"Wilma! Did you have a good shift?"
Ackster didn't know what to say, so he just decided to make small talk and be nice until he could get to know Wilma a little better.
"Hi, Dean. So-so, I guess. I hope you weren't waiting long."
Wilma smiled slightly and shrugged a shoulder before linking arms with Ackster, which surprised him but not enough to make him get rid of her touch.
"If I did, I forgot all about it as soon as I saw you."
'Flirting a little should be fine since she linked arms first.'
Wilma chuckled a little, not displeased by Ackster's cheesiness.
"That's good, then. Are you hungry?"
Ackster nodded as he let Wilma lead the way.
"I sure am. Um, I think I might have to warn you, but I tend to eat a lot."
"Which adventurer doesn't?"
Ackster shrugged and didn't deny it. Considering their lifestyles, adventurers usually ate a lot more than people like receptionists who didn't move around as much. But Ackster was pretty sure he was in a class of his own, considering he ate an entire rock lizard in one sitting.
They continued making small talk while walking to a nearby restaurant, which Wilma seemed to frequent, based on the friendly air between her and the employees.
It was a pretty small restaurant, but it wasn't shoddy. It had an elegant atmosphere and smelled like what Ackster imagined an establishment for fine dining would look like.
"...you weren't kidding."
Wilma had been unable to suppress her shock halfway through the meal and had spent the rest of it staring at Ackster as he devoured plate after plate of food.
"Oh, sorry. It was just so delicious. I couldn't help it."
Ackster smiled with embarrassment as he put another clean plate on the pile next to him. Compared to what he had been forcing himself to eat the last couple of weeks, proper food from an established restaurant was like food from the heavens. He had just ended up ordering everything on the menu a couple of times without even thinking about it.
"But I'm feeling full now, so…."
"Oh, it's fine. People should eat if they're hungry. Besides, it's my treat. Go wild."
"Really?"
Wilma nodded and reassured Ackster again.
Eventually, Ackster actually finished eating for real. It had just taken practically all the food that the restaurant had in the kitchen.
"Um, Dean…?"
The servers had cleaned the table, but Ackster and Wilma were still sitting and digesting their food and talking.
"The rock lizard's meat?"
Ackster nodded.
"Yep. This bad boy right here disposed of it."
Ackster patted his stomach playfully. Lying at this point wouldn't serve any use. It would be pretty easy for someone like Wilma to send someone and check if there was a pile of flesh and organs out where the rock lizard's nest was.
"I see. That is certainly impressive."
Ackster was a little worried that his appetite and how he had eaten so much when Wilma was treating him was off-putting, but she seemed genuinely amazed by how much he had eaten.
After talking for a little more and Wilma asking Ackster if his lack of clothes was because he spent all his money on food, they left the restaurant and took a walk through town.
Although their walk was pleasant, and they had an enjoyable time talking about their surroundings and Ilto or whatever else popped up, it was getting late. However, almost as if they knew the other was going to do it too, both Ackster and Wilma stopped walking in a dark corner of a park they had been strolling through.
Neither of the two said anything for several awkwardly long moments. They could tell since both had stopped at the same time once they reached a secluded area, that the other had something to say. And that, because they had waited for a secluded area, it most likely was something more private and serious than their previous conversations.
Ackster waited for a few moments as he wondered if it was time for an ambush. But it wasn't. However, he could tell that Wilma was hesitating. He was curious about it, but he could tell even without trying to ask her to spill it without being willing to do it himself wouldn't fly.
Instead, he decided to take the initiative, and, hopefully, Wilma would say what was on her mind after he had said his part, which would be a vague question backed up by a backstory to explain his doubts.
"Wilma."
"Yes?"
"I am going to be honest with you now."
Ackster lowered his head slightly and gently pushed it forward as a way to get closer and express his seriousness and honesty without actually getting closer to Wilma. He gave her as serious a look as he could.
Wilma nodded, slightly curious about what he was going to say and also a little nervous.
"Okay."
"I have a hard time trusting people."
'Not a lie.'
"Okay…?"
"There's no big reasons or traumatic incident for it. I just find it very difficult to trust other people. I usually spend my time in the forest, hunting monsters and so on. And compared to humans, monsters are so straightforward that it's hard to trust humans. Monsters want to kill me, and I want to kill them. It's as simple and straightforward as a relationship can get."
"..."
"But with humans, I just never know what to expect. Are they going to be a friend I can trust? An acquaintance only interested in my companionship when I buy the food? Will they smile in my face and stab me in the back? I just never know, and so I can never trust them with my whole heart. So, when I ask you this, I want you to be completely honest with me, alright? I want to be able to trust you, Wilma."
'That's a load of bull if I ever heard one.'
Listening to himself speak of worries he didn't even have made Ackster consider lying more, just because it seemed so easy when he could control his expressions and tone of voice at will. After all, those things were part of his body, which, under Strong Body's influence, followed his order down to the last letter.
"Yes. Ask away, Dean."
"Why did you invite me out for a date? I mean, I don't mind it, but when I boil down my worries about your intentions, that's the question I end up with."
Wilma hesitated.