Part-Timer

Reiyu took a breath as he stood in front of the door.  He'd been doing pretty good lately.  Almost every day he'd spend time at the item shop lending a hand, and as far as he could tell it's owner, the elf Sera, was happy to have him.

And yet he still felt the same guilt that drove him to avoid her for the longest time.  Clearly she'd forgiven him by now for the loss of Cyrus (if she ever blamed him at all), but he just couldn't shake it.  Every day he was there he could see a hint of loneliness about her, although it was hidden behind her cheerful and often snarky demeanor.  

So maybe that's why he was still coming every day, at least.  Although, lately, there'd been something else he'd been feeling guilty over...

He took another breath.  Apparently he'd been holding that last one for a while.  The adventurer had seen all kinds of crazy stuff over the years (that he remembered) so there was no sense chickening out on helping a friend.  

He finally opened the door after an amount of loitering that'd even make Darren take notice.   Reiyu shuddered at the thought.  As much as he liked the poor kid, he still didn't want to look anywhere near as creepy as the young rogue.  Right.  Item shop. Here to help Sera. He could do this.

"Come on in, we're op- Oh, hey Reiyu!"

See?  Not so bad is it?  She's happy to see you. "Hello Sera, how's business?"

The red-haired elf was seated behind the counter, surrounded by miscellaneous shipping boxes.  She looked a bit flustered, but it also seemed she wasn't terribly worried about things and was just sitting back in her chair.  It was still early after all, and with the scant handful of people in town anyway it's not like it was ever all that busy.  "Eh, business is business.  Are you here to give me a hand again?"

Reiyu nodded.  Opening the door was always the hardest part. Once he was actually in everything was fine.  The woman was a real pleasure to be around, he always thought.

"Thank god," she sighed.  "I'm really out of my element lately. I can't even stock my own shop anymore." She gave her distended stomach a pat.  Being heavily pregnant was really taking a lot out of her.

Reiyu felt the old  guilt try to twang it's way back up again as soon as he thought about why she was a single mother-to-be, but he quickly shook it off.  

He couldn't quite shake off the sudden urge to protect and shelter her, though. Which was...odd. Sera was a very capable woman after all.  Still... "I really doubt anyone would hold it against you if you took some time off. Especially now, you know."  He strolled behind the counter and surveyed the damage.  He'd practically become an employee these days, although he never asked for any pay.  "Odd.  Zagtakh usually drops things off pretty neatly, doesn't he?"  

Sera looked sheepish for a moment before looking away and muttering. "Well, it was neat when he left it..." She looked back and smirked at him.

"You tried to take care of it on your own again, didn't you?" The adventurer wanted to come off as stern, but he just couldn't help but be amused by Sera's reaction. "Come on, you know I'll always be here on delivery day."

The elf shook her head. "I know, I know.  I'm just sick of feeling useless all the time!  I ran a damn good shop before and I should be able to keep it up now."

This made Reiyu pause for a moment. "Sera, exactly how far along are you, anyway?"

She looked away and mumbled again. "...pretty much at the end."

Reiyu raised his hand as if to show her something. "So, look on the bright side. It's almost over and  you'll be back to your old self in no time."  Well, granted it'd probably be a bit longer than 'no time' but he was trying to make a point, dammit.

"Only it'll then be me trying to run a shop and take care of a baby.  I don't have much time left and the longer I can keep this place running smoothly, the better I'll feel."  She huffed.  "...but I really need to keep on sitting for a while."

"Don't worry about it.  Just relax for now and let me take care of things, please."

"All right, all right," she caved.  

The brown-haired adventurer set about organizing the store's  new inventory.  Nothing terribly exciting this week, just more housewares and long-life foodstuffs, things that were always terribly popular this far out from the nearest civilization.  As such he didn't really have to think much about where he was putting things.  

Instead, he found his mind, and attention, focusing more towards his friend.  It took her a while but she finally let loose and just relaxed for what may have been the first time in a while.  She also looked a little bored but just sitting around while people did stuff around you would do that to a person, elvish-patience or not.  Although Sera wasn't all that elvish beyond the ears and the lifespan. That and the two-year pregnancies.  She's REALLY gotta be going out of her mind by now, he mused.

But then something startled her, and she placed a hand on her belly.  Occasionally her hand would be pushed up for a second, and then she'd hunt around for awhile before coming to rest again.  Reiyu turned away for a moment, since he needed full concentration when it came to moving the box of plate ware he was placing.   When he looked back, Sera was quietly giggling to herself.  

That guilty twang came back again, only it was that other guilt this time. And somehow it only then dawned on him what he was feeling:  he was in love with her.  Reiyu was in love with the widow of one of his best friends, and that made him feel almost as guilty as anything else.  

Luckily he wasn't holding that box anymore or else he totally would've dropped it in traditional dramatic shock.  

"Reiyu?  Something wrong? You're just kinda...staring, there."

He snapped out of his daze.  "I'm...uh, yeah, I'm okay, I'm alright.  I just lost my train of thought for a second," he lied.

"Well that's good.  You had this awfully strange look about you.  Like, you know, your neighbor that's always across the street more than what's healthy."  

Oh gods I really AM turning into Darren! Although, wait, is she talking about the library or BW's place?   Neither option was all that healthy, he figured.  He abruptly tried to change the subject.  "What were you giggling about just then, Sera? I'm curious."  Well, okay, so he changed the subject from Sera to Sera.  Right.

"Oh, that?  Cyrus Jr.'s got a hell of a kick.  It's fun just to play with him while he's doing it.  I think he gets confused if something pushes back." She smiled at the thought.

"I'm not gonna lie; that is absolutely adorable," the adventurer said, his voice going slightly higher pitched at the end for emphasis.  

Sera just rolled her eyes at him.  "Look, poke fun at me or help me, pick one," she ordered, pointing at him.

Reiyu put up his hands in defeat and went back to work.



====



In the end, Reiyu spent far more of his day at the item shop than he had planned.  Not that he had anything particularly pressing at hand, just some time in the dungeon, but still.  That sudden realization earlier had left him reeling for a while, and he just couldn't think of a good enough reason to leave after that.

Okay, okay.  So you're in love with Sera. That's fine, right?  I mean she's beautiful, caring, and capable.  Who wouldn't love that?

Well, out of respect for the dead you'd think you wouldn't have fallen for her so freaking quick.

..shut up, brain.

At any rate, he stayed practically all day.  He found himself helping with things that weren't even remotely shop related.   He was doing yard work. He was cleaning things upstairs.  At one point he realized he was making dinner, not a task he was particularly good at, and only then did he realize that maybe he was overdoing things.  

Still, if he'd learned anything over the last two years, it was that running away from your problems really was a stupid thing to do.  If he was taken with Sera, then he needed to talk to someone about it.   

Problem was he really didn't want to leave, either, so that left one option.  

Well, after dinner was done.  I hope she likes them scalloped.



====



"Dinner's ready!"

Sera sat up in her bed. She'd been absorbed in her reading for quite a while, apparently.  "Oh, right, right!  Just bring it up, I'll get the table ready."  She steeled herself for the effort, and slowly twisted and shimmied her way to the edge of the mattress.  

"Okay here we go, one, two, three," she murmured, rocking a bit to pick up momentum and hopefully stand upright.

She only noticed that the table was already set when she actually got over to it.  "Oh.  Right.  I'll...I'll just sit down then."  Well, damn.  Surely there was something she could do today?  She wasn't crazy enough to send away free help, especially when she was feeling as drained as she did today, and it was an absolute blessing to have such a caring and helpful friend, but good god he was making her feel useless.

Right about then her baby started kicking again, which was fun at first but was now staring to wear a little thin.  Plus he was kicking all the wrong places and was making the whole process really uncomfortable.  

She must've had a sour look on her face because when Reiyu finally came up, arms full of dishes, he took one look at her and apologized. "Oh, sorry, I forgot I already set things up."   He quickly set everything down.  

Sera sighed. "It's okay, really.  Just...well, at least let me serve up dinner, okay?"  Surely that would be fine.  Reiyu didn't offer any argument, so she reached out and grabbed some utensils.  

Hmm, scallopped potatoes, beef pot roast with...potatoes, right.  And mashed potatoes on the side.  "Starchy," she quipped.    The man did have a somewhat strange fixation on spuds.

Reiyu went a bit red.  "Well, I never said I was much of a cook.   Just going with what I know."

Dinner went by quietly.  She at least had to admit that it was pretty good, if a bit heavy on the taters. As she toyed with a few remaining crumbs on her plate, she spoke up.  "So...you've been here all day, Reiyu.  And every day for the last few weeks now."   She wasn't entirely sure where she was going with this, but it was on her mind.  "And yet before that I hardly ever saw you.  What's going on?"

Reiyu tried to respond, but the mouthful of food led to him saying some variation of  "Umph 'urgle, mm?"  He rushed through the last few bites and swallowed.  "What do you mean?"

The elf stared at him blankly.  "People generally don't go around avoiding one another and then suddenly move in.  I don't find it odd at all that you're helping me around the place.  You always have been a good friend and I love you dearly for it.  But..."  

Well, here goes.   "But after Cyrus died, you just...vanished on me.  I missed you, you know.  So what happened?"

She watched the adventurer close his eyes and take a deep breath, setting down his fork.  "Honestly?"

She rubbed her temples.  "...that's why I'm asking, yes, go on."

"Okay, okay, okay.  Look, I...I couldn't face you knowing that I helped cause Cyrus' death, alright?  It's...really taken me a long time to work up the nerve for it.  I'm...I'm sorry."

She had kinda suspected that.  BW had the same guilt, once, but then again BW would also actually talk to her about things.  "Reiyu, what happened was not your fault.  You know this.  You know what kind of man Cyrus was, and I don't think he'd appreciate you being so unwilling to accept the gift of survival he gave you.  Because that's what happened. You didn't get him killed; he made a decision."

"...it's a decision I could just have easily have made myself.  And I don't have anyone back home waiting for me.  I don't even know who I am and yet he gave up everything to save me.  Come on, you would've been much happier if Cyrus had come home that day rather than me."

She would've slapped him if she could reach, but the time it would take to get up and waddle over there really would've ruined the whole thing.  "Don't talk nonsense.  I would never want to see one of my best friends die, and especially not just so I might be happier."

He sighed.  "...I know you're right.  I've had a lot of time to think this over, and logically it's all sound.  Cyrus was...amazing.  He was everything a man...no, a hero should be. It's stupid for me to think he made the wrong choice in the matter.  But," and he paused, for emphasis, "it took me almost a year just to speak to you without feeling like I ruined your life.  And, look at this conversation.  My first thought is always going to be that I took him away from  you."

"Why not talk to me sooner?  Haven't I always been willing to hear you out before?"

She could see he didn't have a good answer to that one. "That's also something I've learned.  I need to stop running away from things."

"Well, you're here now, and we are talking so...well, mission accomplished there."  She wasn't angry anymore, at least, but she couldn't help but be a little bit snippy.

"Not yet, actually.  I think there was more to it than just feeling guilty about Cyrus.  I think I felt even worse about taking him away from you because..."  Something was stopping him.  

"Why?" she asked.

"Sera, I have to tell you.  I think I'm in love with you.  And I think I have been for a while. Maybe even during those adventures we used to have, before Adratea."

Oh, well, that was new.  Probably didn't come up with BW, at least.  "You...you love me?"

"...yes.  I do, Sera.  You're absolutely amazing and beautiful and I want to be with you and help you whenever I can.   I don't know what took me so long to realize this."

It was sudden, and she was shocked, but...well to be honest she didn't think she'd be hearing anything like this in her current beached-whale state, and she went a bit red.  She didn't actually progress the conversation any further though.  "You love me?  Really?"

"I, er, yes.  I love you.  I'm...sorry, this is making things weird, isn't it?  I was worried I might ruin our friendship but I had to tell you now before I just made things weirder for both of us."

-and, well, it's not like it was bad news.  She had been lonely for a long while now, and she had found herself longing for his company for months, and, sure he wasn't a mountain of rugged manliness but Reiyu had his own particularly vibrant handsomeness-

"Sera?  Hello?"  The adventurer was starting to get anxious.  

"Okay!"  She yelled in response.

Reiyu...stared.  "...okay?"

Well she just kinda blurted that out, didn't she?  "It's okay!  Nothing's weird!  Don't worry!  Just...uh, just give me a minute, okay?"  She didn't wait for an answer and started to mumble quietly at the table, waving her hands in what was clearly a heated discussion with the furniture.



====



Reiyu was still at a loss.  He expected things might get a bit weird, but...well he didn't expect Sera to completely lose her mind.  "Sera, what are you doing?"

She shot up.  "I'm just...I'm just thinking, that's all."  She pushed her chair out and stood up as (relatively) quickly as she could. "Reiyu, let me tell you a few things."

"Okay?"

"Maybe you need to hear it directly, so, Reiyu?  I forgive you.  Not that there's anything to forgive.  Also, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for someone to spend the day with me?" She didn't really give him time to answer. "It's been over a year.  A year! I mean everyone in town is really nice and BW is always around to help out from time to time but I've spent the good majority of every day for the last two years alone." She waddled over to Reiyu and grabbed him by the shoulders and started to shake him.  "What took you so long to spend some quality time with me?!"

Okay, still kinda crazy!  "Please-stop-shak-ing-me-Se-ra-you're-freak-ing-me-out!" he managed to spit out.

She let go.  "Reiyu.  Stand up and hug me.  Right now."

Probably safest to follow orders.  He did so.  It was...awkward, since it was hard to get a good angle what with the whole pregnant thing, but he did his best.  She buried her head against his shoulder.  

"Okay so my thoughts aren't all that organized, but, Reiyu?  Please stay with me? I...I want to have you around all the time, too."

Reiyu relaxed, finally.  He patted her back and chuckled.  "Oh thank god I thought I broke you."

"But I swear if you try to do everything again tomorrow, I'm gonna take a page from BW's book and light something on fire, do you got it?"

He grimaced.  "Yes, crystal clear."  

For what it's worth, Reiyu spent even more of his day at Sera's than he had expected.  

Not that he minded.