"You can call me Ruka!" I, the goddess, proclaimed, standing in a proud pose, trying my hardest to impress Velvet with my cuteness. His face, however, was a mix of confusion and bemusement. Really? This is how I make my entrance?
"I'm a goddess in the form of a female elf," I continued, tossing my hair dramatically. "Why am I a goddess, you ask? Well, it's a long story. Let's just say I ended up in a goddess's dimensional space and got roped into granting abilities because one lazy god decided eternal napping was more fun than actual work. I mean, can you blame him? Right?"
"Okay, Ruka," Velvet interjected, trying to regain some control over the chaos I was creating. "If you could kindly explain why you just popped out of that item, I'd appreciate it." He pointed at me like I was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. Spoiler alert: He's not wrong.
"Don't test my patience!" I glared, then grinned. "But fine, it's a long story that could easily fill an entire volume. Do you want the abridged version or the full epic saga?"
"Sum it up, please," he said, his tone slick with sarcasm. "I'm pretty sure a goddess with the appearance of an elf can manage that."
"Touché, Velvet! Well, it all started when I was searching for you. I thought, 'What's the wackiest way to get his attention?' So I decided to turn myself into a slime and got stuck in it. Very ingenious, right?" I paused for dramatic effect. Cue the audience laughter.
"Honestly, you could've found a better way to show yourself to me," he replied, deadpan. I could practically hear the eye roll through his voice.
"Come on, Velvet! Life is morally gray! To spice things up, we have to make it fun and exciting, don't you think?" I nudged him playfully. He sighed, probably regretting every decision that led him to this moment. Hey, it's not every day you meet a goddess!
"No use dwelling on it. How about you join a team I'm forming?" he suggested, eyeing me cautiously.
"Wait, are you serious? A goddess on your team? That's like winning the lottery!" I squealed, bouncing a little. This is going to be so much fun!
"I never heard what happens if a goddess joins a party with an adventurer, but it should be safe," he said, though I could see doubt creeping into his eyes. Does he not realize the shenanigans we're about to get into?
"Then it's settled!" he said, his tone a mix of resignation and acceptance as he grabbed my hand and led me back to the guild. What a gentleman!
As we neared the guild, Velvet suddenly stopped, a serious look crossing his face. "You said you can join a guild, right?" He turned to me, his eyes piercing. "Then, when we form this party, be wary of my guild attendant. She's had to deal with my nonsense for a while and has a pretty short temper."
"Oh, I already know about that! I can recall how many naughty things you did with her," I teased, grinning widely as his face turned beet red. The blush is adorable, though!
"First off, we didn't cross that line! Second, those were accidents!" he spluttered, looking like a cartoon character caught in a embarrassing moment.
"Hello, Vel!" a voice chimed, cutting through our banter.
"Can you not do that? You almost gave me a heart attack!" Velvet said, jumping like a startled cat.
"I'll see if I can stop that force of habit," Ariel, his guild attendant, chuckled. Perfect timing, I must say!
"You must be his guild attendant. Nice to meet you!" I said, extending my hand with enthusiasm.
"Nice to meet you too! May I ask who you are?" she asked, getting uncomfortably close, inspecting me like I was a rare artifact.
"I'm Ruka, an elf! But my friends call me Ru, and I'm thrilled to be here!" I beamed, tossing my hair back like a movie star. Drama and flair, that's how I roll!
"So we're the same breed," she said, bowing and proudly showing off her elf ears.
"You're an elf?!" Velvet exclaimed, finally catching on.
"Took you long enough to notice," she pouted, crossing her arms. Seriously, how does he not see this?
"Vel… We need to talk about this someday," I said, giving him a mock-disappointed look. This is too easy!
"No need to! I'll get better at figuring out people's appearances and races one day," he insisted, trying to sound confident. The power of denial!
"Good luck with that," I chuckled. This is too much fun!
"Anyway! Ariel, I wanted you to meet my new party member, who you already greeted," he said, patting my head like I was a pet. I am not a pet!
"Wait, you were going to form a party without my consent?" Ariel glared at him, eyes ablaze.
"Ah, it completely slipped my mind to tell you beforehand—" he stammered, falling dramatically to the ground as if it were the end of the world.
"I'll let it slide for now. Welcome to the guild! Here's your adventurer's card, Ru," she smiled, handing me a rusty card that magically imprinted with my name.
"Wow! That's convenient magic that I didn't know about!" My eyes sparkled. Can you believe this?
"Ahem! Once again, I formally welcome you to the team, Ruka!" Velvet said, standing up and giving my head a welcome pat. Is this how adventurers treat their new members?
"Yes, it's a pleasure to be part of your team!" I smiled cheerfully, my heart racing with excitement.
And that's how I, Ruka, the goddess who ditched her job, joined Velvet's team. He would eventually name it while filling out a mountain of paperwork—much to his misfortune—while glaring daggers at me for reasons I still don't fully understand. Ah, the joys of adventuring with a sarcastic hero!