Daava and I traveled toward the north coast in relative silence. Though the unease had melted away, our quest had worn on us. But the rapidly approaching salty sea wind helped. And we could hear the crested gulls call sensuous shrieks from the sky above. Just before we reached the northern sea, we stepped into an open valley. And our eyes were immediately drawn to a great crystalline structure. It was like … a half-finished castle … built directly over a lake that reflected it from below.

I looked over at Daava, expecting that she would know what this was. However, Daava shook her head with bewilderment and said, “I walked this land not four years ago. The lake was here … but not that.”

"Could the Master have build this?" I asked.

Daava shook her head, not seeming to know the answer.

As we stared, a singular figure stepped out of the castle doors. Seeing us, they gave a friendly wave and began to calmly walk toward us. I thought they intended to swim across the lake. But, to my surprise, the water rose to catch them … rushing them to the opposite shore, white robe flowing behind.

Daava and I looked at one another and simultaneously said, “A sorcerer!”

As we grew closer, I got a better look at the sorcerer. At first, I thought they were a human or elf with dark skin. But then I saw that their skin was actually a shimmering, transparent coating, almost like an exoskeleton. This contained bare organs beneath—creating a beautiful, if haunting, visage.

I offered a hand in greeting and almost introduced us.

However, the sorcerer spoke first, taking my hand and then Daava’s. “A pleasure to meet you both again, Lilly, Daava."

Daava and I stared at them, both of us utterly confused. How could I have not remembered someone as visually striking as this?

"Our name is Dayo-Blee," the figure said, a toothy smile under their outer shell. "We attended the University with both of you. We didn’t know you in particular, Lilly. But it’s difficult to miss the only human who takes on the features of a cow.”

I furrowed my brow, feeling no less baffled.

Daava stared carefully, her mind clearly churning. Finally, her eyes widened a bit and she asked, “Wait ... Blee ... as in the guplium? From natural magics class?”

The glistening substance around Dayo-Blee’s face became pink, and they gave a sly smile. “Well, one of us was Blee—the other a human named Dayo. As you can see, much has changed for us since then.”

Wait ... this was a human and a guplium? Merged together into one body?

Daava opened her mouth to respond, but seemed to struggle with her question. "It's good to see you again, Dayo-Blee. I'm ... sorry I didn't recognize you."

"I do understand," Dayo-Blee replied, looking down at their body. "We were in an accident, shortly after graduation. It's suffice to say that our merging was one of necessity."

"That's ... terrible," Daava replied, pain etched into her expression.

"It's okay," Dayo-Blee replied. "We adapted, and we found others like us. And ..." They turned and gestured at the crystalline castle behind them. "We made this place. Welcome to Ventrimannis, new home of the Mutualists.”

I nearly asked what they meant, when I saw a few other people step into the entrance of the half-finished castle. A naga of colors split right down the middle, a dwarven person with a great metal tail, a liquid-looking woman, and a plant-covered dryad all waved at us from the front gate.

I had to pause to study each of them, my mind unable to process exactly what I was looking at. Were these all … like … compound people? Suddenly, I remembered where I had previously heard of the term, “mutualism.” In nature, when species coexisted to one another’s mutual benefit.

This ... was a home for people who were physically joined into one body.

“You seem to have figured it out,” said Dayo-Blee to me, with a smile that came off as genuinely amused. “And I'm sure you have questions. But you also both look very tired. We have spare accommodations, if the two of you would like to stay the night?”

Daava turned to face me and asked, “What do you think?”

“We could probably use a rest,” I said, not managing to hide that sleeping in a tent for days on end was beginning to take its toll on me.

“Well we are glad to have you,” Dayo-Blee said, and beckoned us to follow them.

We walked toward the crystal castle until we reached the pebbled shore of the lake. I felt a little unsure about how to get up to the gates, until Dayo-Blee stepped out onto the water. Then the water rose up like a platform beneath them.

Daava and I stepped on it and soon found ourselves rising upward, until we were standing at the castle gate. It all seemed ... like a bit of an inconvenience for someone who had to live here. But judging by all the construction material around us, it seemed like maybe a staircase simply hadn't been constructed yet.

I did notice a lift ... but had to admit that it would have been far less theatrical a welcome.

The entire structure was set up with multiple floors along the sides and an open space in the center. Almost like a certain kind of hotel that built its rooms surrounding a pool area. Only, instead of a pool, there was a beautiful garden, the likes of which I had never seen.

“We’re a small group, for now,” Dayo-Blee said, gesturing at the many unfinished rooms surrounding us. “Not being a formal race, there’s no easy way to gather all of the many mutualist entities that may be scattered across the world."

The naga of split colors approached us first. Then they spoke, out of the bronze corner of their shared mouth. “We see two of you, but we sense five.”

Immediately, I felt my muscles stiffen as I became instinctively more guarded at the assertion, even if I didn’t fully understand why.

In a completely different tone, the naga then added, “I’m so sorry, I hope we’re not coming off as rude. We can't help but see those sorts of things.” It was only after that I realized that she had spoken out of the purple corner of her mouth.

Dayo-Blee scratched the back of their neck, almost like an older sibling, dealing with a rowdy younger sister.

Daava nodded a few times, seeming to understand the confusion better than I did. She drew her sword from her back and said, “This is probably what you sense … and the bracelet on my partner’s ankle. We’re trying to figure out why someone would have created a soul in these objects … and hopefully stop them from causing more harm.”

The bronze half of the naga slowly blinked, undeterred. "That only accounts for four."

I swallowed, unsure how to even respond to any of this.

The dwarven person stepped forward. “What our friend means is, you're welcome here, whatever you are.” They gave a cheery thumbs up, while the robotic scorpion's tail poised over them mimicked the gesture.

The liquid-looking woman gave a smile and nod of agreement. However, she was entirely silent, except for a low buzzing thrum. Then several pieces of her flew from her body, right towards me.

It took everything in my power to freeze, instead of swatting or flinching, as I realized that it was bees flying in my direction. That I had recently been stung by puff dragons didn't help, either.

Which was when I realized her body was not liquid at all. No ... they were a mass of fuzzy bees taking the shape of one individual. All constantly moving, flying out, and returning.

However, the dryad looked me up and down with unmistakable distrust. "I don't like it," he said, baring his teeth ever so much. "She could at least admit to what she is, instead of stinking this holy air with her denial."

Before I could reply, the plants embedded in him rustled and shook as if with a life of their own.

The dryad looked at them and said, “Stop it! You know I fucking hate that!”

Dayo-Blee gave a low groan and said, “Come on now, gang. Can we all try to at least pretend we're not this awkward? Let's find our guests a room for the night.”

The welcoming committee parted ways, and Dayo-Blee led us to the guest room. With a polite smile, I quicky entered. Meanwhile, Daava remained outside for a moment to continue speaking with Dayo-Blee.

The room was about as bare as I had expected, though I was glad to see a small tub and fresh bedding. I’d technically been bathed in the last cave, but it would be nice to actually relax instead of worrying that I was going to be dragged off to see another super-villain.

After another minute or so, Daava entered behind me—seeming equally excited to see the bath. “Dayo-Blee and I were talking and they think they might be able to help me figure out the sword.” There was no mistaking a certain warmth to the way she spoke about them.

“Seems like a little bit of history there?” I asked, trying not to probe too much.

“Our connection wasn’t romantic but … it was fun," Daava replied admittingly. "I was ... thinking of spending time with them, but I want to know where you’re at?”

In the early days, I was surprised to find how different we all approached polyamory. Daava enjoyed watching her partners with others, even at the drop of a hat. Zolreya seemed to neither enjoy nor mind her partners connecting with others. Aamalyn wanted to be in the loop when it came to genuine romantic feelings. And Namali wished for her partners to be with her when they were around her.

As for me, there was still some lingering insecurity and pain from my own past. Which was why Daava was checking in on me. Not for permission so much as to make sure the more fragile part of me knew that I wasn’t being punished or replaced.

However, I did want my partners to be able to enjoy themselves. I certainly did often enough. We all did our best to accommodate one another’s preferences—not out of any formalized rules but because we wanted to.

So I took a deep breath and replied, “I hope you have a good time,” My words were sincere, even if they took a little courage. And I leaned in and rested my head against hers.

Daava smiled before pecking me on the lips. "The others seemed ... interested in you. If you wanted, you could speak to them? Maybe clear up any misperceptions?"

I nodded amicably; however, something uneasy had been creeping through my stomach since we'd met with them. So I stopped myself and said, "Actually ... I don't know if that's a great idea."

"Do you think they sense that ... thing you picked up out on the Wild Seas?" Daava asked.

"Maybe," I admitted reluctantly. "But ... if they can see that, they should be able to tell that it's not the same. It's not like I'm two people." I shook my head. "I’m not in denial."

For a moment, Daava didn't seem to know how to reply. Which made me feel like I had probably said too much. But then Daava smiled and teased, "Exactly what someone in denial would say."

I gave her a look.

Daava chuckled and then took my hand. "This is exactly why you should get to know them. Clear the air, make some friends, maybe even have an orgy. Which, technically, you could accomplish by just sleeping with one of them."

I let out a low groan and folded my arms, knowing that my pout was probably even more pronounced with my swollen, venom-filled lips. "Okay, okay, I'll go make friends. Happy?"

"With you, always," Daava said, caressing my hand. Then she touched my collar and said. "Remember ... you're mine. And that means all of you."

I looked back at her, my barriers lowering just a bit. "Not exclusively ... but entirely."

"That's my girl," Daava said, and pulled me into a kiss.