The ferry stopped at one of the piers located in the channel between the main Guild Hall island and the southern Silicate Island. Going to the Harbour was, for purely civilian purposes, an extra mile that the ship could spare itself. John offered to carry Lee again, but she declined.

Her coat was already in his inventory and he soon put his jacket in there as well. There was a definitive increase in squishiness under his palm, with the thick layer of winter wear removed. John enjoyed it whenever he could.

They went to the crystal fields, across the bridge, and into the residential area of the Guild Hall. It was a beautiful Sunday inside the Guild Hall, courtesy of the Weather Tower, and a respectable amount of people had elected to spend their day outside. They lounged on the green grass around the luxurious apartment buildings, grilling or just lying about. A couple of children frolicked about. At one point, John had to catch a ball flying towards his head. He simply tossed it back.

“Not going to play up how great you are and do a bunch of tricks to impress the brats?” Lee wondered, making a bunch of gestures that might be interpreted as her juggling a phantom football around.

“Well, I don’t think I could pull that off convincingly,” John told her. “I’ve never been particularly apt at using my own body. Sure, I’m going to learn it a lot quicker than other people, because I’m a superhuman and all of that, but if I tried to improvise on the spot, I’d make a fool out of myself.” He gestured towards the kids, who went back to kicking the ball back and forth between them. “That aside, they’re brats. There’s at least a 50% chance that they react to me showing off not with awe, but with complaints that they want their ball back already.”

“Look at that, a truly wise thing you said,” Lee stated. “How much longer are we going to keep walking, by the way?”

“What, already exhausted?” the Gamer wanted to know.

“I’m not exhausted, I hate walking around in the first place. I’m a couch potato.” Lee shifted around a bit and John had to slow his step to not drag her along in an unpleasant way. “You’re the Gamer, you should know what my ideal day looks like.”

“Sitting in your room, playing video games, with nobody talking to you and…” John looked over his shoulder to make sure the kids were not in hearing range anymore, “…porn available to masturbate to three times a day.”

“Exactly, you know what changed since I met you?”

“It’d be nice if I was also in the room.”

“Exactly!” Lee poked his side.

“Alright, that’s nice for the days you want to meld together,” John told her. “You know, the time you waste because you have enough of it. I agree though, we moved around enough for now. Let’s take a break over there.” He pointed at the park they were currently passing. Named the Cherry Square for its hedge-outlined shape and the eternally blossoming cherry trees that were planted all across, it was a decorative piece of nature in the middle of the residential area. If one preferred the green of genuine trees, either the Park to the north or the forests separating the apartments from the Production District’s Buildings provided ample of such to look at.

“Is there a restroom around?” Lee asked, for obvious reasons. Their visit to the restaurants had been over two hours ago now. Time had flown by while they talked, but neither the Hudson Barrier nor the Guild Hall were so small that they could be crossed, at regular walking speed, in a short time.

“There should be a public one over there,” John said and guided his date towards a small building with the telling symbols indicating which of the two doors were for women and which for men. He took the opportunity to go for little presidents himself.

One alleviation of biological burdens later, they sat down on a bench. “So what’s that for?” Lee asked and pointed at an empty socket in the middle of the park. It was large enough to hold a respectably sized statue.

“Not sure what to put there yet, so it’s just sitting there and waiting for something historical to happen.”

“Okay… and what’s THAT about?” her finger wandered over to a large blob of dark blue slime that was currently crawling over to one of the many trash cans. It was already filled with garbage, slowly dissolving inside it. “The cleaning slimes you have around are a lot smaller.”

“Oh, that’s just Trashpexus,” John informed her. “It’s a special cleaning slime that gets more combat power the more trash it eats. I’ve set it to primarily patrol this area.” He gestured at the apartments. “Wins out over the beaches when it comes to trash production.”

“…The Guild Hall is full of weird stuff,” Lee remarked.

“It’ll get even weirder when it reaches the final Tier,” John chuckled. “It’s full of weirdness – and luxuries.” To demonstrate, he rose from the bench and plucked a ripe cherry from one of the trees. They were always in bloom and they were also always producing fruit. He offered the dark red cherry to Lee and she snapped at it. With a cheeky grin, she spat out the core. The challenge was clear in her eyes.

They spent the next thirty minutes chatting and competing who could spit cherry seeds further. John had the edge from the start, having both the superior physiology and a lot of experience in using his mouth. The advantage persisted, even if Lee did her best to distract him every time it was his turn. Eventually, she conceded and just aimed at Trashpexus instead.

They moved on, after they had enough of eating cherries and sitting on a bench. Much to Lee’s overacted chagrin, this meant they had to walk again. Their destination this time around was the Palace. Even when they were there, they did not head inside.

Instead, John took her to the Clearwater Fountain, the spring of the rivers that flowed through the Guild Hall. It was located between the two southern tips of the star fort, its endless waters falling down the gap. For the spring itself, it was a large, renaissance-styled fountain on top of a naturalistic stone formation.

They weren’t the only ones there. A certain birdcat was frolicking around in the water.

“Velka!” Lee shouted, causing the black-and-white chimera to turn her head and warble at her owner and his date. Spreading her wings, she flew out of the water, landed on the rim of the fountain, and then pounced in their direction.

“Halt,” John commanded and the birdcat landed in front of their feet, rather than directly in Lee’s arm. Big, red eyes looked up at the Gamer, as if to ask why he was being so harsh. “You’re wet. You would ruin her dress,” John told her.

Velka had figured out a lot of words by now, even if she wasn’t yet smart enough to grasp all of them. Rudimentary understanding of knowing what ‘wet’ meant and her owner’s disapproving tone must have been enough to clue her in on what was expected. The dog-sized chimera spread out her wings, puffed up her feathers and shook her entire body. Droplets of water were sent everywhere.

“You mischievous little…” John tried to be mad and kneeled down. Triumphantly warbling, the Magryph launched herself at him. He blocked her assault with his hand. She proceeded to hold him with her front talons and gnawed cutely at his thumb. “You know exactly what you’re doing,” the Gamer reprimanded her, with a smile on his face, seeing the intelligence in the animal’s eyes. He shoved her back and descended on her. “You shiny seeking little annoyance,” he said, as he rubbed her exposed belly.

Velka warbled and purred, doubling up on the latter noise when Lee joined the fun and scratched the Magryph’s ears. Rolling around in the grass, nibbling and scratching the hands that pat her, the chimera combined cuteness with the threat of cutting someone’s palm open. Smart as she was, Velka knew not to be quite as harsh with Lee’s hands as she was with John’s. Whether she could just sense that the young Fateweaver was more fragile or that she just erred on the side of caution with relative newcomers, she did spare Lee any unnecessary harm.

Tail flopping and tail feathers vibrating, Velka descended into a state of deep relaxation. Eyes closed, limbs finally still, she just laid there and purred, the slowly sinking sun illuminating her fur. The Gamer kept a close eye on the development of the sky. “Alright, you come here,” he said to the Magryph and picked her up.

At first, Velka was still too pat-drunk to do anything but let her owner hold her against his shoulder. Then she snapped out of it and decided that she would much rather stand on top of him. Chirping triumphantly, she half-climbed on his head.

“Hahaha,” Lee laughed at them. “The mighty John Newman, defeated by a pretty bird.”

“Britishly speaking, I feel like I get defeated by pretty birds every day,” he responded, keeping his head tilted so Velka could stand comfortably. Not at all an easy thing with her size. “She’s lucky I have such a great sense of balance.” With the Magryph on top of his head, he climbed over the stones of the Clearwater Fountain. “You should get out of your shoes,” he advised while putting his own into his inventory.

“Sure?” Lee cautiously agreed.

In the meantime, John whispered into Velka’s ear, “I’ll need you to give me some space, alright?” while rubbing it between his fingers.

A conspiratorial meow later, Velka jumped off his shoulder and then ran for the edge of the star fort. “Aww, the fluffy bird is gone,” Lee let her disappointment be known, shoes and socks now in hand. “She was the best thing about this date.”

“I really should look into giving myself cat ears,” John sighed. “All of the girls seem to dig them.”

“They wouldn’t fit you at all, dude,” Lee snorted. “You’re more of a… fedora type… actually, you used to have a fedora, right?”

“Yeah, I lost it because of Sigmund,” the Gamer told her.

“Oh… sorry to bring that up,” Lee lowered her head.

“No need to, that’s an old scar,” he smiled at her and extended his arm. “Come with me.”

Lee took the offered hand, but still warily glanced at the edge. Especially when John took her closer to it. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“To a nice place to watch the sunset,” the Gamer told her and smiled over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m here.” His feet stepped into the water.

As imposing as the waterfall looked from a distance, the stream leading up to the edge was rather soft. By following first the rim of the fountain and then a series of stepping stones, one could keep their feet either above or just a few centimetres below the water’s surface. John led the way, Lee followed and he was ready to catch her should she slip.

Their path took them to a boulder at the very edge. Lee breathed a little lighter when they were on it. Solid ground eased her a lot, even if she was still wary of the drop. “Afraid of heights?” John asked in a serious tone, afraid he might have made a miscalculation in his plans.

“Afraid of falling,” Lee made a somewhat strained joke.

“I’ll catch you,” he assured her again.

“You can’t fly though,” she pointed out.

“I can’t,” he gestured towards the Mandala Sphere that was hanging around above them, “but I can.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, now almost fully relaxing while John took her the final three steps towards the edge. There, they sat down. The water split around the rock. “Nice view,” she commented on the plain fact of what was before them. Framed by the two tips of the fort was the Guild Hall. Specifically, the Production District sprawled out before them. The Farm with its fields. The forests. The Freedom Channel sparkling red under the evening sun. Silicate Island with its many crystals. The Hudson beyond that, still covered in the fog of the regular weather. A stark contrast to the clear sky within the Guild Hall.

“I wondered a lot about the perfect date with you,” John confessed then and there. “I did consider something artistic, like a visit to the opera, or a ball, or a concert. I did genuinely consider a carriage ride or something else that might make you feel like a princess. Maybe going to the beach could have worked. Maybe I could have taken you out on an Adventure, exploring a different world with you and showing off my capabilities. In the end, I realized that you probably want none of these things. For all the luxuries I can offer you, your father could have given them to you already. You don’t want much and you especially don’t want to show off to the public. So I decided to keep it simple. Just you and me, talking.” He smiled at her. “Tell me truthfully, Lee, did I earn your adoration today?”

“You’re just being the guy I always thought you were,” the young Fateweaver pointed out, playing with a small bump in the stone. She raised her head and their dark eyes met. “That’s a pretty tall order.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he insisted, “come on, tell me, do you think I’m worth the trouble after today?”

“I… urgh…” she drummed her naked heels against the stone, “…I’m just gonna say whatever comes to mind. Sorry, I’m not good at this flowery romance shit.” Nodding, John waited for her to sort her thoughts. “I didn’t think I needed today. I was perfectly fine believing that you were awesome from having talked to all the girls. But… yeah… I do love just having these chats with you. I know I don’t exactly show it, between all of the sass and all of the ‘please fuck me already’ rhetoric, but I… just have fun talking to you. I don’t want to stop talking to you. I’d rather do it while we play Minecraft than walk until our feet are flat, but I’m game with either… as long as you or the girls are around… yeah… I think that’s about it.”

John embraced the flutter in his stomach and the smile on his face. “Are you willing to fall deeply?” he asked, slowly leaning towards her.

Knowing, or hoping, what would come next, Lee stretched in his direction. “I’ve never wanted to do something so reckless so much,” she whispered. “To become yours.”

“You won’t merely be mine,” he said, a hand on her cheek and their lips mere centimetres apart. “I’ll be yours and you’ll be part of all that’s mine. I’m falling for you, Lee. I already have, far enough to ask this question: are you ready to be part of my harem? To bear the same mark as all of them?”

“I would love to,” she said. “I love them… I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said and finally claimed her lips. The initial moment was almost awkward. Lee was taken aback, not by the act itself but likely by the unfamiliar feeling on her lips. Then reality settled in for both of them. What they had desired came true, her soft lips pressed against his, and they embraced each other. There was no shyness to the kiss, only inexperience and fulfilled longing. Soon, she began to experiment, opening her mouth and challenging him with her tongue. John gladly obliged.

All the while, magic streamed out of John, into her and back. The conditions were met and Lover’s Will took root inside her. She moaned softly into their kiss, while John felt the tingle of an additional mark forming around his right thumb.

When the magic ebbed away and the sun made room for the night, their lips separated. Lee reached up to her own lips, brushed over them, glossy and full, as if she couldn’t believe what just happened. “I didn’t think that would feel so… magical,” she admitted.

“It’s hard to imagine, just how wonderful kisses are,” John agreed.

“Don’t give me that, you kissed hundreds of times before.”

“Each time is a new height.”

“Oh really? Prove it.” She grabbed him by the collar.