I Called Dibs

The walk to the Saferoom was as awkward as it was short. The literal neon sign broadcasting its location inside the hollow limb of the tree was nearly as bright as Mark's face. He threw open the door and was followed by the attentive goat girl, steps quiet as she followed him. It was odd to be shadowed like this but it was simply how things were with the quiet caprid. Entering the Saferoom, it simultaneously bland and out of place. It had a hardwood floor and painted, smooth walls. A bench and table sat in the center, uninteresting wooden furniture feeling at odds with the outside they just inhabited. It was akin to some kind of craftsroom meant for isolation. The moment Mark entered the space fully, the earlier notification made itself known.

Temporary item in inventory. This item is locked to the current dungeon and cannot be removed. If the dungeon is left with it in your inventory, it will be removed until you return.

"Guess keeping the portal gun was a pipe dream... Oh well. Time to get out of here." Mark looked over to Heidi, a question coming to him. "What happens to you when I'm not in a dungeon?"

She blinked at him for a moment, rectangle eyes big and bright. "I'm not exactly sure. Before, I was far less aware of the world. Now, I think I've grown. I don't believe I will return to my previous state but I do not know how I will be once you leave."

Mark nodded along. "Well, no way to find out but to try, I guess. I'm going to leave now. If you can, please tell me what it's like for you. If you can't, tell me about it when I come back."

With an affirmative nod from Heidi, Mark brought his hands up, above his head. As he brought them down and willed himself to leave the dungeon, the world fuzzed and went black before returning him to his apartment, exactly where he had last been standing. "That's incredibly unnerving for some reason..." Mark ruminated with his thoughts on the return for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I'm stalling. I need to get this over with," he said as he reached into his pocket and removed his phone.

There soon she certainly was. The chill of night didn't stop her from showing up in a little over ten minutes, a few beads of sweat pricking her forehead as she breathed with moderate effort. She was in the same outfit as when they'd first met: a light jacket, purple tank top, and black sweat pants.

"Did you run the whole way here?" Mark looked at her in astonishment as he let her in, closing the door behind her. He had barely had time to take a shower and get into his clothes.

"You said the words 'important' and 'serious'. Besides, I was only down at the beach anyways." She said it so casually, Mark's head rocked back. He could maybe get there in fifteen. If he dead sprinted the whole way.

"You're scary fast when you want to be..." Mark trailed off before shaking his head clear and continuing, "anyways, here. Easier to show you the quest first and explain after." Mark threw an invite her way. The window appeared and she clicked Accept, a little sparkle in her eyes showing as she saw the HUD once again.

"Still so weird to see. Cool tho. Whatcha go-" She was cut off as Mark flicked the quest screen around. He was surprised that the intuitive motion had worked. It arced through space around a midpoint between them, stopping right in front of Imara. Her eyes darted across the quest screen before going wide as saucers. Her voice came out loud and indignant. "You son of a bitch! You get to do a portal dungeon and you didn't invite me?"

Again, the words hit Mark as if physically, stunning him for a second. "I, uhh... Sorry, I didn't know it would be portal themed. Long story... The reaction I expected but not about the subject matter."

"What, you expected me to get huffy about the optional one?" She flashed him her usual smile, playful and disarming. "One of your primary stats is Libido, I'd be surprised if you hadn't gotten a perverted quest or two. Got one to rock my world?"

Mark was getting better at handling her pokes and prods, only blushing moderately. "Nothing about you just yet."

I only give out quests for things that might not happen. Mostly. There are exceptions. This isn't one of them.

It was Imara's turn to be rocked, the will and intent of god herself leaving an impression in their minds. It wasn't words but meaning. Mark was used to it. Imara was not. When her eyes focused on Mark again, she looked shaken. "Was that Gaia...?"

"Yep. She does that to me from time to time." Mark shrugged. "I've managed to get used to it over the last few days."

"You keep breaking my brain. Not even in a fun way either. Speaking of which, who's Heidi?"

Right on queue, the goat girl's voice came to them mentally, sounding like a codex call from the old Metal Gear games with its radio buzz and squashed audio. "That would be me, Mistress Ingram." A new element of the HUD populated in the top right of Mark's peripheral vision. A box appeared with a still shot of Heidi from the shoulders up, her goat eyes prominent. Mark thought the new element was charming.

"It's like one of those visual novels I've seen videos about. Cute horns, too." Imara seemed to give the window an appraising look. "So, Heidi... I hear the goddess wants you to sleep with my man."

Mark was lucky he wasn't taking a drink or he'd have done a full blown spit take. Even as he was, he choked on air and coughed. Heidi picked up the line before he could cut it off. "That is correct, Mistress Gaia has expressed her desire to see Master Mark and I fornicate. Is that something you take issue with?"

"It is, actually." Imara looked squarely at Mark, the gleam of mischief in her eyes. "I haven't had my turn yet."

Mark was stunned at the brazen sexuality that danced with her use of such simple words. The blush came careening back into the fray as his face was firmly placed in his hands. "You're going to give me a damn heart attack at this rate..."

"You're a Drifter, you'll be fine. Besides, who else is going to tease the shit out of you?" Imara sat down on Mark's couch, getting comfortable before she spoke again. "So, what's the World Tree like? I've heard about it but I don't know much."

Mark could have sworn he could feel the excited Gaia watching him as he leaned over the back of the couch, waiting for an answer as he rested on his elbows. "Well, it's tall for a start. Taller than I thought even buildings could go, let alone a tree. Some of the branches could have been fully grown trees all on their own. Parts of the inside were hollow and I swear it was at least two or three blocks wide."

"Girthy, huh?" The glare Mark shot her just made her giggle. "Too easy, Mason. Challenge, remember? Anyways, tree. Redwood, right? Like that one we found in the last dungeon?"

"Yea, exactly. Still need to find someone to talk with about that horn, come to think of it."

"This horn?" Heidi asked, the Horn of H. dropping into Mark's lap without any command on his part. He tried not to let the fear and concern show on his face. "That is technically mine. Or, perhaps, it was me in a way." The image on the tiny window changed to show Heidi looking like she was thinking over something. "The horn is a magic artifact. It contains magic within at great potency, able to even support living spells. The thing that I was before was contained within. Now, it is an empty vessel."

Mark, wheels ever turning, sat with that for a moment. When he felt he wouldn't get any further just sitting there in his own head, he looked to Imara with one question. "I'm not the only one that just got hit with a brick of confusion, right?"

"Brick might be selling it short. I can feel a headache coming on from just that." Imara rubbed circles into her temples. "I'm gonna have to ask we avoid pummeling my brain like this, I'll need it later."

Curious as Mark was, he nodded his assent. He could always ask Heidi privately, after all. He could suppress that particular itch for a while. "Back to the main point then. I was going to ask what you think we are or want us to be, even."

Imara moved her head from shoulder to shoulder, thinking as she spoke in a quiet voice. "Yea, we did kinda do everything out of order. Or at least the middle parts. Pretty sure you're supposed to kiss me before I flash you but that was a special occasion." Her head bobbing stopped sideways and she looked at him for a moment, a matter-of-fact expression on her face. "You wanna be my boyfriend?"

Mark didn't so much as hesitate, nodding quickly. He'd always imagine this part would make him nervous but this was more akin to relief.

"Good. I like to cuddle." Her tone had shifted, a lot of the confidence he'd come to expect from her draining away. Her normally self-assured bravado had lapsed into a moment of tender vulnerability. For a breath, her bubbly nature seemed to pop against the friction of the raw honesty of the confession.

"We... We can do that." Mark cleared his throat after the words got caught. He yearned to pull her into a hug but she came across as fragile in the moment. He wanted her to melt, not shatter.

Imara nodded a few times, whether to herself or to Mark was unclear. After a small shudder and a breath, she was smiling again. It didn't hold the usual flirty or trickster edge, leaving just contentment and joy. "Never had a boyfriend before... is this the part where we start kissing or are we still doing things in the wrong order?"

"At this point, I'm not sure there's much left to get wrong."

The gleam of mischief returned to her in s flash, her smile going a little wicked. "You must not be very imaginative."

Mark let out a soft groan which Imara clearly enjoyed hearing. He moved on, doing his best to regain some semblance of seriousness. "Well, now that we have that pinned down, I feel a lot better. No more ambiguity. The quest only gave an uncommon item so not like I'm missing out on much."

"Who said you couldn't get the item?" Imara sounded genuinely confused at the statement, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm not about to cheat on my girlfriend after we just got together. I might be new to this but even I know that much."

"It's not cheating if I let you, you know. Besides, she's hot. I know you want to."

The verbal flashbang was extremely effective on Mark. He couldn't figure out if she was joking or not and that sent possibilities racing through his mind. "I... I don't- didn't... That's allowed?"

"Of course it is," Imara said through a giggle at his stammered, expasperated reaction. "It's our relationship. We can do whatever we agree is OK. If you're not OK with the idea, that's fine, but it's an option. There's a word for it, I think."

Heidi's voice chimed in again, saying, "polyam-"

"GAH!" Imara jumped at the sudden voice, cutting Heidi off. "I forgot you were here!"

"My apologies. I was doing my best to allow the two of you to converse. As for what I was saying, the word you were looking for is polyamory. Noun. The state or practice of having more than one open romantic relationship at a time. Sometimes also referred to as ethical non-monogamy."

"Wasn't that what the Mormons do?" Mark's genuine question made Imara have to hold back a laugh, the sound coming out as a snort.

"That was polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse. This practice almost exclusively referred to multiple wives marrying a single husband, though the specific term for that is polygyny."

"I get the feeling we're going to learn a lot from you. Can I ask you for a favor, Heidi?" Imara's eyes darted up to the portrait of Heidi as it changed to a curious expression, complete with a clip art question mark.

"If it is within my power, certainly. What is it you'd like me to do?"

"Could you please give me and my new boyfriend here some time alone?"

Without another word, the portrait disappeared. Mark looked down at Imara, a curious and slightly confused. "I assume you're planning something in that head of yours."

"A few things. First though, I believe I called dibs."