Vee nervously paced back and forth beneath the amber glow of the streetlight. He jammed his hands into his pockets, yanked them back out almost immediately, and then awkwardly held them behind his back as he looked up and down the street for any sign of Luna.

He didn’t see her, which was great, because having his hands behind his back looked stupid. Maybe he should lean back against the streetlight? Folding his arms across his chest was too combative, like he was trying to look tough, so he laced his fingers behind his head and looked up at the stars instead. That was probably cool, right?

Or at least, it would have been if the sky hadn’t been cloudy. As it was, he found himself simply staring at a thick layer of gray-blue clouds. Not exactly the most interesting pose, but it’d work.

Now came the next question: how long did he stay like this? Was he going to commit to this short, blue-haired statue façade until Luna showed up? What if she was really late? The [Ghost Maestro]’s neck was already starting to cramp a little bit, and after another few seconds of trying to look cool, Vee decided to give up the pose and go back to fiddling with his hands.

Pockets, he decided.

At least until Luna showed up.

Ugh.

Needless to say, Vee was nervous. He hadn’t been on many dates before, and his heart was racing faster and faster with every minute he spent waiting. The collar of his shirt felt tight, and his vest – hastily purchased from a local [Tailor] the day before – seemed to pull in weird ways. His neck and ears should have been cold, as he’d left Reginald back at Sculla’s, but the flush of near-perpetual embarrassment kept them nice and toasty. Had it been snowing, it still would have been even money bet that Vee wouldn’t have noticed it.

A few minutes later, Luna came down the lane. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her pointy hat tilted at an angle. The pumpkin pin on the brim glittered beneath the streetlights. Like Vee, she’d clearly gotten new clothes for the occasion, though she wore her usual heavy boots. Those must have been something to do with being a witch.

“Sorry if I’m late,” she said as she walked up, and Vee saw that there was a small cut in the sleeve of her dark coat. It was bleeding. “I got caught up in something silly.”

“Don’t worry about it. Are you alright?”

When she saw Vee looking at her arm, Luna looked down and seemed to notice the wound for the first time.

“Oh crap,” she said. “I just bought this shirt, too! Hang on just a second, okay?”

Reaching into her bag, the [Pumpkin Witch] drew out a small needle and thread and held it up to her sleeve.

“[Fix Tear],” she said, and the needle jumped to do as commanded. Soon enough, the rip was mended and basically invisible, though Vee worried about the injury itself.

“Do you need a [Healer] or anything?”

Luna shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch and I don’t even feel it. Are you ready to go?”

Vee nodded, and as they headed down the street a slight breeze carried the smell of her perfume to his nose. Cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves, like always, but with a new floral scent that Vee didn’t recognize.

“You smell nice,” Vee said, trying to keep from stuttering as they headed down to the small café near the market. “Uh, your perfume, I mean.”

Luna smiled up at him, the pumpkins in her eyes sparkling like the stars obscured by the clouds.

“Thanks,” she said. “Your vest looks nice.”

In sweetly awkward silence, the pair made their way past the closing shops and bustling people getting ready to end their day. They both tried to get a conversation started, only for it to peter out in short order. Still, some small talk was good and Vee found his nerves settling down as they approached the café. It helped that Luna knew almost everyone they passed, and she exchanged greetings with all of them in turn. The older men and women flashed Vee knowing smiles, and though the [Dungeon Master] felt as if his cheeks might spontaneously combust, he did his best to return the expression each time.

Thanks to the continued efforts of the adventurer’s guild, commerce around the continent was slowly returning to normal. Most of the restaurants in Oar’s Crest were serving some version of their regular menus, and the café was no exception. Though half their signs were still covered in paper, there were plenty of tasty treats available.

Vee ordered a cup of coffee and an emberberry scone alongside some eggs and hashbrowns, while Luna got a stack of pancakes, plate of bacon, and three different muffins.

“Do you want anything to drink?” the woman behind the counter asked.

Luna thought for a moment, looking at the menu.

“I’ll take a chamomile tea,” she said.

The woman nodded and totaled up the bill. Vee put a handful of fleurs down on the counter and said he didn’t need any change.

“Everything will be out in a few minutes,” the woman said. “Go ahead and sit down wherever you’d like.”

Vee and Luna found a table on the far side of the café, next to a large black and white picture of two celebrities Vee only half-recognized. An [Actor] and [Actress] if he wasn’t mistaken.

Since they were the only people in the place, their food came a few minutes later, and Vee barely had a moment’s hesitation about dribbling food down his chin before he tucked in and started eating. Tons of things had gone wrong in the dungeon that day, and Vee had spent so much time fixing them that he’d completely forgotten about lunch. Even with all his effort, there was still more work to be done, too. All three copies of Mr. Chills needed repairs, almost half of the [Icicle Spike] traps needed to have their timings adjusted, and some of the elementals weren’t –

No, this is not a time to think about Crestheart, Vee told himself sternly as he realized that the conversation had virtually stalled. Focus on the now, Vee. You can deal with all that tomorrow.

He looked over at Luna, who was quietly devouring a thick piece of bacon and half a pancake. He said, “So, how’s work going? You still playing catch up from joining the open call?”

The [Pumpkin Witch] nodded. “There hasn’t been much mail coming in because of the bandits so it’s not as bad as it could be, but I’m having a bit of a hard time getting it all delivered because I keep getting –“

She paused, her head snapping toward the window and her lips curling into a frown. The pumpkins in her pupils glittered, and when Vee tried to follow her gaze, he didn’t see anything outside worth mentioning. It was just a few people walking past the café.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Luna stayed as she was for a second, then turned back and nodded. “Should be fine, yeah. Holly can take care of it. Sorry, what was I saying?”

Vee grinned. “Believe it or not, you were actually talking about how frequently you get distracted.”

His date giggled and shook her head. “Yeah, it’s a bit of a pain, really. Anyways, how about you? Things going alright with the dungeon?”

“I guess so. There’s lot of little things to stay on top of, but for the most part its fine. There’s been lots of interest thanks to the bandits and all. Business is good.”

From there, they worked their way through a series of easy topics of conversation – other food places, favorite books and stories – but eventually they got to their childhoods.

“Did you grow up here?” Vee asked.

Luna’s face tightened just a bit, and she picked at her last muffin.

“Yeah,” she finally said. “My parents used to run a small clothing shop in town. My da took care of getting the materials and stuff, but my ma made all the clothes. It’s not really much to talk about, I’m afraid.”

Vee got the hint and changed the subject. He told her about growing up in Bardis, as well as some of the things he and Alforde had done as kids. Hearing about some of Vee’s most impressive youthful mishaps – the biggest of which was an accidentally explosive attempt at baking – cheered Luna right back up and the [Dungeon Master] mentally congratulated himself on a job well done. Once they finished their food and thanked the owner, Vee and Luna headed out into the night.

It’d gotten colder, but Luna waved her hands and somehow created a little bubble of warmth around them that kept the worst of the chill at bay. They walked and talked until they reached an empty park. There was an open pair of swings, so Vee and Luna went and sat down next to each other.

Vee couldn’t remember the last time he’d used a swing, but it wasn’t the type of thing a person really forgot how to do, and soon enough they were both whipping back and forth. It was fun.

When the time finally came for them to say their goodbyes, Vee met Luna’s eyes and smiled.

“I had a lot of fun,” he said.

“So did I.”

“Would you like to do this again sometime?”

The clouds had cleared and the moons were shining bright. In their silver light, Luna’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

“Definitely,” she said quietly. “That’d be – that’d be really nice.”

Silence fell between them, and there was no doubt in Vee’s mind as they stared at one another that it was The Moment. But did he have the guts to go for it? Maybe?

Let’s not kid ourselves, of course he didn’t. But still! He thought about it! That had to count for something, right?

Apparently so, as he didn’t lose any Guts or Charisma.

Luna’s eyes flashed gold and she turned to look down the nearest alley.

“I’m super sorry, but I have to go,” she said hurriedly.

Lurching forward, she gave Vee a quick hug. Panic filled the [Dungeon Master]’s mind, but he returned the gesture and let Luna go. Her face red as could be, Luna sprinted away. As she ran, gold and orange light surrounded her body. After a bright flash that left Vee blinking, the [Pumpkin Witch]’s bag and hat transformed into a floating cart and lance respectively.

Luna looked back as she hopped into the cart and winked back at Vee.

“Next time is my treat, okay? See you around, Vee!”

The [Ghost Maestro] waved goodbye, watching Luna until she disappeared around the corner. A smile as wide as a barn door curled its way across his face. Whistling, he tucked his hands into his pockets and started heading back to Sculla’s.

Up above his head, a tiny butterfly that looked like it was made of wispy pink smoke fluttered through the sky. It followed the [Dungeon Master]’s every step.

***

Luna’s lance pierced one of the tall, slender creatures attacking Holly and the [Pumpkin Witch] sent a burst of her magic into the weapon. A red flash and explosion of shadowy fragments followed soon after, and Luna helped her [Surly Sidekick] to her feet. Holly was a little battered, but she cleaned her face off with a handful of snow and seemed fine after a moment’s rest.

“Sorry, I thought you had it under control,” Luna said. “What happened?”

“Everything was going fine until he showed up,” Holly answered as she pointed to the roof of the nearest building. “He kept summoning more goons from up there.”

“Did you get a good look at him?”

“Not really,” Holly spat. “He was wearing a mask and cloaked himself with shadows the entire time. I think he might be a kitrekin though.”

“What makes you say that?”

The blue-haired girl shrugged. “Something in the way he slumped his shoulders seemed really kitrekin-ish to me. I didn’t see a tail or pointy ears though, so I can’t be sure.”

Luna cursed under her breath and looked around the alley for any clues that might help them figure out the masked man’s identity. He’d cropped up a few days after she’d gotten back from the open call, and [Right Place, Right Time] kept sending her his way. She had no idea what he was after or why he was summoning shadow creatures, but she was determined to find out.

Kneeling down, the [Pumpkin Witch] scoured the alley but found nothing useful. The red arrow in her mind’s eye that led her here faded away, and once it was completely gone Luna activated [Disguise True Purpose] to turn her lance and bag back into their mundane forms.

What a pain.

Standing back up, Luna looked over at at Holly. Her friend was grinning as she lounged on the snow like a [Model]. Much like Luna’s own [Pumpkin Magic: Recharge], Holly had a skill for refilling her magic from the snow around her. Blue light pulsed around the [Snowmancer], and her wounds seemed to fade. Raising her right hand, Holly twirled her index finger.

“Well? How was your date? Tell me everything!”

Rolling her eyes, Luna turned to leave. Something small landed on the brim of her hat. Luna took the hat off, and saw the tiny pink butterfly resting next to the pumpkin pin. Having bounded to her feet to follow along, Holly saw it too and cackled.

“Girl,” she growled, “you’d best start dishing quick.”

Shaking her head but secretly pleased, Luna did just that as they left the alley.

Vee's Character Sheets:

Vee Vales

Primary Class: Ghost Maestro (Locksmagister University), Level 28

Secondary Class: Dungeon Master (Oar’s Crest), Level 19

Tertiary Class: Guy-Who-Takes-Things-WAY-Too-Far (Self), Level 5

Might: 13

Wit: 31

Faith: 21

Adventurousness: 7

Ambition: 14

Plotting: 18

Charisma: 13 (+1)

Devious Mind: 22

Leadership: 17

Guts: 13

Intimidating Presence: 10

Citizenship: 20

Public Relations: 6

Determination: 1

<3**Infatuation**<3

Bonus: Luna and Holly's Character Sheets

Luna Redhenny:

Primary Class: Pumpkin Witch (Sarah Redhenny), Level 33

Secondary Class: Tailor (Sarah Redhenny), Level 11

Tertiary Class: Girl-Who-Saves-The-Day (Citizens of Oar’s Crest), Level 8

Might: 40

Wit: 27

Faith: 25

Loyalty: 34

Adventurousness: 33

Guts: 36 (+1)

Hope: 23 (+1)

Stealth: 7 (-1)

Charisma: 25

Inspiring Presence: 8

Leadership: 5

<3**Infatuation**<3

Holly Sacre:

Primary Class: Snowmancer(Self), Level 29

Secondary Class: Good Girl (Neve Sacre), Level 18

Tertiary Class: Surly Sidekick (Luna Redhenny), Level 8

Might: 33

Wit: 31

Faith: 10

Loyalty: 12

Adventurousness: 31

Guts: 44

Stealth: 19

Charisma: 10

Greed: 28

Ambition: 30

Pride: 30 (-1)

Manipulativeness: 4

Reflected Glory: 7