Triple A Adventuring Agency (Part1)

Cricket kicks her feet up on her desk and leans back in her chair, holding her arms behind her head. A small stack of flyers sits gathering dust on the corner. 

"Tick, tock. Another dead day.” She can't help but sigh as she leans the chair back, counting the holes in the ceiling for the twelfth time today.

Not a single soul had walked in. Not a single request. How is that even possible in a city like Sharn? Was her location really that bad? It was a nice warehouse, really. Lots of character! ...A lot of cobwebs and broken furniture too. Oh and that weird smell in the corner when it rained… but all that was only temporary, just a paycheque away from perfect. The real issue is that nobody wanted to come all the way out edge of the docks, much less work with a no-name guild. And after she spent all that money on a sign.

"...urrrRGGHH!" Cricket throws back her head and lets out a dramatic groan. If this carried on she'd have no choice but to close her doors. Her dream would be over before it had even started! Aren't adventurers a dime a dozen in this place? Surely somebody, somewhere, needs some help with something. Right?

There was a dull thumping sound she hadn't heard before. “Great now what?” She mutters to herself as she cranes her neck to identify the source. A moment later she hears it again. It almost sounds like someone knocking at the door. 

"I have a visitor? Wait a visitor means … A customer?!!" Cricket almost tips the chair backwards as the realization sets in. She runs a hand through her bob of short brown hair in a futile effort to smooth out the curls and calm her nerves and her racing mind, Now what do I do?

Outside, Malbec knocks again then looks down at the torn and tattered flyer.
"Hullo? Is someone here? This is the right place, right? Please let it be right this time." He silently berates his less-than-stellar record. Sixth time's the charm, right?
He looks up, the sign above the door was promising. He had more than a few adventuring companies laugh and turn him away today. The catfolk running the last one had handed him this flyer. He knew he had an awful sense of direction but the size of the city made it so much worse, finding the docks alone had taken hours. He scratched his shaggy brown hair nervously as he waited for an answer. “Well, I have a good feeling about this one.”

A customer! Finally! Cricket's mind sings as she scrambles to her feet.
"Come in, come in! Unless the door's locked, uh… Be right there!" Cricket calls out excitedly, her voice cracking slightly. She vaults over her desk, knocking over a stack of papers in her haste to reach the door. "Oops! Uh, just a moment!" She frantically tries to tidy up, shoving crumpled papers into drawers and kicking a broken chair behind a curtain. This was it, her big chance! Cricket yanks open the door, a wide, slightly manic grin on her face. 

"Welcome to Triple A Adventuring Agency! I'm Cricket, owner and... well, everything else too. You're in luck, we've got a special deal going on today. First job's free! ...I mean, first consultation. What can I help you with?"
Please don't run away, please don't run away... her mind screams as she does her best not to look desperate.

Malbec's amber eyes go wide at Cricket's frantic introduction, Oh wow she's really cute. No! Focus, focus. She said the first job's free, does that mean I need to prove myself before she'll hire me for real?
"Umm well. Y, you see..." he tries to stammer out a response, but his words are lodged somewhere between his brain and the knot in his stomach.

Cricket leans against the doorframe, trying to look casual but nearly slipping on a loose floorboard. "So, uh, you're looking for adventure, right? 'Cause boy, have you come to the right place!"

"That sounds great,” Malbec responds finally having located his voice, his country drawl cutting through. “Because adventure is exactly what I'm looking for." His smile is warm but betrays his nervousness. "I'm glad I found the place, the folk at the other guilds wouldn't even stop laughing long enough for me to introduce myself."
He steps back and bows. "Greetings, I'm Malbec. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cricket." As he straightens back up his simple leather cuirass shifts back into place. He's got a short sword strapped at his hip, and a large pack with the handles of several wooden hafted weapons sticking out.

Oh thank the gods, he's not running away screaming. Yet.
"Malbec! What a lovely name. Sounds... fancy. Like wine!" She giggles nervously. "Other guilds, pfft. Their loss is our gain, right?" Her eyes dart to his weapons. "Ooh, impressive arsenal you've got there. You must be quite the fighter!" She steps aside, gesturing wildly. "Please, come in! Mind the, uh, everything." 

His eyes widen slightly as his mind struggles to take everything in, Wow she talks fast. Hopefully I can keep up. But she's also quite sharp, Miss Luna did say she chose my name off a wine bottle after I woke up. 
"Oh, uh, thank you. You have a cute, er, nice name as well." Malbec follows her inside. "Arsenal? Oh these. My neighbor told me to pack anything useful if I was going to be an adventurer." He pulls out one of the 'weapons', rather than an axe or spear it turns out to be a hoe. "I'm alright with a sword, but for some reason I feel more comfortable with a tool in my hand. I hope that's not too weird." He nervously runs a gloved hand through his hair. 

Cricket grins, her grey eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Oh, those are tools? Genius! Who needs swords when you've got... uh, whatever that is. A hoe? Perfect for digging up roots, of adventure! So, Malbec," she leans back against her desk, trying to look professional, but also casual and not-at-all as nervous as she felt. "What kind of adventure catches your fancy? Daring rescues? Treasure hunts? Maybe a nice, safe herb-gathering expedition?" Please say herb-gathering. I can totally handle herb-gathering.

I get to choose my first job too? I should start small to prove myself to her. 
"Oh, uh, herb gathering sounds right up my alley. If we find the right ones they sell pretty well, and I could make medicines or potions for our next adventure." He looks around the cluttered space, doing his best not to come across as the complete novice he really was.

"Herb gathering it is! And you know about potions? That's fantastic!" Her eyes light up with excitement. "I've got just the thing!" She rummages through a drawer, pulling out a crumpled map. "There's this rare flower that grows in the Dagger River Lowlands. Supposedly it can cure any ailment! Or... was it cause any ailment? Details, details."
She spreads the map on her desk, knocking over an inkwell in the process. "Oops! Uh, don't worry about that. So, what do you say? Up for a little nature walk?"

"That sounds perfect. I've never been to the lowlands, probably." He looks at the old map and the ink splotches covering up a small portion of it. "We should be able to gather up other common herbs and ingredients along the way to the big score."

She grabs a rusty shortsword from behind her desk. "Shall we head out now? The early bird catches the worm! Or in this case, the potentially lethal flower.

Her enthusiasm is contagious, and Malbec finds himself getting excited. I can't wait for my first real adventure.
"Now sounds great. No time like the present." He puts the large farming tool back into his pack. "Especially when you have no past." He mutters to himself with a wistful sigh but quickly replaces the forlorn look with an innocent and energetic smile. "Umm, Dagger River . . . that's to the south right?" He says, clearly pointing north.

Oh no, he's as directionally challenged as I am. This could be... interesting.
"South? North? Who needs directions when you've got adventure in your heart!" She laughs nervously, stuffing the map into her pocket. "We'll figure it out along the way. That's half the fun, right?" She grabs a worn backpack, tossing in some stale bread and a dented canteen. "Common herbs are great too! Bet we could make a fortune. Or at least enough to fix that leaky roof." 
Cricket pauses, catching his muttered words. "No past, huh? Sounds like there's a story there. But hey, that just means you're a blank slate ready for epic adventures!"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I said that out loud." I've been spending so much time alone with the farm animals, I didn't notice I was talking to myself. "But I have to say, that's the most optimistic reaction to my amnesia I've ever heard. A blank slate, ready for adventure huh. I like it." Malbec beams as he follows Cricket to the door. 

She throws open the door dramatically. "Onward, Malbec! To glory, riches, and... uh, plants!"

"Onward to Adventure and new beginnings.” He mirrors her optimistic tone with a nod.

As they step out onto the road, Cricket dramatically points in a random direction. "The Dagger River Lowlands await! Or... some other equally adventurous place. We'll figure it out.”

“You lead the way, and I'll watch your back.”

Oh wow, he's actually going along with this. Maybe my luck is finally turning around!