I rotate the ring on my finger, smiling down at it as the metal glints, the small purple gemstone winking and throwing facets of light forth. Dana never moves far from me, her eyes occasionally gncing my way. I don’t even need to look to be intensely aware of exactly where she is. Ulged’s set out a series of small gsses and several bottles containing a clear amber fluid. Dana picks one up quizzically, swilling the bottle and watching the light shine through the contents. Then, she sets down the bottle and uncorks it, her eyes narrowed.
The hairy smith grins at her as she pours into a gss. Raising it to her nose, she sniffs, and then stares at him. Slowly, my… my wife-to-be! Tips the gss to her full red lips. She drains the gss slowly, her eyes widening further and further, before she finishes.
“What… th’ hell kinda man are ye?! How’d ye have any business making something this good?!”
Ulged’s cackling ugh reaches the ceiling as he thumps his chest.
“A bit o’ a multi-talented knuckleheid, ssie! All th’ skills I’ve got in this game, I c’n replicate in the real world, too! Brewin’s one o’ mah hobbies, and the results speak fer themselves!”
I step up, gently wrapping one arm around her waist. “What’s this, love?”
Dana leans her weight against me slightly. She murmurs, “That furry fecker’s only gone an’ produced some o’ the best mead I’ve tasted in my LIFE. That is some dangerous liquor, ya hairy git!”
She trails off into a mix of English and incomprehensible Gaelic, almost ranting. “Malcht mo chait ort! Ye’ve a face like a jockey’s bollocks, ya shitehawk! Uach sé chapall de chré na h-úire ort! Mulch do chinn fút! I hope ye die roarin' like Doran's ass! May the divil take your st shilling!”
Ulged’s ughter only redoubles, and I blink. “I have no idea what any of that means, but she doesn’t sound angry? I think she’s just having trouble processing things. May I try it?”
“Help yersel’, ssie! ‘Tis fer your engagement, after all!”
I take up a gss filled with golden liquid, and inhale deeply. The smell of honey and other, strange scents mingle, and I sip. Sweetness bursts forth, flowing down my throat, with hints of caramel, salt and lemon all harmonizing as one. I sigh, savouring the unique experience. All too soon, I find my gss is empty. That doesn’t seem right; I could’ve sworn it was full a second ago.
Dana stops me as I reach for the bottle. “Slow down, my heart. Ye’ve drank three gsses already, an’ that’s stronger than ye might think.”
I blink owlishly up at her. Then, I reach up and poke her in the nose. “Boop!”
She kisses my palm. “Ah, shite. Ye’re already sauced, loverling. Let’s get ye sat down and get some water in ye, aye?”
I purr, “Mmmmm, nope! I wanna dance with you, Dana!”
I can see my wife’s eyes fill with amusement. “As fun as that would be, I have a feeling that Ulged maaay not like it if’n I let you break something. We can dance when ye’re not swaying like a ship at sea!”
I pout. “Awww, no fun! Well, if you won’t let me daaance, I’ll just have to amuse myself in other ways!” I tease, before leaning up on tippy-toes to kiss her. She’s a little caught off-guard, but reciprocates eagerly, her hands on my hips as she guides me to a bench. Breaking the kiss, she ughs breathlessly.
“Ye’re so much more open and affectionate, love! An’ all it took was for ye t’get three sheets t’ the wind!”
I flop into my new wife’s arms as she settles us both on a bench, booping her nose again. “Heheheheh, you’re so cute. And beautiful… cute-iful? Anyway, that’s what you are….” I yawn, feeling a wave of drowsiness sneak up on me from out of nowhere. Dana gently runs her hand through my hair, and I rex into her, almost purring like a contented cat…
When I wake, I’m lying with my head on Dana’s p with the taste of cotton on my tongue. She’s asleep sitting upright, her back against the wall, a bnket around her shoulders as my wings act the same for me. There’s no sign of the other guests of our little impromptu engagement party. I sit up, yawning, but, despite my lightweight nature, I don’t have a hangover. There’s some food set out for us, covered in a cloche dome to keep it fresh, and I kiss Dana on the cheek.
“C’mon, Dana. Wakey-wakey. Breakfast!”
She wraps her arms around me as she opens her eyes. “Perfect! Good morning, wife o’ mine?”
I blush and snuggle into her embrace. “Good morning, Dana… um… I have a question. How are we gonna py DnD while I’m, well… here, and you guys are in hiding?”
Dana grins. “Your dad got permission to send you a link to a private hub-server. He’s been busy converting everything to WDTN-formatted content so we can py that way!”
I blink, as Dana carts me over to a seat and we start eating. After breakfast, she hands over the link and I save it to my private profile. Then, she logs out. I log out as well, and spend an hour or two in the library in the clinic’s hub-server.
Once I’ve rexed for a bit, I head to one of the private-hub-server linkage rooms with a built-in data-scrambler. I paste the copy of the link into the server’s door-access pad, before waiting until the light above the door turns green. Once the light indicates the connection is live, I step in, and the doorway vanishes on both sides, giving me total privacy. It can only be opened from the inside, preventing anyone from breaking in without having the designated link.
I find myself in an exact replica of the den back home, the room id out exactly as it is in the meatspace, chairs and everything, a perfect digital recreation. I sit down, smiling up at the people around me. They’re all there, even Houseworth, although I shouldn’t be surprised. He IS a Bound A.I, after all.
Dad grins up at me, bounding out of his seat to wrap me in a fatherly embrace, followed by my mum. “Congratutions again on your engagement, dear. Don’t worry, we’ll be waiting till everything’s settled down to get you in a wedding dress!”
I hold them close, blushing as Houseworth and Jeffrey grin at me, while Dana lounges in her chair, smirking pyfully at me, a matching ring to mine on her finger as she waves at me, an emerald glinting softly.
There’s an empty seat next to hers, and I slip into it, my character sheet for our DnD campaign appearing in front of me. I can interact with it, and I pick it up, refreshing myself on where we’d left off with some of the notes we’ve all taken….
MEANWHILE, BACK IN AEGIS ONLINE…..
Morrigan… was bored. And a little lonely. Without the Guildmaster and her Vice-captain around, there’s nothing to do. She’d tried helping in the galley, but Mackerel had gotten cross when her wings had knocked a rack of saucepans over. The hold is neatly-organised by the Dwarves, Ungo and Bungo, while Grungo’s been running the numbers and working out how much the monster parts and loot items will fetch.
Tirran and Farne are sleeping. Powering the Devil Hunter costs a lot of energy, so they basically hibernate when not on duty. Now that the airship’s at rest, they’re on leisure time, and are making up the difference in their sleep schedules as much as possible.
Passing by Asteria’s cabin, Mor’s sharp eyes catch a glimmer of something green and shiny, glowing softly. A spiral-shaped gemstone. Picking it up, Mor idly swoops it through the air, mimicking a flight-pattern.
“Haaah… I wish I could see Duchess Dorothea and Mr. Ulged and all the others… I’m bored without them around… I bet Mr. Ulged’s shop has loads of fun things to see… What was it called, ‘Bloodbath & Beyond’-?”
The world wobbles, and Morrigan blinks.
“Hweh?? Wait… Why am I in Vassim????”
Asteria’s cabin aboard the Devil Hunter has vanished, and Morrigan looks from side to side, then down at the gemstone in her hands. The glow has dimmed slightly, and she gasps.
“This is that magic rock that takes you pces! The one that Guildmaster Kettrin and her partner always use! Wow! So cool!”
Tucking it securely into her tunic, Morrigan hops upward, taking off as she scans the ndscape. “So, Mr. Ulged’s shop is there, but Duchess Trevalli’s estate is… that way! Wheee!”
The warm, midsummer air carries the red-winged Onna-Bugeisha-in-training aloft, soaring over rooftops and streets as her cropped, dark hair flutters in the breeze.
Alighting on the front stoop, Mor’s knuckles rap loudly on the door as she hops from foot to foot, furling her wings as she waits.
“Hello, who is it?” Dorothea’s voice calls, as the Duchess’ incorporeal head emerges through the dark-varnished wood. Her face lights up as she breaks into a welcoming smile.
“Ah, Ms. Morrigan! Please, come in, come in! It’s lovely to see you!”
The door opens, thanks to Dorothea’s telekinesis, and Mor scampers inside. There are signs of life here, a far cry from how empty and desote it had been for so long. Out of habit, Mor tries to hug the little ghost, and something… unexpected… happens.
“Wah! Ms. Morrigan, please be careful! You’ll go right through me-!”
Dorothea’s eyes blink. Then, she looks around. There’s no sign of the young Argonaut anywhere. Then, the Duchess notices something odd. The air feels… warmer. That in turn sets off a whole host of other sensations, from an itch at the corner of her nose, to the tickle of her hair brushing the nape of her neck, to the weight of some contraption on her back. Turning slowly, Dorothea gazes into one of the mirrors, an elegant one in a gold frame, hanging next to the great doors. Morrigan’s staring back at her.
Raising one hand, Dorothea watches as the reflection of Morrigan does the exact same thing. “What… The…? Did I… possess my friend?! By the Lords, ith thith my thongue? It’th tho… weird! I can tathte the inthide off muh moufth!”
Dorothea squeaks as Morrigan’s voice fills her mind. It seems as though the Skyborne wasn’t evicted from her body, but simply took a back-seat, as Dorothea, with the winged youth’s permission, experiments with having a physical body again after a century of ghostliness.
It was in the middle of stretching and jumping around, that another knock came from the door. Without thinking, Dorothea sticks her head through the wood to see who’s on the other side. Or, at least, TRIES to.
BONK!
“Ow!
As she pokes the rapidly-forming goose-egg on ‘her’ forehead, Dorothea draws a giggling,
Out on the front stoop is a familiar hairy figure, with a huge crate behind him.
“Guid day, Mor. Is the Duchess aroond?”
Dorothea looks up at the huge Gnoll. “I’m right here?”
Ulged tilts his head. “Verra funny, ssie, but ye’re no’ a cute wee ghostie, are ye?”
Dorothea sighs. “No, I mean, I’m HERE. Ms. Morrigan came to visit, and tried to hug me, and I sort of… Ended up…. Possessing her?”
Ulged sighs. “Alright. Lemme see. Mah apologies if this stings, midy!”
Ulged reaches for his belt, snaps the neck off a small bottle, and tips the contents over the fused entity before him. With a fizzling noise and a fsh of light, Dorothea is catapulted out of Morrigan’s body and through the wall with an “Eep!”
Morrigan blinks, holy water dripping off her nose, as she stares up at the imposing bcksmith. “Huh? Whoa… I’m back in control!”
Dorothea pokes her head through the wall. “I’m okay! And that didn’t hurt, master Ulged! But how did you know that would work??”
The Gnoll chuckles. “Oh, I didn’t! I jest thought it was worth a shot!”