My heart skips a beat as I rise from my chair, unable to stop myself from smiling like a little boy. “Opal...!”

“And friends,” Nikita enters the room behind her with a sharp smile.

“Welcome back, Miss Hart!” Meri is happy to hear the Doctor is back in town, and I couldn’t agree more.

“Opal! Niki! Look at my badass new sword!” Sam smiles and waves the blade around.

Opalina sways her hips as she walks across the room before sitting her wide hips on the corner of my desk. Without asking for permission, she grabs Sam’s Taskmaster screen and studies it. It’s almost like Opal knows how to use the interface already. “Yes, that’s very nice, Dear,” she says in that tone parents use when only marginally acknowledging their children.

Suddenly looking back to me, Opal raises an eye and frowns. “I just can’t believe you developed Taskmaster right when I left town. I never thought I’d live to see such a power, and I feel a fool for not recognizing it when you were younger. The eyes were a dead giveaway.”

“You know already know about Taskmaster?”

“Of course. Only three or four people in Karnalle’s history have had it, but it’s still documented. Granted, your version doesn’t quite match the records...” She says, hinting at the focus on sex and relationships my power has.

“I caught her up to speed on everything- sensed her warp in about an hour ago. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Guild all night, Chief. Just so you know.” Nikita walks over to the desk as well and bends over to look at the sword.

Her reaction is telling. The Grekkan raises an eyebrow and looks at Opalina. “...Isn’t that-”

“Yes,” Opal sighs. “One thing at a time, Niki.”

Now that she’s closer, I see a cut on Nikita’s arm that wasn’t there before. It’s still reasonably fresh. “Nikita? Are you alright?”

Opal frowns and gives the Grekkan a look that says, ‘maybe don’t tell him’, but Nikita ignores it. “That Halfling pretending to be a God tried sneaking in here a few hours ago. They fucked off right when they realized I could see through whatever invisibility bullshit they had going on, though. Threw a dagger at me that I didn’t see coming, but other than that, it was no big deal.”

“Wait- Fleetfoot was here again?” Just like before, we didn’t even notice... I guess Pimpington was right. The other prominent figures supporting the Duke of Dewhurst aren’t taking our actions tonight lying down.

“Yep, they were gonna attack you, too, which is how I sensed ‘em. Told you you don’t gotta sweat it while I’m in town.” Nikita walks around to wrap her arm around my neck, smiling as she pulls me against the side of her breastplate. It’s cold and hard, but she smells like a woman and olive oil...

Gods, I’m tired... thinking weird shit like that.

Nikita must remember she’s trying to be distant with me for whatever reason, so she pulls away and blushes softly. Opalina catches note of this behavior and raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

I clear my throat, “Still... the fact that they were so close and that we didn’t notice is worrisome.”

Snow lowers her head and blushes. “Actually, I thought I smelled feet a while back, but I didn’t want to be rude, nyaa...”

“Well, it’s a good thing you and the other kittens will be around to keep the Guild safe with your noses, yes?” Opalina says the most awkward thing she possibly could have, causing Snow to look at the ground and avoid contact. “...Ah, forgive me. I must have misread the situation.”

Snow coughs into her paw, and I look the other way. Opalina seems like she wants to press about the situation and help me get what I want like any doting mother hen but doesn’t. It’d definitely make it worse.

Right as the tension begins to stiffen, Peri and Cherry enter the office. “Myaster, Mistress Zuzu is sleeping soundly, nyaa. Shall we make tea for the guests?” Peri curtsies and Cherry follows along but fumbles with her skirt, pulling it up a bit too high by accident, then blushing and cursing under her breath.

“We won’t be long,” Opal shakes her head. “Someone has to go get those Beastgirls home, don’t they?”

“Yes, PLEASE. I wanna go home...” Sam falls back onto the gigantic bed as even more of her strength leaves her.

“I’m so tired...” Meri yawns and does the same.

Opal smiles, appreciating how adorable the two sleepy adventurers happen to look. “Girls, why don’t you come on home? Kitties, I need to have a talk with your Master in private. Would you be so kind as to head to the other room, help Sam and Meri out of their armor and help them to the master bedroom?”

“Of course,” Snow bows and takes the excuse to get out of here as soon as possible. Cherry and Peri follow soon after Sam uses a Returner on herself.

“I’m gonna let you have your privacy, Opal. Gonna help myself to some of Chief’s booze before we go and evacuate the Beastfolk. That cool with you?” The Grekkan asks, stretching her legs.

“Yeah,” I nod my head tiredly.

Nikita gives me a thumbs up and leaves, closing the door behind her. I’m alone with Opalina now, but I’m too exhausted to be excited by that fact. She gives me a warm smile and offers her hand, which I take and am then led to the couch behind my desk. We both sit, and Opalina wastes no time pulling me into her bosom and leaning her head down to kiss the top of mine. “You did wonderful, Dear... I’m not even mad that you didn’t have a healer in your party.”

“...I fucked up, Opal. A lot.”

“Everybody does.”

“The girls kept getting hurt.”

“They’re adventurers. They knew what they were signing up for.”

“I could have led them better,”

“And you also could have led them a lot worse.”

“Sam almost lost herself to her blood, and Zutiria’s condition is-”

“Is a problem we can solve in the future, together.”

There’s no getting past Opal’s defenses. Every time I try and feel worse about myself, she pushes back and asserts that it will all be ok. I lean into her chest as she begins to pet my head. “...I missed you, my love.”

“...Opal?” I look up at her and see a severe expression on her face, but it’s quickly overtaken by a half-hearted return to loving warmth.

“I’m always hounded by bad memories whenever I visit Duke Gloomcrest. This time it made me realize just how different my life is now... and it made me realize I have you to thank more than anyone else.” She sighs, and my heart begins to pound. I realize soon it’s from jealousy.

“So... you and he-”

Opalina looks at me with shock and utter revulsion. She then breaks out into the most immature fit of laughter I’ve ever seen come out from the refined, older woman. She snorts louder than Sam, pauses to catch her breath, and then proceeds to laugh even harder to the point that I worry for her bladder’s integrity. “Oh good fucking GODS, NO. Never ever ever EVER. Oh Gods, just... Gods no... Sweetie, I know you’ve never asked because you’re an adorable, jealous man, but for most of my life, I was practically a misandrist. I’ve never been interested in a man before until a certain boy I knew grew up.”

I feel relieved if a little uncertain. Opal continues on, saying, “As to my actual relationship with Duke Gloomcrest, he’s something of a persistent acquaintance who did me a very large favor once long ago and still tries to insert himself in my life to this day because of it. It doesn’t help that I’m very close to his daughter...” Opal sighs and cradles her forehead. “Gods, the sheer amount of marriage proposals I’ve had to deal with from that spineless wretch, I swear...”

It’s odd to hear Opal go on about people she knows, given how every time I’ve asked her about her past, she downplays it and remains cagey on the details. I never knew she used to hate men, and I’ve certainly never witnessed it myself.

“I’m... sorry to hear that.”

“Not as sorry as you’re going to be, Dear.”

“Excuse me?”

Opal has me sit up before she pulls down the hem of her turtleneck with a finger. She reaches into her gratuitous cleavage and pulls from out of her bra a stunningly pretty letter sealed with the raven stamp of House Gloomcrest. “This is for you,”

She hands me the excellent smelling letter, and I look it over, noticing it’s addressed to ‘The Guild Master of the Dewhurst Adventurer’s Guild’.

“...Is this what I think it is?”

“I’m afraid so. You’ve been summoned to the court of Duke Gloomcrest. I understand that you’ll need a few days worth of rest beforehand after this whole ordeal, so don’t worry about it too much just yet. I expect it to take two to three days, and-”

“Opal, wait. I can’t just leave Dewhurst while I’m having a dispute with the crimelord who runs it. The girls need me, and Dawnstead is so far east that it would take few weeks to reach on horseback. I’m not a Mage like you. The Warp Stone network just isn’t an option.” I try to hand the letter back to her, but the woman refuses to take it.

“If I take you on my broom, it’d only be an hour-long trip both ways. Besides, I’ve already convinced Nikita to stay at the Guild while we’re gone.”

“...You really want me to go, don’t you?”

“Is there something odd about a woman wanting a vacation with her man?” She crosses her arms and tilts her head at me, reminding me that I’m very much ‘hers’. It makes me smile.

“I’m just not sure about the timing...”

Opalina sighs, “You’re going to get a LOT of money for the Guild if you go.”

“The day after tomorrow, then.”

She has herself a laugh at my sudden eagerness, “That’s what I thought. One last thing. After I help all of the Beastfolk wake up, I need to tell you that I’m going to be flying your captive Pimp back with me to Dawnstead. He’s a big part of what you’re being summoned over, so I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable.”

“Wait, hold on a second. I haven’t even had a chance to interrogate him yet, or-”

Opal places a finger to my lips, shushing me. “You’ll be able to do so in Duke Gloomcrest’s dungeons, rest assured.” My mature lover grabs me by the chin with her gloved hand, tilts it up to face her, and leans in to give me a delicate kiss that lasts only for a moment yet fills my heart with joy.

“Just trust me, Dear. Everything will be ok.” I bask in her warm, motherly smile and let out a long overdue sigh of relief. “You did a wonderful job, and now it’s time to go to bed and cuddle up to your lucky adventurers. They’re waiting for you.”

I yawn and take Opal’s hand as she helps me up off the couch. “I think I’d like that...”