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The 4x4 police car stopped in front of the house, tires screeching, and Rowan rushed outside. “I’m back!”

“Daddy!” Lizzie screamed, erupting out of the house and in his arms. “Mommy’s a Hero, and got a Class!” On the loudest words, droplets of spit hit Rowan’s face, together with the food she was eating. His best guess was apple pie.

“Your warning was spot on,” he stared at Grace, who had appeared in the doorframe. She rushed to hug him, wrapping her arms around both.

[Cory]: Her premonition might have helped our subconsciousness—yours and mine— to realize the danger and devise a good plan. She unlocked a Class.

“Beurch!”

“Auntie Isla is sick,” Lizzie stated.

Bent in two, Isla was emptying the content of her stomach on the grass. Grace rushed to support her.

“What happened? Do you need some water?"

“She let him d-drive. It was c-crazy,” Thomas whimpered, lowering the back seat window. “He can use magic to d-drive f-faster. We went like a hundred miles an hour.”

“Nah, that was no magic, I took some rally racing lessons,” Rowan shrugged, putting Lizzie on the ground.

“Please, dump him,” Isla mumbled. “Beurch!”

“Never!” Grace frowned, clenching her fists. “Why are you keeping at that? Are you trying to get him for yourself!”

“I’d rather put a bullet in my brain,” the policewoman sneered. Raising painfully, she went to the car and scribbled something on a piece of paper. “For speeding.” She shoved the paper in Rowan’s hands, then drove off slowly. Her retching could be heard even when the car disappeared behind the corner.

“Goodness. I’ll clean it up,” Dmitri offered, exiting the house and grabbing the water hose.

“Are you hungry?” Grace asked.

“I am,” he kissed her, following her in the house.

“Tell him about your class,” Lizzie asked.

“Later. Dmitri made this,” she put a place with something baked in the oven, layers of potatoes and eggplants alternating with minced meat.

“Mmmm…” Rowan let out a groan of satisfaction. “Ish rully good.”

“Don’t speak with the mouth full, please, you’re giving Lizzie a bad example.”

Rowan nodded, lowering his head between his shoulders.

“All of a sudden, I got a Class, and went to level nineteen… I… don’t know what to do… Can I refuse it?”

“Cory?”

[Cory to Rowan and Grace]: Once a class is bestowed, it can’t be removed.

“AH!” Grace jumped up.

“It’s the Core’s voice, don’t worry.”

“But she’s speaking in my head! I want it gone.”

[Cory to Rowan]: I’ll let her be for now. That class is perfect for her.

“She can switch to texts,” he tried to calm Grace.

“I want it gone. She, and the class. I have enough troubles already.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Why don’t you tell me about the class?”

She sat down across the table, resting her forehead against her right palm.

“It says Seer. Epic. I’m… supposed to have visions of the future… Two free Attribute Points in Charisma, Intelligence, and Dexterity, every ten levels.”

“What are your stats?”

“Nine in Strength and Constitution, eighteen in Dexterity, Twenty in Intelligence and Will, and twenty-four in Charisma... which is in bold. ”

“It’s your main stat.”

“Look, Rowan, I don’t want this,” she shook her head.

“You saved my life today,” he said gently, caressing her hair. “Next time, it could be about Lizzie. Would it hurt if your premonitions worked better?”

Grace swallowed a lump. “Tell me what to do,” she surrendered.

“You have nineteen free Attribute Points, right?”

“Twenty-one.”

“True, the quests… Well, let’s do this. Put one in Charisma.”

“I see a weird text and some fireworks!” she screamed, waving her hands in front of her face, like to chase away a mosquito.

“Cory’s adding emojis to notifications lately. Tell me what it says,” Rowan asked, coming and hugging her to stop her from shaking.

“That I got a p-perk. Trustworthy. When my intuitions are true, my words can convince others.”

“That’s nice,” Dmitri said, arriving in the room. “Remember Cassandra? She was right but no one believed her.”

“Man, your food is great,” Rowan said. “I had no idea Russian food is so good.”

“It’s Greek food. Moussaka.”

“Err… but you’re still Russian, right?”

“Usually, for a handsome man like you, I’d say I’m whatever you want me to be, but because Grace called dibs: no. I’m Greek.”

“Shit!”

“What’s wrong about being Greek?” Dmitri raised his voice.

“Sorry… My bad. You know we started talks with other Awakened Towns, right? There’s a delegation from Vladivostok visiting next week. I hoped you could translate or, you know, socialize with them for us.”

“I’m sure they speak English,” Grace said, squeezing his hand. “Let’s get over with the class thing.”

“Hmpf,” Dmitri snorted, exiting toward the stairs.

“Geez, I’m such a klutz…” Rowan sighed.

“Buy him some chocolates, he’ll get over it. For the record, I thought him Russian too. Can we go concentrate on my class, please?” Grace’s voice was now annoyed.

“Daddy is such a good person, caring for everyone,” Lizzie said.

“Yes, he is,” Grace fondled Rowan’s cheek, her ire melting.

Your Strategic Sixth Sense has detected a spell in your vicinity: Cute Diversion.

What?

He threw a short Inspect at Lizzie and gasped on the inside.

Name: Lizzie Garcia Larmontel Age: 6 Class: Actress, Level 30

STR: 6 / DEX: 6 / CON: 6 / INT: 16 / WIL: 20 / CHA: 100

You have detected a shared debuff applied on you and Grace Garcia Larmontel: Love spell. Source: Elizabeth Garcia Larmontel.

Oh my GOD! She bewitched us! That’s it! Getting in bed from the first night… everything. I didn’t even think to ask Grace's surname…

“Are you all right?” Grace asked, seeing him wobbling. Lizzie, on the other hand, was trying to make herself as small as possible. She knew he knew. It took Rowan a full second to make three Will checks and conclude.

I do love the little one… I just have to be a better father… one who scolds her if she does wrong… And Grace’s wonderful…

He frowned and waved his finger at Lizzie.

“Go to your room, missy. You’re grounded and you know why. Starting tomorrow, I’ll check every homework you told me you've already done, understood?”

The latter part was meant to tell her he’d stay, no matter what, so Lizzie jumped down from her chair with a most happy expression and ran out of the room.

“What did she do?” Grace inquired.

“Put a love spell on us, of course. Since the first day.”

Widening her eyes, Grace covered her mouth with both her hands.

“Nothing’s changed. You’re an amazing woman, and I still wanna give it a try to our relationship. Not a weak, or mild try, a try with all my heart. If… you want, of course.”

“Of course I want!” she jumped in his arms, then sat in his lap, pulling his head between her breasts to caress his hair. “I want it so much…”

They kissed, both with tears in their eyes.

“Now put five points in Intelligence and Will.”

“Five between them, or?”

“Five in each. Read me the perks.”

Hugging him, she whispered in his ear.

“Will’s perk is better control of my body, under intense emotions… Stage fright, or… I’ll show what it can do later tonight,” she let a whiff of air tickle his neck.

“Can’t wait,” he smiled.

“The other perk is about management skills… That could come in handy for the business… if there is any future in it.”

“I’m sure there is. Put seven in Dex, one in Strength, and two in Con. Now you have four perks unlocked. The rest will have to wait… We need to have patience and grind some APs. I hope you like to hunt rats.”

“What? I hate rats!” she jerked her head back.

“Perfect! Then you’ll love hunting them.”

“Pff…” she snorted. “My Dex perk is a buff of 25% damage with ranged weapons… I did some archery in college… nothing serious, but…”

“That will come in handy for the rats.”

“You're just teasing me, right?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I received a quest about killing sewer rats on our way back.”

“I think I’ll reconsider showing you my Will perk tonight.”

Strategic Sixth Sense has detected a lie.