THE MOMENT
"A lowborn peasant? That's different...," Frost found it curious enough to comment on. Frost and Rigel were two paladins on a rescue mission and stopped at a fork in the road to discuss their options. "But... you're a Prince...," he added. As a Prince, Rigel should've been rescuing a princess if anyone.
"It doesn't matter who she is, the King said she needed rescuing," Rigel shrugged.
"You're right, it doesn't matter," Frost agreed with a chuckle. He had his own private mission given to him by the king; but, he was confident he had time for both. It wasn't likely that Rigel needed the support, he knew that much. Still, they belonged to separate teams and rarely interacted. Frost saw it as a good opportunity to expand their friendship. "Let's venture to the dragon's cave and I'll help if I'm needed."
"I won't turn down help if you're sure," Rigel nodded. He got the impression Frost needed to go in the other direction but if it was a sincere offer he welcomed the company just the same.
"She'll be saved quicker," Frost nodded and started on the path toward the cave.
"Thank you!" Rigel nodded as he fell in step next to Frost. It was a good time to study his gear. They were both Paladins but had different specializations. Frost was an Arcane Smiter, a spell-focused Paladin with light chain armor and a thick tome hanging from his belt. Rigel was a Paladin Prince, a path that afforded him the freedom to choose his direction. He preferred to lean into the healing aspects of the Paladin, while ensuring his own survivability. He wore heavier plate armor and used a staff instead of Frost's sword and shield combo.
"Do you think it's because of the Valentine's Event?" Frost resumed the conversation once they chose a direction.
"What? That I'm rescuing someone from a dragon? I'm pretty sure it is," Rigel agreed. He had been engaging in the festivities at the school when the king called for brave adventurers.
"I mean that she's a peasant..," Frost clarified.
"Oh," Rigel stopped walking. Something clicked in his mind and he wasn't quite sure how to process it. "Huh."
"Why?" He looked up at Frost who stood two steps past him. He'd turned to see why his friend stopped walking. "It's weird that you're so curious about her being lowborn...," he said. They weren't close; but, he'd never heard negative things about Frost. If the absence of rumors was to be trusted, that only meant one thing. "...what's the difference?" he asked, then he glanced back at the fork they just passed.
"The difference is...," Frost nodded. "... you're rescuing a lowborn peasant and I'm rescuing a princess from a dragon's tower," he said as he gestured down the other path. "I don't know if it's because you're already a Prince or if we have different quests because the event is randomizing quests and rewards."
"Well, let's go find out," Rigel nodded and took a large step forward with a chuckle. "After we finish this round, I'll try again to see if I get a different girl to rescue."
"I'll join you again if you don't mind," Frost invited himself for the set of rescues. I want to get Valentine something pricey from the event shop," he said.
"Wait, I thought her whole thing was she didn't like celebrating Valentine's Day because of her name...," Rigel asked. He'd never had much opportunity to chat with her, and what little he knew came from secondhand accounts. "... it's a Valentine's Day event, everything's themed up," he said.
"Don't let it get around...," Frost gave him a sincere look. "...she doesn't in general. But, that's just because she doesn't like seeing all the cheezy hearts everywhere with what's basically 'her name'. But, she's still a teenage girl and appreciates a thoughtful, heartfelt gift from her boyfriend," he grinned.
"Well that's great," Rigel nodded. "If it's worth it and you're up for more runs, we can do a lot more than a couple of runs," he said. "You're only getting something for Valentine, but I've got to earn a truckload of currency if I'm going to buy something for every girl on my list."