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HTN 6-18 A display of affection
🕑 Added 2022-11-08 23:35:33 +0000 UTCHeather slammed the book closed and rubbed her tired eyes. She had been reading for hours, searching for some clue as to how the necrofidiax was made. She was also hoping to glean something about why her experiments to blend necromancy with technomancy were failing. Unfortunately, all she had found thus far was a hint that undead spirits could be used to animate alternate objects but no information about how.
“This is boring,” Heather groaned, waking Webster from a nap on the couch nearby. He yawned before chirping and hopping down, crawling to the desk as she hung her head.
“It isn't like it comes with an index,” Heather explained in response to his request. “All I know how to do is read it cover to cover, and I am just now halfway through it. Even then, there are pages with ghost text on them, meaning it can be read in two different ways. It's like they hid an entire encyclopedia set in one book.”
He hopped onto the desk and tapped at her arm while chirping another suggestion.
“I can't spend all day playing. I promised Blackbast I would keep up my studies,” Heather explained and looked to a nearby window. Frank was working on the city, and Umtha was handling goblin affairs. Breanne and Quinny were probably messing with players in Quinny's forest theme park. She thought of the costume she had won in the haunted pumpkin adventure and wondered why she didn't do more things like that.
Quinny was fully engrossed in adapting her forest to make it an interesting place, and it was paying off. She had players in it every day, and she was starting to rack up points. Oddly, few players ever came to the graveyard, and the ones who did didn't stay long. Heather realized that was because Frank was always busy doing something for her. If he was allowed to be home, he could create quest NPCs to put in Finneous's town and send players his way.
“Maybe we both need some time off,” Heather said as she started to pet Webster. “Or maybe we need to do more things together. I kinda want to see Chandice's magic shop. I wonder if we could do that?”
Webster chirped that he thought that was a great idea, but Heather had doubts. Chandice's shop was at the far southern end of Jaina's forest, which meant walking through it. As much as she liked Roric and Jaina, she didn't want to stumble on any of their adventures. So with that idea out, she tried to think of other things to do and who to do them with.
“You know what, we need to go on a date,” Heather stated. “Frank and I have been married a few weeks now. I think it's time to start dating the others.” Webster chirped that they could take a romantic boat ride through the swamps, but Heather had other ideas. “No, I was thinking of pizza,” she said and headed out.
She went to the goblin city and collected Umtha first, finding the woman in the throne room starting at the tapestry. Heather asked why she was staring at it, and she said Frank had been there several times to look at it, and she wondered why. Heather now took a good look at the image of her family hanging behind the thrones and wondered what interested Frank so much. Unable to see the reason, she turned to Umtha and took her hands.
“So, would you like to go on a date with us?” she asked.
“A date?” Umtha replied with a tilted head. “Is this another thing from your world I don’t understand?
Heather could see it was and explained how a date worked. They were going out to spend time together as a means of building their relationship. It was meant to bring them closer together and lead to better things. Umtha nodded and agreed to come but wanted to change first. She headed off, leaving Heather and Webster alone in the throne room to get into mischief.
“Why are we here?” Breanne asked as she followed Quinny down the tunnel.
“Heather said there was a tapestry that showed all of us in it,” Quinny replied and stopped at an intersection, lost as to which way to go.
“You have no idea where it is, do you?” Breanne asked.
“It’s in the throne room,” Quinny replied. “I just don’t know where that is.”
“This goblin fortress is a maze of tunnels and rooms,” Breanne scoffed and looked about. “We could be lost in here for weeks.”
“I will just ask a guard,” Quinny sighed and went to the nearest goblin. She asked for directions to the throne room, and the goblin offered to lead them. They arrived at a pair of massive doors minutes later and went in to find an unexpected site.
Heather leaned back on a throne, leisurely petting her spider as she smiled with a wicked grin. Behind her was the massive tapestry with the image of all five of them arranged around Frank.
“Well, power certainly befits somebody,” Breanne said.
“Ha, she looks like a supervillain,” Quinny added as they passed down the center of the room.
“Oh, good. You’re both here,” Heather said and sat up. “I was going to come find you.”
“How fortunate our paths crossed then,” Breanne said as they arrived at the steps up. “Are these the thrones you mentioned?”
“Yep,” Heather said and motioned to them. “Umtha made one for each of you.”
“How considerate,” Breanne said as Quinny ran up the steps and flopped into a throne.
“I like the idea of being a queen,” Quinny said. “Let’s hurry up and get married.”
“That’s part of why I wanted to come find you,” Heather replied. “I want us to go on a date.”
“A date? To where?” Breanne asked.
“The city, well, Gwen's city since mine isn't ready yet,” Heather explained. “I was thinking with all the players there now; it might have new places to eat, maybe even pizza.”
“Another great pizza quest,” Breanne said with a shake of her head.
“Hey, that quest led us to you,” Quinny pointed out. “I think adding you to our group was all the reward we needed.”
Breanne looked startled by her kind words and looked away to hide a blush. She ascended the steps, sat on the throne beside Quinny, and took one of her hands.
“You two seem to be getting along well,” Heather noted. “You spend a lot of time together.”
“We’re already dating,” Quinny said.
“What she means is we are building a relationship while we wait for you and Frank,” Breanne corrected.
“Well, that’s nice,” Heather replied and closed her eyes to clear her head. “As long as we are being honest about this, I just want to say that I want us to be as happy as Jaina and her sisters are.”
“We all want that,” Quinny said.
“I see no reason why we can’t be that happy,” Breanne said.
“Good,” Heather agreed and nervously petted Webster. “It's just this is a big change for me, and sometimes I don't know what I am doing.”
“Just take your time,” Quinny said. “You have been doing great. You finally brought it all into the open, shared a hug with Frank, and we all had some real fun on Halloween.”
“Like we were a family,” Breanne agreed.
“Except Umtha,” Heather said as she felt bad about it. “Where was she that day?”
“Here, I suppose,” Breanne said. “She always has so much goblin business to take care of.”
“Actually, I was hiding,” Umtha said as she stepped out of a side door.
Heather and the others took one look at her and had to pause to consider the sight. Umtha wore a red dress that dipped low in the front and connected to a black choker studded with red stones. Her hair was woven with a black ribbon and two small gold loops hung in each ear. She wore a pair of matching sandals that laced up the leg that protruded from the slit in the dress.
“Now I feel underdressed,” Breanne said.
“What is all this?” Heather asked. “I said I wanted to go on a date, not a ball.”
“I thought you humans appreciated these sorts of outfits?” Umtha said as she looked at herself.
“I’m appreciating it,” Quinny said as she smiled. “Heather should wear her witch outfit.”
“Let’s not bring that up again,” Heather interjected. “And what do you mean you were hiding?”
Umtha explained that she didn't understand this thing the human's called holidays. They regularly came up on the interface and offered special build options for short periods, but none of them made sense to Umtha.
“Oh, right, you're not from earth, so our holidays mean nothing to you,” Heather said.
“But don’t you have holidays on your world?” Quinny asked. “You must celebrate something.”
“Oh, we have lots of what you call festivals,” Umtha said. “But none where you are encouraged to dress up as monsters and threaten people to give you treats. It is basically a festival to celebrate extortion and chaos.”
“Hmm, now that she puts it that way, I have to question the sanity of it, too,” Heather agreed.
“Geez, it's all for fun,” Quinny sighed. “Nobody actually threatens anyone. Well, most of the time, they don't.”
“Let’s worry about explaining that later,” Heather said. “We need to get Frank so he can take his girls out.”
“Wait, Frank knows we are going out, doesn’t he?” Breanne asked as they got up.
“No, not yet,” Heather replied with a smile. “But I like to surprise him.”
“And he doesn’t like surprises,” Breanne retorted.
“It's just a basic date,” Heather protested. “Think of it as a break from building the city. He takes us to Mother's city, buys us a meal, and has a few drinks, then we all go back to being boring.”
“You should have asked him first,” Breanne insisted. “But you know him better than I do.”
“Do I?” Heather asked as they walked down the hall. “How many hours has he spent alone with you and Quinny? I bet you can tell me plenty about him that I don't know.”
“He spent a lot of time with us,” Quinny said. “But not so much now that he's married. He told us you said it was alright for him to go out at night, but he feels guilty about it.”
“As he should,” Breanne said. “He’s married now. He can’t be out all night with other women.”
“We’re his girlfriends,” Quinny protested. “Even Heather says so now.”
“I will talk to him about it,” Heather interjected. “I will do my best to make him spend time with you again. But my point still stands. You may know him better than I do. I worry that I was so absorbed in my plan to escape that I didn't notice him.”
“Nobody blames you for that, least of all him,” Breanne said.
“Well, starting today, we are going on regular dates,” Heather said. “I want to learn all about him and help encourage him to consider all of you part of his life.”
“You are sure?” Umtha asked nervously.
“Yes, even you,” Heather said and reached out to take Umtha’s hand. “You are a girlfriend as well, and I won’t let you forget it.”
“This is fun,” Quinny exclaimed as they left the goblin fortress in search of their boyfriend.
An hour later, they approached the city and were amazed at how much was done. Streets were laid out with mathematical precision, and many had buildings. The inner walls were built, and the outer ones were covered in scaffolding with goblins leading teams of skeletons. Even the land beyond the walls was being shaped as channels were cut for the streams to take them to the lake. Bridges had been built and a small stone pier erected at the water's edge.
“Wow,” Quinny said as he passed through what would be the main gate. “It's almost done.”
“Frank is spending points to do the buildings,” Heather said. “Now the sewers are dug, and the street's laid putting buildings up is a snap. Most of them are the stock default houses, but the goblin area has actual players.”
“I know at least twenty of the goblins came out to make residences here,” Umtha said. “I am sure more will come as word spreads.”
They passed through the rings of the city, crossing the gardens in the center, where another surprise greeted them.
“Now I have to say, wow,” Breanne said as they came to a halt.
“He never mentioned this to me,” Heather stammered, dumbstruck as they gazed at a statue.
It was made of white marble but trimmed in places with gold that glittered in the bright sun. Heather stood at the center with a halo of flowers on her head. She was smiling and looking down as she danced barefoot. She held her hands out, her right clasping Breanne, who looked out with a playful smile. Quinny held her left hand and leaned into her side as if for comfort. Umtha stood at the center, holding the goblin crown in her hands. The whole thing was five meters tall and set on a glass ball in the middle of a fountain whose water was a rich purple.
“This is beautiful,” Umtha said as she stepped forward to view the image.
“Why isn't he in it?” Heather asked as she tried to think. The whole thing had taken her so by surprise that it had thrown her right off her train of thought. Now that she had a moment to recover, she was touched by the design, but Frank needed to be in the image.
“Look what it says on the plague,” Umtha urged, drawing attention to a bronze plate.
“The four flowers of beauty,” Heather read as she tried not to tear up.
“I had no idea he was so romantic,” Breanne said, almost breathless.
“Oh please,” Quinny groaned. “He fought the ogre to win your hand like some princess from a story. Of course, he's romantic.”
“He is very sweet,” Umtha added and clasped her hands. “I knew he was special.”
“Alright,” Heather said and held up a hand. “Let's just find him before I start to cry. My husband sense says he's just a little bit away.”
“You have husband sense?” Breanne asked.
“It’s part of being married,” Heather explained. “I can sense what direction he’s in and vaguely how far away he is.”
“That’s handy,” Quinny said.
Heather agreed and led them through the park and into the street lined with generic two-story buildings. These looked like they had come out of a fantasy story with white plaster walls and thick oak beams. She liked how the upper floors stuck out over the lower ones creating a funny sense of seclusion. The buildings all ran together here, forming a solid wall of structures, but one of them was special.
“When did this get here?” Breanne asked as they arrived outside what appeared to be a seedy inn.
“This belongs to Santos, that rogue friend of Jaina’s,” Heather explained and paused to tap her foot.
“Is something wrong?” Umtha asked.
“Yes,” Heather replied. “Our boyfriend is inside.” She threw the door open to reveal a vast barroom crowded with round tables. The air was scented with wisps of smoke ale and a hint of something cooking. The wooden interior was a sandy brown, and the high ceilings were hung with lanterns on chains. Heather led the way around a hall with a stairwell up and down. In the back section was a massive hearth with a low fire burning. A bar made of intricately carved wood and glass ran the length of one wall, and seated on an oversized stool was Frank the ghoul.
Heather folded her arms and shook her head as she watched him lift a glass of beer.
“So, it's come to this,” Heather said. “We get married, and he's already sneaking off to have a beer.”
“Ha, you drove him to drink,” Quinny laughed, but before they could approach him, a high pitch squeal split the air.
“Heather!” Gisley cried as she ran out of a back doorway.
Heather nearly stumbled over Webster as Gisley ran at them in a maid's outfit. It was the most clothing Heather had seen her wear outside the wedding though the skirt was scandalously short.
“I am so glad to see you,” the fairy woman exclaimed as she ran up and took Heather’s hands. “Have you come for lunch?”
“Lunch?” Heather replied in a daze.
“I guess we could have our date here,” Quinny suggested. “Frank is already seated.”
“At the bar,” Heather argued.
“Oh, I will get you a table in the corner,” Gisley said excitedly and pulled at Heather.
“What are you doing here?” Heather asked as Gisley led them to a table.
“Oh, Chandice and I used to be barmaids,” Gisley explained. “That's how we met Roric and Jaina. Anyway, we like to play at working in the bar once in a while. It's a fun way to break up the days and gives us a chance to meet people.”
“Has anybody come here yet?” Heather questioned as Gisley motioned them to sit down.
“Some goblins have,” Gisley replied. “They like to drink something called drosk. I tried it. It tastes like cool aid if you mixed it with milk.”
“It is very good,” Umtha agreed as she sat down.
“Cool aid and milk?” Heather groaned. “I will stick with wine if you have some.”
“Of course,” Gisley said excitedly. “And what do the rest of you want?”
“Our boyfriend,” Quinny pouted as Frank moved to join them.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked as Gisley ran to a corner and came back with an unusual chair. It looked like the others except that it was made of metal and had a red glowing rune. She placed it beside Heather, and when Frank sat down, it suddenly grew to hold him comfortably.
“Thanks, Gisley,” Frank waved before she took a drink order and hurried off.
“So, slipping out to drink with the girls from the other forest,” Quinny accused. “I thought we were enough for you.”
“I wasn't drinking with them,” Frank protested. “I was talking with Santos, and he offered to show me the bar. I didn't even know they were here until Gisley brought me a drink.”
“Well,” Heather began as she clutched Webster. “We were hoping you would take your girls on a date.”
“A date?” Frank repeated. “I guess I could take you on a date.”
“He guesses,” Quinny laughed and nudged him. “You're too late. We already decided we want to eat here.”
“No, we have not,” Breanne retorted. “We just sat down to be polite. We don't even know that they have food.”
“Something is cooking,” Umtha said and sniffed the air. “It smells good, too.”
“That's Chandice,” Frank said. “She's been in the kitchen since before I got here. Gisley said she likes to cook and used to do a lot of it for the inn they worked at.”
“Spending a lot of time with Gisley, are you?” Heather pried.
“Look,” Frank said defensively. “I am the only person here. She sat behind the bar and talked like she hadn’t spoken to anyone in weeks. Honestly, it was kind of nice to be able to speak to her while she had clothes on.”
“That is a marked change,” Breanne agreed as Gisley came out of a back door carrying the drinks. She set them down and nudged Frank playfully, asking if he wanted another beer. Frank declined with a blush as all his girls glared at him, and Gisley dashed off laughing with a promise to bring them some food.
“It appears we have competition,” Breanne said.
“She is just being friendly,” Frank insisted and reached into his pocket. He used the magical figurine and, in a flash, was a handsome human man with flowing golden hair. The chair magically adjusted to his new size, and he was able to lift a normal-sized drink. Gisley returned with a tray of freshly baked bread and a rich, creamy white butter that she said was freshly whipped. She also placed a dish full of oil and herbs, suggesting they try it as it was one of Chandice's specialties.
“It is good,” Breanne said as she sampled the oil with a bit of bread.
“So you dip the bread in it?” Umtha asked and dipped a small piece. She chewed on it a moment before agreeing it was very good.
“Chandice is good at making bread,” Heather said as she ate hers with butter. “This is still warm.”
“This is nice,” Quinny said. “We need to do this more.”
“Yes, we do,” Breanne agreed.
“I will plan more dates then,” Heather said as she reached for another piece of the bread. “Oh, and you have to spend more nights with them,” Heather added with a look at Frank.
“But we got married,” he protested.
“Frank, my love,” Heather began and patted his hand. “I thought we got all this out in the open. You and I are dating them. That means you have to spend time with them. Honestly, I never dreamed I would see the day when I had to beg my husband to spend more time with his girlfriends.”
“We do have an unusual relationship,” Breanne agreed.
“Speaking of that,” Heather cut in. “You have been going to the goblin fortress to look at the tapestry?”
“Who told you that?” Frank asked and glanced at Umtha.
“I didn’t think it was a secret,” Umtha said defensively. “Have I done something wrong?”
“No,” Frank sighed and set down his drink. “I find all of this stressful, and I go to look at the image and try to imagine it.”
“What? All of us in one relationship?” Breanne asked.
“Yeah,” Frank sighed and looked down. “I have no idea what I am doing.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” Heather agreed.
Three,” Breanne added. “As experienced as I am, I have never been in a relationship that was more than one other.”
“I have,” Quinny said. “But they never lasted.”
“Great, the zombie, is the only one who has any idea what she's doing,” Heather grumbled.
“No, Umtha said goblins form big families like this,” Quinny reminded them.
“Right,” Heather said and nodded to Umtha.
“I think the point is that Frank doesn’t know how to take the lead in this situation,” Breanne stated. “He doesn’t have a wealth of experience with women to draw on.”
“It’s easy,” Quinny insisted and waved her mug around the table. “Just do this and have fun. We’re all easy to get along with.”
“That sounds easy to you,” Frank said. “But I was terrified to have one girlfriend, and now I have four.”
“Three, I am your wife now,” Heather corrected. “And as we are married, I am dating them with you, so if it helps, I will take the lead.”
“That's probably for the best,” Breanne agreed as Gisley came out of the back room with another tray.
“Soups on,” Gisley announced and set a bowl down for each of them.
“What is this?” Heather asked as she poked at it with a spoon. It was full of noodles, a rich golden broth, and what appeared to be dumplings.
“Some specialty of Chandice,” Gisley said. “I will bring the main course out in a minute.”
“Ha, we don't even have to order. They just bring stuff out,” Quinny said and lifted a spoonful. One by one, they tried it, and all agreed it was delicious. Heather grumbled that Monica never made anything this good as she downed her bowl in minutes. They sat talking and joking until Gisley returned yet again with a plate piled with food.
“It's Chinese food?” Quinny asked as she poked a the piles of steaming rice.
“Chandice said it was curry,” Gisley said and pointed to three large bowls, each with a different colored sauce. “Those are supposed to be different flavors and heat. She explained it to me in the kitchen, but I wasn't paying attention.”
“We have a curry restaurant in our city,” Heather joked as she started to heap rice on her plate.
“Only when Chandice is here,” Gisley said. “The NPC cook only does a few types of roast meats and simple sides. Chandice likes to experiment with her cooking and try different things.”
“This is marvelous,” Breanne said as she tried some of the white sauce. “But oh, it is hot.”
“I think she said that was the second hottest one. The green one was the hottest, I think,” Gisley said.
Umtha watched the others, then took some herself, going for the green sauce because she liked the color. She ladled it over her rice to discover it was full of chunks of meat, then sat back to sample some. She chewed a moment, then made a funny face before practically drowning herself in her drink.
“Yep, that must be the super hot one,” Quinny laughed.
“Oh, the poor thing,” Breanne said and leaned over to rub the goblin's back. Umtha choked and had to turn away as Breanne encouraged her to eat some of the butter and bread.
“The red sauce is good,” Frank said but then turned the tray so he could try the green.
“No,” Umtha croaked. “That is a deadly poison.”
Frank paused only a moment, then put some on his plate before forking up a hunk of meat and eating it. All the women watched as he chewed the morsel and then went for another, seemingly unfazed by the spice.
“And now I know he likes spicy food,” Heather said.
“It isn’t that spicy,” Quinny replied as she tried some.
“You're a zombie,” Breanne scolded. “You can't be harmed by something like that, but poor Umtha probably has no exposure to spicy foods.”
“Goblins don’t eat fire,” Umtha choked as she chewed the bread and butter.
Heather dared a tiny bit from Franks's plate and quickly joined Umtha in trying to quench the pain.
“How are you eating that?” Heather groaned as she waved a hand over her mouth. “It’s like putting lava in your mouth.”
“I used to eat a lot of spicy food,” Frank answered. “I put hot sauce on everything.”
“One of those types,” Breanne said with a roll of her eyes. “I dated a man once who put hot sauce on ice cream.”
“Ok, I want to be able to enjoy this meal,” Heather insisted and turned the platter so the red sauce faced Umtha. “Try the red one. It isn't hot at all.”
Umtha looked skeptical as she reached for the sauce and carefully poured it over some rice. She sampled a tiny bite and nodded that it was much safer to eat. Next, Gisley brought out flatbreads seasoned with garlic and skewers covered in meats and sauce. The food kept coming in waves until the table was covered in plates and foods of all types.
“How is she cooking all this?” Heather asked when Gisley brought her another wine.
“Chandice enchanted the kitchen to help it go faster,” Gisley explained. “The spoons stir on their own, and the knives chop whatever she puts on the cutting board. Plus, she has two NPC helpers who do many basic tasks.”
“That makes sense,” Heather said as she leaned back with her wine. She smiled over her glass to see her family all gathered at the table for a meal. This was what she wanted, to share these kinds of experiences, and there needed to be more moments like this. She sipped her wine and ran a hand along Frank's arm, enjoying the moment.
When the meal finally ended, they were all more than satisfied. Chandice came out in a barmaid outfit and apron to ask them what they thought. She was given rave reviews from everyone but Umtha, who decried the evil of the green sauce.
They went out into the street with two girls on each arm of Frank, and Heather dragged him back to the statue. She demanded to know if he understood what this meant to them and Frank looked lost.
“Tell me again, you don't know what you're doing,” Heather said as the women surrounded him. “Well, you are going to have to pay the price for doing this.” She leaned in and took his face in her hands before planting a kiss. Then she turned to Breanne and handed him off so she could kiss him. Then he went to Quinny and then Umtha, each woman sharing a kiss with the man who had captured them in marble and gold.
Frank’s face was bright red when they finally stepped back and took his arms.
“Well, what shall we do with him now?” Heather asked as they dragged him down the street.
Quinny smiled and crept to Heather to whisper in her ear.
“Hmm,” Heather said as she considered the suggestion.
“What?” Frank asked nervously.
“We noticed a pier on the lake and want to go swimming,” Heather said with a pleased tone.
“But I don’t have a swim suite,” Frank replied as the girls giggled. He looked at them with confusion and asked what was so funny.
“Silly boy,” Heather said with a shake of her head and leaned in to smile at him. “Neither do we.”
“Wait, what?” Frank stammered as they dragged him down the street to his fate. For the next few hours, he was subjected to something he never dreamed possible but slowly began to embrace it. He used the water to hide the tears that poured from his eyes as his girls played and enjoyed life. He started to form a new dream that included them all and hoped to one day call them wives.
