A Boy, a Dog Girl and a Date: Part One

Honey was asleep on the couch.

Zack had come in far later than he meant to. He used Blarth’s orb to send Chistos an image of the satyr passed out in his underwear on his bed. The old man sent back one word.

“Understood.”

Seeing a full runeball game had been an exhilarating glimpse of what his future could be. Powers went flying from sticks, shields blocked blasts, players flew through the air. Yet strangely, it wasn’t as fun as he thought it would be. He used to love his alone time. Before this world of magic and strange creatures.

Before Honey.

Before sweetheart.

And then she was there.

Even in sleep he could see what she had done to her face. It was angelic, emphasizing each bit of natural beauty she had. The dress clung to her, showing her body, the gentle rise of her chest and stomach as she breathed, her light kicks as she still dreamed about running.

“Follow me…sweetheart…”

Zack picked her up, slowly and gently. Her head rested against his chest. He could smell her hair.

“I will…sweetheart.”

Zack looked around, making sure nobody heard what he said. As soon as he was sure, he carefully made his way to his room, ready to put Honey to bed. He, however, guessed he might be up longer than he should be.

*

Chista sat with Honey on the roof shortly after breakfast the next day. She had been confused about waking up in bed, but it wasn’t her biggest problem.

“I love Zack,” Honey said.

“Well duh,” Chista said, not even looking at her. “Might as well have said ‘I like breathing air,’ Honey.”

“I want to ask him on a date.”

“I also gathered as such last night.”

“I want you to help me.”

“Me?” It was the first thing Honey said which surprised her. “I’m not exactly popular with guys.”

“And I’m not exactly good at being human yet. I…I can’t mess this up. Please, sister?”

“Sister…” Chista went quiet for a moment, turning her face up to the sun, a smile slowly creeping over her face. “A dirty tactic. Okay, I’ll help psych you up. I don’t have a lot of practical experience in this field, but I have tons of theoretical experience in romance.”

“Theoretical?” Honey asked, tilting her head.

Chista grinned.

*

“Behold! My texts!”

Chista had thrown open the doors to her closet. Where there should have been clothes were volume after volume of serialized romance fiction, neatly packed on shelves and sorted alphabetically.

“Is this why your clothes are always all over your room?” Honey asked, picking a bra off of Chista’s chair.

“No, the clothes are a separate issue. Now, to prepare the ultimate love confession, we need to pick out the choicest works…”

“We need something which says I love you, please marry me one day and have lots of babies with me,” Honey said, beginning to get excited.

“I’d hold off on baby talk. The first step is to introduce him to the idea of him being with you.”

“And then I mention babies!”

“No, you don’t…I am writing you a script. You need a script. Let’s see, The Lusty Centaur's Rancher…no, too advanced. Way too advanced. Boy Meets Goblin, we’ve seen his orb sites, I think not…wait, here! The Lycanthrope Bride’s Tale! This has a fantastic confession scene! So sweet! This is our blueprint!”

“Okay! We’re going to make the sweetest love confession ever!”

“Hell yeah!”

“And then I will talk about having babies with him!”

“You absolutely will not!”

The girls began laughing, the tension of the wizard rankings momentarily forgotten, the stress of potential love transforming into a joyous event. In the living room, Zack and Chistos listened to the laughter over their game of King’s Field, both smiling, feeling the tension in the house release.

“What are they giggling about?” Chistos asked.

“Who knows? Who cares? Make your play, old man.”

Chistos nodded and tapped a square. A plastic soldier marched in front of one of Zack’s castles. “I’ve effectively laid siege to your castle.”

Zack’s eyes narrowed. “Do you enjoy humiliating me?”

“More than I should,” Chistos said with a shrug.

*

The sun hung low over the academy. Zack had stayed late to finish a project he had passionately proposed to his friends. With a few final twists of a screwdriver, Zack presented his work to them as they all stood in the outdoor courtyard. Timbul, the red headed boy who had given Zack his entry test, took it gently.

“So this is a skateboard?”

“A loose approximation, yes.”

“It looks pretty cool!” Timbul said, turning it over and examining it closely from all sides.

“It looks like a suicide device,” Baltz said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

“Well I do believe nobody asked you, rich prick,” Zack sniped.

“Would you two give each other a chance,” Timbul said with a sigh as he placed the skateboard on the concrete. The other boys stood back, giving him space. “You’re sure this is safe?”

“No. I’ve never actually ridden a skateboard. I only know what they are. Kinda regret telling you.”

“Well, nothing ventured.”

Timbul stepped on the board, wobbled slightly, and kicked off. The skateboard propelled him forward at high speed.

“Hey! I’m doing it! I’m actually…”

Timbul lost his balance. After a moment of brief flailing, he fell backward, landing with a hard crunch.

A moment of silence stretched out in the quiet afternoon.

“Awesome!” Timbul shouted, raising his arms in victory, the other guys cheering him.

“I definitely mentioned you needed balance,” Zack said, helping him up.

“You guys enjoy. I’ve gotta get home,” Zack said.

“Yeah, go cuddle your girlfriend,” Timbul said.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

As Zack turned he saw Honey at the gate. Her makeup and hair were flawless, her dress sparkling, her eyes locked on him. The sunlight made her dress sparkle like fireworks. His mouth went dry.

“Yet,” Timbul said, slapping Zack on the back.