"No way." She said derisively, shaking her head as she did so," Orcbolg? Laughing? You must have heard him wrong."

Now it was the redhead's turn to frown. Because if anything, she felt as the person who had lived with him since she was thirteen and he was fifteen, she had the right to say that he could laugh. She heard him laugh before, granted, it was rare, he wasn't the type to laugh out loud, but he has laughed before.

"I've heard him laugh before." And that was ignoring the time when they were children when the two of them used to laugh at the way a cow would walk. Though he tended to still laugh at menial things, like the time the two of them had to help a calf stand up, he had quietly chuckled at the way the little thing had stumbled headfirst right into a pile of hay. Or the time she had leaned under the table in his shed to help get a tool he dropped, only for her to bonk her head on the underside of the table on the way up. He had laughed just as quietly as he spoke when that happened but was still kind enough to ask if she was ok afterward.

The point was that she had heard him laugh, and she knew for a fact that he could.

If anything, he had become more talkative since he started adventuring with his current party.

Yet, despite her words, no one seemed to believe her. They exchanged glances at her earnest look, not even the older adventures seemed inclined to take her words with a grain of salt.

She almost pouted at that.

She's known him the longest, and she felt like she had the right to say what he did and didn't do for the most part.

"We've been adventuring together for years. I can count the jokes Orcbolg had made on one hand." And to further make her point, the elf girl held up two fingers, showing that she still had some fingers to spare. "Most of the time I can't even get a chuckle out of him." The two others nodded in agreement.

She scrunched up his nose. "Well, he's laughed with me." She wasn't going to bother and keep on trying. It wasn't her fault if they didn't believe her.

She tried her best to follow the conversation between him and the guild receptionist. Her uncle had always taught her to pay attention when it came to business because one day, she was going to have to do it herself. While she didn't have the same intention of one day working for the guild, if anything happened to her dear childhood friend, she at least needed to know who to talk to and what to ask.

But after hearing the standard conversation so many times, she let her mind drift. It was the same as always: "What did you encounter?" "Goblins. A small group." So on and so forth.

Naturally, her eyes started to drift, to both the man that was standing in front of her and to the adventurers that were roaming around them. It was early in the morning so there were only a few adventurers in there with them. Most of them being older men and women as they were already used to waking up early for quests, her own friend being the same.

Still, after making deliveries for a few years, it wasn't long until she got bored of watching them. Redirecting her attention to Goblin Slayer, who was still making his report, she spotted a little tuft of grass sticking out from under a leather strap for his chest piece. Without a second thought, she started to take it out.

Honestly, she understood that keeping his armor less than clean was something he needed to do, but couldn't he at least wipe off the grass? Then again, he and his party had been walking in as she arrived with the usual morning delivery, but still, he should at least look like he isn't trying to blend in with a field.

After years of doing stuff like that, she didn't have to tell him what he was doing, if anything, he moved his arm out of the way so she could have greater accessibility. He knew that it would bother her if she tried to stop him, so he just accepted his fate. He continued talking, even as the receptionist gave him an odd look.

Smiling at the trust he displayed, she kept on pulling out the little pieces of grass. He must have been in a really grassy area because the pieces of grass she was pulling out were at least five inches long.

It wasn't until she dug in her fingers a little bit too much that he jerked away, a sound he hadn't made in years coming from the depths of his helmet. It was somewhere in between a startled squawk and a strangled laugh. It wasn't loud, it was just loud enough that only she and the receptionist heard, but it was enough to make the man stiffen up.

The way he turned his head was enough to let her know that he did not appreciate it. He wasn't the type to give an attitude, but she could feel the attitude.

Despite herself, she grinned as she apologized. "Sorry. I forgot." And she really had forgotten that he was ticklish right there. It had been well over a decade since the two of them were children together that would tickle each other, it was a memory that she had nearly forgotten. She didn't mean to tickle him, but it was a piece of information that she was going to tuck away for later.

"Hrm…" He groaned, and she didn't have to look under his visor to know that he was pouting again. She knew him well enough that she could tell based on his voice alone. "Don't." He said firmly.

She put her hands up, "I won't, I won't." She reassured and just like that, he was turning back to the receptionist to complete his report, completely ignoring the wide-eyed look she was giving him.

But huh.

She really thought that he had grown out of being ticklish a long time ago. He was already 20 and was nothing like when he was a child.

Wondering if he was just as sensitive as he had been when they were younger, she brushed her fingers against the spot behind his ribs.

Again, he stiffened up, this time he didn't make a sound but without looking, he grabbed her hand mid-sentence. His grip was gentle but every time she tried to pull, his hand tightened, letting her know that he had no intention of letting go so she could stop with her antics.

Smiling to herself, she accepted her fate.

Quietly, she drummed her fingers on top of the table, sipping at her cup of water-downed wine as the adventurers ate dinner. The archer and dwarf were bickering as always, while Goblin Slayer and the priest were talking about something she didn't quite understand. All while she and Priestess laughed and giggled together. They were the only ones who were drinking watered-down wine at the table while everyone else was drinking the dwarf's fire wine. The archer was already flushed as a result, and considering the fact that the armored adventurer was chattier than usual, she was going to assume that he was starting to get a little bit tipsy as well.

It was peaceful. There was nothing left to do for the day back at home, and after a relatively easy quest, the adventurers in front of her were also in no rush to go to bed. It was rare when they were able to relax like this, so she was enjoying it.

Due to her seat, she was able to see the main door open, with a small family entering the building and with a child she knew well in tow. It was the child that had grown attached to Goblin Slayer and being amicable, she waved.

She could tell that the child didn't mean it. It was the young boy that had grown attached to her childhood friend and perhaps it had been a long time since they had seen each other but the kid had been over-excited.

And she knew this because the child didn't even wait until he was done drinking from his cup before he hugged the adventurer from behind. Had he been standing up, it would have been perfectly fine, the child was just tall enough to wrap his arms around his waist. Except since he was sitting down at the table, the child wrapped his arms around his chest and squeezed, his tiny hands pressing into the spot behind the man's ribs.

The way he had been grabbed startled him, and then the way that the little boy accidentally tickled him didn't make it any better. All she could hear was the sputtering from behind the visor as he choked on his wine.

Again, she started laughing, even as he coughed up a lung behind his helmet to the point where he had to take off his helmet to wipe off the wine and clean himself up.

She was the only one who was giggling at his mishap. Everyone else was more concerned with the fact that their party leader was coughing up a storm. The dwarf patted his back roughly in an attempt to help the man clear his lungs.

Feeling some pity for her friend, she passed him her handkerchief, one that he took thankfully.

The little boy looked anxious, patting the adventurer's chest anxiously, but gently, "Mister? Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?" By now, the silver-haired man was wiping off his face with her handkerchief, his pale skin slowly turning back to normal now that his coughing fit was done. At the moment, he was more concerned about cleaning off the mess he made.

He didn't even give the boy a glance as he started to wipe off his face. "No." He said simply. The blunt answer made the boy duck his head in shame, mistaking the adventurer's blunt tone as one of anger.

Upon seeing the way the lack of reassurance was getting to the child, she was quick to add on. "You didn't hurt him." The boy still didn't look convinced, so she poked her friend in just the right place to make him jerk away again," He's just ticklish there." And again, she started laughing, especially when he gently smacked her hand away.

The worn leather snapping against her skin made the impact seem harder than it was and although he didn't apologize, the next time she tried to poke him, he grabbed her wrist and pushed it away. The silver hair did nothing to hide his red ears, nor the frown that was marring his face at the same time. "I'm not." Now that he wasn't hearing his helmet, she could see the way he was slightly pursing his lips, a habit he's had since childhood. His nose was slightly scrunched up, the wrinkle in his eyebrows almost gone unnoticed with the way his hair was covering them. Yet, his expression didn't phase her.

She giggled. "Yes, you are."

"No. I'm not." He repeated, taking on a tone that let her know that he was starting to get a bit exasperated. But not annoyed, which was the important part.

Ignoring the looks from the rest of the table, she continued as she grabbed his helmet, the inside of her sleeve being used to clean up the wine. "You've been ticklish there since we were children. Yes, you are." It was a good thing that it was laundry day because even though he was wearing his cleaner set of armor, oil from the greased joints and wine still stained the cream-colored fabric.

When she looked up, he was already reaching for his helmet. "I'm not." He said firmly, and when he tried to take it from her, she moved it just out of his reach, a pleasant smile on her face as she did so.

In her defense, it was obvious that the child wanted nothing more than to try it on. Besides, it's been forever since she's seen his face outside of the shed, and it would do him some good to at least let his skin breathe.

He wasn't happy with her antics. He huffed." Give me it." He held out his hand, waiting for her to give it back.

"I will. Right now."

"Hrm…"

"I won't break it." She added in hopes of placating her friend.

Again, he huffed, but it was obvious that she had won this round when he picked up his cup again, raising it to his lips as he resigned to her. "It's metal." He muttered, "You won't be able to break it."

She grinned as she helped the child study the helmet, holding it up for him to prevent it from clattering down to the ground. "Didn't you say that when my father let you see his pocket watch?" The one time her father let him look at his pocket watch, a family heirloom, also managed to be the one time where it broke, the pin for the hinge falling out from simple wear and tear.

Despite that, it had been enough for him to apologize for days afterward, even though a pin replacement had been more than enough to fix the family heirloom.

"That was not my fault." He said firmly, glancing over at her as he did so. Yet, despite his attempt to be firm, the moment they made eye contact, it was like they were children again; when their lives were easier, where their only concerns were returning before sunset and whether they were going to finish their chores in time or not.

They started laughing. Well, she started laughing, he only let out a few chuckles, but he made up for it by smiling. Her laughter was light as always, his chuckles short and rough from disuse.

If the coughing bout wasn't enough to make the other adventurers start staring at them, that was. Though neither of them noticed, the two of them were absorbed in their little world.

"I forgot about that." A sigh followed his words, absent-mindedly waving when the little boy was being dragged off by his older sister as they both ignored the looks the rest of the table was giving them.

"I don't know how. You were so scared when it broke." That had probably been the first time she had seen him panic like that, though now that she was older, it was such a childish reaction. Her father had seen the way he had ever so gently and gingerly handled the family heirloom and he had seen the way how the simple act of opening it had broken the hinge. Yet, the two of them had panicked as if they had broken it by fooling around. She had even started to apologize profusely as if she had done something to break it as well.

He hummed, the corner of his mouth upturned ever so slightly, "You were just as nervous when you dropped my father's dagger in the field."

She flushed. "That's different!"

"It was a family heirloom." He replied smoothly and if it wasn't for the slight tilt of his head, she would have thought he was being blunt again. Instead, he was teasing her.

Her flush wasn't going away, "I found it!" Again, he chuckled, taking joy in her misery.

The smile was still present. "If I remember correctly, you had me look with you until we found it."

"Of course, I did! I didn't want my mom to get mad!" to that day, the thought of being scolded by her mother still made chills go down her spine. She missed her mother dearly, but she was quite the disciplinarian.

He bobbed his head side to side as he agreed. "Your mother was quite intimidating when she was upset."

"Your sister was too, especially when I got in trouble with you." She said it without thinking and it wasn't until she heard a few sharp inhales go around the table that she remembered what a sensitive topic it was.

However, perhaps it was due to the alcohol in his system, but he chuckled once more at that. "Apparently not enough for us to behave. But." Goblin Slayer paused as he took a sip from his cup, his eyes distant as he did so, "she was. I regret being such an unruly child."

Yet, despite the way the mood had dropped, she couldn't help but continue. It was rare when they were able to reminisce like this. "As do I. If I had the chance, I would apologize to my parents for misbehaving. We were terrible together." They had caused so much trouble when they played together. They were the only children at the village at the time and they took full advantage of the fondness the adults had for them. More often than not, they ended up pushing the envelope with their games. They had caused far too much trouble for their parents and sister.

It went unsaid that they both had a lot of regrets from their childhood.

The table fell silent and in an attempt to lift up the mood again, she added, "Do you remember the tree?" It was vague, but she knew that he would know exactly what she was talking about.

He quirked up his eyebrow at the mention and he was just about to say no, but she saw the moment he remembered the tree. He froze in place, his cup pressed against his lips as his face slowly started turning red. "No." Goblin Slayer looked away as he refilled his cup, the refills becoming more frequent.

Oh, he did remember.

She grinned. "Yeah, you do."

"I don't."

"I know you do. I remember it like it was yesterday."

"There's no need to bring that up."

"The tree or the time you said that your sister couldn't get you out because she was a girl. Or the part where she threw her shoe at you and caught you after you fell out?" She had a grin that her uncle would scold her for being unladylike, but at that moment, she did not care in the slightest.

He gave her an almost pointed look, his gaze soft with familiarity, but also hard as he tried to make a point, "If I remember correctly. You pushed me off to try and help." That made her almost snicker.

He was right, she had pushed him out of the tree by accident. But in her defense, all she was trying to do was keep the shoe from hitting him, it's not her fault he lost his balance and fell out.

"Your sister caught you." To further make her point, she shrugged her shoulders.

He almost rolled his eyes at that, shaking his head instead as he went to refill his cup.

Out of nowhere, Spearman grabbed it, preventing him from refilling it. "I don't think so, Goblin Slayer." he said as he leaned over Goblins slayer shoulder, the jug in his hand as he held it up. For a second, she thought the man was joking, but when she saw the pursed lips and wide-eyed look Spearman had, she knew that he wasn't.

"You must be drunk with the way you're smiling like that, and I don't feel like dragging you home" That made a round of nods go around the table. Seemingly everyone was off put by the behavior that they had seen.

Goblin Slayer was decidedly not happy about that and when he tried to grab it again, the adventurer moved it out of the way again. "You'll get some more when you stop making that face."

And without a single word, eye contact being more than enough for them to come to the same conclusion, she gave back his helmet. He put on his helmet, latching it in place. "You can't see my face now." he said, his hand outstretched as he waited for it to be handed over.

The dwarf let out a boisterous laugh, taking the jug from the shocked Spearman to hand it to their leader.

"Well played Beardcutter, well played."