"Xiara."

One word was all it took to bring the girl back to reality. "Y-yes?"

"We're exploring under a city. It's dank. It's dark. We got here by climbing down a fountain. Only one of these things could be slightly considered romantic. So why are you clinging to me with a chesire-cat grin? If I did even half of... well anyway, the result would be bad for me and my reputation."

"You don't like it when I do this? I need a reason to do this? I'm your woman and you're my man is all the reason and permission I need. You'll understand in between the time when you have your memory back and it's erased again." Xiara replied, her smile turned to a frown when she got to the end.

"Right, let's discuss that... I erased my own memory? And not just once, but it's going to happen again?"

"That's right, I hate this little game of yours. But, I suppose it does have it's highlights."

"What's the game?"

"Ehh... that would spoil the prize." Xiara licked her lips.

"And the players?" Xopil asked, Xiara just smiled in response. As they walked the remainder of the passage, they engaged in light conversation while holding hands with their fingers interlocked.

Xiara and Xopil reached the end of the passage, it was just a regular dead end. Nothing special about it, even in the slightest.

"That's anticlimatic."

"Unexpected too... we're back to square one. I'm beat, let's get a couple rooms at the inn and try again tomorrow."

". . ." Xiara glared menacingly at Xopil.

"What?"

"For one, how are we going to get out of here to do that? We had to climb up the fountain to get into the basin, and even when it had water in it, the water wasn't high enough for us to get out."

"Hmm... so you didn't see it? Over here." Xopil walked back down the passage and pointed at a grimy, slime-covered ladder leading up.

"I am NOT touching that."

"Suit yourself," Xopil shrugged and began climbing up.

Xiara watched silently as Xopil slowly ascended the ladder until he eventually disappeared from her sight. Does he not like me... I guess I did come on to him pretty strong at first, though he didn't object that much...

"You coming or what?" Xopil's voice echoed down.

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Honestly... Xiara scrunched her face and walked up to the ladder in disgust. She grabbed the ladder and... there was no disgusting feeling. Out of sight out of mind... she told herself, and then pictured Xopil as she slowly made her way up the ladder.

"What took you so long?" Xopil asked, "I mean... I cleaned it as I went, but we really need a place to rest, I'm beyond exhausted."

"I had some things on my mind..." Xiara blushed. "Thank you."

"What you didn't even notice? ...Anyway, inn next."

"Yeah. Come here, lean on me." Xiara grabbed Xopil's arm and threw it over her shoulders.

"Tha..." his voice trailed off.

"..." Xiara looked pitifully at him. For his part, he did stay conscious until they got to the inn, they barely reached the counter and he collapsed on Xiara.

"What's yer... Xiara?"

"Boris??"

"Well this is awkward... I'll explain in the morning, he needs to rest now though." Boris quickly scratched 'Xopil' into the ledger and came back with key 01.

"Thanks Boris." Xiara grabbed the key and carried Xopil to the room next to the lobby.

Xiara laid Xopil on the bed, pulled up a chair and silently watched him sleep. After 15 minutes, she couldn't resist any further and wormed her way into his arms. When she felt his arms tighten, she fell asleep with a smile. Even without your memory, I'm still yours.

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Morning came too soon. Much too soon. Xiara groaned as sunlight filled the room.

"Mmm I missed my body pillow." Xopil muttered still asleep.

Yeah, you don't need your memories to be who you are. It's your fault to begin with why I'm this way. Xiara giggled softly as she wrapped her arms around Xopil. Just a little longer...

Knock knock.

"Who's there?" Xiara asked automatically.

"Boris."

"Boris who?" Xopil asked seriously while still mostly asleep.

"Xopil!" Xiara was so furious her face was blood red.

Boris wore a complicated expression as he entered the room.

"...Boris?" Xopil closed his eyes and pinched his nose.

"Yeah. It's absurd right?" asked Boris. "I'll dumb it down for you."

"...Should I be happy about that or pissed off?" Xopil asked.

"Don't sweat the details." Boris waved his hand dismissively, "This shouldn't be too much of a surprise anyway. Ye came to this town through the inn, why couldn't I? I run the place."

"...This is the same inn?"

"Well... yes and no, here's where it gets complicated." replied Boris.

"Are ye familiar with a 'one to many' relationship?" asked Boris.

"What like a harem?" asked Xopil, and Xiara clobbered him over the head.

"Why would ye go there? Well anyway, I guess that does suffice for knowing about the type of relationship..."

"Initially, this inn existed in every town, and it still does, it's just that part of the connection to the 'main' inn was severed. By me, on purpose. Originally, this inn was a place for all the people of the world to get together and share a drink, or whatever. I have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. When that dimensional mess started, I didn't want all the people to have a share in each other's problems... their individual crisis' were bad enough."

Xopil passed a worried look at Xiara, and she simply closed her eyes and nodded, confirming his speculation. He caused the problems currently ailing the inhabitants of this world, and then erased his own memory of it so that he could solve the problems he created without knowing how. But... he's failed to solve these 'puzzle worlds' before, what happened to them?

"Don't think too much on it," Xiara soothed.

"Right, it's simpler than it sounds." Boris nodded, thinking that was his cue to simplify the concept. "Basically, there's one inn with many doorways leading to it, don't get lost on the whole traveling through space phenomena, the enchantments handle the complicated things."

"You couldn't say that from the start?" asked Xopil, "That would have saved so much time."

"I did say I'd dumb it down, I didn't expect to actually have to." retorted Boris.