Hank And Lily

The man woke with a start. Sunlight came flooding in from the window. The girl was gone. The man wasn't worried about it. He knew she had gone to the adventure board to grab them the herb collecting quest. He stretched and got out of bed. While he was finishing putting on his boots the girl came in with two pieces of papers for each of them. It was the herb collecting quest. She handed one to the man who after looking at it looked up at the girl.

"I really hate collecting grey lichens. Their super sticky and you have to use a special sort of gloves to keep the stickiness off of you while putting them in a glass jar."

The girl laughed at his comment, clearly amused by his grumpiness.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. I actually think grey lichens are kind of cute. They're all fluffy and squishy."

The man rolled his eyes, not sharing her sentiment. "Yeah, they're adorable until you have to to spend hours trying to get their sticky mess off your hands."

The girl shrugged, clearly not as bothered by the prospect as the man. "You're just being dramatic. I'm sure collecting these herbs will be a piece of cake."

The man grumbled, still unhappy about the task. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's going to be covered in grey lichen goo by the end of the day."

The girl smirked, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "Aww, is the big, tough adventurer scared of a little bit of goo? I think underneath all that toughness, you're actually a big softie."

The man glowered at her, clearly not amused by her teasing. "I'm not a softie. And I'm definitely not afraid of grey lichen goo."

The girl chuckled, clearly not buying his bravado. "Yeah, sure you're not. We'll see how well you fare when you're up to your elbows in sticky lichen."

The man grumbled again, hating the fact that she had a point. "I'm going to hold this over your head the entire time, you know that right?"

The girl just laughed, clearly not taking him seriously. "I'll be sure to draw a picture of your grumpy face covered in lichen goop."

The man muttered a string of curses under his breath, silently vowing to make her play for her enjoyment of his discomfort. "I swear when we're done with this, I'm gonna find the biggest, nastiest creature in the forest and make you deal with it all by yourself."

The girl just smiled, clearly not put off by his threats. "Oh please, I've fought bigger and nastier creatures than anything you could find. I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much."

The man huffed, still not happy about the situation. "Yeah, yeah, you're a big, brave adventurer. But when you're covered in grey lichen goo, don't come crying to me for help."

The girl just rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry, I won't. I'll just stand by and laugh as you struggle to get free from the lichen grip."

The man muttered something under his breath that the girl couldn't quite hear, but she was sure it wasn't a pleasant sentiment. "Laugh all you want, but I have a feeling you won't be laughing for long once those grey lichens attach themselves to your hands like glue."

The girl shook her head. "Which is why I brought us the lichen gloves to collect them with." She handed the man a pair along with a pack full of glass jars.

The man took the gloves and the jars, his grumpy mood somewhat lightened by the fact that she had prepared for the task. "Well, I guess you're not completely useless after all."

He grumbled, but there was a hint of affection in his tone.

The girl punched him playfully on the arm, clearly not bothered by his grumbling. "Gee, thanks for the compliment. I'm touched by your overwhelming gratitude for my help."

The man chuckled, his grumpy mood completely gone now. "Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it. I usually don't give out compliments that easily."

He started to put on the gloves, silently dreading the experience to come.

The girl watched him with amusement, clearly enjoying his reluctance. "You know, you don't have to act so tough all the time, right? You can admit that you don't like grey lichens."

The man huffed, clearly not wanting to give her the satisfaction of admitting she was right. "I don't have to admit anything. And I certainly don't like grey lichens."

Despite his words, there was a hint of a smile on his face, enjoying their banter.

The girl laughed, hearing the subtle change in his tone. "Oh come on, you know I can see right through you. You're secretly enjoying this, in your own grumpy way, of course."

The man grumbled again, but he didn't deny her words. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can think what you want. Just don't be surprised when I'm complaining the whole time we're collecting these lichens."

The girl smirked, knowing she had him. "Oh, I fully expect you to be complaining. It's pretty much guaranteed. But that just means I get to tease you even more, so I'm not complaining."

The man just rolled his eyes, accepting his fate of being teased. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You just love seeing me suffer, don't you?"

The girl chuckled, enjoying the banter. "What can I say? Seeing you all grumpy and annoyed is just too entertaining. It's like my own personal entertainment show."

The man grumbled again, knowing full well that she was enjoying seeing him uncomfortable. "Gee, thanks for using me as your personal form of entertainment. I'm so glad I can provide you with such pleasure."

The girl just stuck out her tongue playfully. "Hey, you're the one who keeps falling for it every time. It's not my fault you're so easy to antagonize."

The man grumbled yet again, knowing she was right. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But just you wait, someday I'm gonna pull the ultimate revenge prank on you, and you're gonna regret every time you've teased me."

The girl just laughed, not the least bit worried. "Bring it on, big guy. But don't be surprised when I turn the tables and get you back ten times over."

The man smiled about that. He got up from a chair in the corner of the room. "You ready to head out to collect the nightmare lichen?"

The girl nodded, grabbing her pack full of empty jars. "Yep, I'm ready. Let's go collect some lichens and try not to get too sticky in the process."

The man huffed, still not thrilled about the idea of getting sticky. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can wash this goop off my hands."

The girl laughed at his tone. "You're such a grump. But don't worry, I'll be there to laugh at you when you're all covered in lichen goo."

The man grumbled again, muttering a string of curses under his breath. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But don't expect any help from me when you're stuck up to your elbows in lichen goop yourself."

The girl just smirked, confident in her ability to handle the lichens. "Please, I'll be completely fine. I'm sure I'll be able to avoid getting goop all over me. Unlike someone I know."

The man just rolled his eyes again, knowing that she was probably right. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in. I'm sure you'll be the picture of perfection while I look like a walking disaster."

The girl just laughed, clearly amused by his grumbling. "Don't worry, I'll take pictures of you looking like a lichen covered gremlin. I'm sure it will make for some hilarious material."

The man grumbled again, already dreading the teasing he would receive later. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But just remember who has to sleep next to you tonight. I might just decide to use you as a pillow to wipe off the lichen goop."

The girl just laughed even harder at that, clearly amused by his threats. "Oh, I dare you to try that. You're gonna end up with a face full of lichen goo if you even think about it."

The man just huffed, knowing that she was probably right. But he couldn't resist the temptation to tease her back. "Oh please, you wouldn't dare. You know I could easily overpower you."

The girl just smirked at that, not willing to back down. "Oh yeah? You think you could take me on? Bring it on, big guy. I'll have you pinned down in seconds."

The man whose name is Hank, gave a hearty laugh. The girl who's name is Lily huffed at him. She picked up her pack and slinging it over her shoulder headed out the door followed by Hank. They headed out, the grey lichen was close by.

As they walked out of the village, the cool breeze blew against their skin, causing a slight chill. The path the walked on meandered through the forest, the trees lining the way like towering sentinels. The sound of the wind rustling through the leaves mixed with the sound of their footsteps and their banter as they made their way towards the grey lichen.

Hank grumbled as they walked, clearly still not happy about collecting the lichen. "I still can't believe we have to do this. I swear I'd rather fight a dozen trolls than collect these slimy little bastards."

Lily just laughed at his grumble. "Please, don't be such a baby. Collecting grey lichens is not that big of a deal. You're just being overdramatic."

Hank rolled his eyes, his mood still grumpy. "Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say. You're not the one who's going to be covered in lichen goo at the end of the day."

Lily just smirked, enjoying his discomfort. "Oh, you'll survive. And besides, I'm sure it won't be the worst thing you've had to do. At least grey lichens don't fight back."

Hank grumbled again, not convinced. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But that doesn't make me any less thrilled about it. And who knows, these lichens might be more dangerous than they look. They could have some kind of weird, sticky defense mechanism for all we know."

Lily rolled her eyes at his fear mongering. "Oh please, don't be ridiculous. Grey lichens are completely harmless. They're about as dangerous as a marshmallow. Trust me, you're safe."

Hank huffed, still not entirely convinced. "Yeah, yeah, you say that now. But just wait until one of those little suckers sticks to you like glue. You'll be singing a different tune then."

Lily just laughed, not taking his threats seriously. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've dealt with more dangerous things than a harmless little lichen. And if one does manage to get the better of me, I'm sure you'll come to my rescue, Mr. Big Tough Adventurer."

Hank grumbled again, his grumpy demeanor returning. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be there to saved you from the big, scary lichen. Just don't expect any heroic gestures or anything. I'll just flick it off of you and go back to complaining."

Lily chuckled, clearly amused by his grumpy attitude. "Don't worry, I won't expect anything heroically romantic. Just a quick flick and a grumpy grunt will suffice."

Hank just rolled his eyes, knowing she was being sarcastic. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your hopes up for any romance. I'll be too busy complaining and picking lichen goo out of my hair."

Lily laughed, picturing the image of him picking lichen goo out of his hair. "Oh, I can just picture it now. You, with a big old grumpy look on your face, picking lichen off your hair and clothes. It's going to be hilarious."

Hank huffed, knowing she was enjoying the mental image. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But don't say I didn't warn you when you end up being just as sticky and grumpy as me by the end of the day."

Lily just chuckled, clearly unbothered by the prospect. "Oh, I doubt it. I happen to have a bit more grace and finesse than you do. I'm sure I'll manage to stay clean and collected while you look like a sticky mess."

Hank grumbled again, not liking her confidence. "Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that. I bet you won't stay so clean and collected when a lichen decides to stick to your hair and refuse to come off."

Lily rolled her eyes, unbothered by his predictions. "Please, I'm not worried. If a lichen gets stuck to me, I'll just use my wit and charm to convince it to come off, unlike you, who'll probably try to use brute force and end up making it worse."

Hank huffed, knowing she was probably right. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. You're so confident you can win over a lichen with your charm. I should probably just step back and let you handle the whole thing then."

Lily laughed at his sarcasm. "Exactly, you should. I guarantee I'll be able to handle these lichens better than you ever could. I mean, I've managed to swoon bigger and scarier things than grey lichens, after all."

Hank just rolled his eyes again, clearly not amused by her bold claims. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you have. But grey lichens aren't exactly the same as seductive creatures. I doubt they'll be swooned by your flirting."

Lily just smirked, not taking his skepticism seriously. "Oh, don't be so sure about that. I have a way with creatures, lichen or otherwise. And if flirting with them doesn't work, I have a feeling I can charm them in other ways."

Hank huffed, not willing to give her the satisfaction of believing her. "Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. Just don't come crying to me when your charm doesn't work on these lichens, and you end up just as sticky and grumpy as me."

Lily just chuckled, unbothered by his doubt. "Don't worry, I have plenty of backup plans if my charm doesn't work. I have a way of getting what I want, remember?"

Hank huffed about that. They finally made it to the grey lichens growing under trees with grey trunks and grey leaves to match. The grey trees were very useful. You could tap them during the summer months for liquid that was a clear gel. It was used for making honey since bees were not real in this world. You had to collect the gel from both a grey tree and a dark yellow tree. You mixed them together then cooked it on a low heat over night and in the morning you collected the honey in honey jars.

Hank and Lily approached the thicket of grey lichens, the sticky plants clinging to the tress like fuzzy little pests. The air was thick with the scent of sap, and the soil was damp and muddy underfoot.

Hank surveyed the area, his grumpy mood unchanged. "Well, here we are. The land of grey lichens. Let's get this over with."

Lily chuckled, unbothered by the sight of the lichens. "Don't sound so eager. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to fill our jars."

She grabbed an empty jar from her pack and knelt down by the closest lichen, ready to start collecting.

Hank followed suit, reluctantly grabbing a jar of his own. He knelt down beside Lily, eyeing the lichens with a mixture of disdain and resignation. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible."

Lily nodded, her eyes focused on the task at hand. "Right. Let's see how quickly we can fill these jars up."

She reached out and gently pulled a lichen from a nearby tree, its sticky tendrils clinging stubbornly to the bark. She dropped the lichen into her jar, the gel squishing and sticking to the sides. Hank shrugged his shoulders and started to collect the lichen.

Hank mimicked Lily's movements, pulling the lichen from the tree with a determined but grumpy look on his face. He dropped the lichen into his jar, feeling the sticky gel clinging to his hands.

"Ugh, this is already starting to feel disgusting."

Lily chuckled at his complaint, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "Oh please, it's not that bad. Just a bit of sticky mess. You'll survive."

The whole time they were working. Hank had forgotten one important thing. His lichen collecting gloves. He had never put them on unlike Lily who was wearing hers. Which is why she wasn't having any trouble collecting the lichen.

Without the protection of his gloves, the lichen's sticky gel stuck to Hank's hands like glue, making any movement difficult. He grumbled and cursed under his breath, realizing his mistake.

"Damn it, I forgot my gloves," he muttered, trying in vain to scrape the gel off his hands.

Lily chuckled at his predicament, clearly enjoying the sight of his sticky fingers. "I told you to bring those gloves, didn't I? But you just had to be stubborn and forget them."

Hank just grumbled some more, knowing she had been right. "Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in. I get it, I messed up, okay? I should've brought the damn gloves."

Lily laughed. "They're in your pack, but your gonna need this first."

She took her gloves off carefully so she wouldn't get the sticky lichen goo on her and reached into her pack taking out a small vile filled with a clear gel that was from the grey trees. Besides the gel begin used in making honey it was also used in cleaning the goo off of one's hands form the sticky lichen. She poured some on Hank's hands.

Hank's grumbling lessened slightly as the relief of the clear gel. He rubbed it into his hands, watching as the sticky lichen goo disappeared, leaving his skin clean. He put on his gloves, grateful for the added layers of protection.

"Thanks," he muttered, a hint of relief in his tone. "I guess I owe you one for saving my hands from that mess."

Lily smiled, amused by his begrudging gratitude. "You're welcome. Just remember, I told you so. Next time, listen to me when I say to bring the gloves, and save us both the hassle."

Hank huffed, still not entirely happy about being wrong. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You win. I should've brought the gloves. I get it."

He grumbled as he picked up another lichen, careful to hold it with his gloved hands this time.

Lily chuckled at his grumbling, clearly enjoying his defeat. "Aw, don't be too hard on yourself. It's not like forgetting your gloves is the end of the world. Besides, now you'll have a fun reminder of his little adventure for days to come."

Hank rolled his eyes, not amused by her playful teasing. "Yeah, yeah, you're enjoying this way too much. Just wait until something embarrassing happens to you, and I'll get to laugh my head off."

Lily just smirked, unbothered by his threat. "Oh, you can try. But I'm not as forgetful or stubborn as you are. I tend to remember my gloves and avoid the embarrassing situations."

Hank huffed, not wanting to admit that she was right. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You're perfect, and I'm a forgetful idiot. Happy now?"

Lily chuckled at his sarcasm. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far. You're not an idiot. You're just a little....forgetful. And stubborn. And grumpy. And....well, you get the point."

Hank just rolled his eyes, already sick of her teasing. "Yeah, yeah, you've made your point. I'm a walking ball of flaws, and you're the perfect picture of perfection. Got it."

Lily laughed, amused by his grumpy responses. "Oh, lighten up. I'm just messing with you. Besides, your flaws are part of your charm. If you were perfect, you'd be....boring."

Hank huffed, not entirely convinced by her reasoning. "Yeah, yeah, my flaws are my charm. That's why I always seem to end up covered in lichen goo and smelling like a swamp."

Lily chuckled, clearly finding his current state amusing. "Oh, don't so dramatic. A little lichen goo never hurt anyone. And as for the swamp smell, that's just your new cologne. You should be proud of it."

Hank just rolled his eyes again, not amused by her jokes. "Yeah, yeah, I feel so proud right now, covered in sticky goo and smelling like I rolled around in a swamp. I'm sure all the ladies will be swooning over me any minute now."

Lily laughed at his sarcasm, clearly enjoying teasing him. "Oh, I'm sure the ladies are just waiting in line to be covered in lichen goo and swamp smell. It's the hottest new trend, haven't you heard?"

Hank huffed, not finding her jokes that funny. "Yeah, yeah, hilarious. Can we just finish collecting these lichens so I can take a bath and wash off this stink?"

Lily chuckled, not able to resist one more jab. "Oh, don't worry, the lichen stink will linger for days. No amount of bathing will get rid of it. I guess you're stuck smelling like a swamp for a while longer."

Hank grumbled, not amused by her jest. "Great. That's just what I need. A permanent swamp smell. I'm sure that will do wonders for my already wonderful personality."

Lily just grinned, clearly amused by his grumpy mood. "Aw, don't be so down. At least you'll have a unique aura now. Who needs cologne when you have lichen goo and swamp stench?"

Hank just rolled his eyes yet again, not finding her teasing funny. "Yeah, yeah, lucky me. I'll be the toast of the town now with this unique aura. You know, they say the smellier the better."

Lily laughed, clearly enjoying his sarcastic responses. "Exactly. You'll be the talk of the town. 'The guy who smells like a swamp and looks like he rolled in lichen goo. He's real catch.'"

Hank huffed, not amused by her exaggerated description. "Yeah, I can see it now. Ladies will be swooning over me in no time because I smell like a swamp and look like a lichen-covered gremlin."

Lily laughed. She put the last piece of lichen in her jar and after sealing it with a lid a put it in the pack. Hank had also finished his jars as well. They rubbed the clear gel in their gloves before taking them off and after storing them in the pack.

As they walked back to the village, Hank had to admit that the absence of danger had been a nice change of pace. No trolls, no goblins, no bandits. Just harmless lichens and Lilys' constant teasing.

He grumbled under his breath, still unhappy about the whole lichen collecting experience. "Well, I guess we can check 'collecting lichens' off the list of things I never want to do again."

Lily chuckled, clearly amused by his grumpy mood. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. You survived, didn't you? And look, we have a bunch of lichen jars. Not a bad haul, if I do say so myself."

Hank grumbled again, not wanting to admit that she was right. "Yeah, yeah, we got the jars filled. That's all that matters. But I don't think I can ever look at another lichen the same way again after today."

Lily laughed, enjoying his grumpy response. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. I'm sure the lichens will recover from your bad attitude. And who knows, maybe you'll even develop a soft spot for them after spending so much time together."

Hank rolled his eyes, not amused by her teasing. "Yeah, sure, I'm sure Ill be cuddling up with the lichens in my sleep after this wonderful experience. They'll be my new best friends."

Lily chuckled, clearly enjoying his snarky responses. "Yeah, who needs friends when you have lichens? They're soft, sticky, and they smell like swamp water. What more could you ask for in a BFF?"

Hank huffed, not finding her jokes humorous. "Yeah, they sound like a real treat. I'll make sure to invite them over for dinner sometime. Maybe we can have a lichen and swamp water potluck."

Lily smirked. After delivering the lichen jars to the villagers who had hired them, Hank and Lily collected their pay for the job. Hank still grumbled about the entire experience, while Lily chuckled and counted her coins.

Hank eyed the coins in his hand, begrudgingly admitting that the pay wasn't bad. "Well, at least we got something out of this swamp-smelling adventure."

Lily grinned, clearly pleased with their earnings. "Yeah, not bad at all. And maybe next time you won't forget your gloves."

Lily just chuckled, enjoying his grumpy mood. "Good. I'm glad you learned your lesson. And you know, I think you really earned some sort of reward for surviving the lichen collecting. How about a nice, long hot bath?"

Hank's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "A hot bath? Yes please. I need to get this lichen goo and swamp stank off of me ASAP."

Lily laughed, amused by his eagerness. "That's what I thought. Come on, let's head to the village spa. I'll even treat you to some nice, scented soap as a reward for your bravery."

Hank grumbled, but didn't protest. He knew that a hot bath would be a welcome change after his lichen adventures. "Fine. You won, I need a bath. But now more swamp jokes, got it?"

Lily chuckled, clearly enjoying his grumpy yet cooperative mood. "No more jokes, I promise. Just a nice, relaxing hot bath. You'll feel like a new man afterward."

It wasn't long before they arrived at the village spa. It was a small but cozy little building with a large, steaming bathtub in the middle surrounded by scented soaps and lotions. Hank was practically drooling at the sight of the hot water.

He stripped off his clothes, carefully hanging them on a rack nearby. He then slowly lowered himself into the hot water, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he felt the heat and steam soothe his tired muscles.

"Oh, this is amazing," he mumbled, sinking deeper into the water.

Lily chuckled, amused by his reaction. "See? I told you a hot bath was just what you needed. You're practically purring in that water."

Hank grumbled, but didn't deny it. "Yeah, yeah, it's nice. I can't deny that. I just wish the lichens hadn't left me sticky and smelly."

Hank took a deep breath and letting it out slowly turned around. "Thanks Lily."

"You're welcome." She said. He got out of the bath and putting on clean clothes headed out to the adventure board.

Lily followed him, still amused by his previously grumpy demeanor. "Feeling better, are we? Nothing like a hot bath to wash away the stink, huh?"

Hank grumbled a bit at her teasing, but couldn't deny that he did feel better now that he was clean and relaxed. "Yeah, yeah, I feel better. You were right, that bath was just what I needed."

Lily chuckled, clearly pleased with herself. "I told you so. I know what you need, even when you don't know it yourself."

Hank rolled his eyes, not wanting to admit that she was right again. "Yeah, yeah, you know everything. Can we just focus on the board for now?"

Lily laughed, enjoying his grumpy responses. "Sure, sure, let's focus on the board. See anything interesting?"

Hank looked over the various jobs, scanning for something that might pay well and was relatively safe.

They both looked the board over which was filled with various quests from dragon hunting to collecting. The top of the board was the harder jobs while the bottom was the easiest ones.

Hank scanned over the tasks on the board, looking for something worthwhile. "Hmm, looks like a bunch of the same stuff we've seen before. Goblins causing trouble. Lost items. A couple of jobs for dragon hunting...."

He looked at the top of the board, which had the more difficult and well-paying tasks. "Looks like they're saving the good stuff for the top again."