Lilith and I stared intently at the cups of coffee in front of us. Miraculously, we had found a twenty-four hour coffee shop that was deserted and had occupied a table near the back. Now came the hard part, actually talking after… whatever the hell you would call what had just happened between us. The only sounds present were the occasional sip, the stirring of our beverages, and the creaking of our wooden chairs beneath our fidgeting forms. I had always thought of myself as an awkward person, but damn -- these were some unprecedented levels of uncomfortableness.

“So… I’m kind of a witch. You know, in real life. Not just in the game. Yeah.” Lilith, being the stronger communicator between us by far, managed to fumble her way through a thought to break the silence.

“Oh, cool.” What, were you expecting me to flip out in disbelief? I had just spent several hours in the world of DoD vividly experiencing being a woman. I think the whole ‘omg magic is real?’ ship had sailed.

“I’m sorry,” Lilith offered, still gazing into her coffee. “I know I probably got carried away back there and went too far. If you don’t want me to continue GMing for your group, I understand.”

“Are you kidding? If I asked you to leave, the others would kill me. You should have seen the looks on their faces when we woke up in the dungeon. It was like they had won the lottery.” I smiled at Lilith, who still wasn’t making eye-contact. “Besides, I missed you too, you know.”

I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to feel it. Among all of the painful experiences I’d endured during the tail end of high school, losing Lilith was easily the one that hurt the most. When she’d walked into our room, I’d told myself that I wouldn’t let her in again. I planned on keeping her at arm's length while simply enjoying the game with her. So much for my resolve; a few hours later I already wanted to pick up where we’d left off.

“Well, if you wanted to keep going as Ross--”

“Nah, I lost the game. It wouldn’t be too manly of me to renege on our deal,” I said, laughing internally at the irony in that statement.

Lilith looked up towards me and smiled warmly. Somehow, when we were both smiling at each other so sincerely, the silence ceased to be unnerving. Even so, it had to be disrupted eventually. “So, what happened... back then?”

I knew this question was coming, it wasn’t hard to anticipate. Ever since I’d seen Lilith in the comic book shop, I’d been trying to figure out how I could answer. “Oh, you know, things.” Obviously, it was time well spent. Even more obvious was the fact that Lilith wasn’t going to accept my incredibly well-formulated response. She stared at me kindly, waiting for me to continue.

“My parents found out… about everything.” I paused, unsure if this explanation would be enough to satisfy her; I wasn’t exactly eager to go into greater detail. Lilith’s silence spurred me on. “They didn’t take it well. I didn’t know it was possible to move an entire family so quickly, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and trust me, they had the will.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you’ve changed. Forget about them. If they can’t understand, you shouldn’t care what they think.”

“And what if I do care about what they think, about what people think? What if I don’t want to be a joke, freak, or target? Is that so wrong?” I hadn’t meant to lash out at her, but I could tell by the wounded expression on Lilith’s face that I had done just that. “I’m sorry. I just… I had to grow up. There just isn’t any room for that kind of foolishness in my life anymore.”

“Is there still any room left for me?” Lilith nearly whispered.

Just hearing that question mauled my heart as savagely as the claws of a wild animal. I was so caught up in myself, I was about to ruin the one good thing to come of the time I spent in my hometown. “There is always room for you. There always will be. You’re my best friend.”

Lilith beamed and reached across the table. She squeezed my hand gently and massaged my palm with her thumb. “Thank you.”

At this point, I was willing to do anything to change the subject. So, like any mature person, I pushed the spotlight away from me and towards Lilith. “So what are you doing here? This podunk little town doesn’t exactly have a bustling tourism industry.”

Lilith chuckled, “I’m actually transferring to the community college here. I really needed to get away from home and I figured starting over in a small town would be more familiar to me than some big city.”

By the way she glossed over the subject, I could tell Lilith wasn’t too keen on talking about her reasons for wanting to leave home. I had already upset her enough today, so I made my first good decision of the night and decided to leave well enough alone. “Still, some luck we would end up in the same town.”

“Yeah, luck,” Lilith said wistfully, playing with the pendant around her neck.

Lilith and I finished our drinks; I stepped away to order seconds. As I brought our new beverages back to the table I saw her skimming through a notebook. “Damn, you’re studying during vacation? Since when were you a good student?”

“Screw you, I’m an amazing student.” Lilith stuck her tongue out at me playfully before returning to her notes. Just like that, it was like nothing had changed between us. “But to be honest, this is my GM journal. I was just looking at how far along your group was in my campaign and realized that because of our little… let’s call it a detour--” Sure, a detour. I’d call it a wild night of pleasure, pain, and passion, but yeah, detour works. “Nash and Reg are much further in their section of the dungeon than we are. If you’re up for it, would you like to meet during the week to play catch-up?”

As if she had to ask. I’d use any excuse to see her again; to have one literally fall into my lap was a godsend. But I was an adult now, this wasn’t high school; I had to play this cool. “Yeah, absolutely, without a doubt, yes!” Nice job, numbnuts. Lilith snickered at my enthusiasm.

We spent hours in that coffee shop and didn’t leave until the sun was rising. We talked about things that didn’t matter and laughed about stuff that made no sense. It was incredible, just being around her again was electric; I couldn’t get enough of it. When it was finally time to part ways, we hugged each other outside the shop. Our embrace was a bit too long and passionate to be considered purely platonic. She was soft and warm in my arms, just as I remembered. The only comfort I had in our parting was the knowledge that we’d see each other again soon.

Hours later, once night had fallen, Lilith and I met at the same comic book shop as yesterday. We made our way back to the private gaming room, which luckily hadn’t been reserved ahead of time; once more we entered The Witch’s Sanctum.

I woke up as Rose on the same violet bed which Lilith and I had shared yesterday. As consciousness returned to me, I saw that we were still sharing the bed. Lilith was laying right next to me with a large smile gracing her beautiful face. I had to admit, I was definitely a fan of waking up to that sight. Lilith and I got out of the bed and conveniently enough were both already dressed. Lilith was still in the same black gown from yesterday, not that I was in any way complaining. What’s the old saying? ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fuck it up?’ Yeah, something like that.

While Lilith’s outfit had remained the same, I noticed that she had taken… certain liberties with Rose’s. I now stood in an asymmetrically-cut, emerald green satin dress. My right arm and shoulder were covered in a long sleeve, while my left side went without, baring my soft pale skin to the world. If my left side felt like it got the short end of the coverage stick, those thoughts were certainly silenced south of the equator. The right side of the dress had a rather large slit extending up to my mid-thigh, prominently showing off both my leg and one of the strappy green heels I’d been fitted with. Being the selectively observant type, I easily picked up on the fact that my chest seemed more pronounced than I remembered from yesterday. She’d actually put me in a push-up bra! What the hell!?

“Hey, Lilith?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose and barely masking the agitation in my voice.

“Yes, dear?” Lilith responded to my question with a question, covering her mouth as she chuckled. She was trying to act all innocent and failing miserably.

“We're still in Dungeons of Despair… right?”

“Of course, why do you ask?” Lilith had gone from chuckling to giggling, trying her best to cover up a couple of involuntary snorts.

“Well, I look less like a badass ranger and more like a debutante on the way to a formal dance!” I yelled, admittedly losing my cool. When I had agreed to become Rose again, I had expected to be adventuring as ‘The Golden Arrow’, not a lady of the court. “And was the push-up really necessary?”

“Oh, absolutely dear.” I don’t know why, but I was a little offended by that response. I pouted as Lilith broke down into a full-fledged cackle, unable to even breathe through her maniacal laughter. Note to self, the witch is not to be trusted. When Lilith had managed to reclaim some semblance of control over herself, she addressed me again. “Look, I know I should have given you a heads-up, but I couldn’t resist seeing the look on your face. Totally worth it, I might add.” I continued to stare at Lilith with a feigned lack of amusement. Truth be told, I thought the situation was pretty funny myself, but hell if I was going to give her the satisfaction. “Look, I wouldn’t have dressed you to the nines for nothing… well, that’s not quite true; I do love seeing you dolled up like this. Point being, there is a reason why you’re in a dress. This is actually necessary for our first trial. Come on!”

Without giving me a chance to ask any of the many questions I had about this impending trial, Lilith grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a large wooden door I had somehow been unaware of until this moment. As she pulled me along, I noticed that I was having absolutely no trouble keeping up with her, even while wearing heels. It seemed much easier to run in these than I had remembered. Score one for magically enhanced coordination, I guess. As we approached the strikingly ornate portal, the carved wooden barrier opened before us, allowing us passage without us needing to break our stride. As we crossed the threshold, the empty blackness that seemed to lie in wait for us exploded into vibrant lights as rows of chandeliers and scores of candelabras illuminated a grand ballroom.

I felt my face visibly brighten as the familiar sound of string instruments playing a gentle melody wafted through the air. Lilith and I were no longer running, instead, we slowly made our way to a man dressed in a suit holding a rolled up scroll. I was more than happy to let Lilith lead me by the hand, as I was too busy taking in the sights and sounds around me. The ceiling of the room must have been at least a hundred feet off the ground. Most of the architecture, from the walls, to the floors, to the spiraling pillars, were made of a rich marble. Red tapestries and carpets accented the white backdrop beautifully, creating an elegant atmosphere. As beautiful as the room was, the most striking feature was easily the dancers. At least a hundred women in gorgeous gowns stepped and spun to the music. Their dresses flowed with their movements, creating a rainbow river of merriment. Lilith nodded towards the man with the scroll and he returned the gesture. The man tucked the scroll under his arm before clapping twice. The music ceased as did the dancing. All of the people in attendance directed their attention at us while the man unfurled his parchment.

“Announcing the arrival of the High Witch Lily and her companion Lady Rose, The Golden Arrow.” The man spoke in a ludicrously exaggerated English accent one would expect from a Monty Python sketch lampooning regal affairs. The attendees all curtsied; Lilith nodded her head as a signal and the two of us reciprocated.

It seemed like the formalities had concluded, until a booming, deep voice shook the entire hall. “Well, if it isn’t little Lily. Long time no see, daughter of Sevane.” A gigantic reptilian eye opened outside of the large windows. I had assumed that the sight through the windows was merely a starless night sky, but it seemed I was mistaken. The blackness I saw outside was actually the scaly hide of a truly massive being.

“It is good to see you too, Uncle Rellan.” Uncle? Hold the freaking phone. Did she just say “uncle?” Logically, I knew this was just a game, but it’s kind of hard to process that when you see your best friend acting all familiar with a lizard that could have swallowed Godzilla whole.

Rellan’s laughter shook the building to the point that some of the dancers needed to steady themselves. “Oh, don’t start all of that ‘proper etiquette’ crap with me; you know my ‘trial’ is nothing but a formality. I have little care for who maintains what title. Speak as you wish, dine as you wish, be as you wish. Feel free to join the festivities, and in about an hour you’re free to move on to your next trial. Just do me a favor and tell the other council members I made it difficult; I don’t need them giving me grief for being too lax… again.” The massive eye rolled at the last word and I almost laughed at the absurdity of a titan throwing around sass.

“You got it, Uncle!” With Lilith’s excited agreement, the massive eye closed and the party started up again. After a few seconds, it was as if the interruption had never taken place.

Lilith turned on her heel and faced me. She extended one of her hands and bowed. “May I have this dance?” I know we had done much more than dance previously. Hell, I’d gone dancing with Lilith before tonight. However, there was something about the mood, the music, and the aesthetics of tonight; something that had me blushing as I shyly took her hand and nodded, acting with all of the confidence and grace of an awkward middle schooler at her -- his first dance.

Lilith and I dove into the river of revelers with wild abandon. The music was jovial and fast. Lilith naturally took the lead, bringing me in close to her and showing me some simple steps. I followed along as best I could, and after a while, I started to really get into it. Lilith saw every minor improvement as an opportunity to add some new moves to the mix. After a few songs, Lilith and I were swinging around each other, dipping, and swaying amidst the crowd as if we’d been doing this our whole lives. The entire time we were all smiles, losing ourselves to the music and each other, somehow enjoying the private intimacy of a moment while being surrounded by others.

Having worked up a sweat, the two of us made our way to one of the bountiful refreshment tables. The spread was impressive, boasting roasted meat, salads, soups, and all manner of dishes I couldn’t even begin to describe. I took Rellan’s words to heart and acted as I wished, downing no less than eight glasses of water in a row. While returning the final glass to the table, I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the crystalline punch bowls. I was -- no, Rose was absolutely stunning. Lilith tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to meet her. I hadn’t paid much attention to our new height dynamic since becoming Rose, but looking up at her was a bit surreal.

“Thank you for tonight,” Lilith said, looking pensive despite her smile. “I know this wouldn’t necessarily have been your first choice for an adventure destination, but it means a lot to me that we could finally go to a dance together.” Realization slammed into me like a ton of bricks with the word ‘duh’ painted on each block. I had completely forgotten that we were supposed to go to prom together. I remembered asking her, planning out the night with her, even going dress shopping with her. Hell, she’d joked about having me wear a green dress back then. How dense could one idiot be?

“I wouldn’t trade tonight for the world.” Cheesy? Yes, extremely. True? Also yes. Sometimes cheesiness is the best way to express your feelings. I’m not just trying to justify my inability to come up with something more fitting to say in the moment by hiding behind a bogus philosophy. Not at all. Regardless, it made Lilith’s smile brighter and that was enough for me.

“So it’s been an hour. If we hurry, we can probably move on and finish another trial.” Oh, right, the trials. That was kind of the reason we were here, huh? There was a part of me that wanted to soldier on, to complete the trials and get this sidequest done ASAP so Lilith would stop trying to force the idea of being Rose on me. Then again, there was also a part of me that just wanted to stay here with Lilith all night long and continue what was quickly becoming one of the best nights of my life. Guess which part won?

The music slowed and the dancers partnered up, calmly swaying together to the new beat. This time it was my turn to offer Lilith a hand. “The quest can wait.” That was all the convincing she needed to sweep me into her arms. She held me tightly as we danced on the outskirts of the crowd. Lilith smelled like a mixture of saffron and lavender. She held me tightly and I melted into her.

“Now that you’ve gotten a good look at yourself, I’m sure you’ll agree that I have the most beautiful date to the ball,” Lilith whispered softly in my ear.

“I’m afraid that honor belongs to me,” I responded in the same manner. Lilith pulled back slightly for a better angle and placed a short, sweet kiss on my forehead. I felt the heat rising throughout my body as I flushed bright pink. The band continued to play slow songs for the rest of our stay. After a few hours, I begrudgingly agreed to return to the real world once more, my consciousness gently slipping away from the ballroom as Lilith and I silently enjoyed our last song.

I came to in the game room before Lilith this time. Unable to resist the present temptation, I went up to her and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. She stirred slowly and opened her eyes, smiling widely. “Did you just do what I think you did?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about; you’re delirious and clearly haven’t fully woken up yet,” I said, trying to stop the impish smile playing at my lips.

“That’s my Rose,” Lilith said, nodding off again.

I turned to the window which gave a view of the street and paused. In the room’s reflection stood someone I didn’t quite recognize, not at first glance anyway. After a couple of seconds it clicked, that was me, Ross. Why did that take so long to register? What had I been expecting to see?