Dex Warrior (Libertas Online)

12: Good Vibes

"Rin!" I rush over to her, ecstatic to finally have found her again. "I—I didn't know—I mean, I am so sorry that I wasn't there in the morning. I meant to be there, to go with you. Gosh, I don't even know how many days it's been... But I meant to!"

The smile on her is stunning. She shrugs, brushes her black hair behind her shoulders, and dismisses my concerns with a wave of her hand. "It's no big deal. I figured something came up that you couldn't ignore. For awhile there I was wondering if you'd changed your mind and joined another Guild, but now I see that's not the case, and all I want to know is why you're late. Get lost?"

"N—No," I say. "I wouldn't join up with another Guild when I already said I'd help you guys. And I'm sorry I got held up, but I couldn't help it. I was kinda taken hostage by those two River Raiders who gave you a hard time at Cutter's Cry."

Suddenly, Rin's expression grows way more serious and tense. Even a little angry. In a deeper voice she asks, "Leonard and Finn?" Just the way she glares those purple eyes makes my bones shiver.

I nod. "Yeah, them and a guy named Alloy knocked me out with a spell and dragged me half way across Anticore. I escaped though, and had to find my own way here."

Rin becomes a thunderstorm of frustration, stomping and fist-clenching around the market stall. "Those two good for nothing, loot stealing bastards!" She points at me like I'm the one in trouble. "I should have known they're too deadheaded and vengeful to leave us alone. And all this trouble because of a party wipe over some loot..." she sighs, shakes her head, and seems to calm down a bit. "So, they tried to steal our tank?"

"Yeah," I say, scratching the back of my head. "They forced me to help them clear a dungeon, and Alloy did hint that I should join the River Raiders, but I had already given you my word to you and your people."

She laughs. "My people? I think you mean my idiot friend and his equally idiot friend, I think. Something tells me that starting our own guild isn't the smartest idea we've had, but..." She shrugs.

I smile. "I hope you're not mad at me, really. It wasn't my intention to leave you hanging."

"Oh well, I believe you. Crazy things happens in Libertas like you wouldn't believe. I only wish I would've thought to add you to my friends list that night, that way we could have private messaged one another and maybe mounted a rescue mission. In fact..."

She waves her hands around in the air, pokes at nothing visible to me, and before I know it a message appears in my log.

Rin has sent you a friend request. Do you accept?

I focus on yes, and another message follows.

Rin's last name, Akari, has been revealed to you!

"Akari?" I ask. "That sounds... Chinese?"

"Yeah," she says, smiling. "And yours... Rockwell? What's that?"

"I'm from Florida. United States, that is. I live on the Shield now, though. Of course." I feel my face redden but try to ignore it. "What about you?"

I cross my fingers behind my back for a split second before she responds, hoping that Rin is in stasis on my ship.

"I'm on the Dream."

While I think to myself 'oh shucks you're really far away', what I really say is, "Oh, right on! The Dream. You launched from China right? The fourth ship? I've heard they have great... Chinese food?"

She laughs awkwardly as I realize that the pace of my mouth has overtaken that of my brain. Yet again, I surprise even myself at how terribly nervous I get around Rin. Whither that's her stunning looks or her bouts of righteous fury that makes me feel that way, I'm not sure. Probably both. But Rin's good stuff. She seems to sense my regret, smiles, and takes me by the arm and says, "Come on, greeny. Let's go grab a drink and you can meet the others."