The party trekked down the shallow-side of the clifftop and up into the foothills of a nearby mountain. Ghosts of smoke and ash rose in the air behind them, but the ground-winds rarely reached this high up.

  Faced with another low cliff, Merijest again ferried her [Familiars] one-by-one. Still, rather than holding on, Thesa floundered, this time in view of Witmie and Durn. She knew there would come teasing later.

  In a cave (this one more properly a cave than the prior), they made camp. For the first time in days, Merijest was well enough to place protective hexes on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Thesa looked over Yabba’s wooden torso in search of warp or singe.

  Durn, who sat beside the fire crocheting, looked up. “So, Thesa,” she chuckled. “Leaving room for Beautuk?”

  “I just want to respect Merijest's personal space,” Thesa seethed.

  “A worthy goal,” Durn replied, “but a little bunny told me that Merijest specifically volunteered the option for you to hold on.”

  “That's me!” said a voice from inside Durn's tent. Seconds later, Witmie popped her head out of the tent. “I'm the little bunny!”

  “Maybe I just didn't want to,” Thesa protested.

  “That's your prerogative,” Witmie shrugged as she sat in front of Durn, leaning back to playfully disrupt the half-dwarf's work. “But I think you're lying. And you better not get jealous of Durn and me when she lifts us up and we hold on.”

  The [Sorcerer] quickly got the implication of her girlfriend's body language. She lifted her arms for Witmie to scooch closer. Durn's arms snaked around Witmie's torso and she resumed crocheting.

  “Aren't you guys, like, totally together now?” Durn asked.

  “Well, not exactly,” Thesa explained. “I mean, sure we kissed, but we both thought we were going to die so maybe it didn't mean anything. Wrapping my legs around her might be…presumptuous.”

  Witmie and Durn rolled their eyes in unison.

  To Witmie, Durn said, “sweetie, this position is not very comfortable for me.”

  Realizing she was sort of crushing Durn’s folded legs and just generally in the way, Witmie said, “sorry, babe,” and moved to sit alongside her girlfriend.

  “See that?” Durn said, turning to Thesa. “If she changes her mind, she can tell you and you can adjust accordingly.”

  Thesa could tell this was one of those hang-ups that didn’t make a lot of sense said-aloud. How close was too close with Merijest? Wasn’t it just a matter of safety? Shouldn’t it be nothing strange to wrap her arms around the demoness’s soft, feathered shoulders? To wrap her legs around Merijest’s hips? Thesa started to feel woozy and sighed. Perhaps she was simply afraid she would like it too much. What if I want too much from her? She wondered.

  “We’ll need to stop at another settlement sooner than later,” Witmie said, changing the subject, to Thesa’s relief. “That manic flight re-depleted our resources and we’re already near the limits of that map I bought.”

  Merijest returned from hexing. Her tail flicked behind her. “I think I know where we are,” she said and took a seat beside Thesa. She reached a clawed hand around her [Witch]’s shoulder and began playfully poking a claw in the gap between two pieces of metal. The sharpness tapped harmlessly. “I haven't been this far northeast in a long time…” she trailed off, her mind still emerging from the allergy fuzz.

  Thesa’s eyes widened and not only because of the playful prodding. “Didn't that encyclopedia Lelly found say you grew up in northeastern ItherBeau? Was that close by?”

  Merijest nodded. “I was raised in a village nearby.”

  “It’s hard to imagine you following someone else’s rules,” Witmie said.

  “Wait, so that means we’re really close?” Thesa said, now concerned for Merijest. “Do you need anything?”

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  Merijest smiled. “I’ll be fine, kitten. It was a lifetime ago. Not to mention some of my earliest exploits as a [High Devil] took place in this part of ItherBeau. I destroyed a sacred statue and built up my undead army.” She continued, “What matters to us now is that I think I know the location of a settlement just a few days north of here. It’s a junction for mountain travel. One last chance to stock up before truly braving the slopes.”

  ***

  That night, half-asleep and shaking, Thesa dreamt the smell of blood. The sensation of the stiff ground never left even as she felt herself suspended in a nebulous darkness. Silent bursts of lightning struck closer and closer. She woke up to Merijest’s cold hand on her forehead.

  “Thesa, are you ok?” Merijest asked.

  Thesa’s heart pounded as if she were in immediate danger. “I’m…not sure.”

  Merijest put her other hand on the back of Thesa’s neck. The cool sensation had a significant effect and her heart began to slow.

  “It was a dream,” Thesa said. “A nightmare I think I’ve had before. Back when I was with my mom… I had a lot of nightmares.” As Thesa continued to calm, Merijest held her tight and after a moment, she realized something. “I think I remember the name of it. IsterNgiv. That was my home town.”

  Merijest had never heard of it, but it was a start.

  ***

  The next evening while the rest of the party unmade camp, Thesa examined her reflection in the small pond outside the cave. She was tying up her hair and catching up with Lelly.

  “Then it says to wrap the hair around the ponytail to make a bun and tuck it under,” Lelly [Messaged] from her dormitory at ItherBeau Mage College. Although the naiad [Druid] had coral for hair, she also had access to the [Forums] and was happy to do research for her friend.

  “I think I’ve got it,” Thesa said. She was tired of her hair being a complete mess (but mostly she was trying to impress Merijest).

  “I bet she’s going to love it,” Lelly said.

  Thesa blushed. “It’s not just for Merijest or anything,” she lied.

  “I know, I know, but you would not believe how often she mentions you when she and I discuss MunFi books,” replied Lelly, referencing her and Merijest's shared love of ‘Mundane Fiction.’ “Honest, if any of this is at all for Merijest, even a tiny bit, I think she’ll like it.”

  Thesa examined her reflection in full. Her skin was covered in fresh scars (Merijest’s healing magic was effective but ignored harmless blemishes). Despite the changes, that was her. Her frame, filled out by both muscle and body fat, was tough as ever. Still her dark freckles and hazel eyes.

  And her hair was just about ready. Even unfinished, it was clear that the contrast between her pointed ears and the round curls of her newly-done hair made for an adorable look.

  “How’re things over there?” Thesa asked (having realized she forgot to respond in kind when Lelly asked her earlier in the conversation).

  “Can’t exactly complain,” Lelly replied. “With Blinny [Dungeon] evacuated for ‘regional safety’ I’m finally out of that dumb [Floor], but they still haven’t found another work assignment, so I’ve just been lazing about campus. The Cow-Dog and KangarooHawk are loving the extra space, though. I keep getting asked if I’m a [Ranger].”

  The Cow-Dog and KangarooHawk were two of Merijest’s [Familiars] (along with several monsters back in Blinny [Dungeon], Thesa, and everyone else in the current party). The KangarooHawk in particular was also a [Lantern] for Lelly’s [Deities], the Twin Stars. By having two forms of the Levelless [Attendant] Class, the KangarooHawk acted as a connection between the [Deities] granting additional power to Merijest and allowing for easy [Messaging]. However, as Merijest got further from Lelly’s location, the connection was hard to make without some intervening medium like a river.

  When the conversation ended, Thesa rejoined packing with the rest of the party. For some reason, Merijest swallowed hard as soon as she turned to look at her [Witch]’s freshly done hair.

  “Something wrong?” Thesa asked.

  Merijest bit her lip and smirked. “Just admiring my [Familiar],” she said. Thesa felt hotter than she had when running from the forest fire. Merijest placed a finger on her [Witch]’s cheek, and Thesa nearly fainted.

  “Sorry,” she said, as she was caught from falling by her demoness.

  “Don’t apologize,” Merijest replied. “I shouldn’t have allowed myself to get so distracted.” She righted Thesa and the party resumed their march away from danger.

  Cozy in their tent, Witmie’s head rested on Durn’s chest.

  “I don’t really get it,” Durn said. “She won’t hold her even for stability? It’s an odd hang-up.”

  “Uncorking repression is going to come with a lot of weird swings back and forward,” Witmie replied.

  “I’d like to…uncork…your repression?” Durn joked.

  Witmie looked up at her half-dwarf girlfriend with a loving smirk. “Very good, sweetie.” She kissed Durn on the cheek and the two fell asleep snuggling.

  Wishing everyone healthy progress on their personal hangups, especially the ones that seem silly and are difficult to explain.

  ***

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