《I Want You to Remember Me》


 A Perfectly Normal Interview

    ¡°I guess my last question for you is: why do you want to work here?¡± A silver-haired man sat in a comfortable chair, marking up the notepad in front of him as he closed out the interview with a very predictable question.


    The interviewee had heard this question dozens of times before, and had almost as many answers ready to respond with. But before reciting one of those stock answers, he reconsidered. His opponent in this low-stakes battle had likely heard many of those canned answers before, and a bit of simple honesty couldn¡¯t hurt his case at this point. ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± he started, a genuine smile coming to his face. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere else in this town where I can use my skills. And I really enjoy living in this city.¡±


    A chuckle filled the air, telling him that this answer had been the correct one. The silver haired gentleman, who had introduced himself as both the CTO of the company and Douglas call-me-Doug Kingsman, followed the chuckle with, ¡°Believe it or not, you¡¯re not the first person to say that. If I¡¯m honest, I was probably the first.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The interviewee, who had introduced himself as both Gabriel Shophar and a senior-level software engineer, prompted politely. Doug¡¯s comment was such an obvious sign that he wanted to brag that Gabriel knew it would only help him to listen.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°This is the second company that Len - he¡¯s the CEO - and I have started together. I moved here after we sold the first company, and I fell in love with the mountains. So when Len called me up and said he wanted to start a second company, I agreed on the condition that I could open an office here.¡±


    Thinking of the view of the mountains he had from his new condo downtown, Gabriel had a hard time disagreeing with this man¡¯s choices. ¡°That¡¯s lucky for me then, since it gives me a place to do the work I love right alongside the place I chose to live,¡± he said, then his lips twisted a bit into a teasing smirk. ¡°That is, of course, if you decide to hire me.¡±


    Doug offered a handshake with another chuckle, and Gabriel took it. ¡°The manager of the development team, Nereta Velveteen, is currently on leave, so introductions with her will have to wait. Before leaving, she asked me to fill the last open engineer position we had.¡± Before Gabriel could follow up with a question about his absentee supervisor, Doug continued, ¡°Let me introduce you to your new co-workers.¡±


    Gabriel could only smile at the man¡¯s domination of the conversation - and his desire to show off his kingdom - and simply said, ¡°I look forward to meeting them.¡±

 Leave is Over

    What in the world had she been thinking when she let Doug talk her into being a manager? Sure, out of those in the herd of programmers that called this office their home, she was the one most capable of directing people. And yes, the engineering team - along with the company - had grown too large for Doug to manage it by himself. But still, she should not have let herself be pushed into this role.


    Reta sighed. More important now was the question: why is she still sitting in her car, ten minutes after reaching the office¡¯s parking lot? She was procrastinating. No, calling her hesitance ¡®procrastination¡¯ was being unfair to herself. Despite having two months - Doug¡¯s gift to her in exchange for her taking this position eight months prior - to spend in the forests that clad the surrounding mountains like a flowing dress, the stress and attendant anxiety of this position had been waiting for her the moment she drove into the parking lot. Reta knew herself well enough to recognize that she was no hart who could impose her own order upon the other developers, yet that is the role she is being forced to fill.


    Yet, if Reta was being honest, it wasn¡¯t the guiding and coaching of her colleagues which was the hard part. They were all very intelligent people, and it took only a light touch to guide them in the direction she needed them to move. A big chunk of her stress came instead from being the focal point for communication into and out of the engineering group. And the worst of it was¡­ NO. She couldn¡¯t think of that right now, lest she spend another hour in her car.


    Four more months. She only had to endure it for another four months, at which point her agreement with Doug would be completed, and she could hand off the manager position to some other poor fool. Reta repeated ¡°four months¡± under her breath like a mantra against fear as she opened the car door and walked into the office.Stolen novel; please report.


    The office was almost exactly how she had left it, two months not a long enough time for the nature of software developers to change. The underlying scents were the same: carbohydrate laden snacks paired with caffeinated drinks warring against dehydrated fruits and carbonated water. The sounds were also familiar, the clacking of keyboards, strains of music restrained by headphones, and a jargon-laden conversation being held in low tones between two people who were trying to find a solution to what sounded like a sticky problem.


    But the sight of the office revealed a change. There was a new guy. It turned out that he was one of the participants in the highly-technical discussion, and aside from a brief glance in her direction, he didn¡¯t interrupted the conversation to really look at her. Reta found herself to be thankful, and a tiny bit peeved. But mostly thankful. Her heritage, combined with her little... magical extras... meant that she was considered to be exceptionally attractive by most men. She vastly preferred a prick to her ego to the ogling that was so much more common.


    Reta quickly moved through the wide space filled with desks - they called it an open office plan - to a small office situated against the back wall. The one perk of being a manager was that she got her own room with a door, even if she rarely closed it. The office was small - just enough room for her, her desk, and a guest chair - but it meant that nobody was able to come up behind her. Her hearing and other senses were keen enough to keep this from being an issue most of the time, but there had been a few instances where she was so deeply immersed in the ¡®flow¡¯ of writing code that a touch on her shoulder had very nearly sent her flying.


    It took Reta a few minutes to stoke her computer back to consciousness, and she got down to the business of catching up with two months of instant messages, emails, and paperwork. So. Much. Paperwork.

 A Call from an Irate Idiot

    ¡°Sir, if you could...¡±


    ¡°But you...¡±


    ¡°Can you just list...¡±


    Gabriel, who was now regularly called Gabe thanks to a few friendly co-workers, could hear his manager¡¯s voice starting to gain a jagged edge of stress. He hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to spend much time with Reta in the last two weeks; the backlog of work and status update meetings from her leave of absence kept her busy. They had exchanged names in a perfunctory onboarding meeting, but since he¡¯d spent a good month and a half coming up to speed, the meeting scheduled for a full hour had been completed in a bare handful of minutes. In the tradition of software engineers everywhere they had shared wry smiles, called the meeting¡¯s length a blessing, and got back to work.


    Their meeting may have been short, but it taught him many things. He learned that he liked the shape of her smile, her smoky tenor voice, and her brown hair which had been cut into a short bob that looked remarkably cute on her. His initial interest, driven by the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts, had only been reinforced. But he had also seen her, and he wasn¡¯t yet ready to dance around subjects they both knew yet couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t, talk about.


    Even as his innate need for secrecy warred against more primal thoughts, the tenor of the call continued to sour. A look at the others he now called coworkers confirmed that they also shared his concerns about Reta¡¯s call. Their concerned looks told him that this was a pattern, instead of a single time event. Gabriel couldn¡¯t help himself, he pulled up their customer management system. While uncommon, customer support calls were occasionally escalated to their group, a function of a small company who catered to a highly technical customer base.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The system told him that she was indeed talking to a customer, and a quick perusal of the notes they kept about prior contacts showed that it was one of their more... troublesome customers. The customers were known abusers of the company¡¯s software, and their primary contact with the customer was known to be abrupt to the point of rudeness. Reta¡¯s voice was now edging towards tears, and that was something that Gabriel was not ready to hear. He left his chair and strode towards Reta¡¯s cramped office.


    She didn¡¯t see him enter her office, not because he was moving with any kind of stealth, but because she was unable to pay attention to her surroundings. He could see that her irises were blown wide open by adrenaline, her hands were shaking, her mouth was frozen open despite not uttering any sound. She wasn¡¯t a fighter, she couldn¡¯t fly away, so she had taken the one avenue left to her: staying very, very still in the hopes that the predator attacking her would leave, thinking her dead.


    Of course, that tactic doesn¡¯t work when someone is intimately connected to your ear by way of a phone call. Gabriel considered his options for a moment and then took the most direct course of action, even knowing that he was about to make her mad. But mad? Mad - even a mad directed at him - was a lot better than tears. He took his index finger and tapped her on the tip of her nose, then reached past her to transfer the call across to the phone on his desk.

 Panic, Interrupted

    Reta was frozen in place. The man on the other end of the call was yelling at her, and no matter what she said he wouldn¡¯t let her talk. She had to say something, but she couldn¡¯t. Was she using the wrong words? What words could she use? There had to be words. Why couldn¡¯t she come up with the righ...


    Reta suddenly jumped, the wholly unexpected physical contact of a finger tapping her nose having startled her. Had she been in the forest she would have bolted away, wagging a flag of warning to anyone else around her. However her chair didn¡¯t play along with the sudden movement, so a good bolt had turned into a rattling tangle of chair and limbs, which quickly consumed all the room she had to move backwards in her office. It took a few seconds for her shock to wear off, and a few more for her thoughts to turn rational, by which time the new guy - Gabe was it? - had left her office and was walking back to a ringing phone at his desk.


    Had he seriously just ¡®booped¡¯ her on the nose like she was some yearling fawn? He had. How dare he? The pique caused by his action quickly silenced the other emotions rattling through her mind, and she stoked that pique into anger she could use to fortify herself as she stalked towards his desk. His voice was clear but quiet as he talked on the phone.


    ¡°Sir, you blew past your request limits two months ago, and we have been kind enough to let you continue to access our service while you resolved the issues on your end.¡± Gabe paused to listen, his fingers flying on his keyboard as he made notes. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t start limiting you until your account was behind for over a month. Again, this was a kindness we have extended to you, since we were within our rights to cancel your account entirely.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Reta noted his repeated use the word ¡°kindness¡±. It wasn¡¯t a word she would think to use. How odd. She also noticed his hands suddenly still, his features becoming even less readable as Gabe listened to whatever was being said on the other side of the line. She couldn¡¯t hear it, as Gabe had used an earpiece able to hide hurtful words away from even her keen hearing. She thought that it was probably a good thing.


    ¡°In that case, sir, I will terminate your account entirely for non-payment.¡± Gabe¡¯s voice hadn¡¯t changed, the word ¡°terminate¡± spoken with the same soft inflection as he used with ¡°kindness¡±. Another few moments of silence to Reta¡¯s ears, before he responded, ¡°Yes, we do take credit cards. I can take the number now, and clear up your outstanding balance, plus a service fee for the... irregular processing.¡±


    Reta tuned out the remainder conversation, wondering how Gabe had been able to tolerate that... man¡¯s... tirade. She wondered if the customer had toned his vitriol back because he was dealing with a man. Gabe terminated the call and removed his earpiece, having completed the transaction. Letting out a quiet sigh, he tilted his head towards the heavens and muttered, ¡°Misogynistic asshole.¡± Well, she thought, perhaps the customer hadn¡¯t held back with Gabe.


    Gathering together the remaining strands of anger, she was ready to confront Gabe for his behavior in her office, but he beat her to it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for poking at you earlier. It was inappropriate, but I felt like I needed to back you up in dealing with that guy. I can be a bit of a... neanderthal in that way.¡±


    They were just words. But... they were kind words. They were the right words. The kind of words that she couldn¡¯t come up with, even to thank him. Still, she had grown up with bears for brothers, and knew a response she could use. She balled up a fist and slugged him - lightly - on the shoulder.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re even.¡±

 Somehow I am Still the Manager

    Four months after returning from her extended leave, Reta pulled her car into the office parking lot. She shut down her car, but found herself hesitant to leave the car. She waited for the anxiety. It didn¡¯t come. She searched her soul for the panic. It wasn¡¯t there. She forced herself to think about the agreement she had just made with Doug: to remain as the manager of the engineering department beyond the one year trial run. Reta felt... calm. She left her car and strode into the office, a smile laying softly on her lips.


    She knew why she didn¡¯t feel anxious, why panic had no grip on her emotions. While she thought about her coworker Gabe only infrequently while away from work, he featured very strongly in her life inside the office¡¯s walls. He had, seemingly effortlessly and without ruffling anybody¡¯s pelt, taken up a position of support. He now took customer escalation calls on her behalf, despite her initial resistance to the idea. He had also quickly become an organic nexus of communication; people from both within their team and outside of engineering came to him to chat about anything from watercooler small talk to highly technical feature requests. Reta had at first felt a little bad about sloughing off all of those burdens onto Gabe, but with the little smirk he loved to flash at her he reassured her that his shoulders were more than capable of bearing this load for her.


    The morning was mostly quiet, and Reta found herself with time to spend working on code. Even with all of Gabe¡¯s support, it was a rarity for someone in her position to find the time to spend ¡°mucking up all our pretty code¡± as one of the developers with a particularly wise ass had once said. She settled into the codebase, time slipping away as she found a way to solve the minor issue without completely ¡®mucking up¡¯ the code. One of the other full time developers would review her changes; the code review was a best practice they had borrowed from the broader software development community, so Reta didn¡¯t worry too much about making a mistake. Even as a manager, she tried very hard to keep her skills sharp.


    It was almost noon when Reta sent her changes to the group for review, so she took a few moments to just sat back in her chair and look out over the office. There were two very animated gentlemen standing by Gabe¡¯s desk, the three of them talking as much with their hands as their voices. She didn¡¯t even have to listen in to know that these two from the sales group were wheedling and poking at Gabe to get the engineering group to add ¡°just one more feature¡± to the next release. Knowing those two, they had probably already sold the non-existent feature to someone, so the conversation would be a hard one to navigate.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    When these kinds of conversations had been her responsibility, she had hated them with a passion. She just had such a hard time finding the space between ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®no¡¯ that left everyone feeling like they had gotten something out of the compromise. Her conversations had almost always ended with the engineering group doing far more work than was reasonable.


    Now, there would still be work - even with Gabe handling the negotiations - but only a few hours worth of work instead of days or weeks. The engineering team had even grown confidant enough in Gabe¡¯s negotiation skills to schedule in those few hours so that it would simply be just another part of their routine.


    This, Reta mused, is why she had been willing to keep the manager position. A few weeks ago, she had confided in Gabe her desire to get rid of the title. He was so well suited to the role that he could pick it up with ease. But Gabe had demurred, saying that he was an engineer, not a manager.


    ¡°And what do you think I am,¡± Reta had pressed back, a small moue of annoyance on her lips.


    ¡°Kind¡±, Gabe responded immediately, his face taking on a now-familiar smirk. ¡°You¡¯re kind for taking the bullet, I mean, the role of manager, for the rest of us.¡± That smirk and intentional stutter earned him another slug against his shoulder, Reta comfortable enough to continue to be impolitely physical with him in the office.


    Late that afternoon, and with that thought of comfort forefront in her mind, she decided to take a risk. She approached Gabe¡¯s station, and waited for him to finish up with the email he had been composing. ¡°Would you like to have a beer with me after work? We just completed a big feature request, and I feel like celebrating a bit.¡± She watched him grow still, and was about to retract the invitation when he did something completely unexpected. He adjusted his body into a posture she recognized instantly.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, his posture silently - yet clearly - saying that he wanted her to respond in the negative.


    How did he know? How in the name of the four winds had he ferreted out her secret? And where had he learned that particular non-verbal phrase? Despite the blow to her confidence, she had to find out. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m sure. Meet me at Bartholomew¡¯s after you get off,¡± she said with a slightly shaky smile as she started to walk quickly away from his desk. She had no intention of giving him a chance to politely bow out. ¡°I¡¯ll see you there,¡± she tossed over her shoulder.

 Beer and Secrets

    Gabriel realized his mistake the moment he made it. He had lapsed back into old habits, using a non-verbal method of politely saying no. Unfortunately, his politeness quite clearly revealed that he knew her secret; that he had secrets of his own. And that revelation begged a question that only he could answer: was he able to trust her with his secret? The answer to that question was one that only he could answer.


    Withholding his trust, even from those he loved, had been his default for so long it was almost an instinct. The methods he could use to enforce that decision were legion. He could stand her up and pretend it was all a mistake. He could leave town. He could make her forget. All of these methods, and a dozens others, all had the same consequences: the destruction the friendship - the trust - that they had built up while simply co-existing in an office.


    Gabriel realized he wasn¡¯t willing to break that nascent trust. But... why? He shook his head, trying to dislodge that entire line of thought. Leaving would be the kindest of a number of unkind options. He would disappear from her life, and the use of one of his smaller secrets meant that she would forget about him quickly enough. Would Reta cry, though? Whether from noticing his absence, or because of another angry phone call, it was pretty likely she would cry as a direct result of his leaving.


    Even as he was struck by such an image he unconsciously drove on, not to his condo to pack up, but to a small pub with a big name.


    Gabriel was usually skilled at making small talk, but he found that he couldn¡¯t manage much more than a mumbled order for a scotch ale and a wan smile. Reta also didn¡¯t try to fill the air, but her silence felt like it was waiting for a bit of privacy. Gabriel did notice that she ordered a hard apple cider, a drink that felt like it fit her remarkably well. He dredged up a smirk from somewhere and poked at her verbally, ¡°Apple Cider?¡± His query earned him another fist against his shoulder, and he found himself relaxing in response to their familiar exchange. His smile was genuine now, at least as genuine as her exasperation.


    They found a booth in a far corner, offering both distance and isolation from the other patrons. They sat on the dark wood benches, and bantered idly about their day until their drinks were delivered. After the waitress left, Reta drew a sigil on the table with a finger, affording them privacy by preventing others from overhearing their conversation. He nursed his first sip of the brew, enjoying the smoky taste of the ale on his tongue. But¡­ he was procrastinating. With a reluctance borne solely out of habit, he held out both of his hands with his palms up. ¡°I believe it¡¯s time for introductions once more. My name in this time and place is Gabriel Shophar.¡±


    Reta didn¡¯t even hesitate before covering his palms with her own. ¡°My name is Na¡¯re¡¯ta Velvetprong. May I ask you what you mean when you say ¡®in this time¡¯?¡±


    Gabriel couldn¡¯t entirely hide his slight wince at her question. Yup, she had noticed. He took her left hand and pulled her closer, placing that hand between his own and his heart. It was a silent but solemn request for secrecy, the request answered by her pledge as she covered his hand with her own. ¡°I am unable to¡­¡±, he shook his head, then started again. ¡°Due to a pact I made many years ago, I cannot use of my own name. And so, I am borrowing the name of a brother until I am may reclaim my own.¡±


    Reta¡¯s eyebrows came together in concentration, her mind trying to piece together the puzzle he had given her. Gabe found that he enjoyed that particular look on her face. He shifted slightly, telling her with his posture that he had a question for her. She blushed and stammered a quick apology, and their hands moved back to the greeting they had started with. This time she took a receptive pose, and he smiled in acknowledgement. ¡°Will you tell me about your name?¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve apparently already figured out - and I¡¯m dying to know how - I am an Amaranthine scion of the Velvetprong deer clan.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Gabriel frowned as a story he had heard came to the forefront of his mind. ¡°I thought I had heard that the Velvetprong clan¡­¡± he trailed off, realizing too late that he was likely treading on painful ground.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong. They were wiped out by a wolf pack about three hundred years ago. Normally, a wolf pack wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against an Amaranthine deer clan, but this particular pack was being lead by a blood-crazed Amaranthine wolf. A few of the younger fawns, including myself, escaped via a combination of our inborn ability to hide, and sheer blind luck.¡± She broke their clasp with her right hand, and took a deep draft of her beer. He squeezed her other hand with both of his own, a silent apology for the fawn she had once been. She smiled and squeezed back, then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I was so young that I don¡¯t remember the attack. Shortly after their attack on the Velvetprong clan, the wolf pack made the mistake of going after an Amaranthine bear cub. No wolf pack, Amaranthine lead or not, survives angering a clan of bears.¡±


    Gabriel put a few things together, and immediately sputtered, ¡°Wait, wait wait. A bear clan raised a fawn?!¡±


    Reta giggled, ¡°Yup, adopted into their clan and everything. And not just me, all of the remaining Velvetprong fawns. I adore my adopted clan, they are absolute softies.¡± Gabriel had trouble picturing this. He knew which bear clan lived near this city.


    ¡°I have to categorically refuse any description of a Grizzly clan that includes the word ¡®softie¡¯,¡± he muttered while shaking his head. Reta apparently felt compelled to stick up for her family, since she graced him with another slug against his arm. With more self-interest than tact, he changed the topic, ¡°So, how did you find yourself working in the software development world?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s actually pretty straightforward,¡± she responded, ¡°I studied Computer Science at a nearby university after reaching my attainment, and Doug gave me a job shortly after I graduated.¡± They both paused for a few moments to sip on their drinks, their silence once again comfortable. Still, Gabriel knew that more questions waited.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± The question he had been anticipating had finally arrived. His decision to trust her or not was now upon him. And yet, he knew that he had already made his decision.


    ¡°I can see past illusions, and even most wards. I¡¯ve known since I first saw you.¡±


    Reta looked absolutely floored. ¡°You knew that I was Amaranthine from the first time you saw me?¡± She immediately moved on before Gabriel could respond, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something?¡±


    His smile felt a bit strained as he answered her question with his own, ¡°What would you have done if I¡¯d approached you that first day and started flashing etiquette? Your kind are always a bit... suspicious of such overtures when they come from non-Amaranthine. Not that I blame you.¡±


    Reta furrowed her brows at that response. ¡°My kind? Aren¡¯t you also an Amaranthine, behind your illusions?¡±


    ¡°Beyond holding back my abilities, I wear no illusions. No, I¡¯m not Amaranthine,¡± he responded, quietly. Gabriel knew that his face was showing a few of the strong emotions he felt, but he wasn¡¯t going to try and hide them from her. Not anymore. She took his hand and pressed it to her chest, both promising secrecy and asking for his trust.


    ¡°What are you then? Your soul feels like an Amaranthine¡¯s, yet it¡¯s... not.¡± Gabriel knew that his warded soul - which their touch allowed her to glimpse at - looked similar to her own on the surface. Her eyes were now unfocused, and he knew that she was looking deeper, finding the differences.


    Gabriel pressed his own hand over the top of hers, a mirror of their earlier actions; though both times had been related his secrets. With a thought, he spun out his own sigils to reinforce hers, holding this part of their conversation sacrosanct from even others of his kind. ¡°Think back to some of your oldest stories. Amaranthine and their bond-mates are not the only ones who walk this world for ages on end.¡±


    He watched her eyes open in disbelief as the puzzle pieces he had given her began to snap into place. ¡°But you¡¯re not... you don¡¯t...¡± she couldn¡¯t complete the thought, the truths about his existence warring with everything she thought she knew.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t shine a path to guide souls, nor do I spread golden seeds, and I certainly don¡¯t whisper about possible futures to feline ears.¡± Gabriel licked his lips and continued, finding it easier to guide her discovery than say it out loud. ¡°There¡¯s another story, much older and rarer than that of Soriel and his kin, yet I think you know of it too. A story that speaks of the lamplighter of the night skies, the one who gave up Heaven.¡±


    Reta¡¯s mouth flopped open, her surprise too great to contain. It took her almost a minute of aborted starts to get the words she wanted to say out. ¡°You¡¯re one of the Fallen?¡±

 The Blinders have been Removed

    Reta took a few moments to gather what little she knew about the Fallen. There wasn¡¯t much to collect, for they were little more than a story wrapped up inside a myth. In a somewhat ironic twist, her brief and youthful interest in the religions of mankind gave her more material about the fallen, even though the humans considered them to be the embodiment of evil. After all, they asked, how pious can a being who gives up their divinity truly be? But where the humans painted the first Fallen - Samael - as a seducer and destroyer, the Amaranthine stories mention only a passion that surpassed divinity.


    Reta could see Gabe - no, his borrowed name was Gabriel - withdrawing at her surprise. Did that fool think she was afraid of him now? As if all the secrets they shared meant nothing because he had Fallen. She really didn¡¯t understand men. ¡°So, what was her name?¡±


    Gabriel blinked a few times. Reta could almost hear the gears in his head grinding. Then he gave a self-deprecating chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll think me daft, and you won¡¯t be wrong. I never asked for her name,¡± he confided with a shake of his head.


    Reta could only gawk in dismay at his confession. ¡°OK. This is a story I really need to hear.¡± She looked down at their now-empty glasses, and motioned to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk, I know a great place. Tomorrow is a day of rest, and I really, really want to hear this.¡±


    After paying, they decided to walk to the trailhead. It wasn¡¯t far, and she didn¡¯t have to hide herself from Gabriel. She switched up to a lope, which looked a bit like skipping in her human form. Gabriel matched her new speed, his long-legged gait effortlessly eating up the distance. Reta laughed, her smile huge. Running with him was going to be fun.


    They slowed as they reached the trail head, but only because she wanted him to tell his story. They could - would - run again later. But Gabriel surprised her by clasping a hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a halt and turning her towards him. ¡°I want you to remember me,¡± he said, his expression serious. His hand moved to her jaw, and he slowly pulled her into a kiss. This was good too; Reta wanted to know what Gabriel tasted like.


    Neither of them wasted time with a simple meeting of lips, both of them opening their mouths to let the other in. Her tongue darted, his tongue moved with deliberation. It was an impromptu dance, and it was over after only a handful of heartbeats. Reta would have lingered longer, but she could feel something shift between them, and she really wanted to see what that shift meant.


    Some part of Reta¡¯s brain noted that she really needed to practice another shocked face. She was gawping again, her lower jaw slack. But... ¡°I can see you,¡± was all she could say, in awe. She had never noticed it before, but somehow she had never really seen him. Looking back, he had been just another person, and their interactions had only mattered to her while they were together, he had never stuck in her memory before. Somehow, she knew that wouldn¡¯t be the case any longer.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    He was beautiful. His hair was golden, a shade too radiant to be called just blonde. The bones in his face were pronounced, but they didn¡¯t make him look hard. His blue eyes glittered with contained humor, but he remained silent and let her look to her fill. He must have been just under six feet tall, since it looked like she could tuck herself right under his chin. She decided to test that feature, and rested her ear on his chest. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I see you before? I feel like you just let me inside your wards.¡±


    His voice rumbled under her ear, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much exactly what I just did. It¡¯s... one of the conditions for remaining here: I can¡¯t interfere with the Plan. And since I¡¯m not Him, I can¡¯t tell what actions would interfere. So, the less I influence others, the fewer chances I have to interfere.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯m not important to the Plan?¡± she teased him, earning herself a tap on the nose. ¡°You know, that¡¯s really annoying...¡± A chuckle vibrated his chest, and she thought she liked it. But she was owed a story, and this wasn¡¯t a position conducive to listening to a full story. It would be too simple to lapse into silence and listen to the beat of his heart.


    She broke away, and pointed at the trail. As they started walking, she prompted him to start, ¡°So, you never bothered to learn her name?¡±


    It turned out that Gabriel¡¯s first love, the one that prompted him to give up everything that he had known, was little more than puppy love. He had come across the woman in his role as a guardian, a combination of immortal wistfulness and a touch of lust prompting Gabriel to make a pact with Him. The woman had turned him down flat, as she could see no value in a man who owned no land, husbanded no animals, had nothing of value.


    Reta guessed that such an innocent and impulsive act was something to be expected from a being who had never been mortal; who had spent an untold number of eons doing tasks beyond a mortal¡¯s ken. That Gabriel had persisted, had taken his newfound quasi-mortality and made his way through time to be here with her, impressed her. ¡°Were you given the chance to go back?¡± she asked, curious how long Gabriel could, or would, remain in this world.


    ¡°I was. If I reclaim my name, I would also reclaim my old purpose and divinity along with it. But...¡± he stopped walking as his words also trailed off, and looked up to the night sky. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave. This world is too full of life. For me, the allure of what I have now is too much to give up.¡± His eyes moved to Reta¡¯s for that last bit. She couldn¡¯t help the blush that crawled along her cheeks.


    Her retaliation for making her blush was a quick peck of her lips on his cheek, and a ¡®let¡¯s run¡¯ look. She changed into the form of a large doe as she turned away, and she immediately bounded off into the forest. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the best retaliation she had ever come up with, but she had been right. Gabriel was fun to run with.

 Meeting the Family

    Gabriel ran alongside Reta, the night air crisp with the coming autumn. The two of them tried to get out at least once a week, since these kinds of runs fed Reta¡¯s soul as much as their time spent twined in each other¡¯s arms fed his own. Well, perhaps it wasn¡¯t just the tangle of limbs that gave Gabriel solace, since their tongues ended up tangled together almost as often. Taste, trust, and affection.


    They had tried to keep the changes in their relationship from their coworkers, but the teasing hadn¡¯t even taken a week to begin. Doug had spoken with them both, warning them to keep their personal and professional lives separate. Quiet affection and smiles aside, they found that they were able to walk the line with relative ease; their days may belong to the office, but their evenings and nights were their own.


    Gabriel¡¯s attention snapped back to the present as he suddenly felt the power of boundary wards which had been anchored to the surrounding trees. ¡°Reta,¡± he called out as a warning. She turned her head to him and he swore he read a smirk on her doe¡¯s face, even as she bounded even further ahead. She wouldn¡¯t do this without a warning first¡­ A grizzly¡¯s distinctive roar reminded him that yes, she was indeed playful enough bring him here without advance notice.


    Gabriel could only sigh as he kept moving towards the uncommon welcome. Even though he expected the sight, actually seeing a doe nuzzling up against a seated grizzly roughly the size of a dump truck left him breathless. The grizzly acknowledged his presence with a subdued vocalization that sounded a bit like a ¡®harrumph¡¯, but continued to pet Reta with paws the size of truck tires.


    Two more grizzlies entered the clearing, their bodies not nearly as large as the first, but still incomparable to their wild brethren. The newcomers growled their own greetings to Reta, who responded with her own high pitched bleat even as she remained by the seated bear¡¯s side. The two newcomers changed into their speaking forms, and approached Gabriel.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    During the introductions - Reta¡¯s mother Mabil and younger brother Brev - Reta and a tall, well built man that Gabriel could only assume was her father joined them in their speaking forms. ¡°See? I told you that they¡¯re all absolute marshmallows,¡± Reta teased.


    ¡°You take that back,¡± Brev growled, already reaching out to poke her in the side. Reta laughed and danced away from her scowling brother to hide behind Gabriel.


    Gabriel laughed, even as he initiated greetings with her father. The teasing and roughhousing had the feel of an exceptionally common sight in Reta¡¯s adopted household. Though he guessed that she typically hid behind her father.


    Mabil gently chided Reta after all the formalities were over, ¡°You didn¡¯t warn him that you were coming over for dinner, did you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. He was already a bit intimidated from just knowing that I was raised by a bear clan, so I thought it would be simpler if he just met you all,¡± deadpanned Reta, who was still using Gabriel as a shield against Brev.


    Gabriel suddenly envied her family¡¯s ability to growl, for that comment definitely deserved nothing if not a good growl. Not trusting his own vocal cords to the task, he decided to take a different, if equally satisfying route. He quickly turned, grasped Reta around her hips, and promptly tossed her over his shoulder. Ignoring her squeaks and fists pounding on his back, he turned to Mabil and asked, ¡°So, you said something about dinner?¡±


    Laughter rang out from many voices, and Mabil reached out to cup Gabriel¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯ll fit right in. Welcome to our family, Gabriel.¡± The five of them chatted and played as they walked back towards their den; actually, four of them walked, and one was carried, much to her brother¡¯s delight.

 Clad in Naughty But Moonbeams

    Their courting dance consisted of affectionate support at work, nighttime runs, dinners with grizzly bears, and tangling kisses. And dance they did, over the year to follow. Humans would probably wonder why their courtship was moving so slowly, why they hadn¡¯t taken it further. However, both Reta and Gabriel were comfortable with their pace, their lifetimes such that they could afford to take their time.


    Despite their willingness to take their time, both Gabriel and Reta could feel that the time for dancing was coming to an end. One weekend they visited an Amaranthine jeweler that Gabriel knew, and picked out wedding bands for each other. The Amaranthine didn¡¯t assign jewelry  any meaning as part of a mating promise, yet the two of them still felt compelled to pick out bands of pale white gold. More of their daily lives was spent with humans than the long lived races, and both wanted to carry a token that the humans would understand as well.


    Winter had now settled in, and the solstice was right around the corner. Much to Doug¡¯s chagrin, both requested a month¡¯s leave to follow that longest night of the year. Their dance now felt sharper, a new tension building between them that begged for a release. Even their silences took on a new dimension, as if the words they both ached to say were taking on a life of their own.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Those remaining days passed quickly, and sunset on the winter solstice found Gabriel and Reta at the top of one of the nearby mountains. They had forgone their usual routine of dodging and dashing through trees, and simply galloped their way directly to the peak. The tension dogging their courting dance was now a fire that burned bright between their bodies. Their hands tangled as they placed the rings upon each other¡¯s fingers. Reta¡¯s words, for all their meaning an implications, were simple, ¡°Gabriel, you are my choice.¡±


    He murmured back his response, ¡°And you are my choice, Reta.¡± He slipped his hands behind her head, pulling her into a long and slow kiss, fanning the flames between them even higher.


    Clad in naught but the sky, they drifted down to the earth and joined together their hearts and souls.

 Epilogue

    Reta lay on the bed next to Gabriel, her fingers idly tracing her own patterns upon the intricate tangle of sigils that decorated his back. The first time she had uncovered them, he had explained that they were the result of his bargain; the bindings that separated him from his powers. She absolutely adored the sigils, not only for their inherent beauty and power, but because they let her have Gabriel.


    Her fingers continued their paths as she thought about the last week. They had spent the first three days after the solstice by turns in each others arms and running through the sky and across the land. Gabriel¡¯s pace never faltered, and she had never experienced so much simple joy while running with another.


    A small twinkle of light brought her out of her reverie, and she caught the sight of another sigil disappearing in a shower of tiny sparks. ¡°Gabriel...¡± she said, fear tinging that single word. Would she lose him?


    He immediately woke from his light sleep, cradling her in his arms as he searched the room for the cause of her fear. ¡°Sweetie?¡± he questioned when he found nothing.


    ¡°Y-your sigils,¡± was her quavering response. He twisted to look at a mirror across the room, and caught sight of the gentle show of light. Gabriel turned inwards, trying to discern any changes in how the sigils caged his soul. He had just found Reta, he would not lose her so suddenly!


    He audibly gasped as the changing sigils settled into a new pattern, then opened his eyes to look deep into Reta¡¯s. ¡°My powers have been unbound. So has my ability to see and hear my brethren, to see and hear Him. Yet... I¡¯m still Gabriel Shophar. I¡¯m still able to chose you, to be chosen by you.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Reta¡¯s exhale of a held breath showed her relief. ¡°But¡­ how can that be?¡±


    A wholly unexpected voice floated across the room, ¡°While you gave up helping to direct the Plan, you are still a party to the Plan.¡± The newcomer ignored Gabriel¡¯s sudden aggressive posture and Reta¡¯s startled leap behind her new bondmate. ¡°And soon, your help will be needed once more,¡± he continued.


    Gabriel dropped the aggressive posturing, though he remained between Reta and the newcomer. He sighed exasperatedly, ¡°Brother, is that any way to say ¡®Hello¡¯?¡±


    The angel smiled gently, ¡°Hello brother, and hello Na¡¯re¡¯ta Velvetprong. I¡¯m glad to finally make your acquaintance.¡±


    <hr>


    The  contents of a letter addressed to Hisoka Twineshaft, delivered by an irate Herald who had no idea how the letter had found its way into her bag:


    <blockquote>


    It is with the utmost respect that we greet you, Hisoka of Clan Twineshaft.


    After the Emergence that you are orchestrating becomes reality, you will find yourself with many Amaranthine, Kith, Reavers, and even humans who are unable to exist in the eye of the public. Whether they are injured, afraid, or simply too ¡°other¡±, please know that they will have a place with us. We will take them in, so you may devote your own care, attention, and time to the rest of our kin.


    Simply adorn them with the Enclave sigil below, and they will find their way to us, or us to them. If they need healing, here they shall find it. Whether they need the comfort of a clan who loves them or the room to wander alone, they shall have it. Should they simply need time, it is available in abundance. And whatever their reasons for coming, they shall be well defended.


    May you find only success on your path,


    Gabriel Shophar


    Na¡¯re¡¯ta Velvetprong


    Mabil Gr¨¢rpaw


    On behalf of the Velvetprong Enclave


    </blockquote>