Sarilla, a seasoned goblin thief, had never believed in the concept of love. She lived for herself and her survival; she didn't have the time or inclination to be concerned about the feelings of others.
But Korgad made her see things differently. He saw into the very depths of her soul, the twisted heart hidden away at her core; every time they went out adventuring she saw how cold she could be, yet he stuck with her. He was kind when she knew one should be were cruel; generous when others weren't; honorable when surrounded by cowards and liars; and respectful of her intelligence despite having the power to betray and overwhelm her with a simple word or strike. Korgad made it clear that he was deeply concerned about her well-being... and as a result Sarilla desired nothing more than to be near him. But would he feel that way about a lowly goblin like her? And—if he did—did those feelings indicate that he loved her?
Over the course of their time together Sarilla was plagued by such thoughts; constantly worried about whether he pitied her or felt something more serious. As far as she knew, no words exchanged between them indicated romantic desire or passion—at least not yet. What Sarilla hoped for was that things would change soon. For the sake of her sanity.
"Sarilla? You appear to be preoccupied with something," Korgad observed from beside her.
When she heard his voice, the thief snapped out of her reverie. "Nah! "Not much," she said dismissively. "I was just thinking."
Korgad regarded her with suspicion, but remained silent and moved past her. Before leaving, he turned around, gently grabbed her wrist, looked her in the eyes, and added a single line of words that sent shivers down her spine. "I'm here for you, Sarilla. Always." As he let go of her hand, she felt her cheeks flush slightly. Long after he'd walked away, the warmth of his touch lingered. Even now, hours later, the memory lingered in her mind. For some reason, it also brought up images of him naked, which made her blush even more. "I'll set up the tent, should be ready before nightfall."
As he left, she couldn't help but curse under her breath, "G-God, damn it!"
But it wasn't until much later that night, when Sarilla was alone in her tent, unable to sleep, that the thought occurred to her: Would someone like Korgad feel this way about a lowly goblin like her?
The mere thought of opening up to Korgad terrified Sarilla. She was, after all, a thief. She had no qualms about stealing from people, and had done so numerous times before. Not only that, but she had no qualms about doing what she needed to survive, and she had no qualms about inflicting harm on others in order to achieve her goals. That's why she had no problem robbing a human merchant of all the money in his purse, or stealing a pouch full of gold from a noble who hadn't bothered to hide it. She had no qualms about taking whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
Korgad, on the other hand, was unique. He had a gentle smile and a kind, caring demeanor, entirely incapable of hurting anyone. He seemed to care about her, and she wanted to care about him back, she just didn't think she deserved his affections. Or the affections of anyone, for that matter.
Instead, rather than go with an all out confession, she decided to take test the waters with some—definitely platonic—bonding. Slinking out of her tent, she saw him by the campfire, and moved to him, choosing to sit on a nearby overturned log. He was perched on a tree stump, deep into a spellbook.
"Hey, Korgad? Can we talk for a bit, maybe? About something personal."
He smiled as he looked over at her, setting a mark with the velvet strip and closing the book. She felt her heart begin to beat faster. "I'm talking about love, you know. And other things."
Korgad blinked, smile fading. Taking a deep breath, he nodded slowly, signalling her to go ahead with her line of questioning. "Okay." He knew this conversation was important. Setting aside his book, he turned to fully face her.
Sarilla sat, tense, steeling herself for her next words. "Have you ever thought about... goblin women?" she asked. It was difficult to say such a thing out loud, let alone within his presence.
The human wizard frowned. "Goblin females? In what way?"
"Like... if there were a woman l-like me somewhere in your kingdom," she took a deep breath, held it for a second, and continued. "Would you ever think of her with... romantic interest?"
His face showed no obvious emotion. She shifted uncomfortably on the log opposite and waited for him to speak. After a few moments, however, he simply nodded his head. "Of course."
The thief breathed a sigh of relief; even though she'd asked quite the specific question, she honestly had no idea what Korgad would say to it. "Thank goodness," she sighed. "That makes me feel a lot better." Her irises narrowed at her words. She started again, "I-I mean, it relieves me that you don't have any hate for goblins!"
Korgad's tone was gentle, almost worried. "What would lead you to believe I despise them?"
"Well, nothing really. I always assumed you didn't." She considered telling him her true fears for a moment, then promptly regained sense. "You're not the type of person to go around beating up people just because they are different, right? Even if that's what most humans do to other races."
He grimaced. "Humans can be quite cruel towards others in certain circumstances. But as far as I'm aware, I don't hate goblins."
Good. Sarilla smiled—that made this next part much easier. "Alright then. If you don't hate goblins... cuddle me."