Vent(s)

It was Sendvish — middle of the week, no mentionable anything tying that day to anything else, and it was after school. It was because of those key factors that Nim chose that day to sneak into the boys dorm room.

She used the vents.

Most people tried to break in by asking a Wiccan for an appearance or invisibility spell, by using a glamour, or by transforming somehow. The problem with the vents was that they were slick. The metal curved upward and the seams, forged by dwarves, were as close to non-existence as possible. This is where magic came into play. Nim used sticky Undine scales, a trademark of her half-Undine genetics, and a hint of air magic that she pretended she didn’t have, mostly to get out of taking classes in another subject.

Nim drifted her way to Soren’s floor. She made sure the coast was clear then scooted out of the vent and flopped onto the floor. She dusted herself off and walked over to his bedroom door and knocked.

He opened the door quickly, which meant she hadn’t interrupted an afternoon nap.

“Hey.” Soren looked her up and down. He leaned against the door frame and grinned. “Did you get lost in the boys’ dorms?”

Nim shook her head. Her dreads swayed from side to side. “I needed help with something though. Can I come in?”

Soren stepped aside. “Best thing to do if the door mother thought you were a boy is to get a monocle.”

Nim laughed. “I snuck in. The dorm mother has no idea I’m here. Hurry, close the door before they figure it out.” She entered the room. She made sure her body brushed against him as she did.

“You didn’t ask what the monocle is for.” Soren stayed in the open frame.

Nim rolled her eyes. “What is the monocle for?”

“So you can help them see you better.” He shut the door. Nim went over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. “Hey Soren?”

“Hey Nim?”

He hadn’t even kissed her yet! What was with him?

Maybe today was too ordinary a day.

“Do you need a monocle?” she asked.

Soren laughed. He tilted his head back toward the ceiling. “I’m a Farminger. We aren’t even born on the same planet as your family.”

That had done very little to stop him from spending multiple nights with her when they weren’t at school. She needed to bridge this at school issue. 

Nim ran sparks along the edge of his bed. “Yeah, I know inbreeding is really hot, but I was thinking of dating off planet…”

“Nim,” his voice squeaked. He cleared his throat and lowered it a few octaves. “Princess Nemethne.”

Nim looked at him as innocently as possible. She pushed out her chest a tiny bit. “Hm?”

Soren shook his head in quiet laughter. His lip twitched into a smirk. “What if I’m made out of corn?”

So much for bridging the gap. Nim exhaled. “You’re right.” She stood and walked up to him. “I should sneak out.”

“You can’t. All the adults have monocles.” He stepped closer to her, his hands danced near her waist. Nim stepped closer to his hands brushed her sides.

“We could sneak out together,” Soren said.

AT school. Nim pulled out a travel pack that would get them out of the dorms. It was a nice safety feature — you could transport out but not in. If there was an attack there would be a way out.

“I’m an Alandrial,” Nim argued. “Are you sure I’m worthy of your corn?”

Soren brushed his hand up her arm. It sent little sparks everywhere. “No, I’m not.” He laughed. “Wait. I did that backward.”

Nim laughed too. She pushed him back toward the door and kissed him. “I’m not entirely a princess anyway.”

“How does that work?” Soren asked. His fingers trailed under her shirt, up her stomach.

“I’m too invested in reality,” she said.

Soren laughed. He pulled her toward him. “Can I take you somewhere?”

This was turning into a not very ordinary day.

Nim offered him her hand. He pulled his hands out of her shirt and adjusted it down, to normal. 

“Anywhere,” Nim said.

Soren took the pack. “You know if you’re not really a princess you’ll have to be a Farminger too.” He dropped her hand and looked at her. “If. You marry a Farminger.”

“I’ve heard there are tons of you.” Her whole body was sparking now. Not an ordinary day at all. She couldn’t help it — the air in the room caught a breeze from her magic.

Soren grinned, hopeful.

“It took you long enough to catch the hint,” she said. Her heart pounded, excited. “And you can be Nell’s son-in-law?”

Soren loved Nell — he was his favorite teacher ever. Nell, her dad, taught animal stuff and travelling and all the fun stuff that got your hands dirty.

“He might disown you,” Soren teased. “I chase crows away from corn. I’m supposed to, anyway but that involves running.”

Nim laughed.

Soren transported them before they could get lost in each other. When Nim looked around they were surrounded by jungle. The water was a bright blue-green. Birds filled the air with tweets and some macaws played in the distance.

Once Nim had been given a chance to look around, Soren pulled Nim’s focus to him. “Are you emotionally prepared for me to assault your dad with permission-asking?”

Nim’s heart fluttered so fast her feet were barely on the ground.

“I think he’s been waiting for this for a long time,” Nim said. “You’re so stubborn…”

“That’s because I think he planned for this.” Soren ducked his head past her lips and kissed her collarbone.

Nim swallowed. “So you’ll marry me? Once you get permission?”

“Let me just grab my monocle, double check…”

Nim laughed harder. She dragged Soren out on a thick log that hung over the water. “How did you find this place?”

“This is what grew where the mudslide happened. The one where you saved my life, in case you forgot.”

She hadn’t. It had been right before he’d admitted his feelings and kissed her for the first time — they’d been hiking in a village and an entire hillside had collapsed.

She didn’t recognize anything. 

“Wow. It’s so alive.” It had been a mud village before. The buildings bled into the nothingness.

“This place was gross before,” Nim said. “We’re good at making life…” Not that they’d caused the mudslide, but it was a good transition point.

Soren hooked his arm around her hip. He kissed her. “Don’t give me any ideas.”

“Don’t worry.” Nim’s body temperature raised by a half dozen degrees. “I can’t get pregnant.”

“Why not?”

“Well I came over to tell you that I can’t because I am. It’s less romantic now that you’ve basically proposed.” Nim swallowed and met Soren’s eyes.

Her worry melted with the way his eyes almost sparkled. His smile grew wider and wider. He lifted her into the air and spun her in a circle, neglecting that they were on a log. They both fell into the water. It wasn’t deep. Nim caught her footing and looked at him, soaked.

Soren was still smiling. He put his hand on her stomach. “I love you. All….”

“Me plus two.”

“Three of you.” He kissed Nim. Their lips sparked against each other.

Nim flew them to land. “I love you. Maorkel.” Forever.