When I returned, Arilyn was already sitting on the log and greeted me with a delighted smile. Though it faded and she looked at me strangely. “Did you talk to the leader of our troupe? You seem... off,” she asked.

  I smiled at her return. “Yes! She told me a story, of all things.” I frowned, thinking about it. “It was more of the dark and dreary type of tale,” I muttered, fear and doubt rising.

  I brightened up when she gave a short laugh. “She does that sometimes. Her stories are good. Sometimes there is a deeper message,” she said thoughtfully. “But let’s not talk about that. I want to hear more about your world!” she said eagerly, leaning forward.

  Belatedly, I noticed she was wearing a different outfit, one with a lower-cut bodice. If that was what took her so long, the wait was worth it. I may have blushed when I looked, and she giggled pleasantly, putting her hand on my leg and leaning in to give me a better view.

  “Tell me, Finn, what other things do you do for fun in your world? When you are not in classes or taking care of your little brother?” she asked flirtatiously.

  “I... I used to go hunting with my dad. Sometimes, I played basketball with my friends. Um, I guess I don’t really do much for fun. Not since my dad passed away.” I suddenly didn’t feel like talking and looked away, my eyes welling up.

  I felt a hand on my face. “Oh, Finn. I’m so sorry,” Arilyn said softly. She turned my face and kissed me. It shocked me out of the dark place I was going to. I closed my eyes, kissing her back. My heart hammered against my chest, hard enough to bruise my ribs. There was the faint taste of strawberries on her soft lips. Her hand caressed my cheek before she pulled back, searching my face. A look of genuine sympathy graced her face for a moment before she smiled almost shyly and blushed. My world was bright and wonderful again. I blushed too and grinned back at her.

  Whistles and catcalls broke through our reverie, practically ruining the moment. Arilyn’s face turned bright red, and she yelled back, “You’re all gits!”

  The hecklers laughed and returned to their conversations. Arilyn sat on my lap pointedly, bringing all of my attention back to her. Not before I noticed Harper looked at me with a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow.

  “Now, where were we?” Arilyn asked. Her smile in that minute brightened my life, and I wanted to make her smile as often as possible. She brought her hands up to my face, giggling, and cupped it before kissing me again. My mind stopped working for a while.

  Eventually, she pulled away and looked into my eyes, checking for any sign of sadness. “Much better. Now you can tell me more about your world. Like, what are your libraries like? Tell me everything,” Arilyn asked, somewhat breathlessly.

  “Libraries? Like the school library?” I clarified, grinning.

  Her eyes widened. “Your school had a library? How many books?” she asked, snuggling closer.

  “Hundreds of thousands. More if you count what they had online. Plus papers, dissertations, magazines—” I replied, one hand on her hip.

  “What is online?” she asked, her eyes still wide.

  “Oh, that’s kind of hard to explain. Basically, they have a network of computers in the library that connects to the internet. Through the internet, the library connects to other libraries, allowing access to even more books that aren’t available there. Um, computers are complex machines that are used for typing things up, communication, information sharing, disinformation sharing, and other things. The internet is where computers interact with each other. I don’t know what things in this world compare,” I responded, trailing off inelegantly, and removed my hand from her hip.

  Arilyn sighed longingly. “I wish I could see this internet. And computers. And your libraries,” she replied. She spoke in wonder, as if they were better than all the magic in this world. Arilyn grabbed my hands and held them tight. “If you could only take me to your world and show me these things. Would you if you could?” she asked eagerly.

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  “I would love to show you all of it. Then I’d take you to dinner and a movie. I know it’s cliché... I don’t know how long it will take to get back there. But if you come to my world, I will happily show you everything!” I said, grinning. Confidence and excitement rose in me at the thought, and my hands in hers.

  She smiled again and kissed me. “You really would, wouldn’t you?” she replied warmly.

  Some of the troop had pulled out instruments and began to play. She turned around on my lap, leaning against me. I put my arms around her midsection, and she rewarded my audacity with a giggle and placed her hands on mine. The musicians played, and a woman stood singing a song of two lovers separated by the sea for lack of a boat.

  The verses were full of the shenanigans of the two lovers as they tried to build or find boats until the man found a sea creature willing to drag him across the sea. He reached the other side to find her gone, having found a boat to carry her across to his side. It was absurdly funny, and the musical accompaniment played it up with a fast and jaunty beat.

  Another singer stood up and sang a hauntingly sad and beautiful ballad about the fall of Nalloth. I saw Juan’s face darken as he listened, and tears made silent trails down his face. Yet he clapped as loudly as everyone else at the end. I got the feeling these people knew who he was, and they did not mock him with this.

  Arilyn snuggled into my embrace as I gave her a squeeze. We listened to more stories and songs as the night grew late. I wished the night would never end, as I felt happier, more relaxed, than I had in a long time.

  Finally, Missana stood up and clapped her hands together twice. “Alright, Jak, that’s enough stories. We all need to be up in the morning and on the road before the sun is fully over the horizon. Our guests need their sleep too! Put away your instruments and pick up the trash. Then off to bed before I have you all reciting the March of the Gods, including all the lesser retainers and their stories as well!”

  Arilyn squeaked and hopped off my lap, hastening to help pick up the camp. I had the feeling that Missana’s threat was not an idle one. I got up and started helping Arilyn, but she quickly stopped me.

  “No, Finn, this is our duty, not yours. Get your sleeping-roll set up, and I’ll be along,” she said with a bold smile and a wink. I grinned as I went to get it.

  Harper and Juan were already at the horses, having pulled off the saddles and brushed them down. Our saddles, saddlebags, and bedrolls were neatly stacked out of the way. Harper looked up and grinned at me, and there was mischief in that smile.

  “I see you made a friend, New Guy. You going to run away and join the circus?” she asked.

  Juan sighed at her badgering. “Seriously, Finn. Please tell me you’ve kept your mouth shut with her.”

  “Juan, please!” I replied dramatically, “I’ve just told her of home. She was fascinated by what I had to tell her about many things, including libraries. Are libraries unusual here?”

  “Common enough, just in the big cities, though. But the literacy rates here are pretty high, so that may change over the next decade. Depending on how things go in the west with the Empire,” he answered before smiling. “Good, I was afraid with the way she was looking at you, and you at her, that your tongue would have been looser.”

  Harper snorted out a laugh. “It looked like she was loosening it up all right!”

  Juan turned on his former mentee. “Mija! Behave yourself. He’s not the only one here who has sought to deal with this place by losing themselves in the arms of another,” he snapped, chastising her. There was just enough light for me to see her face become a darker shade of purple.

  “Never so openly,” she muttered immaturely. She, like me, had been drinking. Juan, on the other hand, either had been drinking lightly or had the liver of a god because of that terrible moonshine he liked.

  Juan’s eyes shone with amusement at Harper’s behavior. “I am going to thank the troupe leader for her hospitality and then I’m going to bed. I suggest the two of you do the same. Don’t stay up too late talking or... whatever,” the old man said in an amused tone.

  Surprisingly, that was not just aimed at me. Harper muttered something about overprotective fathers and grabbed her sleeping roll, stalking off toward the far side of the fire. I grabbed mine as well, and went to find a spot not too far from the fire, but far enough from the other people that if Arilyn joined me, we’d have some small amount of privacy. If it could be called that. There was never privacy camping.

  After finding a decent spot, I rolled out the primitive sleeping bag and, not seeing her, lay down. I was beginning to fall asleep when I heard movement and then another sleeping roll being laid out right next to mine. Then there was her warmth and giggling as she snuggled up to me. “Arilyn,” I whispered happily.

  “Shhhh. We don’t have as much privacy as I would like,” she replied. She kissed me then, more fully than I had ever been kissed. Breathing became optional for a moment or an eternity. Afterward, I held her tight until we both fell asleep.

  That night, I dreamed of the girl in my arms.

  What do y'all think? Is this peaceful, pleasant party all that it seems? Or is Finn going to wake up in the arms of a troll or something?