator."
He pointed a thumb toward the massive pit.
"She fell in. He jumped after her. Both got eaten by something with too many arms."
Rick stared at him. "That… that actually happened?"
Durnan gave him a flat, dead-eyed stare. "Son, at this point I don't even blink when someone explodes."
Rick turned slowly to Valbis.
"...I feel like that should be on the sign out front."
"It was," Durnan grunted. "Burned down. Three times."
Rick nodded, processing that.
"Okay. Cool. Great. Wonderful. This place is just… fantastic."
"Hey Durnan, eight large ales over here!" then a group of dwarves hollered from down the bar.
Durnan waved them off. "Just stay out of trouble," he muttered before shifting his attention to the dwarves.
●●●●●●●●■
[Valbis Valtari POV]
When I got off duty today, all I had planned today was a quiet walk through the plaza. Maybe look at some new wares. Nothing exciting.
Instead, I found a human sitting alone in a corner of the square, trying, and failing, to hide the fact he'd been crying.
I couldn't just walk past that, so obviously I invited him out for a drink to cheer up the guy.
And despite him being a complete stranger... he doesn't give any bad vibes, not to mention I'm a trained Waterdeep's guard and he's a civilian, so it's not like my life will be at risk.
But now, after spending this time with him, I can say confidently, watching this man try to pretend he isn't flustered is going to kill me. Oh, and the fact he is a good guy.
I leaned on the bar, warm ale in my hands. The moment we walked together through Waterdeep, I knew he was different. Most common folk, even some races tense when they see the horns. Or the tail. Or the eyes. One glance, and they start calculating risk.
But Rick? He looked at everything else first.
The lanterns, the shops, the magic… before finally looking at me like I was just… normal. Maybe even interesting. Maybe even beautiful.
It was… refreshing, nice even.
My tail gave an involuntary flick, whichI tried to still it, but it had a mind of its own. I watched him take another long drink of ale as he tried to hide how much he liked it, but I could see everything. The slight tremble in his hands. The widening of his eyes. The way he savored it like it was the best thing he'd had all day.
'I guess he truly wasn't lying about having a hard day, poor guy.'
The moment Durnan stomped off toward the dwarves, and the noise of the tavern rushed back in, laughter, clattering plates, the low rumble of the pit, but all I could focus on was the human sitting beside me. Rick Dickson. Strange name. Strange man. Stranger energy.
And yet… I couldn't stop smiling when I recalled his reaction when I called him cute with face turning all red & unable to say anything.
Her tail tapped against the side of her chair, barely audible, but to her, a clear sign.
'He has no idea… and that's almost sweeter.'
I don't know why, maybe because his awkwardness was endearing, maybe because he looked at me without fear, or maybe because… I didn't want the moment to end.
Now, sitting beside him in the dim firelight, watching him nurse his drink with nervous little glances my way, I could feel something warm settling in my chest.
"So,"I finally asked, "do you have a place to stay tonight? You said it's your first time here in Waterdeep."
He shrugged. "I was gonna rent a room at another tavern."
"Not here?"
He pointed at the massive well. "Yeah… not a fan of sleeping above a pit where monsters can crawl out and butcher me."
I laughed softly, a reasonable fear.
"Then maybe I should come with you," I said casually. "My house is undergoing repairs and won't be done until tomorrow, and I can't exactly sleep outside."
I leaned closer, close enough that my breath brushed his ear.
"Also… I only have enough money for a single room."
My tail curled knowingly.
"So we'll have to share~."
Rick froze solid.
And gods… teasing him was quickly becoming my new favorite hobby.