The morning air was frigid at this altitude. My exposed forehead nearly grew ice as I sped through the air. Dew collected on my goggles, and my coat flapped in the wind. Nine months. Nine months of IT work. I was a wizard, not a technician. I kept telling myself I would get rid of this contract, but something kept bringing me back into work. The pay wasn’t exactly as great as what I could be making if I was actually getting hired as a sanctioned wizard. Now I pulled cables and moved equipment and devices with nothing but the wave of my wand. I had a stable pay, an apartment, and disposable income. But something panged at me, a desire, unseen but felt. If I was a better wizard, maybe I wouldn’t need to be doing these menial jobs.
	Clearing my mind of all the self doubt was impossible, but the kids waiting for the bus in the morning waving at me as I flew overhead made me think about something else for a bit. I waved back as I picked up the pace. Soon, I landed in my office’s parking lot. Three cars were here and some horses were tied to a post near the windows. A couple bikes were on a rack just outside the double glass doors. I rolled up my flying carpet and headed inside, ready to get the day going.
	“Good morning, Oscar.”
	“Morning,” I replied to the receptionist. The round table to the side of the entrance door had a man sitting behind it. The half-elf diligently and slowly finger typed on his keyboard. I had a metal cup in one hand and my flying carpet under the other arm. I was quick to get to my desk, keeping my head down so the other people in the office wouldn’t take notice of me as I ventured into the two rows of cubicles.
	“Why can’t you get a horse like a normal person?” A voice giggled at me.
	I looked to see the woman who sat near me, the opening to her cubicle across from mine. A small Avalonian Ratkin woman with tanned skin, dirty blonde and dark pink hair that was always messy and over one of her eyes. A pair of big, rounded ears covered in blonde fur on the top of her head. She grinned with her buck teeth while adjusting her dark brown overalls over a white polo, the same color polo that I wore, but mine was tucked into black slacks. I shook my head, “The stables at my apartment suck. They don’t take good care of the horses like they claim to and it reeks. Besides, this carpet is an heirloom, Lacie,” I pat the crimson carpet before drawing my wand from its leather holster on my hip, a white wood with a silver root crawling up it and ending in a small, closed bulb.
	I began to wave it before me as I stood against my cubicle wall. There were six on both sides, the opening facing one another with the side the rat-woman’s cubicle was on was against the window. Lacie watched me with wide eyes as I conjured a small locker door. I moved my wand and it opened with a creaking, squeaking noise. I put my rug in and retrieved a small red deck box and a breakfast burrito. As I closed the door, the locker disappeared, “How come ya don’t wear one of them pointy hats? Other wizards do. Even sanctioned wizards like ya self,” Lacie asked as I ducked into my cubicle. She followed me in, her long pink tail swishing back and forth on the floor.
	I put my burrito and cards down as I turned on my computer. The machine whirred and clicked as it began to read its memory. I didn’t understand how. It might as well be magic. While hanging up my flight coat, I turned to Lacie, “It's just embarrassing. I’d look silly with a big wizard hat and this damned white polo.”
	“Yeah, but ya could wear a white hat,” Despite her constant teasing and pestering, Lacie really was one of the few joys of working this job. A sweet, cute little thing. If I wasn’t working with her– and I had even a little more confidence, I might have asked her out.
	I shrugged, “I’d still feel silly. White is an awful color for this profession. We crawl under tables, plug in equipment, and get covered in grime.”
	Lacie smiled, “That’s the point of it. Customers see how dirty their network and PC areas are and they order a cleaning service from us. Remember how the boss would chew you out for cleaning yourself off?”
	I tried my damndest to suppress the groan that escaped my lips, “How can I?” A ward I had grafted into my cubicle wall turned red. I leaned close to Lacie, “He’s coming,” I picked up my burrito and took a bite.
	“Yeah, like I was sayin’,” The little rat woman put her hands on her wide hips, “The Grande Burrito account is going well, it's just they won’t get back to me now. I can’t install it if they won’t give me the time of day!” She complained, throwing her head back in anguish.
	I nodded before swallowing my food, “I know they’re a good customer, but these corpo accounts suck to deal with. Like when I was at that Hotel Cubed and they wouldn’t let me work with them over the phone and then didn’t want to pay when I came on site.”
	“Ugh, don’t let our admin chime in on that,” Our boss, Franklin, was at my cubicle entrance. He looked around it, “Got anything going on, Oscar?”
	I shook my head, “I wrapped up that install two days ago. Mister Gizzard was very happy with his new computer.”
	“Aye, he called and said so,” Franklin was an older man with a thick pair of glasses on his face. His clean shaven chin moved left and right as he looked down at Lacie, like he was deep in thought, “I’ve got some jobs for you, Oscar. Lacie, you should go with him.”
	“Huh?” I raised my eyebrows at him, “I can take care of it myself, can’t I?” I had said as much, but deep down I wasn’t really sure of that. Mister Gizzard’s install had been a nightmare on the tech side.
	“I don’t want you taking your carpet out there today. I spent good money on that van and you guys need to use it,” He explained, “They’re not exactly mundane jobs, either, so I can’t be sending Lacie on her own, either. You’ll be seeing Master Fruledan today. Network issues,” He quickly explained. I knew how bad that could be.
	“Ah, ya just want me to be there to bail out Oscar like I always have,” Lacie chuckled, “Poor guy got trained by that sloth, Marcus, and still needs help as to be expected. You should have had me do the bulk of it, I told you that.”
	I ignored her, but I knew she was partly right. I nodded to the boss, “Who else?”
	“Miss Magdalena Garcia needs her printer repaired,” He added.
	Lacie looked at me and then our boss, “I’ll get a new printer. She has the Gremylectric model S.P. Forty Seven, yeah?”
	I turned to my computer and began scrolling through customers and documents on thea shared server. There were four repair orders that turned into buy orders under her name. Lacie was right about the model, too, “Yeah. Do that. Who else?”
	“New customer. Computer setup. I’ve got a few boxes for it in the back. Labeled as ‘Marby Brown.’ Easy job. Do that last. Also, a visit to the Drakenard household. They said they were having network issues.”
	I raised a brow but nodded, “Got it. It shouldn’t take us too long.”
	“I think it will be an all day thing,” Lacie smirked, “Plus, we gotta take time for lunch, right?”
	“Feel free to comp it,” Franklin nodded as he took his glasses off to clean them, “Head out as soon as you can.”
	When Frank was out of earshot, Lacie looked at my burrito, “Take ya time. I’m gonna make a day of this. I need some coffee first.”
	I waved my wand and brought her cup to me from her cubicle to mine where I used the same magic I used for myself to conjure a hot cup of coffee for her, “Milk? Sugar?” 
	“I’ve got some of that caramel mix stuff in the fridge. I’ll go grab some. Thanks,” The woman gave me a big, sweet smile before she sauntered away with swaying hips. I could feel my face turning red.
	
	With my magic, loading the van was easy. With just the wave of my wand, I could move equipment, tools, cables, and anything else I needed from the small back room and into the van. It was white, like our uniform, and said Ruby Network Solutions on the side with our phone number in big letters and numbers. The mobile billboard was really why the boss wanted us to drive it around. Lacie put her toolbox in the back and slammed the two double doors shut, “Always nice working with ya. I don’t have to lift a finger.”
	I took a deep breath and rubbed my forehead. I was feeling a little weak. It wasn’t a physical tired, nor mental. It was a drain on my soul as I pulled from the deep wells of mana I had. I brought out a small, thin vial of a blue and sparkling drink as I got into the passenger seat, “Glad I could be of help,” I downed the salty liquid and slowly felt my strength return.
	“Ah, ya always are,” That made me feel a bit better, too. Lacie took the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. The mana-fueled van was short with no back seats and full of boxes in the back. It rumbled as its intake drew mana out of the air, the boxes jittering for a moment before it eased up. It was quiet and relatively smooth. Lacie had to drive it on a booster seat and with the rotating of a lever under the steering wheel, she brought the pedals up to her short legs. Being careful not to run over anyone’s bikes or run into the small stable, Lacie pulled the van out of the lot and onto the street. Horses, bikes, carriages, and only a couple cars were out and about. We were just outside of downtown where most of these people were headed. It was about ten as we drove to our first job, “Ya’ve got the maps, right?”
	I nodded and pulled out the printed off directions, “Right on thirtieth,” I ordered, “Have you dealt with Garcia before?”
	“A few times. She’s an overgrown, flirty housecat,” She spat, “Don’t fall for her sultry ways. Marcus caught them toxoplasmosis crap from her and can’t stop ogling cat women,” I wasn’t exactly sure what she was talking about. I hadn’t noticed anything like that either.
	“She’s an Avalonian like you, then?” I inferred quickly, “Left at the light.”
	“Ohhh, fancy man wizard and his politically correct terms. She puts the beast in beastman.”
	“And your scathing tongue doesn’t?”
	“Watch it. You’re gonna get intimate with my tongue if you keep this up.”
	I was taken aback, “Huh?”
	“What?” She replied, still grinning and now showing her buckteeth as my face turned red, “Where to?”
	“Uh, two lights down… kinda go right? Like there's a street diagonally to the right?” 
	“Got it,” She focused on the road, “Are you enjoying the I-tee life so far?”
	“It’s alright. Still debating on whether I should renew my contract or not…” I trailed off as I turned to look out the window. Shops went by as I stared. People and their family too. 
	“I always hear ya wizards are in high demand. Ya’re useful for almost any kind of job. And the stuff ya’ve done for Ruby, well I’ve never seen another tech do it. That thing you rigged to give that old man’s pocket dimension internet is nuts from what Yal’ore told me,” Lacie praised. It felt genuine. She was the one to train me correctly after Marcus screwed it up. It made me perk up a little bit hearing her say something nice for once.
	“Take a left on Bradston,” I informed her, “Well, the network thing isn’t that crazy. I just had to bend the aether twine to the tune of his extra dimensional space. It's not a big deal.”
	“If ya say so. This magic stuff is beyond me.”
	I stayed quiet beyond giving directions, “Another left. We should be there soon.”

	Lacie pounded on the door once we arrived. It was a small apartment complex that went up five floors. The two of us took the stairs up to the third and made our way down a little maze of halls. I held the printer under my arm while the rat girl carried her blue, metal toolbox. She glanced at me with her singular visible red eye before knocking loudly on the door. Like all Avalonians, she possessed a great natural strength, even for a woman of her smaller stature. Including her ears, Lacie was just over four feet tall. In contrast, the woman who threw the door open was seven or so feet. A woman with fur across her forearms, hands, ankles and feet wearing just a pink, fluffy bathrobe greeted us with a smile, “Ah! My little ratón! Your boss has sent his best!” Her furred hand leaned against the door frame as she leaned down to make eye contact with us. Her fur was covered in spots like a leopard or jaguar. Her accent was some South American hispanic, I really couldn't say which ethnicity, and her hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. Sharp, fierce features covered her beautiful face including a pair of sky blue cat-like eyes. She was definitely pretty, even if I didn’t agree with Marcus, I saw what he could have seen in her.
	Lacie folded her arms, “It's rata, Maggie.”
	“Si, si,” She scratched her head with her pink-painted and clawed digits. Her rounded cat ears flicked as her eyes turned to me, “And this?”
	“Oscar. Works with me. My protege, maybe,” She curtly explained, “This is Magdalena Garcia, Oscar.”
	The cat-woman’s eyes nearly bore holes into me as she looked me up and down, sizing me up with her uncomfortably neutral gaze. Like a cat staring down a rodent as it thinks about how to go about capturing its prey. Her lips pursed, “El es muy flaco…” She muttered in a disappointed tone making my face turn to a nervous frown.
	I looked at Lacie who shrugged, “Can we come in? Ya’ve got a printer problem, yeah?”
	“Oh! You got me excited, bringing a man here. Come in, come in.”
	I was brought into her apartment after Lacie. The entry room had a tiny hallway. To my left was a giant poster of a tiger and to the right was a coat rack where only a single hoodie was hung. After the hallway was the living room to the left and to the right through a door was a small office. The room had a desk, a leather chair in the corner and a TV on a small table. What caught my attention was the taped up pictures upon the walls. Obviously using a printer, she had printed pictures of birds in the wrong aspect ratio. Each picture was taken in landscape and then printed in portrait. The picture stretched from one end of the page to the other with huge white bars above and below it. I couldn’t help but stare, “You like the birds?” Maggie smiled with pride, “I print them myself.”
	“I can see that,” I folded my arms. Along one birdless wall, above the computer was a wall of a few weapons. A club, spear, and bow. The club was collecting dust, but the spear was in good condition.
	Lacie brought me out of my trance, “Jeez! What happened!?” She was staring at the printer. The upper part of the pastel green, plastic shell had been smashed and the printhead and ink had been blown out, covering the rest of the shell and even the floor. We both examined it slowly.
	“Was it an overheating issue?” I inquired.
	“Look here,” She pointed at a slim, ovoid hole that had pierced through most of the machine. Lacie looked at me, then at Maggie who stared blankly at the two of us, “Uh, did ya… Ya know,” The rat girl frowned, trying not to embarrass her.
	“N-no…” She quickly got defensive, “I would not stab my printer.”
	“You did it four times before,” I pressed.
	“Okay! Si! I did!” She threw her arms in the air in defeat, “The printer usually goes, vrr-vrr-vrr-vrr. But it went BARRR and I was having me time and I was so startled that I grabbed my spear and stabbed through the machine! It was looking to attack!” 
	“That’s the noise this model makes when it runs out of paper, Maggie,” Lacie sighed and rubbed her eyes.
	“But you can fix?” 
	“No,” I shook my head. I put the box on the floor and Lacie started to unpackage it, “If I was to use magic to fix this, we’re looking at a five hours or more fix. It depends how low this goes. You completely punctured the ink tube and that thing is pretty complex. I’ll do you a nicety at least,” I brought out my wand. I pointed it up and began my quiet chant. I pointed my wand and used my magic to clean up the ink, lifting it from the floor and turning it into a concentrated ball that I deposited into a nearby bin. 
	Maggie clapped, “Ooooh, wondrous party trick. If only you were a bit, mmm, más grande.”
	“Bigger?” I recognized that word at least. She nodded but that only further confused me. An Idea was starting to form in my mind. Marcus wasn’t really taller than me…
	Lacie finished plugging the new printer in and nodded, “There.”
	Like it should, the printer came to life with a quiet vrr-vrr-vrr… I looked at what was printing. A magazine page? Newspaper maybe? It was black and white with hardly legible text. The main portion of the page was a photo of a man in a luchador mask and a spandex uniform with long tassels on his wrists. I couldn't see the colors of them due to it being in black and white, of course, but the uniform was striped and his mask was similar to a tiger’s face. I struggled to think of it in any other way, but he was quite fat. The text I could read was in spanish or portuguese, by my guess, “Who is that?” I asked quietly.
“Oh, the Flying Tiger!” Maggie swooned, “The most handsome man in the ring! What this woman would not give to have a go at that man!” She sighed, holding the paper to her bosom. She opened the desk drawer, revealing many more newspaper and magazine articles that she was pirating or finding online and printing in very low quality. Each man was quite… grande, and in various states of undress. I was happier when she closed the drawer again, “My printer is working. Gracias, my friends. Let me get my checkbook…” She stepped from the little office, leaving me and Lacie alone.
	“Mmm, if only ya were that strong,” The rat lady teased. I raised a brow and pulled back my short sleeve before flexing for her, showing off my strong arms. As her face turned red, I smiled, “H-huh…?” She stammered.
	“Wizards aren’t scrawny,” I explained, “There’s a lot of physicality in casting spells. I just strain my muscles in other ways compared to a body builder. I’m not huge and they’re not obvious, but I’ve got some.”
	“Stop flexing,” She hissed as the cat woman returned.
	Maggie got quoted by Lacie and wrote out the payment, “Here,” She gave it to Lacie then turned to me and offered me a bottle, “Something for you.”
	It was a fruit punch soda with a brand in Spanish on it. I put on my best customer service smile and gave her a quick thank you. I couldn’t help but think she wanted me to fatten up like Marcus.
	We left quickly after that with Lacie laughing at me all the way down the stairs and out to the van.
	
	I looked at the sugary drink in my hand before plopping it into the cupholder. I wasn’t really interested in it. Lacie was still grinning at me. I folded my hand and looked at the maps again, “Left on eighty-second. Have you met Master Fruledan before?”
	“Nope. But ya set up his network, yeah?” Lacie asked as she waited to take the left, “The boss went with ya on that one, right? He wanted to see how the magic-network-whatever worked?”
	“He did. It's a newer magitech method. It allows dish based TV networks, internet, anything else to be brought into a pocket dimension,” I explained, “I got certified in it pretty quickly.”
	“And that's why ya got brought on. Straight here?”
	“It's a left, right up here,” I mindlessly said.
	“Huh?” Lacie suddenly froze.
	“Left!” I pointed as we passed the road, “Shoot!”
	“Don’t say crap like ‘left, right’ to me ya dummy!” The rat groaned, “Okay, we can get back on that road.”
	“Just turn around at the McDaniels,” I pointed at the light, “Why’d you go past it?”
	“I wanna turn here,” She took a left and then another left, taking us back to the road we missed, “Okay it should be around here…”
	“It's there,” I pointed to a grove amongst the houses. Lacie parked on the side of the road. Surrounded by an iron fence with a simple gate, was a reprieve from the urban sprawl. Tall trees surrounded the property, each leaning over the area to provide shade for the special, magical plants. Blue, glowing lilies, a pond covered in a yellow glowing algae, lily pads with rainbow colored frogs, silvery roses, and even mushrooms of every conceivable shade of brown or gray with a touch of red or green grew amongst the grounds. In the middle of it all, down a small cobblestone looking path made of crystals was a black door that stood by itself with a white door frame. It was a very pretty sight. I grabbed my bag as we stepped from the van, “Picturesque, no?” I asked as I opened the black iron gate for her. Each of the bars on the fence was twisted from top to bottom and lined with spikes at the top. I saw the line out to the little plastic box next to the street had regrown its grass, but it was a little rougher than the rest, it even looked like some of the ground had been dug up.
	“No,” Lacie looked a bit uncomfortable, “I don’t like all this magic stuff. Looks like it's gonna explode if I make a wrong move.”
	I chuckled, “Do you think I’m going to as well?”
	“Maybe. I’ve never seen ya mad, maybe ya’d detonate if ya got enraged.”
	I approached the door and grabbed the dragon-headed knocker and gave it a few bangs on the door, “If I was a sorcerer, maybe. But a wizard doesn't do that.”
	The door was pulled open by Master Fruledan, a short bugbear with yellow eyes and covered in maroon hair. He had a black beard with an impressive, big, western style mustache. He was wearing a simple set of brown robes tied at the waist with a silver rope, “Oh! You’re the technicians, yes? From Ruby? Good to see you again, Oscar.”
	“Same to you, sir,” I gave him a small bow. The goblinoid glanced over at Lacie as she looked around to the back of the door, “See anything?” I teased.
	“Just the back of the frame,” She shuddered.
	“If I was a poorer quality wizard, you would have seen my inscription to create this realm!” Master Fruledan laughed, “Please, come in and take a look at my poor, internetless computer. And my cable-less TV!”
	“The cable died too?” I sighed, now knowing this would get a little more complicated.
	“Yes, I didn’t realize it until this morning. Oscar,” He suddenly turned to me, “You still refuse to wear the traditional attire?”
	“Ya’re not wearing a hat either, mister,” Lacie quickly defended me. It was a bit of a shock to see her stand up for me.
	“But this is my home, where I am allowed the comfort of being hatless. What your friend is doing is almost rude,” He chuckled, “In some magical cultures, at least.”
	“It just makes my head hot,” I explained half-heartedly, “Sweaty, chafing, itchy.”
	“Preposterous. You and I both know there is a good hat maker in town that could easily cater to this issue. But that’s beside the point. You’re not here for a lecture, come in.”
	The interior of the pocket realm was similar to a manor. We were brought into the foyer with a pair of staircases against either wall leading up to the second and third floors. The floor was tiled stone that glistened a rainbow of colors in the lights that came from the white burning candles and chandelier. Paintings covered the walls of various scenes, mountains, knights, plains, swamps. They were all gorgeously made. A small creature came trotting out from behind a grandfather clock, a white beast with a long white tail and patches of black fur, a possum. It was cloaked in yellow specs of magical energy, “Maureece!” Master Fruledan beckoned the beast to follow with a long, disproportionate arm, characteristic of all goblinoids. It did as it was told and followed us into a side room, “My familiar,” The bugbear explained to the two of us, “A little bratty, but he means well enough.”
	“Most familiars are temperamental,” I chuckled, “Any wild animal imbued with magic is. Just look at Lacie here.”
	I got slugged in the arm for that one. We were brought into the office. It was like a library with the walls lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. A pair of tall windows let a silvery light into the room. In the middle of the room was a crescent shaped desk with a work space for writing and reading and a computer screen off to one side. I got to work quickly, checking the back of the computer tower that sat on the floor. Lacie got onto the computer and started checking its settings, “So, uh,” The rat woman began as Master Fruledan watched us work, “I thought goblins couldn’t grow beards.”
	“Not usually, no!” He excitedly explained, “On my internet, potion brewing coven, a dwarven magi was kind enough to share his elixir of hair growth with me!” He stroked his beard with pride, “Of course, I had to continually trim the hair that covers my form otherwise they would have to call me Master Mop!” 
	We both smiled at his joke even if it fell flat. Another bout of polite customer service smiles. Lacie was quick to get the topic of conversation changed, “See anything?” She asked me.
	I shook my head, “Cables all look right. Same as when the boss plugged them in a few months back. What about your end?”
	“Well,” She clicked the mouse a few times, “No internet. The network is plugged in, I think.”
	“Got your cable tester?”
	“Here,” She tossed the small devices to me from her back pocket.
	I plugged one into the network cable on the PC end and took the other to the internet router that sat on the bottom floor of a shelf near the door. The cable ran underneath the wooden floor and the devices showed the packets being sent back and forth with no issue, “Nothing here,” I put the cable back and Lacie did the same on her end. The router was on but didn’t have its internet symbol on. I scratched my head, “Maybe we need to replace the router?” I was struggling to get any more information from it as I picked it up. I wasn’t really sure how to open it up either. I tugged on it, pushed at locations I thought there would be inner clasps, and eventually thought to use my magic to blow it apart.
	“I doubt it. It's pretty new,” The rat woman squeezed in front of me. We were both kneeling with her pressing her back to my chest as she fiddled with the router. Her hair tickled the bottom of my chin as I froze from the sudden physical contact. She moved the router in my hands, not even noticing my sudden freezing as she unscrewed the shell of the router, said screws were located beneath a set of rubber feet, “None of the capacitors are blown. The wiring looks right…” She used a red and black rod to test the circuitry of the admittedly simple device. As she put it back together she leaned back, forcing me onto my butt as she sat the same way. I was sweating. Lacie tilted her head as I made a little nervous noise, “What? Is something wrong?”
	She looked behind her to see how close we were. As the realization came to her, her face turned a cherry red. We stared at one another’s eyes for a brief moment before she scooted forward and put the router back. The bugbearish wizard chuckled, “Ah, to be young.”
	“I didn’t mean anything by it!” Lacie hollered, “I-It’s normal in Ratkin culture to be close to someone when working on the same task!”
	“Of course, of course. Did you fix it?” The wizard began to click and type on his computer, “No… This mustard recipe still isn’t working. I wanted to cover my corn dogs in it, they said it's a gaseous form of mustard. Mustard gas, I believe they called it.”
	I swore to myself that I had heard that name before. Lacie looked shocked, “Uh, Mister– Master Fruledan, have ya ever read Great War history? Right before the cracking?”
	“Hm? Uhh, a bit? Why?” He held Maurice with one arm and stroked his back.
	Lacie looked at me, hoping I could step in and help. The look on her face made me think this was something terrible, “Just, uh, make sure ya’re not building a bomb or something.”
	“What? It's food! Not a bomb!” 
	I shook my head, “Let me check the other cables,” I drew my wand and brought out a triangular pane of glass framed in smooth black wood. I cast my enchantment upon the glass and looked at the wiring under the floor. Only the internet lines were visible meaning that the electrical outlets used some other form of magic. The line in the office looked fine so I moved on to the foyer. The line here looked fine, without a break or tear. It glowed a bright, solid white. Lacie was following me. I spotted the second line, the TV cable, that went into a back room, most likely to a central cable box then out to other TVs. It looked fine as well. 
	“See anything?” The rat woman wondered.
	“Nothing out of the ordinary. Let's go outside.”
	As soon as we stepped out, I could see the breaks in the white lines in the ground. Both wires looked like they had been cut. I handed the lens to Lacie who hesitantly took a look, “How’d that happen?” She asked, “Magic?”
	“Doubt it,” I pointed my wand at the dirt and cast a section of it aside, taking the grass with it. The pipe that the wires were fed through had been chewed up so something could squeeze inside, “What do you think did this?” It was definitely bigger than what a mouse or rat would make. 
	“Cables are chewed through,” Lacie expertly noted, “Some kind of rodent, by my guess. But it got covered up again. I doubt a rat or mouse did it.”
	“It's almost deliberate,” I surmised as I began to look through my materials. I brought out a small section of network and cable wires. I carefully placed them inside the tube next to the cuts.
	“I think I see our culprit,” Lacie nudged me and pointed to the possum that had now been let loose in the garden. It was pretending to be busy, but was definitely watching us with its intelligent eyes.
	“Definitely a brat,” I chuckled. Using my magic, I was able to transmute the good portion of cable onto the broken bit, fixing the line. I did it for both then again for the gnawed tubing. It only cost me some bits of cable, mana salt, and plastic for the PVC piping. I sighed and wiped my forehead, “Done. Master Fruledan?”
	“Yes?” The older bugbear was looking down at his stone lined pond, “Is it done?”
	“It should be,” I nodded. Lacie was already heading back inside the ajar door to the computer, “Uh, something dug through the tube and got at the cables.”
	“Oh? I see,” He sighed, “I’ll transmute it into something harder when I have a moment. For now, I should get back to my potion brewing forum. I think I will try the Gaseous P-B-and-J. After the mustard of course.”
	“Uh, yeah,” I began to pack my materials. I really hoped that the wizard wasn’t about to hurt himself.
	Lacie gave us a nod, “It's back up. Have fun with yar potions, sir,” Master Fuledan scooped up his little familiar. With his simple wooden staff he summoned a sack of money which he handed over to Lacie, “A check would have been better, but so be it.”
	“Checks? I don’t believe in banks,” The wizard grumpily explained. 
Lacie and I looked at eachother, “Of course. See you around, Fuledan,” I gave him a small bow, as is customary between a greater and lesser wizard. He politely returned it, and we returned to the van.
	
	I returned to the van with food in my hands. Hot dogs for both of us from a small restaurant with next to no indoor seating. Even if it was a little chilly, a few people were eating in their cars or at benches. Lacie was sitting in the opened back of the van and I sat next to her, her little legs dangling over the bumper. She opened her styrofoam container and licked her lips at the cheese covered hotdog. Mine was plain with ketchup.
	“Gonna drink that soda?” Lacie teased with an impish smile.
	I shuddered then shook my head, “Nah.”
	“More for me, then,” She had already grabbed it, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about what that goblin wizard said. It being rude that you don’t wear one of those goofy hats. Is there a deeper reason?”
	“You just said why. It's goofy.”
	“Well, yeah, most of them. But those flat ones are pretty stylish. You’d look good in one,” I felt like she was flirting with me again, not that I knew how to really respond.
	I shrugged, “Only a few kinds of wizards wear those, and I wouldn’t be one of them. It's more of a researcher hat. I’m just a sanctioned wizard, a thaumaturge. Besides, those hats carry a lot of respect, but the expectations put on you just for putting a traffic cone on your head is… unbearable,” I couldn’t bring myself to explain how I felt completely unworthy of those expectations.
	Lacie stared at her hot dog and curly fries, “I never had much expected of me,” She sighed, “Fourth of five kids to my dad’s third wife. I wish I knew how ya felt.”
	I knew about Avalonian Ratkin life. Many more women to men resulting in these harems, “How many wives?”
	“I think seven now, after my uncle bit the big one,” She sighed.
	“Don’t look so down,” I put my food down and wrapped an arm around her small shoulders, “You’re the best person in the office at this i-tee stuff. I’m glad you’re the one that trained me, too. Well, the one who trained me right, I mean.”
	Lacie leaned into me as she took another bite, “Thanks,” She paused for a moment before looking up at me, “Busy tonight? We could, uh, get some dinner?”
	I frowned, “I have somewhere to be tonight.”
	She frowned back at me as I removed my arm, “That card thing?”
	“Yeah, I always go on Wednesdays.”
	“Yeah, whatever,” She huffed before scratching her big ear and stopping her leaning on me. She was quiet for a time, as if the gears were turning in her head and looking for something to say. Not that I had anything else to add, this odd panging had returned in my heart and I was feeling a little guilty over how down she was looking, “Is yars any good? I think they overcooked mine.”
	I shrugged, “It's fine. How can you taste your dog anyway? It's slathered in cheese.”
	“That’s beside the point!” She got huffy and pouty, making me chuckle at her again. I got a light punch on the arm for my snickers.

	After our late lunch, Lacie drove the van down the interstate. Our workday was ending soon, and the rat woman was determined to not put in any overtime. I found myself agreeing. If only I hadn’t taken so long to eat lunch. We were quiet as we approached our second to last customer of the day, “Left, then go straight at the light,” I directed.
	Lacie nodded and did as I said. I was left to overthink everything in my own head as the silence of the van was deafening, “So,” She finally began, “Where do ya play that card game at? The Fowl Champions game?”
	“Ah,” I sheepishly smirked, “I’m surprised you remember the name. It's not very popular. I’ve been going to Dragon’s Hoard Games since I was at the academy to play. I see some guys from the academy there every once in a while. I might have to find something else to play soon.”
	“Why’s that?”
	“Take a right– take the next one. It's just not popular. They’re supposedly canning it soon. I like the art a lot, so it's gonna be a shame to see it go.”
	“Maybe ya should teach me sometime,” She offered, “Ya usually have some cards with ya, I think.”
	“I do. I’m always fretting over my deck lists. At least it's pretty cheap to get into right now,” I found myself chuckling. I looked out the window to see rows of homes on the hillsides around us. The burrow-homes were dug into the earth. Each one had a square or round door with multiple windows lit up orange from the lights within. They were cozy with flowers lining the paths, little fences keeping geese and hogs out or in, and colorful signs denoting the family within’s name. 
	“It's beyond me why these gnomes moved into a shire,” Lacie groaned.
	“What’s there to groan about? You’re the perfect size for these houses,” I snickered.
	She shook her head, “Just always felt… culty. Too pretty and nice.”
	I took a look at her as we pulled into a parking spot amongst the hills. Usually meant for carriages and wagons, but our van fit pretty nicely. A few halflings with curly blonde hair rode by on pony backs and waved at us. I waved back but Lacie ducked back into the van quickly as if she was avoiding them, “You should try to be more friendly. They’re some of the best cooks around.”
	“Perfect for poisoning you,” She shook herself. Her pink tail was wiggling anxiously behind her.
	“I thought you put that Ratkin paranoia behind when you moved out here?” I wanted to sound teasing, but I was getting a little concerned with the way she kept looking over her shoulder.
	I picked up the network equipment and followed her, “I did. It’s just… these people. They’re up to something. Too kind and sweet.”
	“Good thing we’re dealing with gnomes, huh?” We went up the pink-stone cobbled path. We passed some children playing with a pack of kittens in their front yard, a few old women knitting on a front porch under an awning, and a man and woman stomping grapes in a tub to make wine. They all looked like they were having wonderful times. Coming to the Drakenard residence, we found potted plants and a bench littering the porch. A few even hung from the porch’s roof.
	Lacie banged on the door. The air smelled like orange juice. It was pleasant, to me at least. The door was pulled open by a gnomish woman in a little apron and her hair covered up by a bandana. Her cheeks were rosy and a pair of small glasses sat on her nose, “Oh, are you from the internet company?”
	“We’re with Ruby, yes,” I answered before Lacie could say something sassy, “May we come in, Missus Drakenard?”
	The woman brought us inside as she scratched her long, rounded ears, “Dear! The internet folks are here!”
	I banged my head on a support beam and ducked down as much as I could. Lacie was a tad taller than the gnomish woman but could still walk through the halfling sized halls with ease. I had to duck and dodge under chandeliers and weave past wall lamps to keep from breaking them. Thankfully, Lacie had turned from anxious to giddy as she watched my struggle. Rounded hallways that twisted deeper into the hill led us to a living room. Another gnome, a small fellow with just as rosy cheeks and a big white beard, sat in a human sized recliner. He looked at Lacie and I with a raised brow. The rat woman was quick to speak, “Where’s your internet equipment and computer?”
	“This way,” He pulled the side lever and brought the foot rest back down before scrambling out of the big chair, “We had a pop up say that there was something wrong so we called the number.”
	“Yes, the fellow had an odd accent,” the woman added, “I was baking some cakes when my husband started raving about the issue and worrying his head off!”
	“Then what?” I bumped my head again. I was starting to get annoyed.
	I could smell the sweets from the kitchen as I was brought into a little office. The low desk was below a window and a few paintings of the ocean and boats hung on the walls along with the gnomish man’s boating license, “Well, I was trying to buy a new boat tag. I dunno why they want me to do this online now! It was so easy on the phone! Then the issue popped up and i couldn’t hardly hear the guy. And he's saying ‘Issue! Issue!’ So I unplugged the damned thing and the guy hung up!” 
	Lacie looked under the desk, “Yeah, you really did unplug it. You unplugged damn near everything!”
	“Is that why it won’t turn on?” The older woman frowned, “I thought it had those magic crystals in it for power.”
	“Just regular electricity,” I chuckled as I found somewhere to kneel.
	“We’ll get this plugged back in and online. Just don’t call any more popup numbers alright? They’re most likely scams.”
	“Oh, who would do something like that?” The gnomish woman frowned.
	Her husband began to hurry from the room, “I’m missing the game. Let me know if you need anything,” He left with his wife soon after.
	I was left alone in the dimly lit room with Lacie, “Look at all of this,” She quietly said as she gestured to me to come closer. I scooted across the floor and gazed at all the cables and equipment that had been unplugged and laid out carefully on the floor. Mouse, keyboard, router, modem, cables between every device, and a few cable ties that had been meticulously unwound, “Great. Let's get to work.”
	It was a simple setup. I used my magic to plug the monitor into the computer along with the mouse and keyboard. Although she grumbled, Lacie got the router hooked up in a few minutes. She almost jumped as I magically pulled the cable from the network and into the PC, “Quit it!” She turned the computer on and did a quick scan for bugs or virus applications.
“I don’t think we needed to come out for this one,” I sighed.
	Lacie wagged a finger at me, “People like this aren’t going to want to troubleshoot with ya. I know people like this. Get our stuff and I’ll get us paid.”
	She brushed past me, making me try to get straighten up and bang my head on the chandelier. She laughed at my misfortune.

	Back in the van, we were headed back towards the office. Our last install should be home by now so we were hoping to get it done quickly. I was staring out the window like usual, “Is your head okay?” Lacie asked. I couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or not.
“Good as it can be after four new lumps,” I grumbled.
	She gave me another grin before the light turned green and she went around a carriage, “At least ya’re not concussed.”
	“Ugh, yeah. Anyway, just keep going straight. I think it's a mile or two. What have you been up to?” I looked over as the rat woman brought the van to a stop.
	“Other than the rat keeping? A bit of cooking, looking into board games. Gotta admit, ya talkin’ about it made me wanna try. Ya got any good ones?”
	“Yeah, a whole bunch of them.”
	“Maybe I should have asked ya for that and not dinner, huh?” She gave me a nudge as the light turned green, “But ya’ve got plans, eh?”
	Her words stung despite them coming from smiling lips, “Yeah… It's that right,” I pointed. I held onto the handle above the door as Lacie took it a little too fast, “Are we just plugging in a computer?”
	“Yeah.”
	“Why?” Even as a lowly technician, this would feel below my talents.
	“Remember our last client? Some people are just tech illiterate. Tell them what to do over the phone and they grumble and moan. This guy couldn’t even figure out the power on his computer and monitor when we spoke. It’ll be a quick in and out,” She took another turn, “Let’s see here…”
	I looked out my side of the van, “It should be four-oh-five-oh. I imagine– That’s it,” I pointed to a very old style European or British house. It even had a thatched roof and brick walls with big glass windows that were open, the curtains beyond them billowing in the wind, “Weird.”
	“Tell me about it,” Lacie pulled over on the curb and we got out, “Think its one of them weird, eccentric wizard houses?” Every house around it was modern. This didn’t look like it had running water.
	“Probably,” I sighed. We grabbed our usual equipment and headed to the door. I grabbed the knocker and gave it a good few pounds. 
	The door was thrown open, bouncing off the door stop within. A tall and green skinned man smiled at us. He had a pair of tusks and sharp teeth, “Oscar and Lacie? With Ruby?” He quickly presumed. He was well dressed, not just for an orc, but for anyone. With a button up and vest, slacks, the now undone tie, and a coat he had only just hung up. His head was shaved, leaving a thin layer of black hair, “G’day, come in, will you?”
	“Of course, what seems to be the problem with the setup?” Lacie asked as we stepped in and removed our shoes. We were immediately in a living room with two folding chairs and a coffee table loaded with books and candles. The hardwood floor also has some small light sources in the form of magical, crimson fires that cast an almost gristly glow across the home. 
	“Well, I think I’ve gone and gummed it up,” His accent was Australian, surprisingly. Not many were moving out of that country due to some strange laws, “Marby,” He quickly introduced, “I mighta bought some nuggets, too.”
	“Nugget?” I quickly shook myself.
	“Ah, bad hardware. Proper effed.”
	I nodded, “Got it,” I didn’t really get it.
	We were led into a bedroom where more red lights were hung. The furniture was sparse beyond a messy bed pushed up against the wall and a small desk with computer bits strewn about. It was in pieces, but seemed to be all there, the parts taken out of their boxes and placed onto the desk, “Did you do this?” Lacie wondered.
	“Nah, came like that. A helluva lot cheaper to buy the parts. I was expecting a manual, but…” Marby sighed, “Australia didn’t have a lot of these computer bits. MUTTs are so much different.”
	“Those robots from the Unification War?” My interest was piqued.
	“Ya got it, mate. I didn’t use ‘em much. I was mostly doing humanitarian aid after the war ended and some people were kind enough to send me to uni here,” He proudly explained, “Workin’ as a nurse now. More of what I was doin’ then. Someone I was workin’ with told me about this internet thing. Never had it back in ‘Straya. I don’t think many do outta the States.”
	“You get the house recently?” Lacie asked as we began to assemble the computer. Motherboard went in and she got it screwed in. I grabbed the RAM and tried to slot it in, only to feel nothing but resistance and no satisfying click. Was I supposed to force it more? My nerves were getting the best of me already. Lacie put her hands on mine. I looked into her big, red eye and saw the amusement on her face. She took the RAM and flipped it around. It clicked into place, “What would ya do without me?”
	“Oi, ya some kinda wizard? Yeah, I got it recently from an older guy. Said he moved his house here from the old country but was leaving for warmer, and more modern pastures,” The orc sat on his bed before removing his tie and unbuttoning a few buttons on his shirt.
	“No, but Oscar’s a wizard,” Lacie pointed out as we slowly worked. 
	“Strewth? Where’s your hat, mate? And the robes?”
	“Eh, hats make my head itch,” I fibbed as I helped put the processor in. No graphics card. As if to show my powers, I brought out my wand and channeled my mana through it. Wispy, silvery tentacles that were barely visible began to pick up cables and plug them in. Power, data cables, the floppy and CD trays, and various buttons on the case to little plugs on the motherboard. I sighed as I finished before Lacie got the case’s panel back on.
	“Absolutely wizard, mate,” There was a huge grin on the orc's face.
	“Wizard? Uh, pre-Cracking earth called and they want their groovy and bogus lingo back!” The rat-lady laughed at her own little joke.
	“Nah, I mean it, mate. You both make a good team, goin’ steady, are ya?”
	I froze. I couldn’t see Lacie’s face where she stood in front of me. Her big rat-like ears drooped a bit, “Nah. Just good co-workers. He’s the best one to work with.”
	“Yeah,” I tried to regain my composure, “There’s no one in the office I’d rather get sent out with.”
	Lacie put the tower under the desk and I put the monitor and peripherals on it. I pushed the cables down the back then twisted them together with little ties to keep them clean as she plugged them in. I got the network stuff unboxed and started getting the network and power cables ready. Lacie took both power cables in her hands and… we both scanned the outlet-less wall, “Uh…” She scratched her head.
	I put a hand over my mouth as the worst realization came to me, “Marby? I think your house is a nugget.”
	“Nah, mate. This place is great! A better bed, a wardrobe, this place’ll turn into a proper pad! It's even got plumbing!”
	Lacie and I stared at one another for what felt like the hundredth time today. A nonverbal understanding shared again, “No, Marby. Ya house has no power.”
	I watched the strong orc deflate all at once, “Oh,” His voice rang hollow, “I forgot we don’t got Aether power here. I can’t just plop down a power source for it all…”
	I shook my head, “Look. Just get an electrician out here. One that can do low voltage. Have them put power sockets in and a single network jack behind the PC. More if you want a landline in a few spots.”
	“Landline? A phone, yeah,” He rubbed his face. I felt bad for the guy, but what was I supposed to do?
	Lacie was already writing instructions down, “Once you get those in, this is all you have to do. The operating system floppies are here, the cables are sitting there, and ya’ll be able to go through the installer. It's easy.”
	“And if it isn’t?”
	“Call us,” I gave him a thumbs up, “I can run cables, but putting in the outlets and hooking it up to the area’s power and network is beyond my training. Call us if you need anything.”
	“You’ve got it,” He quickly wrote us a check for our time and Lacie took it, “Have a good one. Hopefully you’re goin’ home soon.”
	“Oh yeah, we’re done,” Lacie picked up our things and started for the door with the tall orc leading us, “Have a good one.”
	We loaded into the van and were off into the evening. Dusk had come, work was over, and I was eager to hop back on my flying carpet and going home. Then, to the game store. Lacie looked exhausted, “Lots of work got done, huh?” I asked.
	“Yeah, good job,” She praised with a weak smile. 
	“You did great too,” I replied, “I don’t miss being stuck in this car with those guys. You’re a lot better than them.”
	“I am?”
	“Oh, yeah. We would only have gotten two of these done with those slow…” I looked for a word, “Idiots. You’re quick with tools and cables.”
	Lacie’s smile widened as she looked to the road, “Thanks, Oscar. Ya’re a real one, as far as humans go. Ya’ll be a pro in no time,” I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay.
	I started guiding her back to the office. My brain, a little voice in the back of it, kept telling me to invite her to play cards, or to my place for a board game, or anything else. My dry mouth wouldn’t form the words. She had better things to do than spend time with me.
	Back at the office, we brought the equipment in and Lacie disappeared quickly, eager to go home. I summoned my carpet and went home, only for a short time. As I put on my coat, I continued to look around the parking lot. She had already gone, I knew that. I took to the sky, watching the dim town turn its lights on. It was as stunning as ever, but the panging, ringing regret made my body heavy.

	As I stepped into the game store, my nose was assaulted by the scent of body odor and musty card board. Paint, plastic and metal. War games were being played on square tables, other, popular card games were being played on rows and rows of folding tables. A long, glass counter lined the left wall with high value cards in its case. I scanned them as I went past on my way to the board games. I scanned them, trying not to make it obvious that I was searching the tables for familiar faces. They were there of course, other regulars. But, the little corner my group used to play at was empty. I picked up a board game and read the back, while it was interesting, a board game based around the Australian Unification War or the MUTT War sounded long. Besides that, who would I play it with? No way anyone I knew would play something difficult and rules heavy. I kept looking, picking up games and looking over the shelves at my table. Still nothing. Defeated, I still made my way over and plopped myself down. I brought out my deck from my magical storage and began to sort through my cards.
	Minutes passed. Maybe an hour.
	“This is how ya’re spending yar evening?” 
	The voice made me shiver with its cross tone. I looked up meekly. Lacie stood across the table from me in a graphic t-shirt with a cat eating spaghetti on it under a red, brown, and white flannel with the sleeves rolled up. The jeans she wore fit tightly to her rump and hips that her hands rested on. Her one visible eye softly glared at me. It was more out of pity than anger. She took her small backpack on the table as she sat across from me.
	I slowly nodded, “Yeah. I think the game is finally dead. I think it's time to put it away,” I sighed dejectedly.
	“Well,” She began to rifle around in her purse, “I’ll give ya one more game.”
	“Huh?”
	She brought out a yellow deck box with a mischievous look in her eye, “If I win, ya’re takin’ me to ice cream tonight.”
	I nodded and began to shuffle, “But what if I win?”
	“Then ya can tell me what ya want,” She grinned as she fluttered her eyelashes at me. She had put makeup on. She never did that. Her lashes were long, her cheeks had blush, and her lipstick made them look quite plump. She was stunning. Her cards were brought out and also shuffled. We split one anothers’ decks and drew our opening hands. After a dice roll, I was to go first. I played it safe with a simple crow summon. For a basic card, it had decent stats. I passed after playing another card to give the crow a treasure.
	Lacie’s turn. She played a blue jay before removing it herself to play a larger, much scarier vulture card. It easily destroyed my crow which let her then return her blue jay. I drew a card from the treasure, then it was my turn. For some defense, I played an emperor penguin in a defensive stance and used a spell card to enhance its stats. Lacie’s cold look as she drew a card at the start of her turn gave me nothing but dread. Another self destruction to play an even larger bird in exchange for the vulture and jay. A cassowary. One of the most expensive cards in the game. She was serious. Much too serious for my middling deck. My penguin was destroyed. With two of my birds gone, Lacie just needed four more for a win. The game continued. Even if I managed to remove a large threat, she had another in her hand or could bring it out of the discard. One after another, I lost my birds until she had gotten all six of her victory tokens. 
Lacie was beaming as she looked up from her cards, but that went away as she saw my face. Defeat and dejection were obvious in my posture and face, “We, uh, can do best two outta three?”
	“Naw,” I packed up my cards, “I’ll buy you that ice cream, as promised.”
	“Alright…” She packed up as I did the same, “Let’s take my car, huh?”
	“Sure.”

	I was sitting passenger in Lacie’s personal car. A little four seater car painted a nice cream yellow. We were in the dark half of a grocery store parking lot with ice cream in our hands. I had a bowl of sherbert with gummy candy atop it. The candy was hard and tough to chew. Lacie had birthday cake ice cream in a big waffle cone. I tapped the spoon on the rim of the bowl along to the music that quietly played from the car’s cassette player, “I didn’t ruin yar night, did I?” Lacie broke the silence.
	I shrugged, “I already ruined your day, didn’t I?”
	“No, but I just feel like ya’re avoiding me,” She sighed, “We have a good time workin’ together, but then ya’re so dodgy on spending time outside of work. Why?”
	It was my turn to sigh as I looked down into my ice cold treat, “I was afraid. I’m constantly screwing up. Failure is all I feel like I do,” I slumped my shoulders, “And… You could do so much better than me.”
	“Better? Than you?” There was a hint of anger in her voice as she leaned over the arm rest between us. Her exasperation turned to a smile, one of defeat and weariness, “I don’t care if I could do better. I care about you. No other man has made me feel like this. And ya’re not a screw up. Ya’ve done a great job at Ruby thus far.”
	“I am a failure, Lacie,” I began, making the smile vanish, “I was supposed to get an eight year degree. I wasn’t cut out for mastery, but by all means I should have been able to succeed,” I leaned back and looked up at the roof of the car, “But I kept failing and failing my four year study exam. Over and over, something kept me from passing on to the second half of my studies. I just… gave up. I got my four year degree for thaumaturgy and started picking up work. I don’t have a beard, or wear the hat, or the robes because I barely feel like a wizard. I can barely do this tech stuff either!”
	Lacie frowned, putting her hand on my wrist, “I don’t think ya’re a failure at all, Oscar. School sucks, I’m a dropout too. Ya’ve got these cool magic powers, wizards like ya are always in demand. I understand ya’re insecure. Do ya feel like ya couldn’t provide?”
	I nodded as I looked over at her, “I just feel pathetic. If I couldn’t keep making money and–”
	Lacie put a finger on my lips, “That won’t happen. Ya’ve shown me that with yar work ethic. Ya’re sweet, cunnin’, and friendly. Not to mention handsome,” She had a kind smile on her face as she felt my upper arm, “I think we’d make it. I’m making good money, and whatever you bring in would just be a bonus for us,” She paused as she stared into my eyes, “Do I need to convince ya somehow?”
	I shook my head, “With that deck you made and how well you played, I feel like you've had this in mind for a while.”
	Lacie snickered, a finger tracing up and down my arm, “I told myself once, after a particularly lonely night, I’d do anything to make Oscar mine. Ya’re contract is runnin’ out. We’d be able to avoid the lovers working together thing, something that tends to tear people apart. If they make me lead project manager, I could bring ya in for yar talents…” We were quiet for a bit, staring at one another. She had the same lonely look in her eyes that I stared at in the mirror in the morning, “Ya’ve always respected me. Even if I’m a girl in a man’s field,” She slowly put her hand on my face, gently caressing my skin, “Oscar…”
	I put my hand over hers, “What is it you want for the future?”
	“Ya know… Us? A kid or three, little Ratkin babies that I’ll raise right. A big, cool tower and a nice house. Ya feeling like a proper wizard, maybe I’d own my own shop. We’d be doin’ great. No more lonely nights, no more crappy feelings.”
	“That does sound nice,” I frowned, still unsure if I could provide for a family like that. Bit by bit, I was feeling some of the doubt going away as Lacie put her hands on my arm. She was warm and more importantly, convincing. Maybe I just wanted to believe her more than I was being convinced. I wanted what she wanted. That panging bit was starting to fall away, “And the short term?” 
	“I want ya to hold me,” Her voice was barely a squeak as the embarrassment entered her voice.
	“I can do that.”
	I put my ice cream down as Lacie climbed over the arm rest between us. She curled up in my lap as I pulled her close. Her head pressed against my chest and I found myself stroking her hair, “Oscar… I think ya’d look cute in one of those hats,” She pressed herself closer. The feeling went away. Maybe something like this was exactly what I needed. But was I what she needed?
	“If you say so…”  I felt something twitch, not her tail but something on my person. I drew my wand. The silvery vines that entangled it were glowing. Both of us watched as the bulb on top continued to grow brighter and brighter. All at once, with a barely audible pop, the bulb opened and bloomed into a small, gold petal flower. A ruby center glistened, casting a red light like a disco ball across the car roof, “Look at that…”
	“What? What happened?”
	“It took in your mana, Lacie, and mixed it with mine. Down to our souls…”
	“We were meant to be?” She touched my face, gently caressing my skin as I nodded along. Her hand continued to feel my face, running across my stubble. With mounds of hesitation she leaned up and kissed my chin, “Am I going too fast?” Her voice squeaked again.
	“No…” I leaned down and kissed the top of her head, “This is what I needed.”
	“Oh, then ya can have all the cuddles and kisses ya want, Oscar. Just ask,” She teased, running her fingers up and down my chest, “We’re going shopping this weekend. I wanna see ya in one a them wizard hats. I’ll give ya a big ol’ smooch if ya wear one for me,” She giggled, “Then, I’ll finally get some dinner with ya.”
	I nodded, trying to hold back a tide of emotions as the walls I had put up for myself mentally were torn down by a little Ratkin woman wearing a silly t-shirt. I felt happy, “I’ll be the best man and wizard I possibly can for you, Lacie.”
	I lost track of time as we cuddled. My ice cream melted and eventually we had to part ways for the night. I found it nearly impossible to tear myself away from her now. It was unfamiliar with this feeling, the few girlfriends I had at the academy didn’t make me feel this way at all. I wanted to spend every waking moment with her. I even felt like I wanted to wear the wizard garb for her, especially if she found it cute.