Girlfriend for a Day

Job:

Titania knew not of the man she’d be pretending to court. Clover was a small town, with an even smaller job board, so it shouldn’t have been too hard. There weren’t any schools, so she ruled out having to date someone very much younger than her. Given the population of Clover, it was most likely somebody in the twenties to fifties. Even if it was one of the older variety, she’d have to suck it up and learn how to cope. Besides, it’s not like she’d actually feel attraction in the first place. This job was her first one, and she was quite excited to get a move on.

Clover was a relatively small town, with barely any buildings exceeding two storeys. It was refreshing, in a way. Titania stood at the edge of town, flying in hand, the wind distorting and crumpling the paper with the job details. She was walking down the road from the train station, and the sun was heating up her skin nicely. In the distance, The roads were paved with neat yet fancy looking white stone, one that reflected the brilliant sun just enough to remind everyone of the current season. White fluffy clouds danced on the sky, casting shade over the forested hills surrounding the quaint little retirement village.

Now the most difficult part would be finding the person who the scrap of paper belonged to. Titania had absolutely no idea how she’d figure out, so she sat down on the curb. Taking a moment for herself, she let her lungs fill themselves with the fresh air. It smelled absolutely delightful in this place, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if the air was filled with some kind of sedative. Normally she was tired, but that was kinda different than the mellow and relaxed feeling that seemed to seep from everything. If the hard stone wasn’t currently the main passage and road of the settlement, she’d most likely be sleeping right in the middle of it.

A half an hour passed of her staring up at the clouds and sitting down on the curb. Her legs were stretched out onto the road, but no cars were passing. She probably had fallen asleep at some point, but the memory was lost in her twilight of wakefulness. It would have probably been a good idea for her to get up and resume looking for the man, so she finally woke from her trance and stretched her arms. A long bellowing yawns was let out of her gaping mouth as she stretched, disturbing the once quiet city. She held her perfectly manicured hands over her mouth as she realized how loud she had really been.

Titania’s elf-like ears perked up at the sound of somebody approaching. It was a man roughly the same height as her, but muscled and well toned. She couldn’t place his image, but he felt familiar in an odd sort of way. Atop his head was a mop of bright blonde hair, it was curled and slightly drooped down over his face. Along his well defined jawline was a sparsity of blonde stublle that complimented his full smile greatly. While she felt no attraction to him, the handsome man was certainly conventionally attractive by modern standards. It made her blush for an unknown reason, but she had no intention of trying to hide it.

“Hello. From that cute little get-up you’re wearing, I’m assuming you’re the mage I have contracted.”

Titania nodded, blush fading as she entered her mode of compartmentalization and professionalism. It was odd, because the fairy girl had never considered her outfit to be cute or attractive in any sense other than the fact that it revealed more of her body than deemed appropriate by Earthlandian social etiquette. At first, she believed it to be the quality of the clothing she worn, but soon came to realize it was her own fault. It made her feel powerful, to know how much power society deemed she held over men. It was interesting to read history books on the past of women’s rights and their fight for equality. Thankfully, she had never experienced that problem in Lacheln because she had always been the leader. Gender wasn’t really a thing in the Arcane River, but instead, impressions of knowledge from Earthland.

“Yes. I am Titania and will be aiding you in the deceit of your…………….. Parents.”

Titania took a moment, pausing to yawn. Thankfully, due to their nap, she felt just a bit less tired.

“Excuse me…………. I’m just a bit tired. Now, where is the house we will be attending tonight?”

The attractive man lead her down the main road. Near the end, was an alley that acted as a shortcut into a smaller suburban area. Similar to her state of wakefullness, twilight was descending upon the town, making the multiple water fixtures glisten in the fading sunlight. Suddenly, the man grabbed her hand. Startled, Titania almost grabbed it away, but managed to keep it there.

“Oh sorry, I just want this to be believable.”

Thankfully, the fairy was a good liar. She plastered a fake joyous expression on her face and skipped slowly towards the house that had been pointed out to her. It looked chic and welcoming, decorated with balloons and streamers for whatever celebration this one was going to be. An old woman peeked out around from a set of green curtains. Her hands were bumpy and distorted by arthritis, but waved nonetheless. It was an excited and hyper motion, one commonly seen by happy and proud parents. It was cute, enough for her to smile. Titania snuck a glance at the man who had hired her, he was smiling widely.

Even though the couple was a measly ten meters away from the frosted glass door, both could see the mother peeking out from it. Moments later, she opened the door and squealed motioning for them to enter with haste.

“Come on now, me darlins, can’t let the heat out now can we?”

Titania’s boots clicked against the wood of the patio, creating a calming rhythmic beat. She gripped his hand and smiled kindly at the woman, hoping she was buying it.

“It was very nice for you to…. Invite us to dinner.”

Stepping over the threshold, Titania marveled at the home decor.

The house had been decorated festively for the current holiday. Titania was very familiar with the traditions of this special day, as Lacheln had taken after numerous qualities of it. In reality, experiencing it up close, was a lot different that having just the knowledge of the traditions and practices. Soft music was playing in the background, loud enough to be heard but soft enough as to not be a bother. The singer was a soft and smooth man’s voice, one that sounded charming with tones and octaves that made her just a tad bit sleepier. If it wasn’t for her current mission or job, she would have gladly taken a nap right then and there on the green plaid couch.

As Titania was familiar with the holiday, the meal of turkey and dressing was not a surprise to her. Instead, she welcomed the meal, excited to eat once more. Ever since arriving, she adored the process of tasting food and the satisfaction of no longer being hungry. The fairy girl eyed the approaching platter of turkey as her mouth watered.

“You look hungry, my dear. My little Joseph here didn’t even bother to tell me your name. Although, hearing the two of you talk, I think I picked it up somewhere. Titania, was it? You’re some pretty, now I’m surprised that the ugly little fella who’s me son had the nerve to snag a dame like yourself.”

Smiling, titania nodded and thanked the mother for her kindness. Joseph, the man who had contracted her, was blushing like mad.”

The meal looked better than it tasted. The meat was dry and stuffing, gummy. She laid on the part of being a girlfriend thickly, hopefully enough to detract from the fact that she despised the food. Instead of savoring the taste, she cut it up into small pieces on her plate, small enough to be swallowed like a pill with food. This method made her the last one eating, but she was fine with that. Normally, she’d have been the first one finished. When dessert was offered to her, Titania declined respectfully, claiming her falsely full stomach to be the cause. If the main dish was this bad, the dessert probably couldn’t be any better.

The two stood under the moonlight as the man thanked her for her duties. The facade had been successful, enough so that she was invited back over any time she wished. Titania probably wouldn’t wish to come, but she ensured Joseph that she could return if he ever wished to hire her again. He was happy at this, and scratched at his scalp in search of a proper thanks.

“I think you’re meaning to pay me…… Haha, I’m only half joking. I get the sentiment.”

He smiled wider at this, fumbling around in his pockets for the sack of jewels he remembered taking from his home. The red velvet pouch was passed to Titania, but she didn’t bother disrespecting him by counting the amount. Instead, she watched the man re-enter the home, probably going to stay over night.

She didn’t bother counting because she was happy enough to have her first job completed in the first place.