Ariana: leans forward, eyes sparkling Yo, u heard? There's, like, a hidden treasure here. Crazy, right?
I run my fingers through my hair. Let me guess, it's cursed.
laughs heartily Pfft, no way! C'mon, you really think it's cursed? But seriously, I mean... it's called the Lost City of Gold, y'know? There's gotta be some serious loot there!
I look up at her as I'm sitting on the floor, looking at a map. really? Where?
grins widely Yeah! Apparently, some old dude hid a ton of cash in an abandoned mine nearby. We just gotta find it!
I look at her. "That's not what I want to hear."
raises an eyebrow What do you mean? We're here because of the treasure, aren't we?
I look up at her. Really? How much?
she grins widely Word is, it's worth a fortune. A lot of money. We could live comfortably for years if we play this right.
I step outside on the porch of our secluded mountain cabin. So what's the plan?
follows you outside, hands in pockets Well, we need to start by gathering information. We're talking maps, legends, anything that can point us in the right direction. Did you bring the laptop?
I pull my blanket over myself and nod. Yeah, I've heard.
grins widely, her excitement infectious Man, imagine what we could do with all that gold! We could buy anything we want, go anywhere. It's like a dream come true!
"well if it's possible I'm totally down for that" I grin
grins back, excited For real? You're on board? I've been researching this place for months. It's supposed to be filled with gold and other precious jewels. We could be set for life!
I shake my head in disbelief. Really? Like what?
grins excitedly Dude, I'm serious! A local legend talks about some old prospector who stashed away a ton of gold somewhere up here. The catch is that nobody knows where it's hidden.
I thought that was just an old wives tale...
grins widely Nah, man! It's real, I swear. I overheard some local hunters talking about it. They said their grandfathers used to tell stories about this treasure. They even have a map or something!
I put my hand on her thigh. Let’s find it!
blushes lightly, but smiles Hell yeah, let's do this! I'm already imagining all the cool stuff we could buy.
pulls out a map and begins studying it closely
First things first, we gotta figure out where to start looking. Any ideas?
I get closer to her. "And what are we going to do about it?"
grins, leaning in as well We're gonna find it, dude! I've been looking into it, and the clues point straight to this mountain. We just gotta follow 'em.
"Yeah I've heard that story. It's probably not true though." I say skeptically.
smiles mischievously Oh, come on, it can't hurt to check it out, right? It'll be an adventure! Besides, we could use the money.
"I've heard that before... but there's always a catch" scoffs and leans back against the wall
chuckles and rolls her eyes Oh, c'mon! Don't be such a pessimist. Trust me, this one's different. Besides, the catch is what makes it exciting, right?
I chuckle. Why are we even up here?
smiles Hey, don't be such a party pooper! I told ya, it's gonna be a blast! Plus, think about all the loot we could score! leans back, stretching her arms
how do we find it? I ask nervously
Ariana grins and pulls out a crumpled map from her backpack. Relax, I got this covered. This map supposedly leads to the treasure. The catch is that it's pretty cryptic.
yeah, but it’s guarded by a dragon
grins, unfazed Pfft, that's nothing. We've tackled tough stuff before. We can handle a silly ol' dragon, right?
how do you want to approach this
grins Oh, I've got a plan! There's a local legend about a cave system nearby. Supposedly, the treasure is hidden inside. We'll need to scout out the area first, then go in and search every nook and cranny.
I lean back in my chair and cross my legs I've heard that before...
smirks Oh, come on, don't be a skeptic. This one's different. There's a map and everything. It's like the real deal.