Roan's Point of View

Chapter 25

After a few days of hard work, this library was finally looking festival ready. Mochi was laying out snacks on the new snack bar, which Nyssa had absolutely loved, while the golem hung strings of lights from the ceiling. It was all coming together and I couldn't wait for people to see it.

"Want to help me clean the story gods' statues?" Nyssa asked, holding a bucket of water that looked like it was dragging her down.

"Only if you let me help with that," I said, nodding at the bucket.

I held my hand out, grabbing the handle with her to share the weight. Our fingers brushed against each other, sending a spark through me. Every little touch was like the first time, full of excitement and anticipation. I wanted to explore that feeling, revel in it even, but the only thing on Nyssa's mind was the library. Maybe once we finished up her to-do list, we could go on another date...

Tiny roars, like what you'd hear from kittens trying to be big cats, pulled my attention up. Some of the dragons had gotten caught in the new string lights, flying so fast they must not have noticed the golem hanging them. With all the changes we’d been making, the dragons were often getting caught in something and causing a ruckus.

Nyssa clicked her tongue against her teeth, sighing.

"Hey golem?" she called out. "Mind helping the dragons out again?"

The golem turned slowly, tilting its massive head as if trying to find the dragons. They were so small and it was so big. They probably looked like flies.

"Over there," I said, pointing at the new lights.

The golem's eyes lit up. "Okaaaay."

Each step it took rumbled through the library, but soon the dragons were free and flying around its head like happy little birds. Not that I'd ever call them birds to their faces. Those dragons were a handful and I didn't want all our hard work getting burned down accidentally.

A smile stretched across Nyssa's face as she watched the dragons. "I love this library."

Honestly, so did I. All the craziness sort of felt normal now, like this was just how magical libraries were supposed to be. The wild magic had made the library better and that was such an amazing thing to see.

"Think the library will bring even more stories to life?" I mused out loud. "Maybe we could suggest one."

Nyssa's eyes widened. "You want more story spirits?"

"Maybe?" I said, watching Cerbie gobble up half the snacks Mochi had put out, only for Mochi to cuddle up next to the pup and put out even more snacks. "They're growing on me."

Nyssa let go of her half of the bucket. I opened my mouth to protest at the sudden weight, but she pressed her lips against mine with such passion that I almost dropped my half too. My heart raced and my body ached to hold her, to feel her against me. When Nyssa pulled away, her eyes were shining with happiness.

"I'm so glad you like it here," she said, her voice breathy. "It means a lot to me."

"Me too," I whispered as I dipped a rag into the water and started cleaning the stone statues. "I've never...I've never felt like this before. Being with you and all the story spirits feels so warm, like maybe I belong here or something."

My face was hot by the time I finished, so I scrubbed the statues even harder, focusing on that instead of what she might say back. I really did love it here, more than I'd ever loved being anywhere else. I thought the guild was home when I was a kid, but maybe I never really understood what that meant until now.

Home wasn't just the place you slept or the people you worked closely with. Home was the place that made you feel safe and comfortable. The place where you could relax and be yourself. I glanced up at Nyssa.

Home was the place full of people you cared about.

"Roan," Nyssa said, her voice low as she took the wash rag from me. "You know that you're welcome to stay as long as you want, right? You do belong here. If you want to."

My heart swelled hearing that and I felt myself taking her hand without even realizing it. I looked down at our intertwined fingers, feeling a little shaky inside. All of this felt too good to be true. Like it could all go away in an instant. That was old me though, the one who ran from things before even seeing where they went.

I'd already stayed here far longer than anywhere else and I knew deep down that I didn't want to leave. For once in my life, I wanted to call someplace home and fully experience what that meant. I wanted to stay.

"But I'm an adventurer," I said, not knowing how that worked with what I was feeling now. "I have to get back to that eventually."

"So?" She squeezed my hand, smiling. "Just because you come and go doesn't mean you don't belong here. Make this the place you come back to between jobs."

Those words were like salve on a wound. I had a place that I could come back to, one with an amazing woman and wonderful story spirits. Maybe this was all the adventure I needed.

"And what if," I paused, pulling her closer, "I didn't want to be an adventurer anymore?"

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She slid her hands around my neck. "Well, then you could stay here and wrangle the story spirits with me. Or start over with something entirely new. You helped me when I needed it most, so I'd like to return the favor. I'm here for whatever you want to do."

I held Nyssa tight, closing my eyes to enjoy the way her hair smelled like the golem's flowers and how her hands toyed with my hair. This was the life I wanted. Something warm and satisfying, where people worked together on even the smallest things and there was constant, but happy, chaos.

A life where I wasn't alone.

"Okay," I said, leaning my forehead against hers, "I'll stay then."

Her lips pulled into a grin as she leaned up to kiss me, promising me the warmth and comfort I'd been craving all wrapped up in this beautiful woman. I'd never dreamed going to a library book sale would end up like this, with me finding somebody who could change my entire life, but I was so glad it had.

She pulled away, biting her lip. "Maybe we should..."

I tried to focus on what she was saying, but a bubble was casually floating towards her and in this library, bubbles were never just bubbles. Memories of that ridiculous bath where I'd been pinned down by magical bubbles gnawed at my mind. I thought we'd taken care of that though when we'd repaired the laundry crystals.

The bubble grew larger, shimmering in the light just like the other ones had.

"Everything okay?" Nyssa asked, turning to look behind her. "Oh, no wonder you got distracted. Those bubbles really did a number on you, huh?"

"No," I said, a blush burning my cheeks. "It's just weird seeing one now. What if something's broken again?"

Her lips twitched. "Guess we should check it out then."

Wait, I'd had Nyssa all to myself and I let a bubble get in the way?? I sighed. What's done was done. There would be plenty more time for us to be alone, especially now that I'd agreed to stay, because this was my home now.

Home.

It was funny to even think about, but it felt so right as I gripped her hand, following her down a trail of bubbles. Nyssa and this library were all the adventure I needed.

The bubbles seemed to be coming from outside where a thin man with glasses and suspenders fiddled with some kind of device. I groaned. Oren was back and he'd brought a bubble machine.

"Hey Oren," Nyssa said, joining him by the machine, "what treasure did you bring us this time?"

She winked at me as she said the word "treasure" like she'd actually enjoyed our last bubble encounter. Maybe she had, but I did not want to repeat it. Her and I with a hot bath to soak away our troubles? Great. Magical bubbles that would pin you down? Hard pass.

Oren turned some dials on the machine, almost like he was tuning it for something, then stood up with a smile. "There. Should be all ready for a test."

"A test?" I shook my head, taking a step back. "Whatever you've got planned, we don't need it."

"Are you sure?" Oren asked, readjusting his glasses. "Nyssa said you were desperate for a way to get patrons up the mountain."

I blinked, looking from her back to him, trying to make sense of that statement. Her furrowed brow made me think she had no clue either.

"And a bubble machine is somehow the answer to that?" I asked, a pit forming in my stomach. I'd seen far too many people play around with magic and the pieces were starting to fall together. "No, you wouldn't. Nobody would do that."

Nyssa tilted her head. "Wouldn't what?"

"Make people fly...on bubbles?" I could barely get the words out, but when Oren started grinning like a fool, I just shook my head. "No. That can't be a real thing. Who would even make something like that?"

"Well...," Nyssa glanced at Oren and then away quickly, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. "Relic engineers?"

One particular relic engineer named Oren, I bet. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. I said I'd wanted an adventure, but this was just plain dangerous.

"Hey now, of course nobody's going to fly on bubbles," Oren said, waving a hand at me. "That would be silly and dangerous. They're going to fly inside bubbles. Safe and sound, protected by a perfect bubble shield."

Nyssa raised an eyebrow. "Well, they did seem pretty sturdy before..."

"Not you too!" Then her words sank in. "Wait, why would you link the bubbles from before to these? Did you give him that wild magic infused laundry crystal to play with?"

"For research, yeah," she said, shrugging. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

The two of them started chatting about what dials did what, about how the bubbles could change shape and size, and about how the connection between start and end point was the key to making sure the bubbles didn't fly off course.

The old me would have dragged them both in to the guild, but the new me? Eh, maybe I should just let them do their thing and see where it went. A few bubbles couldn't be that bad, right?

An icy chill swept down my spine, remembering that bath. They could definitely be that bad, but maybe Nyssa was right and I just had an aversion to bubbles at this point. If this could actually help the library, I should at least consider it. I mean, that's what a....wait...what was I now?

I wasn't a librarian and I wasn't an adventurer anymore either, so did that make me like a permanent volunteer? I didn't mind the idea, but my coin purse would hate me for it eventually. I hadn't really thought this staying at the library plan through beyond not wanting to leave Nyssa and the story spirits. I'd probably have to get a job in town or something.

While my thoughts raced, Nyssa stepped inside a giant bubble.

"Hey, wait!" I called out, but she was already rising up in the air, a gleeful smile on her face as she waved at us.

"It worked!" Oren exclaimed, practically jumping for joy.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I asked. "Is this your first trial?"

"Don't worry." He waved his hand at me again, like it was no big deal. "I tested it loads of times on myself, but this is the first time I've used it on anyone else."

Nyssa landed back on the ground and the bubble popped immediately as it touched the device. She rushed over to Oren, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Together they danced and cheered.

"It really worked!" she said, happiness tinging her voice. "This is the coolest thing ever. Even if people are worried about the library, they'll want to visit just to ride the bubbles."

"I was hoping you'd think that," he said. "Nobody else seemed to think it was a good idea."

I had a feeling his colleagues had told him he was crazy, but now wasn't the time. Not with how happy Nyssa looked. Would people really enjoy riding inside giant bubbles though? I pictured the apothecary staring disapprovingly at them, but if she didn't have to get sore walking up the mountain, maybe she really would use them.

"Want to try it out?" she asked, a teasing note in her voice.

"It can't possibly be safe."

Not that I was trying to avoid them or anything. I was just being cautious, that was all.

Oren frowned. "If you're worried about it popping, there's no need. These bubbles are so strong I doubt even a sword could pop them. The only thing that worked was applying magic like the device I'm using."

"Not even a sword, huh?" I asked, resting my hand on the hilt of my sword as I stared at Nyssa. "Wonder what gave you that idea."

Her eyes widened. "I swear I didn't tell him about the bath. I mean, about anything. Just the crystals!"

Right. Just the crystals. I sighed, pulling her close. "If I'm doing this, you're coming with me."

"What?" she yelped as Oren surrounded us in a bubble. "Can this even hold two people?"

"Of course, it's perfectly safe," he called out as we drifted into the sky about ten feet.

"If you were too scared to go alone," she said as she leaned into my side, "you could have said so."

"Maybe I just wanted you all to myself."

I grinned, wrapping my arms around her as we gazed out at the library's courtyard through a shimmering bubble film. Nothing in the world compared to the magic and wonder of this library. Nothing at all.