Desdemona and I headed west to Crimea. As we were walking that direction, each day, we would hold hands longer and longer, until eventually, we were spending all day holding hands. And I was certain that the only reason we weren't kissing again was because that would have impeded our progress.

Eventually, we made it to the Crimean border. We still had a ways to go before reaching our destination, but Desdemona started crying. "What's wrong, Desdemona?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm just remembering… my baby…"

"It's okay, honey," I said, "We'll find her and then we'll be a happy family again."

"I know you've been anxious," Desdemona said, "And frankly, so have I."

"Well, my friend will hopefully tell us what we need to know," I said. We continued heading west, and a little south, until we ended up in Ohma.

"Hi," said Jacob, one of the elder residents. I had only met him briefly once the last time I visited, so I doubt he remembered me. "My, we don't see many cats in these parts."

"No," Desdemona said, "I don't suppose you do." She was blushing; although I'm not sure whether it was out of embarrassment or because she remembers that her saying almost the same thing to me indirectly led to our relationship. If it's the latter, it's just more reinforcement that we're perfect for each other.

I knocked on one of the doors. Desdemona was getting antsy. I could tell from the way she fidgeted—she wasn't comfortable. "Relax," I said, "The man who lives here is my friend. I wouldn't be friends with a bigot, would I?"

"No," she said, "I guess not."

My friend Brom opened up the door. "Well, shucks!" he shouted, "If it isn't Zihark! We were just talking about you!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, we were moping about the fact that you didn't want to marry Meg or either of her sisters…" he said. Desdemona looked uncomfortable again. I had to do something.

I cleared my throat and said, "Brom… I'd like you to meet Desdemona, the love of my life."

"Well, is this the girlfriend you were tellin' me about? She looks different than I expected…" he said. "I didn't know she'd be this pretty."

"Oh," Desdemona said, surprised, presumably at the direction the line took, "Well, thank you, Mister."

"Please," Brom said, "Call me Brom. We're all friends here," and then he turned into his house. "Hon," he shouted, "We got guests!"

"No problem, darlin'," responded his wife.

"Can I stay too?" Desdemona asked.

"I did say guests with an s, didn't I?" Brom asked. "Come in, come in. We're having chicken."

"Should I invite Nephenee?" I asked.

"Yeah, it would be kinda rude to exclude her from our festivities, wouldn't it?" Brom asked.

"Who's she?" Desdemona asked.

"Brom's neighbor; she also fought with us in the wars," I said. "She's kinda shy so don't be so upset if she seems to feel uneasy around you."

"Thanks for the heads up," she said.

I wandered over to Nephenee's place and knocked on her door. "Zihark!" she said, "Well this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you again. And… uh… who's your friend?"

"This is Desdemona," I said, holding her hand, "My girlfriend."

"Well, that's good!" she said, "Brom told me you gave up girls."

"I sort of did," I said, but, looking to Desdemona's face, I continued, "But I can make an exception for the girl who made me feel that way in the first place."

"So… this is your old girlfriend?" she asked, "And you got back together? Good for you!"

"Thanks, but I didn't come to be congratulated. It's just that, while we're in town, Brom is having us over for dinner, and we didn't want you to feel excluded," I said.

"No, it's fine," she said. "I'll come, though. It was nice of you to get me. So… Desdemona, that's a pretty name."

"Thanks," Desdemona said. "Nephenee's a pretty name too."

"Aw, gosh," she said, blushing. I smiled, knowing that Desdemona was making friends with my friend's neighbor; which would, at least, give us an incentive to visit often, and maybe even give us an incentive to move here.

We entered the house, where there were lots of people. I could tell that Desdemona was overwhelmed. "Desdemona, you know Brom, this is his wife Lea, his son Marcus, his daughter Sarah and her husband Tim, his son Michael and his wife Suzie, his sons John and Thomas, his daughter Mindy and her husband Cornwall, his son Taylor and his wife Hannah, his daughter Meg—my former fiancée, it's a long story—and um…" I said.

"I… thanks for trying," Desdemona said. She looked more overwhelmed and confused than ever.

"Heh, sorry, I suppose that wasn't actually helpful," I said.

"Zihark!" Meg shouted. "It's been ages." She hugged me.

"It's good to see you too, Meg," I said. "This is Desdemona, the reason that I couldn't marry you."

"Oh, gosh," Meg said, "She sure is a beaut, isn't she? I understand completely."

"You… you do?" I asked.

"Yeah," Meg said, "I love you, Zihark, but my love for you can be shown from the fact that we're practically family anyway. I've also found someone."

"Ah, yes," I said, "This guy I don't recognize."

"Zihark, this is my new fiancé Dickie," she said. "Dickie, this is Zihark."

"Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Brom, I don't know if it was appropriate to complain about me not marrying your daughters when their husbands and fiancé were present," I said.

"Oh, that?" he asked, "I was just teasin'. We were actually talking about this year's gourd crop."

"Oh, well in that case, I guess it's okay," I said.

"Got you again!" Brom shouted, "It was actually about building a pond in the yard."

"I'd say that was a good idea… or are you kidding me again?" I asked.

"You'll know when you see the pond," he said. "So, here's my question… what brings you to Ohma?"

"Oh, yeah, you see… Desdemona and I have a child," I said.

"You… you're a poppa too?" Brom asked.

"Yes," I said, "But I've never met the girl, and Desdemona gave her up… to Calill and Largo. I'm pretty sure at least."

"Oh!" he said, "You mean that little girl?"

"You know her?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, don't you remember she was wandering around during the Goddess's War?" he asked.

"No…" I said honestly. "I must have missed her. So, I came to ask if you know where they live."

"I do," he said, "They live in an inn in Melior. Owners. You can find them there. But not until after you eat a hearty meal and spend the night here!"

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, Brom," Desdemona said.

"Any girlfriend of Zihark's is a welcome guest of mine," he shrugged.

We spent the night there, and we knew what we had to do next.