A Day with Olivia and Ashton
Galia Fortress
Ashton was walking down the corridor after Otto released him for the day when he saw Olivia leaning against a wall. This somehow struck him as ominous, so he made to turn and go back the other way, only to hear the patter of footsteps from behind him just as someone gripped his shoulder.
“Ashton, I was waiting for you for ages,” said Olivia. Ashton met her smile with eyes full of suspicion.
“If you want another mustard and jerky sandwich, you can forget it. The ogre—Otto, that is—has been working me to the bone. I’m exhausted.”
“It’s not that. I want you to come to my room for a bit,” said Olivia, before seizing his arm and dragging him off with her. Once they arrived at her room, she gestured vaguely about. “You see how it is. Think you could help me out?”
“See how what is?” replied Ashton. Other than the books scattered all over the floor, he wasn’t sure what, exactly, he was supposed to be looking at.
“Huh? I want you to help me tidy the books up.”
“Yes, I got that much, though I sort of wish I hadn’t. The thing is, you made this mess yourself, right? Can’t you tidy it up yourself, too? I think you ought to, actually,” said Ashton. He put his hand on the door, but Olivia grabbed his left arm with both her hands. His heart began to pound, and he turned back to see her gazing at him with a forlorn expression.
“So you won’t help me?” she asked. Ashton was silent. “You won’t?” she asked again. Ashton let out a loud groan.
“Fine! Fine, I’ll help. Are you happy now?”
“You will? Oh, I knew you were a good human!” Olivia immediately started passing books to him.
“Hold on. It won’t do any good handing me books if you don’t tell me where the bookshelf is.”
“Bookshelf? What’s that?” said Olivia, tilting her head quizzically.
“You don’t even have a bookshelf? How were you planning on tidying up?”
“Can’t we just pile them up against the wall?”
Ashton sighed. “All right, wait here,” he said, and trudged out of the room.
“Phew. Done at last.”
Two hours later, Ashton wiped away sweat with his sleeve as he gazed upon the finished bookshelf with satisfaction. He hadn’t built anything in a long time, but it seemed he’d not lost his touch. Olivia, meanwhile, had spent the whole time watching him work with intense interest.
“Ashton, you’re amazing! So this is a ‘bookshelf.’”
“If you shelve the books like this,” he said, placing a few on the shelf to show her, “you can easily tell where they are, see?”
“Woah, you’re right!” said Olivia, her eyes wide. “Now I can find the books I want to read right away! Ashton...” Olivia gulped loudly. “I think you’re a genius!”
Usually, Ashton would have felt like she was making fun of him. But given Olivia’s infamous ignorance of social customs, he suspected she spoke in earnest. He set about picking up all the books from the floor and lining them up on the shelf. When he was done, the room was so clean it was practically unrecognizable.
“Right, all done. I’m going back to my room.”
“Already?
“Well, yes,
“It’s already so late though. Why don’t you stay here? We can sleep together,” said Olivia with an innocent smile, patting the bed beside her. Ashton’s head jerked up in disbelief.
“O-Olivia, what did you just say?”
“Huh? Come on, let’s sleep together—”
“Good night!!”
“Huh?!”
Ashton fled as fast as his legs would carry him.
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