Triple A Adventuring Agency (Part3)

"You know what? Let's take that break. I packed some bread! It's only a little stale." She plops down under a nearby tree, patting the ground beside her. "And while we eat, you can tell me more about these friendly chickens. For... tactical reasons, of course. Never know when chicken-wrangling skills might come in handy on an adventure!"

"Well a little stale is better than a little rotten. I also have a few rations we can share." Malbec removes his pack and pulls out a small cloth bundle. He sits down and lays it out between them. There is some dried fruit, a strip of jerky and a small wedge of hard cheese. "Help yourself. Luna and Art, the folk whose farm I was working at, gave me a bit of supplies when I left." He pulls off his gloves and sits down. His hands are covered with small cuts, scrapes and scars. Pulling a small knife from his belt he cuts a few slices from the cheese and hands one to Cricket. 

He starts reminiscing about the farm and the chickens, a little surprised Cricket seemed so interested, but also how easily the words seemed to flow now. Sharing a meal and silly stories out in the wilderness, I could get used to this.
"It wasn't a huge farm by any means and we kept only a few hens at a time, keeps it manageable. As long as they're well fed they don't mind us handling them. Still get pecked a few times when ya spook 'em. Art was really surprised the first time I went to gather eggs. One of the hens tried to roost on my head."

He's so gentle with animals... and he brought food! Maybe this partnership wasn't such a crazy idea after all.
"A chicken... on your head?" She nearly chokes on her cheese slice, trying not to laugh. "That must've been quite the sight! Better than my first time with farm animals. Did I ever tell you about the time I tried milking a goat? Turns out it was actually a very angry ram..." 
She takes a bite of the dried fruit, her eyes widening. "Oh wow, this is actually good! Way better than the moldy stuff I've been... I mean, the gourmet provisions I usually pack."

"Yeah, it was cute at first, then the little clucker pecked me right between the eyes. Art nearly pissed himself laughing.” He says chuckling at the memory as he breaks off a piece of the stone-like bread and adding a slice of cheese on top. “That was pretty bad luck with the ram, sounds like he felt you were getting a little too friendly." He adds before popping the hardened morsel into his mouth.

"You know, Malbec, you're full of surprises. Most adventurers I meet are all 'grr, stabby stabby' and 'fear my mighty sword.' But you're different. You know, in a good way!" She leans back against the tree, watching him through half-lidded eyes. "Maybe we should add chicken-taming to our list of services at Triple A."

He waves the knife around playfully, speaking around the mouthful. "Ace adventurers and chicken chasers, watch out for the Triple A team. It could work." After chewing for what felt like ages he forces it down with a sip from the canteen. "Not bad,” he coughs. “Would be better with ale."
That's what adventurers drink, right? 
He smiles, attempting to hide the emerging feelings of self-consciousness. "Th-thanks, but I'm nothing special, just incredibly fortunate. Art and Luna helped get me back on my feet and the villagers were all quite friendly, considering my lack of background. It took me a long time to feel like I wasn't a burden. Like the first time I tried cooking. Luna said I ‘could burn water’, it was so bad. I'm still nowhere as good as she is." He pauses. "Sorry, I'm probably boring a seasoned adventurer like you talking about my old farm life this much."

"Boring? Are you kidding? This is the most fun I've had in ages!" Her eyes light up at his knife-waving antics. Finally, someone who matches her energy! And he can actually cook... sort of. "And hey, burning water is a talent! I once set fire to a pot of soup. The whole pot! Still not sure how that happened..." She stretches her legs out, accidentally kicking a small rock that tumbles down the hill with a series of increasingly concerning crashes. "Oops... That uh, probably won't cause an avalanche. Probably." She quickly changes the subject. "You know what? We should swap cooking duties on our adventures. I mean, between the two of us, we might manage to make something edible!"
She perks up, turning her head towards a distant sound. "Oh! Do you hear that? Sounds like running water. The river must be close! Unless it's just my imagination again..."

Watching the rock tumble down the hill, he suppresses a chuckle, silently hoping no one got hurt. She certainly keeps things interesting.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. This isn't exactly what I imagined my first adventure to be. But, I think it might be better than expected." Malbec finishes his portion of dry fruit and drier bread. "Swapping duties sounds fun, but you'll have to tell me the whole 'burning the soup pot' story. I think—" he stops as Cricket picks up the sound. Without thinking he grabs a small hooked tool from his pack and hauls himself up into the tree. It takes a moment of looking for him to spot the river in the distance.

"Wow, you're right!" He drops back down to the ground. "I didn't hear anything, you must have nice eyes, err, cute ears, gah-, I mean g-good hearing." 

"You think I have cute eyes? I mean, good hearing? I mean... thanks!" Her cheeks flush slightly pink as she fumbles with her words. She scrambles to her feet, nearly tripping over her own boots in her excitement. "The river! We're actually going the right way! Take that, universe!" She thrusts a fist towards the sky. 
"And hey, climbing trees? That's another talent you forgot to mention!" She attempts to pat him on the shoulder but misses slightly, awkwardly patting Malbec’s arm instead. "We should probably pack up and head that way before our luck runs out. Unless... did you spot any of those giant lizards from up there?" She starts stuffing the remaining food back into her pack, dropping half of it in the process.

Malbec quickly turns away as he starts packing up the dropped supplies; his cheeks burned and needed to focus on something other than the way Cricket's eyes sparkled when she was excited. "That's, great. I told you we could trust your sense of direction."
I guess that means the first half of our first adventure is half over.
He looks up at the tree and back over his shoulder at Cricket. "And it's not that I forgot to mention tree climbing, it's just, I . . . didn't know. I kind of did it without thinking. And no, I didn't see any lizards, regular or giant, but then again I didn't look for very long."

"You did WHAT without thinking?" Her eyes widen with a mix of amazement and concern. "That's... actually really impressive! And kind of terrifying. But mostly impressive!" She fumbles with her pack, nearly dropping it again as she processes this new information. "So you're telling me you just... discovered a new talent? Right here? During our first adventure together?" Her face lights up with genuine excitement. "See? I told you this was going to be amazing! Who knows what other hidden talents you might have?" She glances at the river's direction, then back at him with a mischievous grin.
"Maybe you're secretly part squirrel! Or... oh! Maybe you were raised by tree spirits! That would explain the plant knowledge too!"

"I-it was nothing just, climbing a tree." He raises his hands in meek protest. The praise makes Malbec shift his feet uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I could do it again if I wanted to. I'm actually a little afraid of heights. I just kind of, I dunno, reacted. Do you really think it's a talent? I was more impressed that you could hear the river from that distance." With the food packed up Malbec pulls his gloves back on. He laughs at the thought of being part squirrel. "I don't know, I'd probably have a fluffy tail or big teeth if I was part squirrel." He chuckles and shakes his hips as if wagging a tail. "Although, I do like nuts, so who knows." Not going to rule out the spirit thing. That, might actually explain a lot, but I guess there's no way of knowing.
"Come on let's get going, that rare flower isn't going to find itself."

Oh my gods, he's adorable when he's flustered. And that little tail wiggle! Focus Cricket, focus! 
"Hidden talents, tree spirits, AND you like nuts? This adventure keeps getting better!" She bounces excitedly, nearly dropping her pack again. "And don't sell yourself short - that climbing thing was amazing! Though maybe next time give a girl some warning before you go all squirrel-mode?" She winks, then immediately trips over a root. "Whoops! The ground is... extra bumpy here. Very tactical. Now, about that river..." She scrambles back to her feet then marches forward with exaggerated confidence, gesturing dramatically. "Adventure awaits!" She glances back at Malbec with a warm smile, "And hey, maybe we'll discover more of your secret talents along the way!"

"Hopefully 'squirrel-mode' won't be required again anytime soon, but I will let you know." He responds with an uneasy smile, still not sure what he thinks of this hidden talent. The anxiety quickly melts away as Cricket marches ahead with that adorable bounce in her step. 
It's impossible to feel gloomy with her around.