They had breakfast at noon while Lizzie was still in school. Somehow, it felt OK, as their dinner in Rome had been at lunch hour in the States. Afterward, Grace tested her new skills, starting with her Greek tenant, who was having his lunch at the same time.

  “Activating Macro: Hangover, begone!” Grace proclaimed, slapping her hand on Dmitri’s forehead without prior notice.

  “Ah!” Dmitri jumped on his chair, his fork falling on the floor. “What was that for? I did nothing wrong.”

  “You just told me you had a terrible migraine from drinking too much last night.”

  “Oh, yeah… When we weren’t sure if you’d make it. Thanks, it worked,” Dmitri’s eyes brightened. “Wow… so fast… What’s a macro?”

  “I combined Sedative with Antipyretic, and it has a Painkiller secondary effect. This is not an excuse to drink, right, Dmitri?” she waved her finger at him.

  “When do I drink, except for exceptional moments?” the Greek protested.

  “I know some artists and every moment is exceptional for them,” Rowan pointed.

  “You’re not helping,” Dmitri grumbled.

  “Have you invested your APs?” Grace changed the subject, addressing Rowan.

  “Not yet. Have you allocated your points?”

  “Yes, all safe one. I put all in the Constitution. I’m threshold two. That’s where all those skills came from… and that Vampire,” she hissed.

  “Begone!” Rowan blurted, forwarding a cross in between them.

  “Let me guess, this is your idea of a prank,” Grace crossed her arms.

  “Uhuh,” he nodded. “It’s funny, right?” Grace stared back into his eyes, and he repeated the question, hesitating: “R-right?”

  “Yeah,” she gave up her severe attitude, giggling. “I pranked you too.”

  “Goodness… Please don’t stare like that at me again, I’ll confess every wrong I didn’t do,” Rowan shivered.

  “Staring women are terrifying,” Dmitri said. “There was a teacher who—”

  “Childhood trauma?” Grace asked in eagerness. “I could try Charming Restoration on you.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good,” Dmitri rushed to say, wiping his mouth with a napkin and leaving the room in a hurry.

  “He should have been grateful,” Grace puckered her lips.

  “I’ll let you test all your spells on me,” Rowan promised.

  “Really?”

  “Of course. For science’s sake… and love. I was thinking… about what we agreed last night, you know… to marry.”

  “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” she frowned.

  “On the contrary. Let’s do it tonight. I’ll ask the mayor to perform the ceremony at home. We buy a cake and dress for the occasion. Lizzie will be the maid of honor.”

  “Honey!” She leaned over the table to kiss him. “You’re right; there’s no point in waiting. Dmitri and Isla can be our witnesses. So, for the party, it’s us, Lizzie, Dmitri, Isla, Thomas, the Mayor, and his wife. That’s OK… Let’s do it.”

  “What about your parents?” Dmitri asked, returning to the room to pour himself a coffee.

  “What about my parents,” Grace frowned. “You forgot they’re dead?”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Sorry to hear that,” Rowan fondled her shoulder. “Old age, accident?”

  “No. Murder. Someone broke into their home and smashed their heads with a hammer. Like twenty times. No, thirty. Bam!” she mimicked the gesture.

  “Goodness… was the perpetrator caught?”

  “Never. He, or she, still roams free…” Grace sighed, looking into the distance.

  “You think Isla will bring her ex?” Dmitri changed the subject.

  “Why would she bring her ex?” Rowan asked.

  “They remained on good terms. You know him, by the way.”

  “I do?”

  “Yep. He’s the shrink Isla asked to examine you after the adoption.”

  “I-Isla’s e-ex is h-her e-ex? I m-mean, her e-ex’s t-the s-shrink?”

  “You’re behaving strangely…” Grace furrowed her brow… “Ah… I get it… You told him you have the hots for Isla.”

  “I don’t have the hots for Isla. It just happened that I… accidentally looked at her… shapes a few times. But now that I’m in love, I don’t notice any shapes around. I don’t even remember what shapes mean,” Rowan gesticulated vividly to reinforce his words. “Why do you care? We’re supposed to be honest with shrinks, right?”

  “You might have hurt his feelings unknowingly. They divorced because he felt intimidated by her and couldn’t perform in bed. Like not at all. They have a name for that… sorry, I forgot it. They did try their best, but—”

  “What kind of guy can’t perform with Isla in bed? She’s so hot. I mean… err… if you look at her from some angles, she’s not ugly, you know what I—”

  “Just let it be,” Grace flickered her hand. “Isla is hot. But also has a lot of confidence problems. Men find her too assertive to their taste.”

  “Well, it’s time to go,” Rowan said, eager to close the Isla subject. “I’m clearing Rome’s catacombs with Carla and a few Awakeed Carabinieri to help them train… Oh, my God! I’m so stupid!” he slapped his forehead. “Let’s do our wedding in Rome!”

  “That’s romantic,” Dmitri said.

  “It’s a great idea, sweetheart. I’ll arrange things on my side; you do it there,” Grace clapped.

  “I’ll put Lepastrina on it; he knows the city.”

  He kissed her and left, after which she went back to the bedroom and back in bed, feeling exhausted.

  ###

  Eight hours later, when it was evening in Elkins and night in Rome, and the ceremony and the dinner were done, Rowan retired to a corner of the terrace to admire the view and sip an Italian liquor. Contrary to his expectations, the party had been anything but small. Giovanni Lepastrina had booked a three-star Michelin restaurant atop a luxury hotel with views over all of Rome, inviting many friends and notables. Fortunately, he had also offered to pay.

  [Cory]: Mazeltov. For sure, nights are beautiful here.

  “Hi, Cory. You can reach here?”

  [Cory]: Since the towns are now connected and share perks, yes. However, I can’t access Rome’s sensors, only the comms.

  “Then how are you seeing things if you—”

  [Cory]: Through your eyes, dummy. You are my sensor as long as you’re not engaging in private things or blocking me intently. How are the Catacombs?

  “Huge… We cleared a mile and a half today, and there are five more levels. The good news is each gives an AP. The bad: the skeletons are not a walk in the park.”

  [Cory]: Use blunt force. Listen… Switch on thinking; we have a private matter to discuss.

  Sure. What?

  [Cory]: I need you to go on a quest that will help you and the County tremendously. We’ve got clearance to salvage the alien ship.

  How urgent is it? Since we're there, I promised Grace we would clear the catacombs together tomorrow.

  [Cory]: Of course. What can be more romantic than slaying Undead on your honeymoon?

  Are you sarcastic?

  [Cory]: Just a little. I can wait a few more days, but no longer. This quest is paramount.

  OK, Rowan nodded.

  You have accepted a Solo Quest: Explore the Traipenent

  An alien ship has crashed near Randolph County. Uncover its secrets.

  Main Objective (Lvl. 20):

  Clear a path to the Bridge and gain access by any means necessary.

  Reward: Surprise +5 APs.

  Secondary Objective 1 (Lvl. 50):

  Clear the Engine Room.

  Reward: The ship’s broken core as loot, +10 levels to the County’s Core, +10 APs.

  Secondary Objective 2 (Lvl. 20-50):

  Clear the Decks by eliminating residual Mana constructs in as many ship sections as possible.

  Reward: ???

  Time Limit:

  The Main Quest must begin within a week and be completed within 12 hours after you board the ship. There is no time limit for the Secondary Quests.

  Warning:

  After accessing the ship, you cannot communicate with the entity Cory, or be Teleported or Rezzed. Proceed with caution.

  [Cory]: Keep your eyes on the Main Quest. That’s where the real reward is.

  Sure. Excuse me, I have to get back to the party.