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After watching the Uber drive away, the two looked around. “Looks like it’s just us, for now,” John remarked.

As he leaned against the wooden rail at the bus stop, a sudden, loud croak startled him back to his feet. Spotting a metal raven, he laughed, jumping slightly as it shifted. Then, another sound pulled his gaze downward.

Emerging from the bushes, Alison quickly shuffled towards him, enveloping him in a hug. John’s smile reappeared as he gently ran his fingers through her soft green hair, though his gaze returned to the animatronic corvid.

“Come on, after encountering everything from goblins, to faeries, to kobolds, a metal raven shouldn’t phase you,” Robin quipped, trailing behind Alison.

“Yeah, I suppose… it’s just weird, is all. Who puts a scrap crow robot in the forest? Is it some kind of art piece?” John replied. “I’d at least expect, like, a plaque with information about the artist or artwork.”

Suddenly, Violet materialised, her hands resting on Alison’s shoulders. “The artist is right here, and you can call him Rusty,” she elucidated. “He’s kinda like a golem; Alison’s new ability is quite interesting. In a nutshell, it makes things function in a way you’d expect from the- what was the word you used, Alison? Oh, iconography.”

Violet’s arms moved and encircled Alison in a light hug from behind before she continued, “You’ve definitely seen the effects already, in the bathroom. She simply drew a circle on the wall to represent a seam, and voilà, we popped it right out."

John blinked in bewilderment. “Wait, that’s an amazing ability, how does it work? Can you do that to anything?” he inquired.

Violet groaned. “Nope, we’re not here to have a mothers’ meeting about powers. If you’re that insistent, she can just take a picture of the book and you can read it later.”

Ellie approached, her movement drawing Alison’s attention. Caught off guard, she quickly untangled herself from John, standing awkwardly as if waiting to be scolded by a parent or teacher. With a warm smile, Ellie enveloped her into a hug. “Hey, I’m so excited to meet you in person. You’re even more adorable face-to-face. I love everything about you from your cute freckles to your moss-top hair, I just wanna squish you all day.”

Alison returned the hug shyly, timidly smiling. “I, uhm, n-nice to m-m-meet you t-too.”

Violet’s mischievous whisper caught John off guard as she appeared over his shoulder, her arms snaking under his and over his chest. “Is it getting you all hot and bothered seeing your girlfriends getting intimate? Wouldn’t it be hot if they started to make out in front of you?”

Robin, playing witness to everything, broke the tension with a light chuckle. “I’m beginning to feel a little like a fifth wheel over here,” he remarked, then gestured to the nature trail. “Shall we?”

Alison disengaged from Ellie, allowing John to finally take notice of the arsenal which adorned her. A short bow hung from her belt and a short sword rested at her side next to a book holster. Several pouches were secured to her belt as well as a fanny pack hanging on her hip with two daggers fixed to it.

His gaze wandered to her attire. What he initially mistook for a modern jacket, he realised resembled something more like casual cosplay or LARP clothing. The jacket was largely grey suede with some brown leather fixings, and straps. The front had a bright gold-yellow stripe with buttons holding the entire thing closed. At her hips were fur pads and more fur adorned her shoulders, which seemed to be a hooded cape upon closer inspection.

Completing her ensemble were leather gloves and sturdy hiking boots which fit the LARP aesthetic, but she seemed to just be wearing regular jeans. They didn’t look out of place, but taking into account the other items she wore, it felt note-worthy.

John opened his mouth to comment, but words escaped him as Alison darted in his direction, grabbing his left arm and hugging it. Ellie chuckled and followed, moving to his other side and taking his hand in hers. “We’ve got you surrounded now,” she teased, planting a playful kiss on his cheek and smiling.

Violet joined, leaning in and pecking his other cheek. Her lips brushed his ear and her whisper carried a hint of mischief, “And remember, you can’t get rid of us either.”

Robin’s laughter drew John’s attention as he began walking the trail. “Careful, dude,” he jested, “collect any more girlfriends, and you might not be able to move when they cling to you.”

Unabated by the girls, John followed. As they walked John couldn’t help but notice Rusty following them, jumping from branch to branch. John was more surprised, however, when the metal bird flew up to a higher branch.

Turning his attention back to Alison’s attire, he asked where she’d gotten them. Alison smiled and hugged his arm tighter. “Oh, uh, w-well, it’s p-part of my survivalist cl-lass,” Alison answered. “I-it came w-with a bunch of th-things. L-like the s-sword and the bow a-and all the p-p-pouches.”

“You could probably wear it in public because it doesn’t really stand out. Though, the cape might be a little much for walking around town,” John commented. “You look really cute in it. You’re like my adorable little adventurer.”

John spotted a bashful smile appear on her face seconds before she buried her head against his arm, hugging him tighter. When she’d calmed down, her grip didn’t loosen but she turned her head to take in the forest around them, enthralled by the sights and sounds of nature.

Ellie happily swung her arm back and forth, taking John with her, then her movements slowed and she looked over John’s shoulder. “Hey Vi,” she began. “You like John, right? Like you want to be part of our relationship?”
Violet’s cheeks flushed slightly as she processed the question. “Y-yeah, I like him… a lot. But I don’t think it’s the right time yet. I want him to know me better, it would feel kinda one-sided right now, with him knowing so little about me, while I know almost everything about him.”

Ellie nodded thoughtfully. “I get that, I suppose. Have you considered that the way you’re approaching it might be detrimental though? I’m not telling you to jump in bed with him, though I definitely recommend it, it’s a fun time, but you’re keeping distance between the two of you. Rather than building a wall, don’t you think your relationship would grow better if you didn’t have that barrier? Become a couple and let him learn about you along the way?”

“I don’t wanna dog-pile you here, but I agree,” Robin interjected, turning to join the conversation. “It’s clear John has taken huge leaps in his socialisation skills, but he’ll never make a move on you because he will wait for you to be ready. The problem is if you also hold yourself back for John’s sake, you might never move forward. If you’re both comfortable with it, I’d say it’s a band-aid which would be best ripped off sooner than later,” he added with a chuckle.

John shifted uncomfortably, the discussion was weighing on him and he felt like an outsider listening in despite the conversation revolving around him. He could feel the tension from Violet as she held onto him tighter, clearly mulling over what had been said.

They walked in silence until Violet rested her chin on John’s shoulder, gathering her courage. “John,” she murmured softly. “Can I be your girlfriend?”

John had anticipated that she might ask, contemplating his response in the quiet moments leading up to it. Turning to meet her gaze, he smiled warmly. “I think Ellie and Robin are right, and that it’s been a little hard to try and connect properly. So, I’d be delighted to call you my girlfriend.”

Violet’s expression lit up with sheer delight, a radiant expression spreading across her features. She released him, her form passing through his, causing a shiver to course through his body. Reorienting herself to face him, she cupped his face in her hands and tenderly kissed his lips.

Suppressing her longing for deeper passion, Violet drew back, returning to her place behind him, embracing him tightly and drawing out a chuckle from John. As they strolled along, Violet nestled closer to him, her voice soft as she whispered into his ear, “Don’t respond. It doesn’t matter if you feel the same or not. I just need to tell you how I feel… I love you, like, a lot. Like my heart aches with how much I love you.”

John smiled and turned his head, planting a kiss on Vi’s cheek before leaning his head against hers. “Aww, they’re adorable, aren’t they, Alison?” Ellie remarked.

Glancing down at Alison slightly panicked, John’s worry faded. Alison blushed, captivated as if watching a romance movie. “Y-yeah,” she meekly replied, her voice slightly breathy.

With a laugh, Ellie tactfully changed the subject, making small talk as they continued to walk through the forest. However, Ellie seemed to notice something John hadn’t. “Hey, Alison. Are you alright?” she inquired.

“Huh? I, y-yeah? W-why?” Alison replied. Her eyes darted around the forest, her demeanour seeming more skittish.

Leaning in, John planted a comforting kiss on her moss top “Are you sure? Now that Ellie mentioned it, you do look a little jumpy,” he gently coaxed.

“I’ve n-never actually b-been in the forest before. It’s b-beautiful, b-but Vanessa said th-there are w-w-wolves and b-bears a-and that it’s d-dangerous,” Alison explained. “W-we should be c-careful so we d-don’t get at-at-attacked.”

Vi released John and wrapped her arms around Alison from behind. “Oh, darling. You don’t have to worry about any of that. In a group this size, we’re perfectly safe. Plus, we all have magic, and that includes you,” she reassured Alison.

Ellie chimed in with a soft tone, “Yeah, there’s a slim chance there might be bears in this forest, but with our numbers, we can easily scare them away. As for wolves, I can’t be sure, but we’d be able to get rid of those too.”

Alison visibly relaxed a bit after the girls’ reassurances. Seconds later she took a deep breath, released her tight grip on John’s arm and stepped towards the edge of the trodden path. She scanned the endless forest once more. Then, almost playfully, she cupped her hands around her mouth and let out the cutest, most adorable little howl John had ever heard, giving him a wide grin which hurt his cheeks.

Moments later, echoing howls sounded in response. Alison hurried back to John, clutching his arm tightly once more, her words nervous. “I t-t-t-told you, th-there are w-w-wolves,” she insisted.

John gently stroked Alison’s hair, his voice calm and reassuring. “Those were coyotes, you don’t have to worry. It would be rare for a pack of them to even approach a lone person.”

Alison relaxed a little again, sticking close to John, and Vi interjected cheerfully, “And again, don’t forget, we’ve got magic, even you. I bet you could take on anything mundane now. Alison vs bear? I pity the bear who has the audacity to challenge the survivalist pictomancer!” she boomed in her best announcer voice, which caused everyone to laugh.

As they arrived at their destination, Robin remarked in amazement, “So this thing has just been here the whole time? Tied to magic? I had no idea.” He rested his hand on one of the stone pillars. “I can’t sense any magic from it. It’s surprising to know it’s a portal to a different world.”

The group entered the stone circle. John felt a lingering uncertainty about his ability to transport so many people. He took a deep breath, and instructed everyone to huddle close, then he cast Cullis Gate and the strong sense of vertigo overtook him.

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