Gigi fiddled with the strap of her satchel as she walked up the crumbling orphanage steps with Drake. She would have thought sharing their fears in the bathhouse would have been the most nerve-wracking activity. However, it turned out that forcing herself to do things she was bad at was still the scariest part of life. Especially now that the stakes felt so much higher. Despite the plunging temperatures and the frost on the ground, their relationship was only beginning to heat up. She didn’t want to lose that momentum.

“Everything is going to be fine, really. Just be yourself,” Drake said. She smiled nervously and nodded. Be myself. Hilarious. Historically, she scared children, and frankly, they scared her. It wasn’t that she disliked them, but she felt like they spoke different languages. They were also frighteningly honest and told adults painful truths as casually as asking for more crackers.

But she wanted to make Drake happy and, more importantly, prove to herself that she could do this. She didn’t need to be nurturing or motherly; she wanted to be kind and the type of person who really helped those in need. It was hard to think of anybody more in need than the kids who slept behind these sagging walls.

Drake pushed the heavy doors inward, and the pair escaped the frigid air. Inside, Gigi surveyed the scene. It was a cavernous old church that had been hollowed out of most of the religious iconography and replaced with wooden cots and stuffed animals. Gigi was left slack-jawed at the sheer volume of children. There must have been at least thirty, maybe forty, making the huge space feel perilously small to her. Her grip on her satchel tightened as if it were a lifeline in the ocean.

Gigi was so entranced she hardly noticed the enormous ogre slowly approaching them. Her gaze snapped from the sea of children to the vast man. He was hunched and wizened, his mossy beard almost brushing the floor. He wore a stained pink apron over his brown robes and greeted them with a smile.

“My, it looks like our favorite handyman brought a friend,” the ogre wheezed. Drake beamed and put his hand on Gigi’s shoulder.

“This is the person who means most to me. She came here to help, too.” Gigi’s heart rate picked up. Hearing the words so casually made her feel a little dizzy.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were married,” the ogre said.

Drake shook his head. “Well, we aren’t yet,” he said shyly.

Gigi stared at her lover dumbfounded. Not married yet.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see young love. My name is Brother Vonce. It is a pleasure to meet you…?”

“It’s Gigi,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake. The ogre put out his stony gray hand and gave a friendly shake.

Brother Vonce turned to Drake. “Ready to get started on the roof?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Drake laughed. He met eyes with Gigi. “Do you think you can help with the kids here while I make sure this place doesn’t cave in?”

Gigi nodded nervously. “Yep! Don’t worry about me!” She gave an awkward thumbs up. However, fear gripped her heart and twisted her stomach. She didn’t realize she was going to be alone with the children. Without Drake as a buffer, it would all be on her! She frowned and looked around as Drake and Brother Vonce retreated to the back. A viper’s den of various races of children looked back at her. She took a deep breath before walking closer.

The children eyed her with curiosity. She gave a tentative little wave at them. This was all they needed to bum-rush her. Within a moment, she was surrounded by a swarm of little bodies of all shapes and sizes. Gigi edged backward, only to bump into a giant, but still very young, arachne. She yelped for a moment before covering her mouth. Come on, Gigi! You can do this!

“Who are you?” asked a little satyr boy. The children murmured in agreement. They wanted to know who this newcomer was. Gigi wiped the sweat from her brow and took a deep breath. I can do this.

“Hi! I’m Gigi! I’m here to play with you!” she said with forced enthusiasm. The kids stared at her blankly, and silence held sway. Gigi felt her smile slip.

“Do you know the shadow man?” asked a small Cyclops girl.

“Who, Drake? Yeah, we live together,” she said casually. The children took this in with astonishment and whispers. Yes, of course, Drake, he was her ‘in’ with these kids.

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“Tell us more about the shadow man!” asked the Cyclops girl’s older brother. Gigi folded her arms and thought about what would impress the children. Then, a memory struck.

“You know those trolls that attacked the village? The shadow man and I sent them running home,” she boasted. It was technically accurate, even if she had been knocked out most of the fight. She remembered taking one of their eyes out, at least. The children gasped in awe.

“Are you strong?” asked a young ogre boy.

Gigi grinned. “Do you mind if I pick you up?” There were murmurs of disbelief in the crowd. The ogre boy shrugged and stepped forward. The kid was almost as tall as her. She hated being so short. Gigi slipped her hands under his arms and then grunted. She pushed up and held the mossy lad high. Well, as high as she could anyway.

“Do me! Do me!” came a chorus of little voices.

“Actually, I was thinking maybe I could show you all how to play one of my favorite games,” she said, putting the ogre boy down.

“What kind of game?” asked the arachne.

Gigi wore a sneaky grin. “Liar’s Dice!” the goblin exclaimed. She stepped forward and dumped her satchel, a mixture of dice and candies falling from it. A thrill of excitement went through the crowd of kids. “Now, hold on,” she said, putting her hands up. “Don’t go crazy. There are enough dice and sweets for everyone.” Gigi thought taking all the dice from her board games had been worth it.

The kids eyed the pile of delight like puppies with biscuits on their noses. Gigi instructed them to form a line and take four dice and candies. They did so without protest. The goblin smiled as she saw the children fidget excitedly, forming a tight line before her. Maybe she wasn’t so bad at this after all.

After the children had been doled out dice and delicious delicacies, Gigi instructed them to sit in groups of four or five. “The game is very simple,” she said nervously. Gigi hated public speaking; she always seemed to put her green feet in her mouth. “Everyone rolls the dice, like so.” She picked up her own set of dice and shook vigorously. She knelt and slammed her palms into the ground. The kids all did as they saw her do until even the slowest hands, paws, or claws had rolled their dice.

“Then we go in a circle saying how many of each number we think are under our hands. Like, ‘I think there are five fives!’ and then the next person would have to say a bigger number.” She pointed to the pigkin child next to her.

“Ugh, I think there are six fives,” he said uncertainly.

“Very good!” Gigi replied.

“When does it stop?” a lamia asked.

“When you think someone just said some bullsh- lied, when you think someone lied. You call out, ‘you’re a liar!’” she said dramatically. Gigi whipped her hair back and pointed at the girl. The little lamia cowered a bit but laughed when Gigi smiled. “When a liar gets called, everyone takes their hands off their dice. You count up what was called, and if they lied, they lose a dice and a candy.” Gigi held up her hand. “But, if they weren’t lying, well, the person who called them out loses a candy and a dice. You go until there is only one person left! Do we understand the rules?”

“Yes, Ms. Gigi,” the kids said virtually in unison. She could feel a tinge of scarlet on her cheeks and a strange sensation in her chest. Not strange because it was unfamiliar, but odd because she couldn’t recall ever feeling this way towards kids she wasn’t related to. She was sure that the early buds of affection were beginning to sprout.

The kids eagerly watched her and waited for the signal to begin their games. Gigi snapped from her daze. “Go on! Play!” she said as she shooed them away. The children quickly broke off into groups and scrutinized one another mercilessly. She walked around and ensured no child was left out of a group. They all wanted her to stay and play with them, so she did.

Gigi lost game after game of Liar’s Dice. She lost on purpose, of course. It stung her pride losing to a child. She couldn’t lie. However, seeing the joy on the ogre boy’s face when she slid over the last piece of candy was worth it. She couldn’t recall the last time she had made someone so happy doing something so simple.

Gigi completely lost track of time as she played with the kids. It wasn’t until Drake and Brother Vonce returned and Drake touched her shoulder that she realized how long she had been there. The candy had run dry long ago, but the kids still played for the love of the game and being able to say they won.

“Having fun?” Drake asked, grinning. She looked up at him, and her ears fluttered. The scarlet returned to her cheeks again, but she wasn’t sure why this time. Drake sat down next to her and crossed his legs. “Want to deal me in?” Gigi nodded and slid over her dice to him.

“You play for a bit. Turns out I can’t even beat kids.” She winked at him. Drake and Gigi played with the kids until supper time. Then, they began to head home to the bakery. Even as they made their way into the cold outside, a funny, warm feeling swirled inside Gigi. She felt like she had done something good while simultaneously having done nothing at all. Not really.

“I see why you come here,” she said, looking over the fresh white powder.

“Yeah?” Drake asked enthusiastically.

“Those kids…Do make you feel special,” she whispered almost to herself.

“Maybe they just remind us of what we forget about ourselves.”

“What’s that?” Gigi asked.

“That you are a good person.” Gigi didn’t say anything. She simply walked next to her lover and hooked her arm in his.

“Gross,” she said, nuzzling her head into his shoulder.