Prompt: A single word started it all

A single word started it all. 

"Howdy!" came a cheery voice from behind the shop's counter. Cleo didn't care to look and see it's owner, after all, she was just passing through today. Sea breeze wafted in from one of the building's open windows, and all Cleo could think of was how much she wanted to get back out on her ship.

The last thing on her mind was holding a conversation with some stranger, especially in an unfamiliar place like this strange, homely village.

Of course, it didn't take her long to realize that this seemingly happy stranger had much more to say. A million words, and she was the newest victim of this shopkeeper's excessive chatter. How many visitors did this town usually get, even?

Morning people were one of this world's strangest breeds.

"I don't think I recognize you, actually, are you from anywhere nearby?" he asked, pausing.

"Nah." came Cleo's simple response. She rummaged the shelves for some basic supplies and food, but book titles and covers kept grabbing her attention.

The man was wearing a blue t-shirt with an @ symbol, one step away from being the most basic of human attire... at least, that's what she remembered.

It had been a while since Cleo had talked to a "normal" human, after all.

"Well, welcome to Hermitcraft! You can call me Joe." he paused, reading her like one of the many books scattered across the shelves. "You seem like the kind of person who would enjoy mystery, maybe historical fiction?" he guessed.

"Historical fiction and mystery, I heard that correctly? How did you know?" Cleo asked, shocked and gaining more interest each second.

"Yep! So I actually got it right?" the guy called Joe exclaimed, shooting a smile. "I usually just embarrass myself."

Cleo giggled. "Well maybe you had a stroke of luck. You can call me Cleo."

"Nice to meet you, Cleo! As I asked earlier, you're new here right? Do you want me to show you around?"

Cleo paused for a moment, then deciding to humor him. "Sure, why not?" Joe beamed. "Alright, follow me!"

Joe pulled Cleo out the bookstore, who rolled her eyes but smiled as he led her through the town, pointing at different buildings and explaining what each was.

She paused for a moment, staring at a few very, very unstable looking houses, practically towering over them. "What's that?" She asked, breath catching at the sight. "Oh, those are just False's, Xb's, Mumbo's and TFC's houses."

"..That doesn't look very stable." She pointed out. "Or practical." Joe snickered. "Yeah.. you're gonna have to get used to them. They held a contest of who could make the best house— keep in mind that most of them have little to no building experience."

Although their houses were kinda rickety and unpractical, she had to admit it was impressive.

"Wow." Cleo exhaled, then letting Joe pull her to the next destination.

Their enthusiastic conversations and exploration carried on until the sun started to set, and Cleo realized she should get back to her base before mobs started to creep in.

She waved goodbye and walked off, a smile on her face that she couldn't wipe away. Who knew someone could be so interesting to talk to? Talking to him was fun, and his speaking manner was difficult to follow but intriguing.

Cleo navigated the streets of Hermitcraft as the shadows started washing over the many buildings and bases. It was quite easy to get lost, but she managed. Joe's explanations of the area were detailed, and she found it much easier to work her way around the server than before.

Today she'd had more fun than she'd had in forever- all from a single encounter. Sparked from a single word. That one word. That one single word led to one beautiful friendship, one that no amount of words could describe.

Score: 8.5