Coye 6.20

Sorry for the delay. I felt shitty for a few days and didn't get as much done as planned.

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Chapter 20 - Point of No Return

Coye was wearing his nice, new outfit, the cabin had been freshly cleaned and scented by Shayla, and he had two big boxes of RealMonster cards as a present for his love. There was nothing he could've done to prepare himself more than he already did, yet Coye was pacing around his home, worried and anxious.

"I don't think I planned this out very well..." Coye mumbled, finishing off the last bite of a chocolate bar he'd broken out to help him destress.

"No?" Shayla scoffed from her seat on his headboard. "Well, I could've told you that. I'm still confused about what your game plan even is. Were you gonna just sit around and chat until the topic comes up, or-"

"That's what I'm saying. I don't know. I didn't think much beyond inviting Dorothy over, so I guess I'll make it up as I go along..."

"Go easy on yourself. You're at your best when you improvise!"

"You really think so?"

"I know so! Maybe you should invest in a couch before you have her over again, though. Right now, the only places to sit are the table, the floor, or the bed. Options are nice."

"...This isn't because you want a couch, is it?"

"Even if it was, would that somehow make my advice less sound?" She countered with a smirk and a playful tilt of her head.

"I guess not, but we have to see if she's even going to want to come over a second time..." Coye frowned and looked at Shayla expectantly. He was waiting for some of her traditional advice, but nothing came.

"I know what you're looking for, but as shocking as it is, I don't have any words of wisdom right now." Shayla tossed her hands up. "This whole date of yours tonight? Easy win. What's about to happen has been a long time coming, so you just have to tie a nice bow around it. Just do your thing, and it'll all work itself out. Kay?"

"...Okay," Shayla's confidence in him inspired his own. Knowing how much she believed in him helped Coye destress much more than his chocolate bar. "I'm going to have to tell Byng and Suzette you're getting sloppy with your advice, though. You're always on their case about taking your job, yet here you are, slacking off despite still being on duty. Shameful, really."

"Heh," Shayla didn't have it in her to be mad at him right now for his sarcastic observation. She was just happy to see he was coming around and calming down. "That's more like it, baby. Now, how about you sit down and chill for a second while you still have the ti-" A noticeable wave of emotional anxiety approached the cabin, perking Shayla's ears and capturing her attention immediately. "Yeesh, scratch that. You sense that?"

"No. I'm guessing she's here?"

"I don't see how it could be anyone else..." Shayla sighed. No one else made depressive auras strong enough that she could feel them from that distance, leaving little room for doubt.

Next came the fun part where Shayla got to sit under Coye's hat for however long it took to get to the whole 'I have a confession to make' part. The hat was atop the wardrobe, and Shayla already had a comfortable nest of little pillows and throw blankets big enough for a pixie waiting for her underneath. Along with some snacks, just in case.

The excitement was palpable as Coye stared at his door and then at Shayla up in his hat. "Should I open it up or wait for her to knock?"

"Give her a second, silly. Poor thing has to work up the nerves."

Coye was understood and thus waited for Dorothy to knock. The wait was excruciating, even if it didn't take nearly as long as it felt. He rushed ahead as soon as she did, only for Shayla to stop him and enforce a quick vibe check. Adjusting his belt, straightening his fancy tunic, and running a hand through his hair, Coye was pleased with his current looks and didn't see a reason to delay any longer.

He opened the door and was met with a breathtaking visage.

Dorothy was there at his doorstep, wearing an adorable outfit that he partially recognized and loved at only a glance. Some of it was obscured by her dark cloak, but he could see the tank top he liked the other day, a cute little skirt, and white stockings. If he wasn't careful, Coye was liable to stare. She looked that good, and even Shayla agreed.

The pixie could not stop gazing at her from on high, believing the well-dressed Guild Mistress with the straightened hair to be downright radiant compared to the woman they so often saw in varying states of disarray. The emotions Shayla felt when gawking were in tune with Coye's. Was this what he felt whenever he looked at Dorothy, or was this something more? Brushing aside these strange thoughts, Shayla eagerly awaited to see which of these awkward lovebirds would make the first move.

Funnily enough, Dorothy thought the same thing that Coye was, but in reverse. She looked at his dashing, black silk tunic and fancy belt, nearly melting on the spot. She knew she had to say anything to make this less awkward, but his appearance made her feel out of place and more nervous than she should've.

Gulping, Dorothy blurted out, "Wow... I... um... you really dressed up for this, didn't you? You look amazing, Coye..." Then, she worried that wasn't the best way to start off. "Er- sorry. I probably should've said 'hi' first, ahaha..."

"Thanks," Coye smiled, blushed, and scratched his head. "You beat me to it. I was about to say the same for you. Glad to see you took my advice, by the way. You look really pretty."

"Pretty is a strong word..." Dorothy gave him a soft smile.

"Which is why I used it." Coye responded firmly. She took it rather seriously, looking off to the side and smiling wider, which he loved to see. "I'm glad you're here."

Undoing the clasp of her cloak, Dorothy laughed and said, "I didn't really have a choice now, did I? You told me to, so... ah... well, that's obviously not the only reason I'm here, but... oh, dear..." already trapped in a fluster, Dorothy moved on and held up her cloak as a distraction. "Do you, ah... have anywhere I can put this?"

"Sure thing," he took the cloak and hung it on a rack by the door. "You don't have to stand outside, you know. You can come in whenever you want."

"Working on it..." Dorothy took a deep breath and stepped forward, finally entering the cabin's interior. "Sorry if I'm acting stiff, Coye. This... is all still a lot to process."

Shayla pushed Coye into having him inquire further. Dorothy was always nervous to some extent, but there was a chance things were even worse than they appeared under the surface.

"If it's too much, we can do this another time. We don't have to rush-"

"No, no... I'm doing as good as I could be in this situation, I think..." her smile was weary as she looked around the cabin. "I tried getting that rest you wanted me to, but it didn't exactly go as planned."

"Even more reason for us to wait," Coye insisted, grabbing Dorothy's cloak and offering it back to her. "Come on, I'll walk you back to the Guild."

Dorothy surprised him by pushing his hand away and shaking her head. "I don't think you understand. My problem is that I'm convinced I won't ever be able to rest until we... um... clear things up between us, Coye. If I go back home, I'll just keep wallowing in excitement, anxiety, and utter restlessness until I go mad..."

Coye wasn't sure how to take that. Obviously, he was worried for her, but her words painted a picture he enjoyed contemplating. By the sound of things, she had a rough time in his absence, and the only thing that would solve it was to be with him. It took him a moment before Coye nodded and returned the cloak to the rack.

"Guess I can't argue with that," Coye shrugged. "Sorry my place isn't anything special, by the way. It needs a lot of work." He noticed the way she was staring, and his self-consciousness activated. He was too pained when Auguris, Coco, and Marlie visited to care, but he wished he could've done more with the place before Dorothy came over.

"Oh, I didn't mean to stare..." Dorothy stopped herself and looked back at him. "You don't need to sell this place short, Coye. I rather like it. It's cozy, and it makes me remember the house I grew up in, actually. That's all."

'Guess I have to give her points for liking the house...' Shayla crossed her arms, nodding with approval.

"Should I, um... have a seat?" Dorothy approached the table in the center of the room, asking as she placed her hand on the back side of her chair.

"Yeah, please. I don't have a couch yet, so... you ate before you came here, right?" Coye asked, taking the seat opposite hers.

"Yes, just like you told me?"

"Just checking. Good. I feel like I should've planned things out better, but I was really nervous the other day when I proposed this, so..."

"...Really? You were nervous?"

"Extremely," Coye shrugged. "Still am."

She knew a thing or two about nerves, and he didn't strike her as anxious at the time. Not back then, at least. Now was a different story; Dorothy saw him for who he was. Coye had flushed cheeks, eyes that couldn't look at her for more than a few seconds, and a reserved posture. She found humor in comparing him to how he was during their high-stakes wager the other day. Humor, as well as relief.

Coye wasn't a drastically different person. He was more capable, daring, and put together than he used to be, but he was still the same boy she'd known for years at the heart of things. Nothing could've comforted Dorothy more than knowing that, and she smiled more expansive and relaxed upon the realization.

"I wish I could hide my nerves half as well as you, Coye..."

"It helps when you're trying to impress someone important to you."

That caught Dorothy off guard, and she was silent for a moment as she remembered she couldn't be lulled into a false sense of security, or else Coye might say more things that made her heart race. Her expression turned meek, and she looked away, laughing under her breath.

"Huh. Funny how you thought I still needed impressing after everything that happened..."

"Can't help being thorough. It's just how I am." He met her gaze, and the two shared a gentle smile of understanding. "You know why I asked you here, right?"

"Of course I do. This is about, um... us. Isn't it?" Dorothy asked. "At least, that was the implication I got... and what I hoped would happen, honestly. It needs to be done. I'm all out of sorts because of it."

"Out of excitement?" He asked with optimism.

She nodded to him reassuringly, but her smile hinted at sadness and guilt. "Among other things. How would you like to handle things, Coye? Did you want to jump right into things and just start talking about our feelings, or..."

"However you want... I'm not really sure, myself."

Dorothy nearly wanted to burst out with everything and be done with it, but there were things that she needed to cover. Air that needed clearing. She couldn't just open up and tell him about the depths of her feelings towards him until those were squared off, but raising those topics herself was a scary thought.

'You waited all this time for a chance to be alone with Dorothy and tell her how much you love her, and now that it's here, you don't know what to do with yourself?' Shayla chastised him, sounding harsher than she intended.

'Trying my best here...' Coye responded grumpily, glancing up at the top of his wardrobe.

'I know, I know... just... try harder?' It was like all his recent experience dealing with girls didn't mean a thing when it came to Dorothy. While that was cute, Shayla was pushing for results. 'She's waiting for you to take the lead, baby. Usually, I'm the one pushing you to jump right in, but for now, why not start slow?'

Coye was thankful for the advice, and he followed it readily. "Actually, I think it might be best if we ease into it. Maybe take things slow and hang out for a few hours first?"

"Oh?" The way Dorothy smiled told him he had made the right call. "Yes, I, um... I think that sounds lovely. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Hold on a moment, I got you something..." Coye stood from his seat and kneeled before his bed, retrieving the two big gift-wrapped boxes he'd won for his services earlier that day.

Dorothy watched Coye as he did, her eyes becoming pinpricks as he placed the boxes on the table. She immediately blushed, worried, and felt out of place.

What in all the realms was the proper way to respond? Dorothy had never been given a gift from a boy she liked before, and her brain nearly melted. Would he be upset if she rejected it? Did she even want to deny it? Would he expect something in return if she didn't? Not that she wanted to turn the gifts down. Maybe Tammy softened her up, or perhaps she was more inclined to allow Coye to do nice things for her because of all they'd been through, but she wanted the presents.

Whatever the case, she started fidgeting as she looked at the boxes, Coye, and then the boxes again. "Coye, I... I, um... don't know how to take this... you didn't have to get me anything. You really shouldn't have, in fact."

"I shouldn't have in the sense that I just made a mistake or that getting spoiled is more than you know how to handle?"

"The latter, ahaha... I-I, um, I think it's very sweet of you, even if I'm barely capable of registering that you went so far."

"I told you I'm thorough, didn't I? Had to make sure I had all my bases covered, including bribes."

Dorothy laughed. "Again, Coye, I'm past the part where you need to impress or bribe me..."

"So naturally, you'll be turning them down?" Coye reached out with his hands like he would take the boxes away, only for Dorothy to place her hand on top of them first.

"W-Wait, hold on a moment!" She blurted out, flustered. "You went to the trouble of getting me these, so, um... it would be ungrateful of me to brush them off, I think..."

After remembering what he went through to procure them, Coye was thankful she saw it that way. "I'm glad to hear that. Go ahead and open them up whenever you're ready, then."

Shayla thought Dorothy accepting the presents was a good omen. Simply put, it would've been a bitch move if she accepted the gifts despite planning on rejecting Coye later. Every bit of reassurance helped.

"Alright, I suppose I'll do just that..." Dorothy reached for the corner of the first box and began to delicately unwrap it from its packaging, doing so in a way that preserved the featureless brown wrapping paper as neatly as she could. Dorothy looked at her present in confusion after she'd stripped it bare. It was a heavy wooden box without any discernible features.

"Oh. Um. It's... a box?" Dorothy blinked. In her nervousness, she'd forgotten that boxes usually had things inside them.

"Not just any old box," Coye, then tapped the side, drawing attention to a stamped-on logo that read 'Wizards of the Workshop'.

It took Dorothy a few seconds to piece together the meaning of this, but when she did, all her hesitation about accepting Coye's presents melted like ice before dragon fire. Channeling her inner goblin, Dorothy opened the crate and confirmed what she thought. Inside were nine sealed boxes of RealMonster cards, each containing sixteen packs meant for individual sale. Adding their contents together, there were one hundred and forty-four packs total, and that was just one box.

Dorothy looked at the cards and then at Coye. Her brain was a jumble. There was joy, humility, and unmeasurable appreciation coursing throughout her.

"Coye... I..."

"Yes?"

"I knew collectors tended to buy wholesale by the caseload, but... I've never actually seen a case myself..." Dorothy gulped, already imagining the treasure trove that potentially hid within those heavily-branded packages.

"Isn't this usually the part where you'd usually tell me you can't accept this and that it's far too much?"

Dorothy smiled. He knew her so well. If he had brought her these boxes a few weeks ago, that's precisely what she would've said. "Something tells me if I did, you'd be cross with me. You'd probably tell me how you never want to hear me say that I don't deserve nice things, that these are for me, and so on... am I right?"

"...Shockingly so, yes." Coye blushed. That was more or less what he planned on saying word for word if she tried turning them down.

Meanwhile, Shayla smirked at Dorothy. Seeing her catch on and flip the script on Coye before he knew it was coming was nice.

"You don't have to convince me. Not with these, anyway..."

Dorothy's collection wasn't doing so well at the moment, as she recently had to sell off a chunk of her rare cards to a local collector to cover Blanche's stupid catalyst refund. She was all too eager to accept this gift, yet despite that, a stubborn thought occurred to her as she looked at the opposite box.

"Actually... would you be offended if I proposed a counteroffer?"

"What did you have in mind?" He raised an eyebrow, open to hearing her out.

"I just thought that I'd prefer if we split these boxes between us. When we were playing together the other day, it was some of the most fun I'd ever had... I know you don't have that many cards in your collection yet, so... If you took half of all the packs here and added them to your collection, you would have more options to build different decks, and we could play with each other more often and try out different styles, and we could learn about deck building together, and..." Dorothy's face reddened the more she expressed her desires. Her composure was slipping, and she had to cut herself short before rambling further.

Seeing how much fun she had suddenly made Coye feel bad about cheating the other day. He promised mentally to himself that he wouldn't do it again, but Shayla thought it was funny how things worked out.

"Actually," Coye said as he returned under his bed, took out the third, unwrapped case, and set it on the bed. "I already got one for myself, too."

Dorothy looked at it and then laughed, feeling even more embarrassed than she already did. "Oh. I suppose I should've figured, given that Suzette is the only one in town who carries RealMonster cards... did she have something to do with this, I'm guessing?"

Coye blushed, remembering all the hard work that led to earning those boxes. So many annoying fans to deal with... so many sets of eyes looking at him and his embarrassing outfit... he responded more vigorously than he meant, almost snapping, "I worked damn hard for these! Suzette had nothing to-"

Afraid she offended Coye, Dorothy instinctively lowered her head and apologized profusely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean, um, I-"

"Er... sorry..." Coye coughed. "That didn't come out the way I wanted it to..."

'Good job, dummy. You scared her! And all because you had to stand around wearing a cute little outfit all day. Was it really that bad...?' Shayla snarked.

"Oh, thank the gods..." Dorothy exhaled deeply and clutched her chest. "I was so frightened that I'd upset you..."

"I don't think that's possible," Coye gave her a charming smile, which helped further ease her nerves.

"How did you earn all of these cards, then? This is well over a thousand gold's worth of cards, at least..."

'Tell her, baby. Tell Dorothy all about how you strutted your stuff.' Shayla teased. She just couldn't make this easy for him.

Sighing, Coye admitted only the bare minimum in a low, dead-serious tone. "I performed a regrettable service after being strong-armed into it, and beyond that, I refuse to elaborate."

Dorothy blinked. Her imagination ran wild in the directions she could interpret that statement. Still, knowing he worked hard to get her some presence made her incredibly happy on top of everything else he'd already done for her.

"Well, if you really worked so hard, then I think you deserve an even bigger reward..." she inter-laced her fingers, looking at him casually and trying to smile as naturally as she could. "Why don't we split each case anyway?"

"I got them for you, though..." Coye was predictably stubborn. He initially disliked the idea, but Dorothy knew how to convince him.

"I understand that. However, if I may be so bold... you... um... want me to be happy, yes?"

"Obviously?" He laughed.

"Right, so... at the moment, my happiness would be better served by you adding to your collection so we can play even more games together. Is that understood?" She tried to sound convincing, and sure enough, she was.

It took him a minute, but Coye nodded afterward and finally gave in. "Okay. When you put it like that, I don't have a choice. I'll split the cases with you."

"How wonderful..." Dorothy lit up and smiled broadly, already imagining the gameplay possibilities born from Coye having a bigger collection. Meanwhile, Shayla rolled her eyes at how perfect these two were for each other.

"Did you want to start opening the cards right now?" Coye asked.

Dorothy looked at the boxes and frowned with guilt on her face. She knew they had more important things to discuss, but Dorothy grew fearful every time she tried thinking about their oncoming relationship talk. Her attention kept getting drawn back to the comfortable sight of the cases filled with trading cards. They were friendly and familiar, not scary in the slightest when compared to everything she knew was coming.

"There's an awful lot of them. I don't know how long it will take..."

"That's fine. I can walk you home no matter how late it gets."

What was a totally innocuous statement created a moment of unexplainable tension. Silence hung in the air as Dorothy's calmness gave in, and she succumbed to her distinctive brand of fidgety anxiety. At first, Coye didn't know what that was about, but then he realized what put her on edge.

"Was I... um... supposed to plan on going back home tonight...?" Dorothy asked in a quiet voice, her eyes glued to the floor. She was suddenly sweating like she was in a sauna. Dorothy would never understand how she even managed to ask something so bold. It just sort of popped out of her mouth and now couldn't be taken back.

"I mean, I don't want to presume anything...?" Coye managed to respond.

He was trying desperately hard not to imagine the implications, especially the sexy ones, but it wasn't going well. Despite getting a nice and thorough draining earlier that day, the prospect of such things happening with Dorothy was almost unthinkable in multiple ways.

'Keep it cool,' Shayla advised. 'Hope I don't need to tell you how much courage it took for her to ask you that.'

'You don't. I promise I got this under control.'

Dorothy tried to defend herself, laughing awkwardly. "No, right... of course... I'm not sure where that came from, ahaha..."

As embarrassed as he was, Coye wanted to make things easier on Dorothy. He had to be a man and take the lead, so he reached across the table and offered her his hand. Although surprised by the gesture, she complied and became flushed at the suddenness of their contact.

"Don't worry about it. Whether or not you go home tonight doesn't matter, so don't think about it. Right now, we have some cards to plow through. Sound good?"

Everything felt like it would be okay to Dorothy as Coye held her hand. Her anxiety simmered down, and she tightened her grip, not wanting to let go. "I don't know, Coye. I think we're going to need a lot more room than this table can give us if we're going to open all these cards..."

"I think you might have a point..." Coye smiled.

He solved the problem by pushing the table closer to the kitchen, taking some pillows from his bed, and setting up two large seats on the floor spaced graciously apart so they had plenty of room between them for putting down cards. It wasn't elegant, but it would do just fine. Next was opening the cases themselves. As mentioned, each case had nine full boxes of cards for display on store shelves. The boxes were also split up into different expansions. For instance, the generic Monsters of Karnalle set had creatures, spells, and items found throughout the entire realm, whereas Karnalle: The Demon of Mount Montbrand focused explicitly on the first Demon Lord of Karnalle's history, Orsovis, and the many demons who served him.

Each case had three boxes of Karnalle expansions and three different expansions for two other realms. Those included were Hal Moldihr, Sylvandiel, Ikkuni, and of particular note, Gothicca. Dorothy was the most excited about that one. Not only was Monsters of Gothicca the most recent expansion, but Gothicca itself was a realm largely unexplored- even in the modern era of realmspace exploration.

Efforts to create a set based on the realm were ongoing for many a year until Wizards of the Workshop finally lucked out and gathered a group of gold-ranked adventurers strong enough to protect their artists and researchers from the many horrifying aberrations and nightmarish abominations who called Gothicca their home.

At the mention of aberrations, neither Coye nor Shayla was pleased with the idea of seeing more monstrosities of that nature. The memory of that horrifying bundle of eye stalks Auguris dragged home was still fresh in their mind. Dorothy understood that much, even if her enthusiasm said otherwise.

They divvied up all three cases equally, creating two gigantic piles of unopened packs. Shayla was suddenly having doubts that this was a good idea anymore. 'You guys'll be at it all night if you start now! Something tells me Dorothy's not gonna be able to hold back...'

'Probably not, but look how happy she is.' Coye pointed out, making Shayla notice that Dorothy couldn't keep herself still. She was staring at every pack in her pile, childlike wonder in her eyes as she imagined what was inside and planned out the order in which she wanted to open them.

'I mean... I guess that's pretty cute, sure...' Shayla admitted. Her emotions were acting up again the longer she watched Dorothy. She really wasn't feeling like herself, but couldn't put her finger on why.

Dorothy was on the verge of diving in, temptation proving too strong to resist. She looked to Coye excitedly, asking, "Are you ready to begin?"

"After you," he gestured with his hand for her to proceed, so she did.

They took their first pack of cards and smiled before Dorothy performed a short countdown from three. At 'go', the two ripped open their packaging and began the first stage of a beautiful night together.

Dorothy went through many highs and lows over the next several hours. She would get grumpy whenever obtaining duplicate cards and show immense excitement whenever she pulled something she was looking for, but Coye's favorite reaction was what she did when he was the one who pulled a card Dorothy chased. She always displayed a thinly-veiled jealousy marked by pouty lips, a look to the side, and an awkward congratulations. He didn't know Dorothy was capable of coming off so childish and cute, but he loved to see it.

Coye wasn't nearly as informed about the game of RealMonster as Dorothy was, and his lack of knowledge showed as he flipped through his new cards, unaware of which ones were worth being excited about. Now that he had a basic understanding of the game, however, he wasn't as hopeless as before. Coye actually read some of their descriptions instead of just focusing on the fantastic art. At a fundamental level, he even started to theory-craft and speculate on whether his new cards were good or bad. His judgment wasn't all that sound, but luckily Dorothy was always there to chat with him and answer any questions.

His favorite set to open from was Monsters of Sylvandiel. The detailed illustrations rendering his mother's homerealm and its many beautiful creatures appealed to him for obvious reasons. Even the most basic of beasts appeared so peaceful and serene compared to the monsters you'd find in Karnalle, and the art depicting the lush landscapes had quiet tranquility to them that drew the viewer in, captivating them wholly.

Opening four hundred and thirty-two packs of cards might've only taken a few hours between two people, but it stretched on and on because of the constant chatting they did along the way. Dorothy predictably had a lot to say about monsters and the game itself, making every new pack the beginning of a lecture that broadened Coye's mind as a monster slayer and a TCG player.

Unfortunately, he couldn't retain as much information as he wished. It wasn't that Coye couldn't follow along with her monologues- Dorothy was always engaging- but his focus lessened over time. He and Dorothy had never spent this much time together before, and after a point, he could scarcely follow along with anything other than how cute she was and how happy he was to be with her.

At least Shayla was learning. She'd seen Dorothy going off on a few of these rants before, and for the most part, she didn't pay much attention. Tonight, though? Shayla found the Guild Mistress's lectures more entertaining than they were boring. Her desire to make sarcastic jokes about Dorothy's monster obsession was at an all-time low. However, something stood out to her the longer the pack opening stretched on. Shayla was starting to find these cards even more suspicious than she already did.

The whole magical light and music show was shady, as Shayla could more or less guess they were meant to rile up the opener, but after doing it for several hours straight, Coye and Dorothy were starting to look downright addicted. The more they opened, the more they wanted to keep opening, and the greater the excitement they felt whenever they pulled something interesting. RealMonster made Coye happy, yet Shayla now wondered if this game was a good idea for someone with an increasingly addictive personality.

Oh well.

By the time they were done, four hours had passed. It was dark out, and Coye had to light a good number of candles just so they could see. A gigantic ocean of cards swallowed the surface of Coye's floor with little rhyme or reason in their organization. It was impossible to tell which were Dorothy's and which were Coye's, aside from the two stacks of rare cards sectioned off and isolated from the rest. Two big piles of chroma crystal chips also accumulated on both sides.

Both hobbyists were run ragged by the event, exhausted and utterly burnt out.

Coye slumped against his bed, sighing a sigh of relief after finishing his last pack. "Has this ever been so intense for you, or am I the only one who feels as stretched as leather on a tanning rack...?"

"Trust me, it's not just you..." Dorothy laughed, leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling. "I've never opened so many packs before. I... I don't know if I would ever want to do it again like this, ahaha..."

"Probably for the best if we spaced\ it apart next time, yeah... I feel strung out..."

"Next time?" Dorothy tilted her head and gave him a weak smile.

"What, did you think this would be the only time I get you presents?"

She giggled, which Coye took as a good sign. "I don't know. I'm excited to find out, though... if only I had paid closer attention to the time. I would've liked to build some decks together and maybe play a couple of rounds, but I certainly don't have it in me anymore to even dream of doing all that... not when we, um... still have things to talk about..."

"I was almost worried you forgot tonight was about more than the cards," he teased.

"Of course not. I'm not here for the cards, Coye. I'm here for you. For... um... us."

A sudden quietude took hold of Dorothy. Having spent hours at Coye's side left her feeling far better than she did at the night's beginning, yet a stubborn fraction of her nerves returned. It didn't matter to her in the slightest. She would push ahead and double down, intent on showing how serious she was about the matter.

"On that note, I'm ready to talk about things as soon as you are..." Dorothy insisted, struggling to meet his gaze.

The time was fast approaching. Coye lit up, butterflies going to work in his stomach as she tried to downplay his anticipation. "I've never been more ready in my life."

Dorothy smiled, and even Shayla had to follow suit.

"Okay. Um... how about we clean up first and then sit together on your-" Dorothy tried to stand, but a nasty surprise awaited her. Her lower back locked up in pain, then her legs were seized by an uncomfortable pins and needles sensation running down their length. They were deeply asleep- her razor-sharp focus on cards working against her as she became aware of that fact.

"Dorothy? You okay?" Coye didn't have those problems, as his body was in infinitely better shape than Dorothy's. He leaned forward to help her, but the obstacles on the floor got in his way, and she raised her hand in opposition.

"I'll be fine, just... probably shouldn't have sat around for so long doing nothing, ahaha... my mistake. It'll clear up in a moment."

Coye didn't buy it, so he skillfully tiptoed past the cards separating them and extended his hand. She looked at it and blushed before turning in the other direction. The situation was awkward for her, and accepting his help would only highlight that.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I-"

"You're supposed to be letting me help you."

"...Damn it, you're right. I'll never get used to you pulling that one on me." Dorothy looked up at him, a conflicted smile on her face. She forced herself to take his hand and let Coye pull her up. It went smoothly until the part where she had to stand on her legs, at which point her knees buckled and gave out.

Shayla considered using her magic to keep them from tumbling over on all their cards, but Coye's reflexes saved the day. He pulled Dorothy closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. The suddenness of the gesture caused her to lean forward, which meant her breasts became mashed against Coye's face. It was unexpected after a night with very few sexual undertones, and perhaps because of that, Coye was able to shrug the event off and not act all weird about it. He didn't freeze up, instead entering a zen-like state meant to avoid arousal as he carefully lifted her up with his surprising strength and sat her down on his bed.

Dorothy was so stunned that she lost her voice for a moment. She grappled with what to say as the feeling returned to her legs. "I... um... s-sorry about that. My legs gave out, and I, um-"

"There's nothing to be sorry for, trust me." Coye laughed, a hint of his perversions escaping. Dorothy was naive enough not to understand the implication, nervous as she was.

'Just couldn't help yourself, huh?' Shayla clicked her tongue.

'It was a happy accident, that's all.'

'I'll bet it was.'

'How about you get off my back and help me heal her?'

'Whatever you say, big guy...'

Ignoring the cards momentarily, Coye joined her and gave Dorothy a sudden command. "Turn around for a minute and show me your back."

"Wait, what? Um. W-Why?" Dorothy blinked rapidly, feeling her embarrassment rise by several levels. Even as she protested, her body was already complying. The next thing she knew, she stared in the opposite direction and felt very threatened by Coye's power over her.

"So that I can make you feel better," he said, snapping his fingers to imply casting magic while Shayla did all the real work from behind the scenes.

"Oh," Dorothy was surprised by the sudden relief and the reminder of Coye's newfound magical affinity. Her lower back loosened, and the sleeping sensation in her legs cleared up. "Oh, goodness. That's much better, Coye. Thank you so much... but... ah..."

"If you're wondering about the magic, I promise I'm going to explain," Coye lowered his head, fighting a sudden knot in his stomach. "You'll understand why I had to push this off, but besides that, I don't want any secrets between us. "

"...I'm glad you put it that way, Coye. I feel the same." She admitted. Then, her attention turned to all the cards still on the floor. "Did you perhaps want some help clearing the mess, or..."

"Nah, I can take care of it," Coye snapped his fingers again. This time without giving Shayla any heads up. There was a slight delay before anything happened, but then the big pile of cards organized themselves somewhat neater and levitated to the table. Once they were settled into actual stacks, the clutter was much easier to manage and didn't take up much of the table.

"You're full of all kinds of tricks, aren't you?" Dorothy giggled, impressed.

"When the mood strikes." He shrugged, knowing that his pixie was undoubtedly rolling her eyes. Before sitting back down, Coye blew a few candles, then retrieved the pillows from the floor to return them where they were meant to go. Satisfied, Coye took a spot at the foot of the bed as Dorothy turned around to face him from the opposite side.

They gazed at one another. Neither said it, but both recognized they stood at the point of no return. Only two paths were available. They could call it off then and there and return to how things were, or take the plunge and see what came of it.

Thus, it was time to take a leap of faith.

"So..." Dorothy scooted a tiny bit closer, her heart racing. "Do you have any idea how we're actually going to do this?"

"Yeah. I'm starting to think it'd be easier if I got the hard part out of the way. Otherwise, we'll just go in circles until someone says it."

"That... sounds like a good idea, yeah..." she lowered her head, thankful he was willing to take the initiative. Taking a deep breath, Dorothy readied herself for whatever was coming. "Okay. Let's, um, talk about our feelings... but... before we do..."

Shayla sighed. There wasn't any helping this poor bundle of nerves, was there?

"I just want to apologize in advance if I, um, mess this up somehow. For instance, if I get really quiet or don't know how to respond... you know, things like that. I'm going to be trying my best here, but everything I'm feeling as of late is so new and all-encompassing that-"

"Dorothy. Don't worry so much." Coye reassured her. "You're not the only one nervous here, remember?"

"True enough," Dorothy said, though, from her perspective, he looked like the textbook definition of confidence.

"Are you ready?"

"If you are..."

"You promise?"

"Yes, Coye..."

"Alright, then. I'm going to start by telling you something I've wanted to say for a very long time."

Dorothy closed her eyes briefly and lowered her head, readying herself. "Go ahead. I'm waiting."

Shayla clenched her hands into fists due to the tension and leaned forward, peeking from above. Her tiny heart was in tune with Coye's as they raced together, sharing the same sensation of nervousness and determination. Though she didn't say a word, Coye could feel her undying support, which motivated him to take the final step forward.

He took a deep breath, held it, and then cut loose the weight from his heart that had dragged him down for two long years.

"I'm in love with you, Dorothy. I have been since we first met, and I want you to be mine."