Greg examined himself in the mirror, turning this way and that as he checked out his outfit. "You know, I just realized this will be my first actual date. Well, first dating date."

"You never dated Tessa?" Thomas asked.

"Not really… I mean, we hung out, but it was more as friends, I think? Then she kinda shoved herself at me and we were just together, no dating involved." Greg explained. "I think it was because we already knew enough about each other to know we wanted to be together, we just had to get to the point where we knew the other one wanted it too, and once we did… Well, it just happened."

"I was pretty sure I wanted to be with Beth when we got together, but I still took her out on dates." Chris commented. "Just because you know you like someone doesn't mean you should stop trying to get to know them. In fact, I would say you should be even more interested in doing so."

"I'm with Chris on this one." Andrew agreed. "Just because you're together doesn't mean you should stop dating. How else is the other person supposed to know you value them? Taking the time to make your partner feel special is an important part of any relationship."

"Oh, believe me, I take plenty of time to make Tessa feel special." Greg chuckled. "It just doesn't involve dates."

Chris frowned. "Sex?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Greg grinned. "Particularly since we're both shapeshifters so-"

"Ah, ah!" Andrew protested, covering his ears. "I don't want to hear about the freaky shit you and Tessa get up to!"

"Yeah, I don't care what you do in the privacy of your own bed as long as you keep it in your own bed." Thomas grimaced.

"Fine, fine." Greg rolled his eyes. "Y'all are such prudes sometimes." He checked the time again. "Anyway, time to go. Chris, you remember about those portals I need, right?"

"Yes. I'm not the forgetful one around here." Chris replied.

Greg chuckled. "Fair enough. Alright, I'm off, don't wait up." He waved over his shoulder as Chris opened a portal back to the fort for him. He hummed lightly as he made his way through the fort, feeling almost a little nervous. As confident as he'd played it, he recognized that he only had this one shot to convince Gloria to take him seriously, and if he blew it… well, he'd find someone else, eventually, probably, but still, he'd really like this to work out, and not just because he was starting to get a little pent up. It wasn't every day he found someone he thought might be good for him, and he wanted to make the most of it.

He soon arrived at Gloria's quarters and knocked, smiling as she opened the door. She was wearing a simple black dress that perfectly hugged her curves, the hem just reaching her knees, and a pair of high heels that had her practically walking on her toes. "Wow… I know I said to wear something nice, but damn!"

Gloria flushed slightly, shifting awkwardly. "My mother got it for me and it was all I had." She muttered.

"Well, then your mother has excellent taste." Greg replied with a wink.

Gloria snorted derisively. Her mother practically lived fashion. Saying she had excellent taste was an understatement. "Are you here to leer at my dress or are you here for a date?"

"Neither. I'm here for you." Greg smiled, offering her his hand. "Shall we go?"

Gloria flushed and scowled simultaneously. Why did he have to say something so stupidly flattering so sincerely! Everything he said was on the level of some dude hitting on her in a bar, thinking he was clever, but he just said it all so honestly that she couldn't tell whether she should be annoyed or flattered! He was either utterly genuine or utterly fake, and she had no idea which. "Fine. Let's get this over with." She growled, stalking out the door, ignoring Greg's hand.

Greg chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he turned to follow her. Something about her was just so adorable, even when she was angry. "Chris, a portal, if you would?" Greg called out and a portal appeared in front of them.

Gloria froze as she took in the sight in front of her. A small table for two sitting on a terrace overlooking a vast ocean just as the sun began to set, a beach curving off to either side. She hesitantly stepped through with Greg, and the portal closed to reveal a beautiful field of flowers. "Wow…" She whispered, almost unconsciously.

"Yeah, Chris can make some pretty impressive displays." Greg nodded as he looked around himself. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing to the table.

Gloria took a seat, feeling slightly numb. "Chris created all of this?!?" She asked incredulously.

Greg cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, it is his world. It lets him create pretty much whatever he wants."

"Right…" Gloria muttered, reminded once again of how insane the people she was dealing with were, the man in front of her included. She paused, frowning as she caught sight of something seemingly out of place. "Why is there a pile of rocks over there?"

Greg coughed awkwardly. "Well, you see, when I was planning this date, I realized I don't actually have any money… of course, I could make anything you wanted out of smoke, food included, but- well, you see, I recently got this trait called 'Foundation Parasite' and one of the methods used to actually parasitize someone is to feed them food made from my smoke, so that seemed like a bad idea, you know? However, I recently learned I could alter matter by infusing it with my smoke, which still lets me make you anything and after I'm done, no more smoke, but… well, I need something to make things from, so… rocks."

Gloria blinked. "I see."

"Shall we start with drinks then?" Greg asked, moving things along. "Would you like some wine? Champagne? Maybe tea, juice, or soda? Water?"

Gloria hesitated for a moment. "Could- could I get a cherry soda?" She asked. "It's a favorite of mine, but… well, luxuries are rare in the Wastes." She sighed.

"Cherry soda?" Greg frowned. He didn't have that one, but... "Hold on." Instantly several Greg's formed around Nobilis, searching for a shop selling cherry soda. "Sorry, I don't have that one yet, but I should be able to find it in a minute or so. Any particular brand you're interested in?"

"Balu." Gloria replied instantly.

"Got it." Greg nodded. "So then… are you close with your mother? Well, parents I suppose, not just your mom."

Gloria frowned for a moment, before letting out a sigh. She had promised to give him a chance, and this was a part of it. "I'm closer with my father than my mother. She never quite appreciated my decision to pursue a military career over something more… artistic." She grimaced.

"What, like painting?" Greg raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that." Gloria nodded. "I mean, you know how it is with Sprills."

"I- don't know what a Sprill is, actually." Greg cocked his head. "Is that what you are? A Sprill?"

Gloria blinked. "You don't- uh, yes. I'm a Sprill. And Sprills are supposed to be artists. A Sprill who doesn't enjoy art is like an Elf who doesn't enjoy nature." She explained.

"And your mom just wishes you'd be normal or something?" Greg asked with a slight frown.

Gloria huffed. "Pretty much."

"Well, I get what that's like." Greg nodded. "Not so much from parents though… just, you know-"

"Everyone who spends more than five minutes with you?" Gloria smirked, raising an eyebrow at him.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Yeah, pretty much." Greg chuckled. "Too bad for them I got over being normal years ago."

"And how'd you manage to do that?" Gloria asked.

"Well, for one, it became clear it was a lost cause. I mean, I can stay quiet and not necessarily act on my weirdness, but actually doing normal things? I can't do that." He shook his head. "Also, I kinda spent a good two years in complete isolation… kinda drove me beyond caring what people think about me."

"You spent two years in isolation?" Gloria frowned. "Why?"

"I didn't do it on purpose. I got shoved into a magic trash compactor by some aliens and I couldn't get out." Greg shrugged. "Gave me a lot of time to think and get over being anyone other than myself. Spent way too long doing that already. I was practically my own village." He snickered. "Ah, sorry. That's funny cause I literally spent about a year pretending to be an entire village."

Gloria stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say to that. "I- I see."

"Anyway, what drew you to the military?" Greg asked. "Oh, and I found the cherry soda." He added as he pulled a rock over, making two glasses and filling them with the soda.

"Thank you." Gloria smiled, taking a sip and closing her eyes as she appreciated the flavor. She had missed this.

Greg took a sip as well. "Huh. This is good." He muttered, taking another sip before refocusing on Gloria. "So, the military?"

"I've always had a passion for strategy and tactics." Gloria explained. "Growing up, I loved those stories about noble heroes leading grand armies to defeat some monstrous evil. As I got older, my interest became more practical and I began to read about actual military campaigns. When I was old enough, I applied to a military Academy, and… well, here I am. Commanding some shitty fort in the fucking Wastes, spending all my time babysitting Adventurers and freezing my ass off!" She spat bitterly.

"Not exactly where you thought you'd end up, huh?" Greg cocked his head.

"No, it's not." She snorted. "But that's the way things are. Unless you're a legacy or you have the right connections, you have to work the shit details until anyone will give you a chance. Frozen Hearth is the command equivalent of latrine duty."

"Then what would you want to be doing?" Greg asked, leaning forward.

"Defending the Line." Gloria stated firmly. "Protecting people from raids by the monstrous races. I would rather be in charge of a platoon in the Great Forest than running an entire fort in the Northern Wastes."

"I'm guessing the Line is something to do with the divide between the noble and monstrous races then?" Greg asked.

"Yes." Gloria frowned. "You're really not from around here, are you?"

"Nope." Greg grinned. "I only got here like… two weeks ago? Something like that. And for most of that I've been in hiding because we accidentally created a Ruin."

"You did what?!?" Gloria exclaimed.

"We made a Ruin. On accident." Greg explained, emphasizing the accident part. "We're working on dealing with it, but it's tied to Andrew, so he's the only one who can destroy it, but in order to do that, he needs to get a lot stronger. That's why we're here, actually. So Andrew can get strong enough to kill the Ruin."

"And you just left it there to grow?!?" Gloria asked incredulously.

"Well, no, but there isn't exactly much we can do about it." Greg shrugged. "I mean, you've seen our levels, right? We aren't exactly weapons of mass destruction at the moment."

"But you need to at least tell someone about it, not just leave it there to fester!" Gloria retorted.

"Oh, people know about it." Greg replied. "It's kinda right outside Nobilis."

Gloria froze, her eyes widening. "You caused the Nobilis Ruin!?! They've been searching for the culprits for a week!"

"Oh, they already know we did it. At least… Maurice?" A slip of paper appeared in front of him. "Ah, Monroe." Greg nodded as the paper disappeared.

Gloria blinked. "The- the Lord Commander?!?"

"Yes! Him, he knows!" Greg nodded emphatically. "We had a whole talk and what not about how to deal with it. He's working on keeping the Ruin contained while Andrew gets stronger."

"Lord Commander Monroe knows you created a Ruin, and he simply let you go?!?" She asked incredulously.

Greg paused. "I mean… he didn't have much of a choice, now did he? We aren't exactly containable."

Gloria frowned. "No. No, I suppose you aren't." She muttered.

"Anyway, what do you want for food?" Greg asked next.

Gloria stared at him for a moment, having almost completely forgotten that they were supposed to be on a date. "Uh… surprise me." She shook her head. She didn't have the mental space to think about food right now, her mind full of Eternals, Ruins, and wondering just where the hell these people could have come from.

"Surprise, huh?" Greg muttered, considering her for a moment. What type of food would she like? Steak? No, too basic. She didn't have access to a lot of luxuries, so he wanted to do something a bit more complicated. Pizza? Too messy. Wings? Basic and messy. Seafood? Greg paused, nodding slowly. Yes, seafood would be good. Not just a fish though, something more complex… So how should it be prepared? It needed to be something you could eat with a fork… with pasta maybe? Yeah, a nice seafood pasta. Shrimp. Greg nodded firmly as he pulled over a rock and created the seafood pasta based on one he'd tried in the Beast City. That place had some amazing food. "How about this?"

Gloria eyed the pasta warily for a moment, before taking her fork and spearing a shrimp and some noodles, taking a tentative bite. "Holy fuck that's delicious!" She groaned, quickly digging in for another bite.

Greg smiled wide. "I thought you'd like it. It doesn't seem like you get a lot of seafood up here."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "We don't get a lot of anything up here."

"Well, we can certainly help with that." Greg winked. "Just bring us rocks, and you can have whatever you want."

"If it's more stuff like this, I'll bring you anything you fucking need." Gloria muttered.

Greg chuckled as he made himself a plate as well, and the two focused on eating for a bit. "So what do you do for fun?" Greg asked as they wound down.

"I- don't have a lot of time for fun." She sighed. "There's always something else to do, filling out reports, requisitioning gear, sending out patrols, reading other people's reports… At most I can take an hour or so to read every now and then."

"Okay then, let me rephrase the question. What would you like to do for fun?" Greg asked.

Gloria paused to consider the question for a moment. "I miss board games." She admitted. "As the commanding officer, I can't just sit around and play games with my men, even during the rare times when I actually have the time… I used to play every week back at the Academy."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Board games, huh? I can definitely do board games." He paused. "Ooh, if you like strategy and tactics, you'd probably love Warhammer! I can make the minis- wait, no, I could be the minis! Actually act out everything that happens! Shit, I'm doing that even if you aren't down. I just need to get some rulebooks…"

"If you're actually making soldiers, do you even need rulebooks?" Gloria interjected. "You could design soldiers with actual weapons and armor to have them fight! It'd be like a real war!"

"Fuck, you're right!" Greg agreed. "Okay, we have to do this at some point."

Gloria nodded excitedly. "Absolutely! We could-" She froze as she realized she was getting carried away. "I- I mean… I would be interested in something like that."

Greg clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Come on, Gloria, why do you have to hold yourself back like that? What's wrong with being excited?"

Gloria scowled at him. "It's wrong because I can't be sure you aren't trying to trick me somehow! If I let myself get carried away, if I stop thinking, I could play right into your hand!"

Greg frowned at her for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, that's a fair point. I'm not saying trusting me is wrong, but it'd be stupid to do it so soon. Particularly given the circumstances."

Gloria blinked. "I- I'm glad you understand." She replied tentatively. That wasn't how she'd expected him to react… shouldn't he be pushing her? Trying to make her feel guilty or getting angry or something?

"What would it take for you to trust me, though?" Greg asked, cocking his head.

Gloria paused. "I guess once I could be sure you aren't hiding anything." She replied.

Greg considered that for a moment. "So… if I told you everything you could possibly know about me, would that help?"

Gloria frowned. "I suppose?"

Greg tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully. "Well… then I think we need to start with the Multiverse and how it works. Otherwise you'll think Tessa is an issue."

Gloria blinked. "Tessa?"

"I'll get to her." Greg waved dismissively. "But first, there are these things called Worlds." Greg began to explain as Gloria's eyes began to widen.