Villager Colby

"I actually need your help with something else." Colby couldn't meet your gaze.

"I...want to know what Ker thinks of me. She lives near the village head's house."

"Since you're not even afraid of wolves, this shouldn't be a big deal for you, right?"

"How can I get Ker to like me? Maybe I could wear a fancy hat. Girls like fancy hats, right? Especially with feathers in the brim?" Colby gulped, nervous.

"Or maybe I could get a boombox and hold it up outside her window..."

"What did Ker say?" Colby asked eagerly.

"Oh. She likes macho guys. Okay, okay, that's fine. I guess the feathered hat is probably out, then." Colby scratched his head, puzzled.

"So, what else is manly?!"

"I even fought with Goblin Soldiers in the southeast!"

"But, um, they knocked me out and stole my weapons." Colby blushed, embarrased.

"Could you find my weapons? I'd like to help you, but I don't have any gear, and besides, those Goblins didn't seem to like me the first time around."

"You can find Goblin Soldiers near the moss-covered rocks in the southeast."

"If Ker sees how masterfully I hold weapons, she's sure to fall in love with me," commented Colby in a way that made it seem like he was just trying to convince himself.

"Did you bring back my weapons?"

"This is it! Looks powerful, doesn't it?" Colby weighed the weapon in his hand.

"I don't know why, but I'm still just so scared." He hung his head.

"Maybe primitive alchemy can solve my woes."

"Have you heard of the secret medicine, soup of heroes?"

"They say that near the moss-covered rocks in the southeast, Goblins concoct a secret medicine that makes its drinker stalwart and macho."

"They keep it locked away in a safe. Could you get me a bottle of it?"

"I don't know if soup of heroes tastes good or not. I bet it tastes macho, like salty sweat and firewood and cheap cologne. Actually, that sounds pretty disgusting. I hope it tastes like peppermint candies."

"Once I get it, I'll share it with you."

"This is the soup of heroes? Fantastic!" Colby held the secret medicine high above his head, gleeful.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"After I drink it, I will confess my love to Ker. I can't wait to be a macho, macho man. I've got to be a macho man!"

I wonder what Ker likes? pondered Colby, lovelorn.

You really want to give me this book? Colby was already completely absorbed in it. It was as though he was drowning, and the book was a piece of driftwood to which he could clutch.

Colby read the book, disappeared for a while, and then returned.

"I chatted with Ker. I tried to 'peacock' like the book said," Colby explained, preening a bit.

"She kept talking about a pair of Secret Initiate's Trousers. I'd love to get them for her. Unfortunately, I don't have enough cash; I spent it all on something else I assumed she'd like."

"Can you help me? I'm willing to work out a sweet trade!"

"If I'd read this book a little earlier, I would have worked up the courage to talk to her sooner. I wouldn't have picked out this really expensive gift if I'd known she'd prefer something else."

"The book says it's better to give the right gift rather than an expensive one, though," Colby said.

"Ker's going to love this."

"She's really fond of this style," Colby mentioned, admiring the pair of Secret Initiate's Trousers you gave him.

You explained the reason for your visit to Colby.

"Mature love? What does that mean?"

"What, are you saying I'm not mature? Huh? Huh? I'll mature your face!" Colby balled his fists.

Colby read the letter carefully.

"You want to learn the meaning of mature love? Well, um, I try to run into Ker wherever I can. I know her schedule, so I just try to be where she is and 'accidentally' bump into her." He considered for a moment.

"Okay, so maybe that's not mature at all. If I were mature, I'd just come out and tell her how I feel."

You smiled as you realized that Colby was beginning to understand mature love, and so were you.

"Whenever I hear the sound of wolves outside the village, I cannot help but shiver."

"Here they go again! It chills your blood, doesn't it?"

"Drive away the wolves?" Colby looked around nervously.

"Actually, I'm not afraid of wolves at all. I just, um, have a stomachache today. Yeah, that's it." Colby rubbed his belly.

"Shouldn't have eaten that bean burrito," Colby announced.