"Onward to Adventure!" Marcus shouts. I'm always amazed at how he can say such ridiculous things without a hint of embarrassment.
"Shut up, you idiot." I snap lightly at him, and we all share a laugh. My calm smile belies my inner panic. I had everything worked out, but now I don't even know what to do after this mission. All I can think about is that one guy at the guild bar who always talks about how he used to be an adventurer until he took an arrow to the knee.
[I just need to focus on this mission; I can figure everything else out later. Losing focus now could get us all killed.]
I turn and watch Marcus excitedly tell some ridiculous story to Jean while she giggles. It pisses me off that he can be so calm after flipping my world upside-down. I suppose I could find another team to work with, but I've been with my friends so long that I couldn't imagine doing this without them.
Our journey continues for the rest of the day, and we set up camp as night approaches. I notice Marcus looking at me several times, but I try to ignore it and focus on the mission.
We make a fire and trade stories while dinner cooks. Having quite the surplus of gold from our previous adventures, we've stocked high-grade provisions which make for an excellent meal even outside the city. Marcus overwhelms the conversation again, just as he always does. I don't think he even realizes that he's doing it. As soon as people start talking, he immediately moves to get involved. It's been like that since we first met. Wherever we are, Marcus always finds someone to talk to.
"...And then I said, 'That's not an Equuinoid; that's my foot!'" The group roars with laughter as he finishes his joke. He steals a quick glance at me, and I smile back. He always checks on me to ensure I'm having a good time. "How are you doing? You look like you're thinking about something."
Marcus says as he scoots closer to me.
"I'm trying to, but you're so loud I can't even hear myself think," I reply sarcastically.
"Then my plan's working perfectly. If all you can think about is me, then you'll have no choice but to fall in love with me." I playfully slug him in the shoulder as he crosses his arms. "Ow, this is what I get for confessing to you?"
I open my mouth, but no words come out. My breath catches in my throat as he brings up the topic I've been avoiding all day. I want to tell him to fuck off and stop bothering me, but I don't want to push him away. My hands grab desperately at my trousers, and I uncomfortably shift around in my seat as the bombshell hangs in the air.
"Look, I know that came out of nowhere, and we still have a mission to do, but can you at least think about it for me?" He grins. I nod without looking him in the eye. "I don't think I've ever seen you flustered before. It's cute."
I swing my arm out and catch him in the stomach.
"Oof!" he says as the wind gets knocked out of him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." I frown and stomp off to my tent. Sometimes I'll sneak over to Marcus's tent once the suns go down, but I don't feel like it tonight. Just thinking about his stupid face is pissing me off.
I lie in bed and try not to think about everything that happened today. It's of utmost importance that I don't lose track of our mission. One little mistake can get everyone killed if we're not careful. But try as I might, I can't shake the anger that boils up whenever I think of what my teammates said earlier; how they all went behind my back and decided to quit. I'd been working every day for years to get stronger, and that moment felt like they had just taken that away from me. I know they don't have anything against me, but why now? We spent the whole month preparing for this huge quest just for them to quit? It doesn't make any sense.
I push the useless thoughts out of my mind and drift off to sleep. The next morning, I wake up with a splitting headache. I roll out of bed and stumble over to the fire where our gear is sitting to find some painkillers. It's a mess. Everything is piled together so haphazardly that I have no idea where the medicine could be. I roughly throw the packs apart as I dig through the pile.
"Need a hand?" Marcus asks as he walks over with a hopeful smile hung on his face.
"No, I wouldn't have any trouble if our gear wasn't such a disaster. Why is everything just thrown together in a pile? How are we supposed to get to anything?"
"Look, I'm sorry. We just kind of pulled everything off the carriage when we stopped. You went to bed, and we all followed suit."
"So now it's my fault?"
"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just trying to calm you down."
"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!" I can feel the heat rising through my chest again. It pisses me off that I pulled this team up from nothing, and now they just want to abandon me.
"Where is all this coming from?" He steps back and puts his hands up in front of himself.
"What the fuck do you mean?! I dragged you morons up to platinum rank just so you could quit, and now I can't even find any medicine for my headache!"
"Is that what this is about?"
"Of course, that's what this is about!" I'm so angry at this point that I'm shouting, which just makes me more angry; I never get worked up while on a mission, yet here I am screaming at this idiot.
"I understand you're upset, but now's not the time; we need to focus on the mission." He says as he places a hand on my shoulder.
"Shut the fuck up! Don't you think I know that?!" I smack his hand away and turn back to the increasingly messy pile of luggage. My headache has escalated into a full-blown migraine. I throw several more bags aside before finally reaching the medicine bag. I dig for the leather container when I notice my hands shaking. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
[Calm down. You have to calm down.]
"Is everything okay?" Jean groggily asks from behind me. Marcus stays quiet and allows me to answer.
"Everything's fine," I reply with a cool tone. "I'm just a little agitated because I've got a headache. Feel free to return to bed; I'll wake everyone when breakfast is ready."