This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder than Expected (A Futa LitRPG)

2.09 First Date in a Fantasy World

Delta ate like a woman who didn't care an iota about what people thought of her, and while Zoey respected the impervious assuredness, her table manners were really something. And not in a good way. Her napkin was more red-sauce than napkin. She hadn't even cleaned it all from her mouth. Zoey would say she 'missed a spot', but that didn't quite do things justice.

"So," Delta said. "How am I supposed to get to know you, when you've forgotten everything?"

"Good question."

"Tell you what. Let's do some roleplaying. Make up answers that you think would fit."

"Uh," Zoey said.

Zoey had always been a person who handled herself well—it would be arrogant to say confident and charismatic, but a little bit, yeah, was how she viewed herself—but Delta's total irreverence surpassed even Zoey's; here was a woman who could walk into a royal banquet, toss her shoes off, collapse into the front seat, and whine about the food not being ready. Even if she hadn't been invited. Especially if she hadn't.

If Zoey condensed it down into a line—she didn't give a shit. About anything. Social-related, at least. She cared about her career. Driven, in the same way as Rosalie, but ... different. If that made sense. There was a reason Rosalie had taken interest in her; a reason Delta had cleared the very high hurdles Rosalie had set.

"Okay, sure," Zoey said. "Ask away?" The date was, at least, not awkward. Zoey didn't think any event could be awkward for Delta. That implied caring enough about whether things were a disaster, and she definitely did not.

"What do you do in your free time?"

Zoey blinked. "Uh," she said, buying herself a second. She could make up answers here, but this one was actually straightforward, and not foggied by Ephy's carving-out of her memories. She didn't have to lie. "I guess, hang out. Shoot the shit. I was kind of useless growing up. Always failing classes, getting in trouble. I like being around people. Sometimes I wish I had real hobbies. Something impressive, like an instrument, or an art. Instead, I'm just good at talking to people. And is that a skill? Or hobby? Not really."

Delta nodded along. "Yeah, that fits. Cute."

'Fits'. She thought Zoey was making things up. Probably better that way. "You?" Zoey asked.

"Explore," Delta said. "Experience new things. I don't have hobbies. That implies doing the same thing, and that's the opposite of what I want. Anything fresh, that gets my heart pumping."

"Is that why you became a Wayfarer? For the experiences?"

"More or less," Delta said. "But also 'cuz it pays the bills. My dad broke his spine working his construction job, and medical bills aren't covering it. So it's up to me."

The nonchalant, sudden insertion of such a serious topic had Zoey scrambling for an answer. "Oh. That's—you're very—"

"Don't be weird about it," Delta said. "It's a sob story. Everyone has one. I don't like tip-toeing. We're getting to know each other."

And Zoey was. "Hopefully we can make a difference for him. Rosalie sets a fast pace."

"That's the goal." Delta shrugged. "Already planned to be a Wayfarer, but that set a fire under my ass."

"I bet." It felt like an inappropriate response. Too small.

"How'd you end up like this?" Delta asked. "Your situation, I mean."

For a second, Zoey forgot she was supposed to be inventing answers. 'Roleplaying'. So she almost said, 'No clue'.

Instead, after a second's hesitation, she said, "A perverted goddess tore me between dimensions and tasked me to save the world."