After storing the barrels in his workshop he headed into his house.

“Gah!” Micah fell onto her rump when he appeared in front of her while she was exploring the house.

“Oh, sorry about that. I thought you would have still be in the bath.” Eric helped her up.

“Yeah, if I stayed any longer, I might never have gotten out. It stayed the perfect temperature the whole time! Also look at this! And my hair! They are soooo silky and smooth now! I am addicted! Make me yours!” She cried out dramatically while posing.

He waved off her joke and started prepping to make dinner.

“So, how did it go?” She asked, sitting at the table.

“I told them that you and Eric were healed and would be returned in the morning before they leave. The town guards are there, so there should be no worry of them getting attacked again. Be sure not to reveal my identity as Hephaestus.”

She looked at him questioningly. “What is that about?”

Realizing she didn’t know, he put on his mask.

“This is the form of Hephaestus, the Master Craftsmen, blessed by the gods. I created this so that I can use this form to publically fight the Church of Light while I move around as myself in the background.” Eric explained.

“Is that mask made out of gold? Also, why can’t I make out your face?” Micah looked on curiously.

“This is an alloy called Nordic Gold, it is not real gold. It is a mix of copper, aluminum, and zinc.” Micah was truly impressed how it looked, but somewhat lost at his knowledge.

“I guess you are a master crafter back in your world too?” She asked.

Eric continued to prep the meal as he laughed lightly. “I was alright. To be honest, there were many people in my world who far smarter than myself. Not to mention better craftsmen. I remember watching how a katana was made. It was an insane process that spanned multiple days. They folded the metal an insane amount of times to make it as hard as possible. Then they would hone the edge so sharp, just touching it cut you. They were truly masters at their craft. I am more of a hodge podge collection of various skills all in one. Though I am proud of my smithing works.”

Eric finished cooking and set up three plates. “There we go! Three plates of vegetable stir-fry with garlic braised thorn rabbit!”

In a flash of light, Luna appeared, “Ah! Eric that looked so delicious I just had to come down!”

“Huh!? Eric, who is this?” Micah jumped from her seat in surprise.

“Oh, hello, I am the goddess Luna. I am Eric’s handler!” She said with a bright smile, which Micah followed by bowing down before Luna.

“Forgive me! I am sorry I did not-.” Luna placed a gentle hand on Micah’s head.

“It is okay, just treat me like, hmm, like you treat Lady Vannil!” Micah tried to protest more but the concerted efforts of both Luna and Eric were able to calm her down.

Though the two of them were sitting at the table, Micah still seemed nervous. Eric stayed in the kitchen as he wanted to prepare some more meats for the following days while eating from his plate here and there.

Hmm, maybe I should do something with that long haired bull meat they gave me. I still haven’t tried the pork yet… Yeah, let’s go with lightly seasoned pork chops soaked in juices from apples annnnnnnnd, mashed potatoes. Hmm, yeah, that should be good.

His thoughts were interrupted when Micah shouted, “It’s not like that!”

Eric turned to see Luna smiling happily and Micah’s face, even with how dark her skin was, looked to be blushing deeply.

Eric turned to Luna, “Hey, did you isolate me from the conversation or something?”

“Just a little girl talk is all. No worries.” Luna waved him off.

Micah clenched her shirt a bit in embarrassment.

Wait a moment, shirt? Oh right!

“Be right back!” Eric shifted to his laundry room and pulled out Micah’s, now fully restored shirt.

“Ha! It worked! I love divine tools!” He put the clothes into the dryer and started it. Appearing back in the kitchen, it looked like Luna teased Micah a bit more about something.

“Seriously Luna, take it easy on her, she just survived a near fatal wound.” Luna apologized to Micah and said her goodbyes, taking some food to go, and left in a flash of light.

“Right, Micah, my divine washing machine was able to repair your shirt. It is just drying now. So if you wanted to return to your other form. It will be ready for you tomorrow.”

“Oh, thanks, but uh, I don’t intend to return to that form. That one took me months to perfect. I really don’t plan on putting in that amount of effort again. I will just make some minor adjustments to my form so I at least look human.”

“Why even do that? Why not just be you?”

“Huh?” “Huh?” They looked at each other, not quite connecting.

“But, Goun-.” She started.

“You said you were nearly a hundred right? Those people were adults right? Which means that anyone from Goun who could remember you from, what, over seventy years ago? They are probably dead or their minds are decrepit.” He offered his thoughts.

Micah’s face looked like she was surprised she never thought of that fact. Her perception of lifespan was so much longer than a humans that she forgot the simple fact that humans only live to about their sixties to hundreds.

“I’ll, uh, think about it…” She said looking away bashfully.

After cleaning up the kitchen, she followed him out to his workshop seeing the bright, starry sky surrounding them.

“This, is amazing.” She looked in awe.

“Yeah, I made sure to send my thanks to the senior goddess who created this space for me.”

“Huh? Luna didn’t make it?”

“No, she did the tools and such. I never learned the name of that goddess. Even though she seemed rather stern, she was kind.”

They went into the workshop.

“Wow, there is a lot of stuff in here… I have no idea on a lot of this is.”

Eric picked up the crossbow he made.

“Did it get damaged?” Micah asked leaning closely around him.

Jesus, she smells gooooood, uh WAIT! Stop thinking, stop thinking, she will catch on and tease me!

“Something wrong?” She asked, not seeming to notice.

“Uh, no. As far as I could tell, the only thing that got damaged was one of the bow arms snapped. It won’t be a difficult fix as I made a single set of spares. The fact it survived an explosion with the material I used is a good sign, since this is plain lumber. Using the Ren and Nackle woods that Buulgi recommended will make them great. Since crafters know how to make steel, I will just have to show them how to process it into wire and make the cables for bowstrings. It should not take much for me to show them the process.” He removed the broken section and replaced it with the spare.

Moving outside, he test fired a couple of bolts, and even let Micah do it too, she hit the target dead center every shot.

“This thing is amazing Eric! My skill was decent at best, but this makes it so much easier. You said there is a bigger sized one? A ballista right?”

“Correct. I think I remember reading in a story at one point about a group that used micro sized crossbows that would fire poisoned darts.”

“Geh. That sounds a bit dangerous.”

Eric laughed as they put the crossbow up and headed back into the house. Micah did tease him, jokingly inviting him to join her in bed, but he refused, knowing what her response would be like. He climbed into his bed and slept peacefully for the night.

Waking up in the morning, Eric was met with a set of ruby eyes, staring right into his.

“WAH!” He moved to the other side of his bed in surprise.

“What the hell are you doing!?” He demanded to know.

“Just watching you sleep.” Micah said causally as she stood from her squatting position next to the bed and left his room like it was nothing.

“Wha, what!? That doesn’t explain a damn thing!” Eric changed and found Micah dressed, ready to head out, and making breakfast.

“Ah, do you like your eggs over easy or scrambled?” She asked with a smile.

Is she doing this to glaze over what she did a few minutes ago… Ahhh, whatever.

“Scrambled, pinch of sea salt.” She smiled and continued.

She is acting weird, ever since Luna was here… I really want to know what they talked about now…

Eric decided to not pry as he felt that she would have teased him about it and not give him a clear answer.

“Oh, right, did you decide how you were going to change your look?” He asked.

“I’m not. I thought about it, and it is unlikely any of them are alive, or even chipper enough to even leave their home. I also don’t ever plan to set foot in Goun unless I have to, which is when I will change my look a little bit.” She finished cooking and brought two plates over and sat down.

“I’m glad, you look better like this.” Eric casually said.

“Huh? Heh? Um… Okay.” She nervously said, turning her attention to eating only.

It can’t be, right? There’s just no way…right? She just likes messing with me right?

They finished eating in silence as Eric was pained with his own thoughts.

“Okay, you ready?” Eric asked Micah, she nodded.

“Remember the story?”

“Of course, I’m not stupid enough to slip up. Come on, let’s go.” She said lightly punching him in the shoulder.

“Fine, fine.” He shifted them outside.

“OOOOH! MASTER ERIC!” The people of the caravan charged forward the instant they saw him, giving him a warm welcome.

“BWAAAAH! Master Eric, I am, I am sooo happy you are safe, WAAAAAH!” Mr. Barlett was crying heavily. Eric tried to calm him down, but little was working on the crying man.

“Eric!” A small pink haired gnome bulldozed Eric over.

“H-hey Jiggly, sorry for worrying you.” He said with a smile.

She clung to him crying, “Thank you Eric for saving me, thank you for being okay, thank you for coming back.” Eric could do little than pet her head and smile.

“Um, Master Eric, who is, uh, who is the demon-kin?” Jiggly and others looked at Micah who had an awkward, but nervous smile.

“Not surprising you don’t recognize her since she looked different. But know this, I was the first to solve the mystery, which is none other than… Micah!”

“Huh? WHHHAAAAAAAT?!” Micah flinched at their shout.

“MICAH!” Jiggly rushed and bulled her over too.

Everyone else seemed overjoyed that she was safe, not caring in the least bit she was a dark elf. Eric saw her tearing up, but she forced herself to not start bawling and happily buried Jiggly’s face into her chest.

You’re going to suffocate her Micah, oop, too late.

Micah panicked a little and shook the luck-, erm, poor gnome. Before long, the caravan was back on the road, heading to the port town of Tala.

A day and a half later, they arrived at the port town where the, now healed, members the caravan warmly welcomed them. The Lord even came to welcome them, but he left quickly, looking very disappointed some reason. A large party ended up occurring in the town square where Eric cooked up a storm of food. He was thankful that other cooks, house wives, and Micah helped out with the cooking. They went for hours celebrating until most of the people were unconscious from drinking or heading out with their companions.

“Hey Eric, you want to see them melt the ice lake?” Micah asked.

Hmm!? He nodded enthusiastically. She led him to the port and they got permission to head up to the top of a nearby tower.

“Wow, this is a nice view.” Eric commented.

“Look down there.” She got close and pointed toward the end of a pier.

A group of people were standing in a circle, next to the frozen lake, they could barely hear them chanting their spell.

“All that’s left is for them to blast the surface part. They spent a lot of time melting the ninety percent below that surface.” An orb of fire appeared above their circle, growing bigger and bigger. “Oh, looks like they are almost ready.”

Looking around, he saw there were many people gathered to see it happen. The fireball rose up into the air like a rocket before slamming into the very center of the iceberg. The ball expanded with a tremendous heat. The ice melted, cracked, and shattered. Parts that popped up out of the water were instantly evaporated by the fire.

“What kind of spell is that? It is like a small sun!” Micah laughed at Eric’s childish amazement.

“I think the spell is called, [Solaris Conflagra]. It is a military level magic. Want to know the incantation? I could probably get one of them to speak it.” She teased with her usual sly smile.

“Nah, I’m good, if it is a military level magic, I would probably die if I tried to cast it.” After some thought, Eric could not help himself and had to ask.

“Um, Micah, are you feeling okay? You have been acting, weird…”

She blushed and looked away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The light of fire faded as the spell ended.

The way the setting sunlight hit her made her look stunning, “Beautiful…”

His thoughts slipped out before he could stop them, but it seemed like she didn’t hear him as she turned to look out at the lake. In that moment, if Eric had leaned a little bit, he would have seen Micah redder than a tomato and a priceless expression.

The following morning, they boarded a boat that was bound for Alta.

“Oh, ho, good morning Master Eric, Miss Micah. Did you two sleep well last night? I heard you two had a romantic, private viewing.” Mr. Barlett said, getting a kick to his shin from Micah.

“It was pretty amazing seeing a military level magic. I am glad it went well.” Eric answered with a light chuckle.

“Ngh, ho, ho, ho, I am glad you, ouch, enjoyed seeing that.” Mr. Barlett said clutching his shin.

“Eric!” Eric recognized that voice and braced himself for the moment Jiggly rammed into him.

“Hey Jiggly.” He said, rubbing his now sore stomach.

“Hey! What was Lord Hephaestus like?” She asked with great interest.

“Um, well, he was stern and straight to the point. But he didn’t really speak much of himself other than he was a master craftsmen.”

“Do you, um, think he might like gnomes?” She asked bashfully.

You have to be kidding me...

“He didn’t seem like the type to judge others by their race. I mean, he didn’t even bat an eye when he saw Micah.” He replied with a forced smile.

“Hmm, I hope I can see him again. He was definitely my type.”

Micah cut in, “What is your type Jiggly?”

“Tall, dark, mysterious, skilled, and rich! Didn’t you see that golden mask and robe! I bet he is loaded.” She started laughing creepily.

Yup, I am never turning into Phaestus in front of you again.

“Hmm? I thought you loved your Master Eric.” Micah teased.

“Well, Eric is great. He is kind, tall, and a great cook. I would love to marry him too!”

Ah, right, I remember hearing from Gil that polygamy is a thing here.

“Sorry Jiggly, but I am more of a one woman kind of guy, as in just herself and I.”

“Ahh! Don’t say that Eric!” Jiggly cried.

Mr. Barlett said something to Micah which got him kicked in the knee this time.

What the heck did he say this time? Why is Micah all red in the face? He said something lewd didn’t he?

Aside from Jiggly’s tantrum. “Sorry Jiggly, but I am more of a one woman kind of guy, as in just herself and I.” Micah heard him say.

Micah tensed up.

J-just, me and him? N-no way. She thought, but Eric didn’t specify her, but she heard what she desired.

Mr. Barlett noticed her conflict and approached her. “Ho, ho! Do I sense I was correct amount the romantic night? Did you have fun Miss Micah? Is he not only a master in the kitchen, but also in the sheets?” He teased.

Her face turned red with embarrassment and anger. She turned and kicked him in his knee as hard as she could.

“GAH! You didn’t hold back in the least bit Miss Micah!” Mr. Barlett rolled around on the deck, writhing in pain. Micah just watched in satisfaction, as he rolled around on the deck.

“Attention everyone.” An older man spoke from the upper deck where wheel was.

“I am Captain Durst of this fine vessel, the River Bird, and I welcome you aboard my vessel. Many of you are from the caravan from Meerka, I am glad many of you made it safe and sound. For those who died during the attack, I pray that they will rest peacefully.”

He took a moment of silence. “Your trip is nearly done. In four days, we will be arriving in the great city of Alta. Hmm? Oh right, the Lord informed us that he is still offering a reward for any way to contact Master Hephaestus or of his current whereabouts, anyway, enough of that, we will be setting sail in thirty minutes.”

Bahahahaah! Eric was internally laughing at how little the captain cared for the Lord’s request.

“Yeah, not too many people like the local lord here.” Micah commented.

“Is there a reason?” Eric asked.

“Mmm, mostly he will do some sketchy things to make himself look good. Nothing illegal, just in poor taste. I also heard he is a bit of a lecher with twelve wives.”

“Why the hell would one need that many wives?” Eric was dumbfounded.

“It is quite funny though Master Eric, I heard that he has to do everything in his power to please them. I don’t think it will be long before he either runs out of money or would have to sell his own things.” Mr. Barlett joined in the conversation still limping.

Micah shot him a withering glare, causing him to flinch.

I guess she is still angry about whatever it was that he said earlier.

“Hahahah.” Captain Durst approached them. “The moron started selling his stuff about a year ago. He won’t touch the belongings of his wives because they would leave him the moment he does. I would say he has about another year before the king replaces him. Hopefully with someone more capable.” He gave them a welcoming smile.

“With the bandit attack from before, do you expect them to try again?” Eric asked.

“Hmm, not likely. Come with me.” Captain Durst led them over to the railing.

“Take a closer look at the hull, try not to fall.” The captain said.

Grabbing hold of the railing Eric looked over the edge.

Hmm, let’s see… Oh, markings, hmm, are those runes?

“Are those protective runes?” Eric asked, pulling away from the rail.

I can see it in your eyes Micah, you thought about pushing me in.

Micah looked away quickly at Eric’s accusing stare.

“Correct sir. There are over one thousand protection runes for just about any magic attack. Though if we detect a military class spell, we have an emergency measure that creates a powerful barrier in case of emergencies. So I assure you, you will be safe. Oh, and the River Bird is not the only one like this. Every river ship is designed this way because we often pass through the forest areas.” Captain Durst explained.

“Are ocean ships the same?” Eric asked the captain.

“Far more protections. Most trade is done via the rivers, so there are a lot of river ships. But when it comes to ocean vessels, there are only a handful of them.”

Eric thanked him for the information and the group dispersed. Captain Durst went off to speak to the other passengers. Eric went up to the prow of the ship, just looking out at the lake.

“Eric. Do you have any idea of how to improve a ship? You know, from your, home country?” Micah joined him, speaking quietly as not to let other hear.

“Heh, figured me out huh?”

She’s right, I was thinking of various ways to improve the ship.

“Of course, I have been watching you.”

“Like you did when I was sleeping?” He brought up.

“So what kind of upgrades were you thinking?”

Dodging the question huh?

“There are a lot of things I can think of, but a lot of it is dependent on whether or not I can come up with something more useful. I would like to eventually make a flying ship, if magic would allow for it. It has kind of been a long time dream of mine.”

“A ship, that flies? Like a bird? That would be so amazing!” Her voice got a little too loud at the end of her statement, drawing some attention.

Micah waved them off and they went about their business.

“Do you think you can do it?” She whispered excitedly.

“I don’t know, there is a lot I don’t know when it comes to magic, enchanting, and runes. If you know of anything that might help with reducing weight or weight control, I could always go with a hot air balloon type. Not sure if I would be able to make a zeppelin, I have no ideas on those designs…” He slipped into thought, trying to build his design.

She watched him with sparkling eyes.

“Um, is it really that amazing?” He asked her.

“Oh course it is! To fly freely with nothing to stop you! I would love to fly!” She whispered excitedly.

“Okay, if I am successful, you will be my first mate.” He happily said.

Micah on the other hand instantly turned red in the face. “M-m-m-mate? W-wha? Ha, hahah, HAHAHAHA!” She quickly devolved into indecipherable gibberish as she quickly left the prow.

What. The. Hell?

The time came and Captain Durst called out that it was time for departure. A few people rushed up the ramp onto the boat as they pulled it up. Some pier workers undid the mooring lines.

A couple of sailors began casting spells to move the ship away from the pier. “Ebb and way [Water Control].” They repeatedly cast the spell, moving the water against the hull.

Once the ship was central to the lake, they worked in tandem with two other sailors to turn the ship toward the river entrance that would lead them to Alta. They lowered the slender and tall sail, it quickly caught the wind and the ship smoothly moved forward. Captain Durst continued to give out his orders as the various sailors and deckhands moved about to fulfill their duty.

Micah had headed below deck to their bunkroom, seemingly trying to hide from a very confused Eric.

“Prepare for river entry!” Captain Durst called out.

Eric was not sure what he meant until they got closer to the entrance. “What the?”

Just beyond the lake edge, the river flowed forward on one half and backward on the other half.

Well, it is a world of magic.

“Never seen da river aye?” A young man joined Eric on the prow.

“No, at least nothing like that. Do you know how that works?”

“That I do.” The young man stood there with an expectant smile.

Ah, I see.

He pulled a few small copper out and handed them to the boy.

“Thank ye much. From what I knows, when da dwarves of Alta came ‘ere to make the lake, they added all kinds of runes an such to control de flow. From wat I heard, dere are big tubes that, sirk the water back a’round.”

“Sirk? Circle? Like circulate the water back around?”

“Yeah, dat’s right. Sir-ku-late.”

Eric thanked the young man for the information and tossed him a couple more small copper.

“That is impressive.” Eric hoped that he might one day be able to learn the secret.

The boat hit the river and it lurched forward a bit and reached a smooth cruising speed.

“I always like seeing da entry. Da dwarves truly are amazing.” The young man commented.

“Are all the rivers like this?”

“No sir. Jus’ da one to Alta. All de udder rivers are plain.” Eric thanked the young man and offered another small copper, but the young man turned it down, saying that the info was on the house.

“What’s your name kid?” Eric asked.

“Me names Logan sir. I’m de Captain’s third mate. He’s been teachin’ me a lot since he took me off da streets.”

Captain Durst, you are truly, a good man.

The young man said his goodbyes and headed off after the Captain called him for something. Eric felt he had seen enough and headed down to his bunkroom.

Eric knocked on the door before entering. “C-come in.”

He opened the door and headed inside where Micah waited. The room was small, a couple of bunkbeds and a small table for one, it had a small glowing orb that lit up the room. Micah was sitting down on one the beds, she looked tense, red in the face, and her back was completely straight.

“Um, you okay Micah? You are acting strange again.” Eric commented.

“N-no I’m not.” She denied.

Eric noticed that Jiggly was missing.

“Where’s Jiggly? Didn’t she say she was tired and going to take a nap?”

“Um, well, she uh, said she was invited to stay with a friend of hers in another room. So she uh, won’t be in here… I-it will be just the two of us.” Her words trailed off.

Okay, seriously, I really cannot deny it anymore. The compliments, the interest in me, the blushing, yeah… I am not some dense protagonist. I just thought she was still teasing me, but yeah, she is still upset over me seeing her naked. JUST KIDDING!

“Well that is a good thing then Micah. Let’s head into the Haven.”

“Wait, wh-?” She began. “-at?”

They appeared in his living room on a set of comfy chairs.

“You, could have warned me…” She looked away from him blushing.

“Micah, I really don’t know how to, do this exactly. I honestly have very little experience when it comes to relationships.”

“Huh?” She snaps her eyes to him.

“I, uh, I like you. You are stunningly beautiful, lately you have been insanely adorable, you are intelligent, and well, you are a good person. If you want try for…” He teleported her back to the chair when she tried to escape from her shy embarrassment. “If you want to try for a relationship, I would be happy. If you want to take our time, I am fine with that. If you want to sort out your feeling first, I will respect that.”

I really hope I didn’t overdo this…

“Um, I, I, would like some time please…” She muttered, seeing no way to escape his Haven power.

The red of her face almost seemed like it spread to her upper body. Micah staggered to her feet and shuffled to the spare bedroom to hide herself. Eric heard a call from the ship side that dinner was ready. He wrote a note and dropped it into the room where Micah was, letting her know that he was going to send some food to her in a bit.

“Ho, ho! Master Eric, how are things?” Mr. Barlett welcomed Eric to the galley.

“They are alright, Micah was feeling a bit woozy, so she is resting in the room. Two meals please.” Eric told the cook who nodded and put together his order.

“Ho, ho. I see my assistance worked out!” Mr. Barlett said triumphantly.

So you were the one who pulled Jiggly.

“Mr. Barlett, I appreciate the thought, but please don’t meddle anymore. The two of us will move at our own pace, okay?”

“Oh? Are you sure? I can be of more assistance.”

The cook handed the food over to Eric in a basket. It was a bit of preserved cooked fish and raw vegetables.

Hmm, should be able to do something with this.

“We will be fine Mr. Barlett. Micah seems like she might be an innocent type, while I have little experience with relationships. I have dated before, but it never truly amounted to anything. This time, it feels, special, and I don’t want any nosy people to ruin it.” Eric had a cold look in his eyes.

“U-understood. I apologize Master Eric. I will let you do your own thing.” Eric thanked him and headed back to the room, then shifted to his Haven.

“Heyo Eric!” Luna was waiting for him in the kitchen.

Whoa! “Uh, hey Luna. You surprised me there.” Eric said with a smile.

She laughed asked if she could help out with dinner, which he accepted. While he rinsed off the excess salt off the fish, she was chopping some vegetables.

“Wah! Onions are horrible! Whichever god made them, a curse upon you!” Luna was having a hard with the onions, tears running down her face.

“Don’t rub your face Luna, you will make it FAR worse. Also, aren’t you a goddess, shouldn’t you be immune or be able to remove the status condition?”

She got a face of ‘Oh, why didn’t I think of that?’ and in a glow of magic she was back to normal.

“So what is the meal going to be today?” Luna asked as she handed the diced vegetables to him.

“I have always been a fan of stir-fries, mostly because they are pretty easy to do. I was planning on adding a little of the soy sauce I have left. I am sad that I am almost out. It is not something I can get in this world.”

“You can.”

He looked at her surprised, “Uh, where at? Oh magnificent and beautiful goddess.”

She giggled. “The beast-kin nation to the far south west, Obai. It is a sizeable island nation. You can get there by boat from either Dunlap, Merluka, or even Meerka. The shortest boat ride would be from Merluka, they are also the closest ally to Obai. You should have been able to buy it in Meerka.”

GAH! It must be treated as a luxury good then because I didn’t see it anywhere in the regular shops!

“Well, just check some beast-kin shops in Alta, they should carry it.”

Eric bowed and thanked the omnipotent and lovely goddess Luna for her divine message. She ended up laughing at his reaction.

“Hmm?” Luna perked up and looked away into the house.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“Oh nothing, I am going to go visit Micah for a bit.” She smiled left him to cook up dinner.

What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?! WHAT DO I DO?! He confessed! I know I have feelings for him, it has been so long since I felt anything for anyone! GAAAH! What do I do?!

Micah was in an extreme conflict, her face was red and her eyes were spinning.

“Ahhh, let’s see, who can I talk to? Uh, Wanda? No, no, no, no, she is nothing more than a drunkard. Oh wait! Fizzy! GAH! But she is back in Meerka!” She was tearing up in frustration.

“But Jiggly is here… Yeah, I shouldn’t consult her, she is a bit too superficial. Hmm, who else do I know who is a woman… Ah I wish the gods would give me a sign…” She stopped realizing that she literally knew a goddess.

“Um, goddess Luna, I pray to you to please send someone who can help me through this endeavor!” Micah prayed aloud, to receive a knock at her door shortly after.

That was fast!

She opened the door.

“Heya Micah, you need som-.” Micah grabbed her and ripped her into the room and slammed the door.

“Please, I beg you Luna, please help me, I don’t know what to do! Eric, he, he, confessed to me!” Micah cried, a wide smile coming to her face.

“Oh! Congratulations! I am glad that your feelings have been answered.” Luna said with a happy smile.

“I only learned of these feelings when you pointed them out last time!” Micah cried again, remembering the first time she met the goddess.

“So then, what help are you looking for?” Luna asked.

“Um, well, I don’t know what to do. He confessed, I do love him, he is kind, smart, knows all kinds of things, cooks great food, has this great home, he wants to defeat the church, and, he accepted me. He’s also adorable when he is sleeping, and he looks so cute when he gets excited about a project, and then and then…!” Micah continued her compliments as Luna watched and listened, trying her best not to hug and cuddle the adorable creature squirming before her.

SOOOOO CUTE! Luna thought.

Micah seemed to have finally calmed down after getting her excitement out of her system.

“So um, Luna, what should I do?” Micah asked.

“Hmm, I am not really an expert in this kind of thing. One sec, let me make a call.” Luna closed her eyes and sat still. A couple of plates of food appeared on the dresser in the room.

“Oh, dinner is done.” Micah picked up her plate and began eating.

“Ah, so delicious.”

“Is it now?” Luna said picking up the other plate.

A few minutes later a quick flash of pink light and a beautiful woman stood before them. Micah could only stare in awe at the woman’s beauty. She wore a set of white, roman like robes while showing a lot of skin. Her golden brown hair flowed silkily down her back past her rump. She had golden eyes that looked back at them.

“Aha!” The new goddess charged forward, hugging Micah. “She really is as cute as you said ******!” The goddess cuddled with a very confused Micah.

“Ahahahah, thanks for coming *********. You can call me Luna here.”

“Oh, right, humans can’t comprehend our true names. Young lady, you can call me Aphrodite, the goddess of love!” Aphrodite stuck a pose.

“Um, thank you Lady Aphrodite.” Micah said sheepishly.

“Ahahah, no need for the Lady part, just call me Aphrodite. A majority of gods don’t like to be worshipped and tense atmospheres. Anyway, Luna said you have some love problems?”

Micah took some time to explain her situation to Aphrodite as Luna shared some of the food of her plate with the new goddess.

“Hmm, why not just let it happen?” Aphrodite said casually.

“Huh?” Micah was surprised by the goddess’ answer.

“You like him, he likes you. It seems simple at this point.”

“B-but, relationships lead to sleeping together, then, you know, and then children, I don’t know if I am ready for that…” Micah said, all of her blood rushing to her face.

Aphrodite only laughed, “My, you are silly. Love is something that you just go with at your own pace. Love can be chaotic at times, which right now is what you are going through. Worry, anxiety, warmth, desire, and being unsure are all parts of love that every couple goes through at some point. You just seem to be going through every single one all at once.” Aphrodite giggled.

“So, it is okay to take our time?” Micah asked.

“Honestly little Micah, a slow pace is somewhat better than rushing headlong into things. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen those relationships fail, but there have been some successes doing it that way. But truly, the two of you should just go at your own pace. From what I heard from Luna, he is willing to take things slow and move at a pace comfortable for you. I feel that he is a keeper, he is also not too bad looking for a mortal.”

“But, what about our age difference? I will end up living far longer than him.” Micah voiced her concern.

“Um…” Luna spoke up, drawing their attention.

“I, uh, haven’t told Eric this yet, and I hope that you will keep it from him for now, but uh, when I made him younger, I might have, maybe, um, made a mistake.” Luna looked away, refusing to keep eye contact.

“What do you mean?” Micah asked.

“I, uh, may have made him…” She trailed off into a mumble.

“Made him what?” Aphrodite asked.

“Immo…”

“What?” Micah asked.

“Immort…”

“Huh?” Both Micah and Aphrodite said.

“Gah! Fine! I made him immortal! I didn’t mean to! It’s not my fault!” Luna finally stated clearly.

“It is most definitely your fault Luna.” Aphrodite chastised her.

“Ngh!” Luna recoiled.

He’s immortal? He won’t die of old age?

“I want the same.” Micah stated, looking right at Luna.

“W-what?” Luna recoiled again.

“I want the same.” Micah repeated.

“B-but I can’t! I’ll get in trouble with Elder ******* again!” Luna cried, looking to Aphrodite for support.

“I see no reason not to. I will go with you to see Elder ******* to make sure you don’t get punished.”

“Really Aphrodite! Thank you!” Luna turned and did her thing of making it so Micah would be immortal like Eric.

“There, all done. But just be careful okay? Both of you won’t get older, but that doesn’t make you un-killable. You can still die like normal.”

“Thank you Luna!” Micah hugged Luna, creating a union of softness that would have any man die of happiness.

“Well then, now that this is all done. Please give my compliments to Eric for the meal. Let’s go Luna, we have a long lecture to get to by Elder *******.”

“Wait, lecture?! But you said I wouldn’t be punished!”

“Correct, but I know we will still get a lecture for it.”

“Nooooooooooooo!” The two goddess vanished into a flash of light and they were gone.

Eric was down in his basement setting up his fancy wooden pedestal he was going to use for the magic core.

“Luna! If you have a chance, I have the pedestal ready!” Silence.

Hmm, guess she is busy.

He recharged the core and headed outside and dumped his little bit of trash into the septic tank. Eric figured out any wastes he put in there would be converted into magic over time.

“E-Eric.” Micah came outside after seeing him.

“Oh, Micah.” She, looks, beautiful…

“Um, I uh, thought it through, and um, I do want to pursue a relationship with you.”

WOOHOO! He wanted to hug her.

Micah continued, “But, I am really new to this, since I lived my life so long in my androgynous form, I never really experienced a relationship, so I am a bit nervous, but I will do my best.”

I want to hug this adorable creature…

Eric took her hand into his.

Sigh, coward.

“It is fine Micah, I told you we can take it slow. We have plenty of time.” He said with a smile.

“Yes, we do have plenty of time.” She smiled.

Why does it look like she knows something I don’t?

She hugged him tightly, soooo soft, and he returned her hug.

She smells sooo nice!

A knock could heard outside the Haven.

Motherf-… There better be a damn good reason to ruin this moment.

Eric shifted them out of the Haven, a dangerous look in his eyes.