Staying Vigilant

"Oh...."

Entering another dimension had proven somewhat anticlimactic for Holly. Even though Rosa had done her best to manage her girlfriends expectations in advance, she couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed. The place was certainly pretty enough, and there were a few things she had never seen before - brightly coloured plants and fish in the nearby stream that seemed to sparkle - it just felt like she could still have been in the real world, perhaps having stepped into another country rather than an entirely different reality.

"You're disappointed aren't you?" Rosa smirked.

"No, I just thought it might be a little more obvious we weren't in Kansas anymore. It's very picturesque though. And peaceful. How many people even live here?"

"Very few actually choose to reside here permanently" Rosa explained "Why would they? There isn't much here. It's more like a base that magic users can come to whenever they feel the need and somewhere magical supplies can be grown that it wouldn't be safe to have out in the open anywhere else. But almost all of us were born in the real world and think of it as our home. This place was actually created in the seventeenth century as a safe haven during a time when magical folk were being burned left, right and centre. It's why it still feels a little like living in the past here. And also why the likes of you are expected to be unclothed at all times, to demonstrate you have no weapons and intend no harm"

"So how many normal people come here?"

"Not so many, though it isn't uncommon. The unwritten rule is only to bring those you love and are in a relationship with that you intend to be permanent. And many magic users marry their own kind."

"How many people have you brought here?" Holly wanted to know.

"You're the second I've invited and the first to accept" Rosa revealed "The other person I asked didn't fancy walking around naked in front of so many people with magical powers"

"There were obviously way smarter than me" Holly quipped "Shit, there's someone coming!"

"It's fine, just relax Hols!" Rosa said, taking her girlfriends hand.

The man who was approaching wore a cloak similar to Rosa's and looked to be late middle aged, with greying hair and a short, well kept beard. Holly wondered to herself why he had visibly aged but Rosa could still easily pass for twenty five. More pressing in her mind, however, was the fact she was completely naked in front of this stranger. No matter how much Rosa tried to assure Holly that was perfectly normal here, it didn't make it feel that way.

"Hello Toby!" Rosa smiled as the man approached.

"It's always nice to see you Rosie" he nodded back, before turning to Holly and grinning broadly "But it's even nicer to see your friend here"

"She's a lot more than a friend. I'm in love with Holly and we're planning to be bound"

"Wow, well I can see how she managed to turn you, Rosie" the man chuckled before addressing Holly directly for the first time "You are a brave girl to be walking around here like that!"

"What?! I thought this was normal for visitors?" the nude brunette panicked.

"Most visitors don't look like you! You're lucky that Rosie is a friend of mine, so I'm going to resist temptation and leave you unenchanted, but fair warning - others may not be so kind!"

"Thank you Toby, but can you please try not to scare my girlfriend away?" Rosa frowned.

"Apologies Holly, Rosie will keep you safe no doubt. And very few here are evil, just a little mischievous when they see a sight like you. So there is really nothing to worry about!"

"What the fuck was that supposed to mean?" Holly whispered once the pair had moved on and the man was safely out of earshot.

"Just ignore Tobias, he's messing with you" Rosie winked back.

Around about that moment, it suddenly began to rain quite heavily.

"Shit, we'd best get inside!" Rosa sighed.

"Inside where?" Holly looked around, not seeing anything but nature.

"You never have to go that far to find shelter here. The people who stay tend to just set up home anywhere and they are usually pretty hospitable. Look, I can see somewhere right ahead!"

The pair moved quickly towards a quaint looking cabin in a nearby clearing and, as they got closer, they saw from a sign outside that it was not just someone's home.

"Oh perfect, they sell ingredients here!" Rosa beamed "We might be able to get a lot of what I need for when we do the ritual"

"If they just have a fire I'll be happy" Holly, who had her arms wrapped round her dripping and now chilly body, replied.

The owner of the property was a very friendly elderly woman (again, Holly wondered why Rosa was able to always remain so young looking) who happily welcomed them into her home, providing a grateful Holly with a towel before walking them through to the roaring fire the naked brunette had been craving and bringing them both a drink.

"I'll fetch you those ingredients you were after" the woman told Rosa as she took some notes from her once the pair had dried off "I won't be too long"

"They take American dollars here?" Holly asked with surprise.

"Of course, there is no currency for this place and they can spend them when they travel back to the real world.....wait, Hols pass me your mug"

Holly, who had just placed the tankard she had been given to her lips, instead passed it to her partner. Rosa sniffed it quickly before tossing its contents into the fire. She then poured half of her own drink into her girlfriends mug and gave it back to her.

"What was that?" Holly asked with concern.

"She tried to enchant you"

"What? The nice old lady?!"

"It seemed like it was only a minor and temporary transformation spell. A bit of friendly fun. You would have probably just grown a tail and whiskers or something"

"Why do people here want to enchant me so much? You said they wouldn't!" Holly reminded Rosa angrily.

"I didn't realise how tempting a sight you must be to these people. They don't often get hot, naked women around these parts" Rosa placed her hand on Holly's thigh to comfort her "Don't worry, it's stopped raining. We'll get our ingredients and get out of here before she realises you didn't drink her little potion"

"Good, then I think I'd like to go back to the real world where people aren't constantly trying to put spells on me, please!"

"Ah, well the thing is I told Alby we wouldn't need him to open the portal again until 24 hours had passed" Rosa grimaced a little "But don't worry Hols, I'll look after you!"