Well, I'm back from the dead at long, long last. Hello everyone, and my sincere apologies yet again for the inexcusably long wait (which I will now try to excuse). Work has gotten really bad for me recently which has left me with little time and energy to write (or do much of anything) over the last few months. In addition I had to rework a ton of scenes while going through the first draft of this chapter. Nevertheless, I will finish this series no matter how long it takes, so I powered through it. I hope you all enjoy.

*Warning* There is a sex scene towards the end of the chapter. If you don't like, don't read.

Finn releases a soft sigh of breath as he wakes. His eyes blink open and he lies still, breathing deep and warm beneath the bed covers. After a moment spent savoring the gentle fuzzy feeling that often accompanies waking up on one's own, he rolls about and looks to the spot next to him.

Empty, as expected.

While Finn understood Huntress Wizard's instinctive need to rise before dawn, he often wished she'd stay in bed with him. He almost never had a chance to see her sleeping face veiled in soft morning light. He'd have to kiss her awake, if he ever did, and she would complain about his morning breath before kissing him back. The shmaltzy fantasy brings a pleasant grin to his face as he kicks the covers off and rolls the rest of the way out of bed.

Crossing the living room and into the kitchen, he can already smell the coffee that Huntress had brewed for him, still piping hot in his dinged-up coffee maker. He yawns as he grabs one of several mismatched mugs lining the countertop next to it, then goes about fixing himself a fresh cup (adding a generous dose of cream and sugar) to help him shake the last bit of grogginess from his senses. He then opens the fridge and retrieves a piece of leftover pizza from a box slotted between pounds upon pounds of fresh game packed in paper. Breakfast in hand, he goes back through the living room and out the front doorway to his creaky porch.

The air is cool and fresh in the shadow of the little cabin's awning. Out on the surrounding sweep of high hills, pale amber light slants through dark trunks and thickets of black oak and sugar pine. Finn nibbles idly at his pizza between sips from his coffee, even going so far as to dunk a tip of it in the steaming mug like a donut. He breathes deeply as he chews on the coffee-infused crust, filling his senses with the breeze and a thin chorus of morning birds. As he listens, Finn soon picks up on another set of sounds coming from behind the cabin: an occasional, loud *thock* followed by a frustrated grunt. He frowns and quickly finishes the rest of his pizza before looping toward the back of his home.

In the months after he'd gotten his cabin all set up, Finn had set about improving it with several small, but necessary additions. The first and most important of these projects was a small training ground that he'd built in what he now loosely considered his backyard. It wasn't anything too fancy: just a dirt fighting circle, a few training dummies, rocks and other heavy junk to lift, and some "punching bags" (i.e. burlap sacks filled with sand and wrapped with tape). He also added a couple archery targets once it'd become clear how often Huntress Wizard tended to stay over at his place.

Rounding the corner, he finds Huntress Wizard – predictably – at said archery range. The wood nymph has her bow drawn and leveled at one of three haybales, each with a cardboard cutout fastened to it depicting a crudely drawn monster pinpointed by concentric rings. All three bristle with dozens of shafts already embedded in their bullseyes. Huntress Wizard pulls the bowstring taught, a fresh arrow nocked and ready. Just as she releases, Finn notices that she has pulled her mask down low over her eyes as a makeshift blindfold. The arrow flies true and pegs the bullseye over the bone lurker caricature with a resounding *THAK*, splitting one of the other arrows already lodged there into a puff of magic vapor.

"Whoo!" Finn cheers, "Great shot, Hun!"

Huntress Wizard pulls her mask back up and looks over at Finn. She gives him a faint, but appreciative, smile at his enthusiasm. "That one was. My grouping could be tighter, though."

"What are you talking about?" Finn says as he crosses the training ground. "You got nothing but bullseyes."

"Right, but I usually split way more arrows at the center. I'm all over the gold today."

"Well, I think it's tops. Tops blooey."

"Thanks."

Finn glances at the targets next to him. There isn't a shred of carboard left of the actual bullseyes – just arrows. "Man, that's a whole lot of shots. How long you been at it?"

"Since about four. I didn't sleep well last night, so I decided to do this instead."

"Aw, Hun. How come?"

"Dunno. Just didn't."

Finn grimaces at this but is quick to correct himself. He provides her a reassuring, hopeful look instead. "Well, you wanna pile back into bed? We could sleep in 'til lunch; have a big lazy morning together."

Huntress flicks her wrist and the arrows prickling in the middle of each target evaporate. Her bow disintegrates in her hand as well. "Nah. All this exercise and spell casting has got me too keyed up. But I wouldn't say no to breakfast."

"A'ight. Let's go inside and I'll make you something. Eggs and bacon?"

"Absolument," Huntress Wizard replies, offering him her hand. Finn takes it gladly and the pair stroll back around, then into the cabin together.

They proceed directly into the kitchen, Finn heading to the stove while Huntress Wizard takes a seat up on the countertop connected to it. She watches him as he bustles about readying a spatula, a knife and fork, a large plate, and a cast-iron pan. He sets the burner on, then crosses back once again to the fridge. He opens it and glances over the packages of butcher paper jampacked inside. He really needed to get a second fridge to comfortably house all of Huntress Wizard's extra hunting spoils.

"Which one is it again?"

"Top shelf all the way to the right. I cured the boar belly just a few days ago so it's fresh."

Finn grabs the indicated package, a stick of butter, and a carton of eggs, bumping the refrigerator door closed with his hip before he returns to the stove. He lops off a large pad of butter with the knife, dropping it into the middle of the pan. As it starts to melt and spread, he opens the package to peel out several slices of bacon from the rest of the fatty wad inside. He lays them out along the rim of the pan.

"How do you want your eggs?" He asks as he plucks out three from the carton. With his free hand he grabs the pan's handle and tilts it about to make sure the butter is evenly spread.

"Yellow belly up, please."

"You got it."

Finn gives each egg a few quick taps on the edge of the countertop. He opens them up with a gentle squeeze, emptying their contents one-by-one into the space opposite of the bacon. The pan's contents start to sizzle, and the room fills with their warm savory aroma.

"What's the plan for today?"

"We should do something relaxing," Finn says as he prods the crackling bacon with his spatula. He looks over at her. "Y'know, with the shcwiz that happened yesterday…and now your sleep stuff."

"I'm fine," Huntress Wizard insists. She nods once to herself and sits up straighter. "You're right about yesterday, though; we should unwind. Any ideas?"

"The weather is nice, so we could take a hike through the woods or head over to the lake for a swim. We could also play some videogames or watch a movie if you'd rather hang around here."

"I think…swimming would be nice."

"Cool. We'll head out after this."

The sizzling and popping reaches a rapid, sputtering peak. Finn quickly removes the pan from the burner, clicking it off as he does. He then uses the spatula to scrape underneath the bacon and eggs and heaps them onto the plate. He places the fork and knife on it and passes the steaming foodstuffs over to Huntress Wizard with a grin.

"Order up: a plate of cluck and grunt. You want any syrup or hot sauce?"

"Nah. Salt and pepper is fine."

"Rock. Go grab a seat and I'll fix you up some coffee."

"Thanks, Finn."

Huntress Wizard hops off the countertop and proceeds to the small wooden dining table in the lower left of the living area. She takes a seat and clinks her meal down in front of her. The bacon is beautifully browned and the eggs just the right consistency with three perfect round yolks shining up at her. She grabs the salt and pepper shakers from the middle of the table and gives both items a light dusting before setting them aside and digging in hungrily with her knife and fork. A slice of boar bacon is first – crispy, with a gamey profile that she vastly preferred over farm-reared pigs. She immediately adds another two slices to her mouth. Finn appears at her side and sets a mug of coffee in front of her. Huntress nods her thanks, her mouth too full of food to make a coherent reply. He smiles back and sits down next to her with a fresh mug of his own.

"Any good?"

Huntress Wizard chews and swallows. "Oh yeah."

"Great," he says with a grin and takes a swig from his mug.

HW grabs her cup and washes down the bacon before turning her attention to the eggs. She pierces the yolk with her fork, allowing the yellow liquid to seep out across her plate. She mops it up with the egg white and pops it into her mouth. The light sulfur tinge mixed with the rich, almost-buttery flavor compliments the bacon's aftertaste nicely.

"You want to bring some food along to the lake? We could have lunch after we swim and make a picnic of it."

"That's a good idea," Huntress says around her mouthful. "We should take those venison chops. Make some sandwiches or something."

"We got some veggies, too. I can make a salad to go with it."

Huntress Wizard stops chewing, puts her utensils down, and looks at Finn. The young hero tries to avoid his girlfriend's piercing eyes with a sip from his coffee, but even after drawing one out with an unnecessarily long slurp, he glances her way again and finds that she's still staring directly at him. He sets his coffee down and meets her gaze.

"C'mon, Hun."

She continues to stare intently at him.

"Hun, how many times have we been through this? We need to eat more than just meat all the time."

Again, she maintains the same wordless look.

"Hun, I'm serious."

She keeps staring.

"Huntress!"

"Okay, okay!" Huntress Wizard relents with an amused snort. "I'm just kidding, dude. Go ahead and bring whatever greens you feel like."

Finn sighs with relief. "Thank you."

"Hey, it's not like I don't eat anything besides meat; I prefer the stuff I find foraging. Berries, nuts, and shrooms." She picks up her utensils and resumes chomping on her yolk-soaked bacon.

"You better start foraging for brand-new tastebuds, cuz I'm gonna whip up a salad that'll make you say, 'you make salad so good, Finn. Kiss me' and then we'll kiss before eating even more of my amazing salad."

Huntress Wizard makes an amused huff at her boyfriend's vow. "Sure. Knock yourself out, sweet Finn."

"I will," Finn declares. He stands up, drains the last of his coffee, and rushes back to the kitchen. "I'll start prepping everything."

She watches Finn from across the bar wall that divides the kitchen from the living area. The young hero darts about in a flurry of activity, rummaging through the cabinets and fridge while hastily arranging various ingredients all along the countertop – overeager, as always, to prove himself to her. He also shouts "hyah!" with every other move he makes, seemingly just because. It's endearing. She smiles to herself while she finishes her breakfast. But, as she picks up her coffee, the nymph's smile flags for just a moment. She screws her eyes shut, feeling the pressure behind them as she drains the rest of the mug.

Marceline wakes to the sound of yelling.

"-don't care that you don't want to get involved! Your goopy butt better be there to sign on the dotted line or else I'm tipping off Breakfast Princess that she can get twice as many eggs in half the time from Grocery Princess! And! And! Maybe I decide to get my guards to finally crack down on Candy Kingdom's black-market ooze trade that you think I don't know about. Yeah! Yeah, you can just try me and see how that goes for you!"

There's a long pause and Princess Bubblegum speaks again, her voice still severe, but taking a more measured tone:

"Okay. I'll give you first pick. How's that sound?"

Another pause.

"So, we're in business, then? Good. I'll see you there. Bye."

Sitting up from her position hovering above their mattress, Marceline yawns and smacks her lips as she drifts out from under the covers. They collapse into a heap on the empty spot next to her. She glides out of the bedroom and into the hallway, blinking blearily under the glare of various dessert-themed light fixtures lining the walls and ceiling. As she passes the entrance to one of the castle studies, she spots Princess Bubblegum at her desk, pouring over a swathe of documents and tomes spread out before her. Peppermint Butler stands next to her, holding up a tray with a large cup of coffee and several types of phones gathered atop it.

Before she can sail by unnoticed, Princess Bubblegum glances up from her paperwork and catches sight of her.

"Marceline, you're up."

Marceline stops and faces her girlfriend. "Hard to snooze with all the shouting next door."

"Oh," Princess Bubblegum remarks with an apologetic half-smile. "Sorry. Slime Princess can be a real piece of work sometimes. Had to give her the bad biz, y'know?"

"Right."

"Anyway, how'd you sleep?"

"Fine, I guess. Pretty sure I didn't feel you come to bed, though."

"Yeah, I, uh, kinda fell asleep in here sometime last night. My call with Skeleton Princess ran way late."

"Of course."

She adjusts her glasses. "You want breakfast? I can have one of the cooks make you something, or Peps. Anything you want."

"I certainly can, Miss Abadeer."

"Nah, I'm gonna dig something out of the kitchen and get dressed."

"Alright. I'll be here if you need me."

With a nod, Marceline quits the doorframe and proceeds the rest of the way through the mostly empty passages and stairwells that lead down into their private kitchen.

There, she heads to her personal fridge installed right alongside PB's. She opens the door to reveal a full stock of red fruit, vegetables, and other assorted snacks neatly organized from lightest to heaviest by both shade and weight. She squats down, grabs a red bell pepper and several stalks of rhubarb. Without even bothering to take them over to the table, the vampire queen sinks her fangs into them and drains them of their hue. She tosses the wilted gray remnants over her shoulder and snatches another item off one of the lower shelves (an apple this time) to slurp its color up all the same. Her movements are sharp and mechanical as she feeds, proceeding from one red object to the next without pausing to savor or even see what she bites. In a matter of minutes, almost the entire bottom shelf of the fridge is reduced to a limp colorless lump on the kitchen floor. It's only until she's halfway through an entire two-liter bottle of fruit punch that the hunger in her gut suddenly subsides.

Marcelin lets out a satisfied sigh and wipes her mouth off. Her lips feel gluey against the back of her hand, and she notices that it's stained bright red – both of her hands are. She tilts her gaze and finds a matching splash of red running down the front of her oversized band shirt.

"Grob," Marceline says softly, grimacing.

She returns the bottle to the fridge and quickly cleans up the mushy aftermath of her binge, gathering everything up into her arms in one big wad and dropping it into a nearby trash bin. It hits the bottom with a wet thud. Then, after an inspection of the floor to ensure she'd left no evidence behind, Marceline whips her shirt off and heads to the kitchen sink. She sets her hands under the tap – hot as it can go – and scrubs with soap and a rag until not even a trace of pink remains.

Cleaned up and under the cover of invisibility, Marceline slips back up to her and PB's room unnoticed by the castle staff. The ruined shirt is promptly interred at the bottom of her hamper (that is, a musty clothes pile hidden underneath her side of the bed) while she throws on her outfit for the day: a long-sleeved crop top with some high-waist hot pants, wine-colored tights, a tatty field jacket, biker boots, and a sunhat with a massive rim. She grabs her bass from its wall mount and slings it around her shoulder as she exits.

Back out in the hallway, Marceline approaches Princess Bubblegum's study once more. She sidles up to the door frame and peeks inside to find her girlfriend exactly where she'd left her. The candy monarch has a phone pinned between her cheek and shoulder, speaking into it as she flips through one of the documents in front of her:

"No, that clause you're thinking of was removed. The latest version included an exception for any Lich or Golb related disasters. We ratified it at the last princess meet, remember?"

There is a distorted warble from the other end.

"Yes. Yes, it's still binding even if they combined into what could technically be considered a new being."

Another warble, louder this time. Princess Bubblegum winces.

"Look, I dunno what to tell you. I got the treaty right here in front of me and the language is pretty donking clear that we can proceed as long as no kingdom is unduly burdened by their share of support."

As Princess Bubblegum listens to the reply, she looks over and catches Marceline waiting at the door.

"Hey, can I put you on hold, Jungle Princess? I promise I won't keep you waiting long. Okay, be back in a sec." She passes the phone over to Peppermint Butler.

Peppermint Butler takes it and speaks into the transmitter, "Thank you for calling The Candy Kingdom. Your call is very important to us. Please enjoy some music while you wait:" He clears his throat and starts humming a tune.

"Hey, Marcy," Princess Bubblegum stands up and rounds her desk. "How was breakfast?"

"Um, good. It was…super filling."

"And you kept it to actual food, right? I don't wanna go down there and see the pink stripped out of the wallpaper."

"Yes, just food and nothing else. I swear."

"Cool. Whatcha need, then?"

"Well, I was thinking about heading over to my place; y'know, check up on Schwabl and kick any gnome squatters to the curb. You wanna come with once you're done? We could hang out, maybe have a quick jam sesh."

Marceline feels her heart sink as she watches her girlfriend assume one of her kindly, mask-like smiles. She already knows her answer.

"That sounds seriously amazing, dude, but I'm not going to be finished here for a while. Like, a long while. You should go without me."

"Oh. That's fine. Yeah, I just wanted to see if you were interested is all."

"I am, but I gotta get this taken care of. Dealing with all these princesses is not making things easy."

"I bet."

Princess Bubblegum studies her for a moment, then crosses the room to cup Marceline's cheek while laying a gentle kiss on the other. She pulls away and looks straight into her eyes. "I'd blow this off in a heartbeat if I could, Marceline. You know that."

'Really? Would you, though?' The thought crosses Marceline's mind, but she lets it pass. She nods instead. "I do."

"You could drop Finn and Jake a line. They'd probs wanna hang."

"Haps they would. I'll see how I'm feeling once I get over there."

Princess Bubblegum nods and glances over at her desktop teeming with piles of work. "I'm gonna try my dangdest to reach a stopping point by evening so we can have dinner together. No promises, though."

"Right. Do whatcha gotta do, Bleebles."

"Have fun. And try to relax, okay?" She flashes her a small parting smile before crossing back over to the other side of her desk. Peppermint Butler ceases his jaunty jingle and relinquishes the phone as she sits. "Yo, sorry about that; I'm back. You were saying?"

Marceline sails out the door. Down the hallway, she can already hear Princess Bubblegum's voice rising in disagreement again.

Picking idly at her bass, Marceline drifts in through the mouth of her cave. The broken cord she plays reverberates along the cavern walls, and she listens to it recede into an echo over the dark placid water further in. She sighs and slings her bass against her side, then arrives at the front door of her house. It opens with a telekinetic tug at the bolt.

Upon entering, she looks about her den and kitchen area. No gnomes or fairies had taken up residence in her absence; everything was exactly as she'd left it a week ago. It's one less thing she needs to deal with, though a part of Marceline would have also liked to let off some steam by throwing down with a few of the nasty little pests.

"Yo, Schwabl! Mama's home! You here?"

A bark (more of a raspy yelp, really) from the floor above answers her call. She ascends through the hole that leads up into her bedroom. Sitting in the middle of her bed is the little white poodle, his nub of a tail wagging furiously in greeting.

"There's my perfect boy!" Marceline grins and glides over to the edge of the mattress. She bends down so that she's eye-level with him. "You miss me, bud?"

Schwabl scurries over and begins peppering her face with little licks. Marceline giggles. "Yeah, you missed me. I missed you, too." She scratches his head and runs her fingers through the ringlets of his fur.

Marceline lies down on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she continues to gently stroke Schwabl. She lifts her forearm, and her phone slithers up it into her hand. Her thumb hovers over the number pad, but she doesn't dial anyone. The phone eventually slips back into the sleeve of her shirt of its own accord, and her arm flops to the side.

At length, Marceline's fingers find their way down to her bass resting across her lap. Plucking at the strings in a loose rhythm, she starts to sing:

"Oh, what have I lost?

And what have I gained?

Now that you're busy, again

But I can't pretend

That things are different

When it all feels the saaame

The saaame

The same

Yeah

Yeah, I wanna help you

Finally make your escape

But what do I expect?

Oh, oh, if I could

I'd bite that ring of fate

You keep wrapped around your neck

How can you…I don't…I haven't…" She trails off and shakes her head. "Ugh. Cram."

Marceline sits up to fiddle with the tunning pegs. She strums at the strings, testing the sound, and tries to start over again, but the words don't come like they did before – like they usually do. She frowns, sighs, and sets her bass off to the side.

"Might as well start figuring out stuff for PB's surprise party, I guess."

Finn fills his backpack with swimming supplies and Huntress stocks the cooler with food. They leave down the wooded hillsides and into one of the many meadows opening in the direction of the Mystery Mountains. Broad sweeps of bunchgrass and wildflowers toss upon the breeze, their fragrant scents accompanying the pair while they trace the gentle slopes that stretch for miles ahead. Walking along until about midmorning, a small lake gradually reveals itself from behind a thigh-high veil of sedges and reeds. Its silvery waters wrinkle on the wind – little glittering ringlets that break continuously against the mudbanks and a flat mound of silty earth rising near the center.

"Man, this spot is flippin' fresh," Finn comments. "Like what, like yeah."

Huntress Wizard nods her agreement, drops the cooler, and strides straight to the reeds. A twirl of a finger and her clothes turn to leaves, drifting down to the shoreline behind as she wades right in up to her bare green butt. Finn blushes hotly as he averts his eyes. It's mostly on reflex; he'd grown more or less accustomed to his girlfriend's predilection for natchie living (and her relentless teasing). Nonetheless, he never felt comfortable peeping a bare bod while fully dressed himself. She doesn't remain in the buff for long, however. The nymph makes another small gesture with her hand and some blades of reed slither up her legs from below. They wrap around her nether region and chest and, with a flash of yellow, transmute into a snug, dark green bikini.

Relieved at seeing this (but also a tiny bit disappointed), Finn shrugs off his backpack and removes his hat, allowing his blonde locks to tumble out wildly along his back and shoulders. His shoes and socks collect at his bare feet. Lifting his shirt up, he glances over at Huntress Wizard and finds her watching him with only her eyes peeking above the waterline. A small burst of bubbles rises from her mouth when she realizes he's caught her, and she swiftly submerges.

He snickers at her and slips his shirt the rest of the way off. Down to his blue swim trunks, Finn dashes to the shoreline and takes a running leap at the spot Huntress had been spying on him from. He crashes past the surface. It's cold – much colder than he would have guessed – but the water is perfectly clear when he opens his eyes. About a meter below him, he finds Huntress Wizard watching him with her back up against the bed of the lake. Tiny bubbles spill from the corners of her mouth as she flashes him a mischievous grin.

Finn dives down, only for HW to kick off from the floor and dart away with a series of dolphin kicks. An unspoken challenge is left sitting in her wake. He heeds it and rockets after her. She breeches the surface first, laughing as she tears through the water. Finn bursts forth in hot pursuit, hands and legs working furiously to make up for her head start. Shouting and laughing, Huntress keeps just outside her boyfriend's reach as they circle about the little mound in the middle of the pond in playful chase. Their loop grows tighter with each lap until they are swimming right up against it.

"Can't get away now, H-Dubs," Finn declares. "I'm gonna getcha."

Huntress snorts, gliding alongside the mound a scant few strokes ahead of him. "Only if I let you, nerd."

"Oh, really? Then…how-'bout-this!"

The young champion lunges out, using a small crevice on the mound to push himself right up to his girlfriend in one swift motion. As he reaches out at her, however, Huntress Wizard shoots right out of the water and up into the air. She suspends herself sideways, sitting cross-legged as water rills down her shoulders and leafy hair. It showers down over Finn's outstretched arm.

"Told you, dude."

"Dang it!" Finn exclaims. He dashes his hand against the water. "That was a cheap move, Hun!"

"Yes, it was." She agrees happily, tauntingly. "You didn't catch me."

Finn raises his hands in mock-defeat. "I guess I'll just have to give up and…arm:telescopic-mode-fire!"

There is a sharp discharge of compressed air and Finn's bionic arm launches upward. The metallic limb sails out like a length of fishing line from his elbow, mechanical hand open wide and ready to seize his girlfriend. Not the least bit surprised by this, Huntress Wizard drifts upward and catches it by the wrist before it can affix itself to her.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Finn."

"I can do that." He flexes his shoulder muscle and, immediately, his arm starts to retract. Finn lurches upward, pulled straight towards Huntress Wizard at the other end. "How's this for better?!"

Huntress Wizard observes her boyfriend's rapid ascent, genuinely impressed by the audacity behind such a maneuver. It was daring, resourceful…even graceful in execution. Yet, HW sees one particular trait above all else: how adorably dimwitted Finn could be at times.

She waits just a second more, then, right before he reaches out in another attempt to tag her, she lets go of his arm. Finn's face, once bright with the excitement of his impending victory, crumbles into panic. He flails and shouts, quickly following the plummeting end of his arm toward the water below. He bellyflops with a slap loud enough to echo across the surrounding plain. Huntress Wizard winces at the sound and drifts back down to assess the damage. Finn is floating limply just beneath the surface, his hair spread out over the top of the water like pondweed. She reaches down, wraps her arms underneath his armpits and around his chest, then hauls him upright.

Finn spits out a trickle of water and groans, rubbing the massive red mark covering his belly and chest. "Oof, my fat basket…"

Huntress smirks. "So, you learn something, champ?"

"Yeah. Don't give your opponent control of your grapple point."

"True," she says, reaching down and thumping the top of his belly as one would a watermelon. He grimaces. "And that means you need to think before you attack."

"Right."

"'Cuz that was pretty dumb trying to do an aerial maneuver on someone that can levitate."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Can you let me go now?"

Huntress Wizard grins down at him instead of answering.

"Hun?"

The nymph starts to lift back up into the air, bringing him along with her.

"Hun!"

Her grin inches wider as she rises twice as high as before. Finn dangles precariously underneath her. "Always have a plan, Finn, or else you'll end up at your opponent's mercy." She leans in and whispers into his ear, "Just. Like. This."

"HUN! DON'T!"

Huntress ignores Finn's plea. She pulls her arms out from under him and allows him to plummet toward the surface of the lake. The young hero shrieks shrilly, arms and legs flailing about. Just before he strikes the water, however, a yellow aura freezes him in mid-air. Huntress Wizard floats down past him, a beam extending from her fingertip, and slides into the water directly beneath him. The beam dispels and Finn drops in front of her with a gentle splash. His outstretched arms land on either side of Huntress Wizard's shoulders and they float together, face to face. He wraps her in a hug, legs beating in time with hers to keep afloat.

"There," she proclaims, holding him close. "You got me."

"But only cuz you let me." He grins. "…Hey, could you use your magic to toss me again? It was actually super fun. Y'know, besides the bellyflop part."

"Sure," Huntress Wizard says as she releases Finn. She kicks a few feet back through the water, stops, then points at him. A lance of golden yellow light shoots from her fingertip, encasing his lower half. "All set?"

"Do it!"

"Alright – three, two, one, pull!"

Giving her wrist a flick, the magic surrounding Finn surges upward and slings him high (but not quite so high as last time) into the air. Finn shouts and laughs as he rises and comes back down in a cannonball, cratering the lake's surface with a glimmering splash that hits Huntress square in the face. She wipes away the excess water, giggling along with Finn as he paddles back over to her.

"Okay, okay, now I'll do you."

"I'm fascinated to find out how you're gonna pull that off without magic."

"Nah, not like the way you did it. C'mon, I'll show you."

Sufficiently intrigued, Huntress Wizard follows Finn into the sandy shallows until the water sits just above their chests standing up. He turns to face her again.

"Okay, I do this with Jake all the time whenever we go swimming." He leans down and upturns his hands above his shoulders. "I'll get down like this and you step up on my hands. Then, I stand up really fast while pushing my arms up to launch you." He rises suddenly and throws his arms up in demonstration. "You wanna try? You won't go as high, but it's still fun."

"Hm. Alright, but I gotta say this seems like an excuse to ogle my junk up close."

Finn flushes, appalled. "No! I swear I just wanted to-"

"Relax, Finn. I'm joking again." Huntress reassures him with a chuckle. She circles around to his back. "Besides," she continues, climbing up and balancing in a low squat atop his hands, "I don't care if you scope me out."

Finn glances up and she flashes him another playful grin, water trickling from the tips of her leaves down onto his bright red face. He gapes for a moment, but then grins back.

"You ready?"

"Ready."

"Okay, here goes!"

He dips under the surface as low as he can, then springs straight up, pushing on the bottom of his girlfriend's feet with all his might. As his arms reach their full height, he feels the weight leave his hands and looks up in time to see Huntress laughing as she leaps boldly into the air. However – either on account of Finn forgetting to compensate for the disproportionate strength between his two arms, the inherent slickness of wet stainless steel, a miscalculation of the jump by Huntress Wizard, or some combination thereof – the airborne nymph doesn't clear enough distance from Finn. She tips to one side and falls back down toward him.

"Oh zang!" Finn blurts out. He reaches out instinctively, but there's no time to properly position himself underneath her – she's too close. Huntress Wizard lands right on top of Finn with a surprised yelp, one of her legs catching him hard on his shoulder. They plunge past the surface together in a directionless tangle of splashing limbs and bubbling shouts.

The pair decided to hold off on gf/bf toss from there on out, so they opted to explore the lake instead. Huntress went in pursuit of whatever fish she could find hidden among the reeds and elodea, catching and releasing them with her bare hands (Finn had to get on to her more than once about eating them. He didn't want her to spoil her lunch, after all). Finn – apart from keeping an eye on his girlfriend – swam about in leisurely circles to take in the scenery, watching dragonflies skim across the water or occasionally diving along the bottom of the lake to see if he could find any magic relics or treasure half buried in the silt and mud. The only things he'd found were a couple of skeletons and some rotten electronics, mostly cell phones.

After a full hour of aquatic exploration, Finn emerges from the edge of the water with his hair in a heavy curtain down half of his face. He walks over to where he'd left his backpack and fishes out a picnic blanket from inside, unfurling it in a whip-like motion. As he smooths out the creases along the edge, Huntress Wizard appears at the top of the embankment behind him. Another fish squirms about in her hand, but she chucks it over her shoulder. It lands in the water with a *pluk*.

"Lunchtime?" She asks.

"Yeah. Lake fun with sun on my guns makes me mad hungs."

Huntress chuckles at his weird little rhyme. "Hehe! Yeah, me too."

HW picks up the cooler and places it at the center of the blanket. She sits down, pops the top, and starts setting out the food and condiments while Finn takes a seat facing her to lay down paper plates and utensils.

"Whaddya drinking?

"What did you pack?"

Huntress rummages around in the contents of the cooler. "We got a half-finished bottle of sport-drink, two cans of store-brand soda, and some of that shroom tea I brewed a few days ago."

"That's what you packed? Wasn't there anything else?"

"It's all we had in the fridge, dude. We could drink out of the lake, too, I guess. There's a handy parasite ward I use that'll keep us from getting giardia."

Finn pulls a face and shakes his head. "Nah. I'll just take a soda."

"Here you go," HW says, tossing him a cold one as she pulls out a small metal thermos. "I'll finish off the tea, then."

They settle into their spots and set about fixing their meals. Huntress Wizard, of course, goes straight for the venison chops, not even bothering with the bread they'd brought for sandwiches. She piles the deer onto her plate and garnishes it with a handful of chips. As she reaches for her first piece, Finn clears his throat loudly. She glances over to see him shoot her a disapproving look.

"What?" Huntress Wizard glances at the piece of meat held between her fingers. "Oh, I get it." She sets it back down, skewers the morsel on the end of her fork, and lifts it back to her face. "Better?"

He shakes his head and nudges the salad bowl in her direction. Huntress Wizard grimaces.

"You said you'd try my salad."

"Technically, I said that you could bring whatever greens you wanted."

"I made it for you."

"And I appreciate the gesture…but I'm gonna eat this instead, anyway. Nyah." She sticks out her tongue at him.

"Dude, it won't kill you to taste some."

"It'd make me extremely uncomfortable. That's something to consider."

"If you don't like it, I'll eat the rest of it myself."

Huntress glances at the salad and then back at Finn, eyeing him suspiciously. "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright, I will then. But first I'm gonna have some of this deer. I used this new rosemary-to-garlic ratio for the brine and I wanna see how it turned out."

"That's brine by me."

She looks flatly at Finn and gives him a thumbs-down. "Booo."

"What? C'mon, I thought it was a good one."

"No."

"Aw man…fine, let's eat already."

With a nod, Huntress Wizard tucks directly into her meal while Finn finishes assembling his sandwich, having painted both bread slices with a liberal amount of mustard and steak sauce. He takes a big bite and finds he barely needs to chew; the meat practically melts beneath his palate. A savory blend of smoke, spice, and herbs bursts upon his tongue. Finn hums, eagerly taking another mouthful before he's even finished with his first.

"Slaps, this is tender as baby hambones."

"I've gotten way into actually cooking my kills instead of eating everything raw." She shovels another fork full of meat into her mouth and continues over her food: "I mean, I still do. If it's with you, though, I make the extra effort."

"It shows. And you know what else here took extra effort? My salad." He holds up the bowl. "You still haven't eaten any of it."

"Glob, okay. If it'll keep you from going on about it, I'll have a bite."

HW grabs the bowl from his hand and tilts it, spilling some of the dressing-coated greens onto her plate before setting it aside. She stabs her fork through some leaves of spinach, pops them into her mouth, and chews gingerly. Finn watches her face closely as she swallows.

"Well?"

She grimaces. "It's…not great to be honest."

"Dang. How come? Too much dressing or something?"

"No, it actually tastes pretty dang good as far as salads go."

"Oh, you think so? Then what's the deal?"

"I can hear them."

Finn gives her a confused look.

"It's not the taste that makes me avoid fresh veggies," she elaborates. "I can hear them crying out in pain when I eat them."

"You can?"

"Yeah. I can handle them if they're already boiled or cooked, but they're still alive while they're fresh. It's grim."

"But whuddabout fruits and nuts and all the stuff you like? Can you hear them, too?"

"No. Nuts and fruits are reproductive organs that plants make to spread their seeds. They don't have voices. Leaves like these – they're actual living things. And they don't wanna be eaten."

Finn glances at the salad bowl and the pile of greens inside. "Can you hear them all now?"

She nods. "The ones in the bowl know they're going to die without a stem."

"Glob. Sorry about trying so hard to make you nosh on 'em."

"You didn't know. But you were super right about it being the best salad I've ever had. I'd be down for it if it weren't for that."

"Good enough for a kiss?"

"Sure."

Finn sits forward with his lips puckered. Huntress presses into him, running her fingers down the length of his hair until her forearms touch his broad shoulders. They screw their lips tight together with a turn of their heads, then part with a soft smack. Their cheeks burn pleasantly against their shared grins.

"So," Finn says, finally addressing the bowl between them, "should I eat the rest or like, dump it out somewhere you can't hear them anymore?"

"Go ahead and eat. I can ignore it when I'm not the one shredding them up in my teeth."

Finn takes his fork and starts to munch his veggies (now trying to get through them as quickly as possible for his girlfriend's sake). Huntress Wizard takes several swigs of her mushroom tea. The bitter brew carries away the leafy aftertaste clinging to the back of her tongue.

A ping sounds from Finn's backpack off to the side, and the young hero puts his fork down and reaches inside it. Finn pulls out his phone and glances down at the little holographic display that appears over the receiver. He smiles as he scrolls down a block of text.

"Oh, right on. Marceline texted me her ideas for PB's party."

"Hm. What's she thinking?"

"Let's see…she's still down for the dinner party/movie night combo deal I suggested. She also wants to put up a little stage to play a few sets on. She's gonna rent a karaoke machine, too."

"What's karaoke?"

"You don't know karaoke?"

"No. Never heard of it."

"It's like a singalong. There's this little video speaker machine thing that shows you the words to a song, and you try to sing it as best you can. You usually end up sounding terrible."

Huntress Wizard looks at him skeptically. "And that's fun?"

"Yeah, super fun with friends."

"Okay. I'll take your word for it. What else?"

"Says she's gonna get with Peps about the decorations, but she wants me on dinner, snacks, and drinks, and to scrounge up a decent movie for us to watch. She's got a list here of ones that PB would like."

"I'll leave the flick up to you, but I want to help you out with the food prep."

"Slammin'. I'll let her know we're down for it." Finn taps his thumbs rapidly along the holo-display, then a small musical chirp sounds as he clicks send on his message. "There we go."

Seconds later, the phone pings again with "d(_・)d" written on the holo-display.

"Now that that's done, whaddya feel like doing next?" Huntress Wizard asks, picking her plate back up.

"Dunno. You pick."

"I picked swimming. It's your turn."

Shrugging, Finn turns his gaze out across the water and to the willow and box elder scrub on the other side leading off to the mountains. He sits in thought, absently heaping forkful after forkful of salad into his gob. Huntress quickly makes her way through the rest of the venison on her plate and is in the middle of helping herself to another serving when he speaks again:

"Howzabout we go see Jake and Lady? I've been wanting to put in a hangout sesh with my brotimes. See how BMO and NEPTR are doing, too."

"A visit would be nice. Sure."

"Cool. After we finish, let's drop the cooler off back at my place, get changed, and head over."

HW nods and scoops another cutlet of venison into her mouth. She chews hard to mask the wince she makes when Finn sinks his teeth into the last bit of salad impaled on the end of his fork.

Arriving at the familiar clearing not too far from his own cabin, Finn leads Huntress Wizard across the white slat bridge which spans the brook outside Jake and Lady Rainicorn's front door. HW takes in the rustic farmhouse on their approach and finds it much to her liking, imagining she would have chosen a similar place to call her home if not for her cliff and enchanted tree. They come up to the door and, with the ease of a well-accustomed guest, Finn drums a rhythmic little tune along the paneling. The door pulls open with Jake the Dog on the other side. He beams wide at them in greeting.

"Finn! Huntress Wizard! Y'all come for a viz?"

"Yeah, bro. You busy?"

"Nah, we're just hanging out and cookin' up some snacks. C'mon in."

Finn and Huntress Wizard step inside. As soon as Jake shuts the door behind them, his "body" suddenly contracts, revealing itself as a shape-shifted portion of his arm which extends further into the house. His face slides along the stretched-out limb over to Jake's actual body in front of the kitchen stove. Lady Rainicorn is spooled upon the couch in the living area at the other side of the room. On the chair next to her sits Bronwyn.

"Lady, Bron," Jake announces, "look who showed up!"

"핀과 헌트리스를 환영합니다. 방문해 주셔서 감사합니다!"

"Hey, Grunkle Finn."

"You're here, Bronwyn? Is KKW around, too?"

"Mom and Dad had extended business trips this week, so they made me stay with Gwamma and Gwampa until they get back." She sighs. "Even though I'm way, way old enough to be on my own by now."

"Ah, 'course you are, B," Jake says as he turns to his cooking. "But you know your dad is all about that responsibility shmaz. And isn't it way more fun to be with your cool grandparents then all alone in a big empty house? Where you could throw wild parties day in and day out with all your young, hip friends to bond you all for life? Isn't it?"

Bronwyn rolls her eyes, but any sass-back she's about to deliver is deferred by two robotic voices crying out at once:

"Finn!"

"Creator!"

Both BMO and NEPTR fall from the loft above and land squarely atop Finn's shoulders. The little robots cling tightly to either side of Finn's head.

"Oh! Oh! Finn, I missed you so much!" BMO cries. He starts to shimmy down his arm. "Hold me! Hold me in your hands like a little baby robin!"

"I missed your presence as well, Creator. Miss Rainicorn forbids the eternal throwing of pies inside the house. That is my whole primary function."

"Guys, guys, easy. I saw you last week." Finn picks BMO off his arm and places him in his hands.

BMO sniffles and wipes away a digital tear. "I know that. I just think all the time how much you must miss me and that makes me miss you even more."

"Aw, that's sweet, BMO. But I'm here now, right?"

"Yes, you are here. Now, carry me around with you."

Finn grins and brings his robot sons over to where Lady and Bronwyn are sitting. Huntress Wizard sticks close to his side, still uncertain on how to conduct herself within the unfamiliar home. As they approach, Lady Rainicorn rises from the couch.

"의자 좀 가져올게. 잠시만."

She goes to the kitchen table, grabs two seats from it, then doubles back to place them behind Finn and Huntress Wizard. She loops about in the air and respools herself on the couch cushions again.

"Thanks, Lady."

"Thank you."

"천만에요."

They take their seats. Finn places BMO on his lap (much to the little robot's delight) and Huntress sweeps her cape off to one side. She lets down her hood as well, giving her hair a slight toss before turning her attention fully to their hosts again. With a small amount of surprise and confusion, Huntress Wizard finds Bronwyn's gaze intensely fixed on her. The young pup-bear quickly shies away from her with a glance at her feet.

"Hey, y'all haven't actually been introduced yet, have ya?" Finn wonders aloud before addressing his great niece. "Bronwyn, this is Huntress Wizard. She's my GF, a huntress, and a crazy powerful wizard." He turns to HW. "Huntress, this is Bronwyn. She's Jake and Lady's granddaughter. She's a sick skater."

Huntress Wizard gives her a friendly nod. "Nice to meet you, Bronwyn."

"Uh, same," Bronwyn replies bashfully.

"I've seen you skate."

This grabs Bronwyn's attention. She straightens up in her chair and looks at Huntress Wizard directly. "You have?"

"Yes. Down at the abandoned amusement park with some of the woodland kids, right?"

"Yeah."

"The forest next to it is one of my lookout posts. I've kept a ton of monsters from nesting there over the years. They love old, rotten structures like that; plenty of places to hide and ambush their prey in."

"No way! Like what?"

"A while back, an ogre spider made its den down inside that pit where that swan used to be. I took it out by shooting it through its eyes and piercing its brainstem. There was this roving pack of maggot hounds that I had to lure into a fire trap. Cooked 'em before they could infest the entire area. Oh, and another time a grave dirt golem wandered into the area. That one was tricky cuz I didn't have any blessed arrows on me at the time. I baited it into the log swamp and cast a purification spell on the water; turned it back into mud and bones. Those were the bigger ones. There's also some lesser undead, trolls, and beasts in the area that need to be handled every once in a while."

"Woah. I guess that's why it always made for such a great place to skate."

"당신의 아버지와 나는 그것이 위험하다고 말했습니다."

"Grandma, you and Dad only say that because you think I'll biff a trick and get hurt. I've never even seen any monsters around the park."

"You never will as long as I'm doing my job. But, yeah, sometimes when I'm over there, I see you and your friends skating. You're good at it."

Bronwyn blushes at the compliment, mumbling, "Th-thanks…"

Two shrill whistles pierce the air, followed by the *ding* of an oven timer.

"Snack time!" Jake announces from the kitchen as he arranges the food and drinks onto a pair of serving trays. He takes a single, stretched-out step over to the living area and lays both onto the coffee table before them. On the first sits two kettles surrounded by a circle of ceramic mugs and matching cups. On the second sits a stack of plates next to a platter with a pile of oblong, golden brown bread rolls, each one crowned by a fried egg and cheese.

"It's 계란빵," Jake explains to Finn and Huntress Wizard, taking a seat next to Lady. He picks out a fresh hot roll from the top of the pile and tosses it into his mouth. "Y'know, egg bread. It's sorta like a pancake with an egg baked straight in it. We also got coffee and some red tea, whichever y'all want."

They set about fixing their plates while Lady Rainicorn pours everyone their drinks. Finn takes his first bite of egg bread. A warm gush of yolk slips across his tongue, mixing with the savory-sweet bread as he chews. He hums his enjoyment.

"Mm! Tastes awesome! Great job, Jake."

"I've been getting way more into Korean cookin' with Lady lately."

Lady leans over as she finishes pouring HW her coffee and gives Jake a peck on the cheek. "넌 정말 잘하고 있어,자기야."

Jake blushes and giggles. "Heheh! Thanks, honey."

"Ooh, ooh!" BMO reaches towards Finn's plate above him. "I want one, please, thank you!"

"Sure, BMO. Here ya go."

Finn places one of his rolls on top of BMO's head.

"Hooray!" BMO cheers and kicks his legs about happily. While BMO wiggles around on his lap, Finn feels two tines prod him gently on the side of his head.

"I wish to receive a gift from you, as well, Creator."

"I was just about to get you one, too, NEPTR," Finn reassures him, picking up another roll from the bunch and setting it atop the other robot's chassis.

NEPTR smiles, grateful for his inclusion. "Thank you, Creator."

"No prob. Enjoy."

Next to them, Huntress Wizard takes a bite of her roll while quietly observing Finn's show of parental affection from the corner of her eye. She adored her boyfriend's effortless consideration of others, especially when it came to the little gestures of care he made for his friends and family. In a way, it made her feel as though she already shared a kind of connection to them by way of Finn's irrepressible kindheartedness. She smiles softly to herself at the thought and takes a sip of her coffee.

Jake, having inhaled about three rolls in the span of a few seconds, takes to his teacup with a long slurp. He smacks his lips in satisfaction and addresses Finn and Huntress Wizard:

"What have you crazy kids been up to before you decided to drop on by?"

"We went for a swim at that one pond over towards the mountains. Had a picnic, too. It was great."

"Nice. Good weather for it. Bron and I went over to the farmer's market this morning. It's where we got the ingredients for lunch and all the nosh we're having now."

"It was way way boring. He haggled for twenty minutes over a basket of eggs, and somehow got the merchant to raise the price."

"Yeah, that wasn't my finest moment. But, hey, then we went to Squeez-E-Mart and got us some breakfast-flavored Squeezies. That was fun, right?"

"…Okay, that part was pretty good," Bronwyn admits with a shrug.

"오늘 아침에 비올라를 보러 갔다."

"You did?" Jake replies.

"What'd she say?" Finn asks.

"She said that she went to visit Viola while we were over at the market."

"Right on. How's she doin', Lady?"

"그녀는 아주 잘하고 있습니다. 그녀는 새로운 뮤지컬의 공동 주연입니다."

Huntress leans over toward Finn and whispers, "Who's Viola?"

"She's another one of Jake's kids," Finn whispers back. "An actress – a really good one, too."

"Ah."

"What'd she say, Jake?"

"Viola's doing fantastic. She landed a role as the co-star in a musical."

"Oh man, that's great! She must be super stoked."

Lady opens her mouth to reply, but before she can get a word out, Huntress Wizard interrupts:

"Hold up for a sec. I have a small spell that'll make our conversation go a little easier. May I?" She glances between Lady and Jake for approval.

"If Lady doesn't mind, go ahead."

Lady nods.

Huntress makes a few quick hand gestures, and a thin circle of yellow light expands outward from her palm. It reaches each corner of room and then dissipates.

"Try saying something now."

Lady Rainicorn clears her throat and speaks: "Hello? Do you understand me?" She pauses at the sound of her own voice and looks at Huntress Wizard in confusion. "I'm not so sure it worked; I'm still speaking Korean."

"You are, but we interpret it as English, just as you're hearing us in Korean," HW explains. "A lot of students at Wizard School didn't speak English; some didn't have a verbal language at all, so translation spells were pretty much mandatory during lessons."

"Ah, how clever! Thank you, Huntress Wizard. Jake, Finn, Bronwyn, you can all hear me in English?"

"Yep, same silky-smooth voice as always, Honey."

"Loud and clear, Lady," Finn replies, giving her a thumbs up.

"Uh huh," Bronwyn nods. "Same here."

Lady Rainicorn giggles and claps her hooves together. "Wonderful! Your Korean is perfect!"

"So," Huntress Wizard prompts her, "as you were saying?"

"Oh, right. Yes, Finn, Viola's very excited for the role. It's the largest production she's ever been a part of, so she's getting to work with a lot of veteran members of Ooo's acting community. It's an excellent opportunity for her."

"Awesome. What's the musical?"

"It's a new one called "They Don't Know Us Yet". The way Viola described it, it's about two people struggling with their identities, but eventually they find out who they are through one another."

"Sounds like a hit. We'll defo need to go opening night to support her."

"I agree. They're just starting up, though, so it won't be out for a while."

"Aw, bummer."

"Still, it's good to know that Viola's getting to do what she loves," Jake adds. "She deserves it, and I'm stupid proud of her." He sniffles and wipes a tear in the corner of his eye away.

The others smile warmly, nodding their agreement. A quiet moment passes as they sip their drinks and nibble at their rolls, then Jake speaks to Finn and Huntress Wizard again:

"So, what else do you two got goin' on this week? Any cool adventures we should hear all about?"

Finn shrugs. "Not really. Yesterday, we helped out PB with this big meeting thing she had with my mom and some of the important humans from Humantown."

"Oh, yeah? How'd that turn out?"

"It was pretty touch-and-go through most of it, but I think it panned out okay by the end. I used an idea Fern gave me about getting the kingdoms of Ooo to pledge to protect Humantown while they rebuild. PB liked the idea, so now she's gonna have another big meet in a few days with the humans and the princesses to convince them all to sign a treaty."

"Man, that's some serious stuff. Glad y'all got through it alright."

"It wasn't all serious; we hung out with Marceline at a café for a while. And Betty and Simon showed up, too. We all had dinner together with PB after the meet."

"Wait a sec, I know who Marceline is, but who're Fern, Betty, and Simon?" Bronwyn asks.

"Fern's my brother. He got turned into a sword-tree a while back, but HW uses her powers to let me talk to him every once in a while. Simon…well, he used to be the Ice King but then he got better. He's like, uh, Marceline's human father figure friend. Betty is his girlfriend or still his fiancé, maybe? It's sorta not clear what they got goin' on now. She's a wizard who was a mega chaos goddess for a little while."

"Huh. Weird."

"Word, but they're our friends," Finn replies. He's about to take a sip of coffee when his face lights up. "Oh, yeah! And we're also planning on throwing a surprise party for Peebs after she gets all the treaty stuff locked down. Jake: you, Lady, BMO, and NEPTR should totally come. You too, Bronwyn, if you want in."

Jake grins. "Sure, bud. I'm always party ready. How 'bout it, y'all?"

"Of course," Lady Rainicorn answers. "I'd love for a chance to catch up with Princess Bubblegum. It feels like we haven't visited with each other in ages."

"BMO graciously accepts your invitation."

"As do I, Creator. I have never attended a party before. I hope I have the chance to engage in witty banter with the other guests."

Bronwyn looks around at their expectant faces and sighs. "Might as well go to some party while I'm here. It's not gonna be one of those boring adult parties, will it?"

"No way, dude. Marceline and I are doing all the planning; we'll make sure it's a wild one. Heck, I bet Marceline's gonna put on a private show for everyone."

"Then I'm down for it."

"Great! I'll let Marcy know to expect y'all."

They sound their approval of the prospective party and happily resume snacking with Finn, Jake, and Lady conversing lightly between bites about the previous week. BMO and NEPTR also chime in with their thoughts (however relevant) as they follow the chat from the sidelines. As they start to make their way toward the last of the rolls, Huntress Wizard fidgets, feeling self-conscious at having contributed so little in the way of conversation thus far. She takes another sip of coffee and sits up in her seat, readying to seize upon the next lull in their discussion. As Huntress searches for something interesting to say, she's caught off guard when Bronwyn – who, until then, had also been rather quiet and making frequent glances at the nymph from behind her hair – speaks to her:

"So…magic, huh?" She begins, nervous, yet eager to talk. She keeps her voice moderately hushed, apart from the others. "Like, actual spells and enchantment stuff you learned at Wizard School. S'really cool."

"It can be. Most other wizards would consider my magic mundane for focusing on practical spells. I've always held that even plain telekinesis can be just as cool as some flashy astral projection beam, though. It's all in how you use it."

"Yeah, but more than that, you're good enough to make it with your passion. Like, I seriously love skateboarding and I'm pretty good at it, but I don't think I'll ever be able to live by it, all independent and free, the way you do with your magic. That's cool as heck."

Huntress Wizard tilts her head at the young girl's claim. "The power of my magic does give me independence...from almost everyone. I guess it is sorta cool that way."

"Cool as heck," Bronwyn repeats with a nod. "And, uh, y'know, I can do some magic, too."

"What kind?"

"I mean, not full-on wizard-grade magic like you, but some rainicorn magic. I can control lightning; even become it for a second. That's cool, too, right?"

"Show me."

Bronwyn takes a quick glance at Finn, Lady, and Jake. Finding them still fully preoccupied by their discussion, she scooches her chair in close to Huntress Wizard and makes a mute gesture toward her hand down on her lap. She straightens out her index finger and knits her eyebrows in concentration. Huntress watches attentively.

Her horn glows a faint white and the tip of her finger transmutes into crackling blue electricity. She holds it close against her hip, shielding it from her relatives.

Huntress Wizard studies the small, quivering current before her then remarks, "You've got decent control over the electromagnetic field to keep it from sparking."

"You think so?"

"Yes. What can you do with it?"

"I mostly use it to get around if I'm in a hurry. Kinda like teleporting."

"Anything else?"

"Nah, not really. I've always wanted to…but my parents don't like me using it. Dad says it has no 'professional applications'; mom worries I might hurt myself or someone else with it."

Huntress Wizard frowns. "You shouldn't disregard an important part of yourself over their concerns."

Bronwyn's horn stops glowing, and the tip of her finger turns back to normal. "They're my parents."

"They're wrong."

She shrugs. "What can y'do?"

A thought emerges from behind the keen-eyed look that Huntress Wizard gives the young pup-bear. "Tell me everything you've always wanted to learn about your magic."

Next to Huntress and Bronwyn, Finn tosses them a sideways peek. He sees them talking intently, chairs pulled close together, angled slightly away so they can't hear them clearly. He frowns a little, concerned that they might feel shut out of the group. Jake and Lady, however, seem to welcome the pair's absence, using the opportunity to steer the conversation in a more personal direction.

"So," Jake stretches his face out towards his brother and shrinks it down, lowering his voice, "how're things goin' with HW?"

"Yes, we want to hear how your relationship with her is developing."

"Uh, good? Things are really good. For both of us. Everything's great."

"You sure?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"That don't sound super convincing to me. What's up?"

"I agree, you sound troubled."

Finn glances over at Huntress again and grimaces as he returns to Jake and Lady. "Okay. I mean, things are incredible, don't get me twasted. I love being with HW. But…I dunno, she's going through another one of her MMS spells again – a bad one, I think. It's got me worried."

"What tipped you off?" Jake asks.

"She kinda made a scene at that lunch we had at the Candy Kingdom. Betty was talking about her theories on MMS, and it really got to her. When we got to my place, she admitted that it's cuz she thinks her brain is like, broken from using magic."

BMO gasps softly. "Oh no!"

"Poor girl," Lady says, taking a glimpse at Huntress. Her eyes are full of sympathy.

"We talked things out after, and she said she was feeling better…"

"But?" Jake prompts.

"But this morning I found her outside hard at training as soon as I woke up. She said she'd been at it for hours because she couldn't sleep."

"Mm, yeah, that's not a great sign."

Finn nods at Jake and continues, "Whenever I can get her to open up about this sorta stuff, she always insists that 'she's fine' or that 'she feels better'. I think she only says that to keep me from worrying about her, though." He sighs and grips his wrist. "I know she's hurting, but I don't know what I should do."

"I am happy that you came to me with this, Finn," BMO replies. "You might have heard it from the rumor mill that I have taken many, many lovers over the years and from experience I-"

"BMO, c'mon," Jake interrupts. "This is serious. Zip that drive for a sec."

"Creator, you should seek advice from a true relationship expert: myself. My systems can model Huntress Wizard's exact emotional response in excess of 400 different pie-based simulations."

"You too, Nep," Jake tells the other robot before he returns to his brother. He assumes a sober air. "Look, bro, I'm gonna say straight up that the psych trubs of someone you love is the real deepest, densest kinda driz there is." He shakes his head. "And you ain't equipped to handle it."

"I wanna help her, Jake."

"I know, I know; you always do, for everybody. But you gotta face facts: you're no therapist, dude. There's not a whole lot you can do that wouldn't risk making things way, way worse, even if you're trying to help."

"What, so I just do nothing?"

"No, not nothing," Lady jumps in. "Relationships are about being there for whomever you're with and supporting them when they need it. The best you can do is lend her an ear or a shoulder to make things easier. And make sure to do little things that make her feel loved and appreciated, too."

"Tell her that her eyes are very pretty," BMO adds in a whisper.

"Other than that," Jake continues, "unless she asks for help or you think she's in for-real-real danger, you're gonna have to let her work things out."

Finn sits for a few seconds in thought, then takes a relenting breath. "You guys…you're both super right."

"We're happy to help," Lady nods. "Still, if you can't stop from worrying, you should let Huntress Wizard know how you feel. Just be careful not to put any blame on her over it."

"Yeah, I should…" Finn runs the tip of his thumb along the edge of the empty coffee cup in his hand. He sets it down and looks at Lady and Jake with an appreciative smile. "Thanks for hearing me out. You're both way better at this intense relationship crud than I am."

"Just takes time, bud," Jake grins back at him before turning toward Huntress Wizard and Bronwyn. He calls over at them, teasingly: "Hey, what're y'all whisperin' about over there?"

With a slight jump, Bronwyn twists about in her seat to face her family. "Nothing! Just, uh…"

"I was telling her more about the woods around her skatepark," Huntress Wizard finishes for her.

"Yeah, that. Interesting stuff."

"Right on. S'cool that you two have something you can talk about. Anyway, I was wondering if y'all feel like stickin' around for dinner?" He glances back at Finn and then Huntress Wizard again. "You dudes can load up some viddygames or vids on BMO while Lady and I get busy cookin'. But if you feel like heading out, it's all good, too."

Finn looks over at his girlfriend. "Whaddya feel like doing, Hun?"

Huntress Wizard takes a look at their hosts' expectant faces.

"Please say yes! Say yes!" BMO cries, bouncing on Finn's lap.

"Say yes! Say yes!" NEPTR echoes like a parrot on Finn's shoulder.

She nods. "Okay."

"Yay!" BMO exclaims. The little robot leaps from Finn's lap and scampers over to the computer desk situated further back in the living area. He tries to hop up on it but is too short. He keeps trying anyway.

Finn chuckles and heads over to join BMO, picking him up and placing him at the center of the desk before taking a seat at the desk chair with NEPTR still perched on his shoulder. Huntress Wizard and Bronwyn get up to follow, grabbing the two kitchen chairs, and assembling themselves around him.

"Do whatever y'all want," Jake says. He and Lady get up, clean up the leftover dishes, and head into the kitchen area. "But don't play over my save of Kompy's Kastle! I finally broke the second highest score in the Candy Kingdom, and I'm still gunning for first."

"We won't, bro!"

"Then have fun you crazy kids. Lady, let's whip up some bowls of oritang for 'em."

"Ah, good idea, honey. I'll prepare the vegetables; you can start on the duck."

As pots, pans, and crockery rattle from behind, Finn scootches his chair forward and opens a drawer under the desktop. Inside is a collection of miscellaneous electronic devices arranged by size with their associated cables and wires all neatly coiled in loops or figure eights. From it, Finn picks out a single controller – well-used, yet equally well-maintained. He slides the drawer shut and plugs it into BMO's player-one port. BMO giggles in excitement and at the ticklish sensation it gives him.

"Okay, whaddya wanna play?" he asks as BMO's screen switches over to the game selection menu with an electronic chime.

Scrolling through the list of titles, Finn, Huntress Wizard, and Bronwyn settle in to weigh their options while the scent of simmering duck meat gradually fills the household.

A tiny droplet of ink slips from the tip of Betty's quill, finally making the first mark upon the fresh stretch of parchment it'd been poised above for the last fifteen minutes. Betty stares at the pen enfolded in her magic and then down at the black dot at the top of the page. She furrows her brow at it. After another moment's hesitation, she flicks her finger and the pen lowers with a downward stroke to fold the small blemish into the start of her next sentence which she dictates:

"It was here that I witnessed the present, past, and future of every reality unite and sublimate into…"

She pauses and the pen lifts up, suspended in place once again. Gradually, another dark droplet of ink swells up along the tip, threatening to drip again.

'No, that's not right,' Betty reprimands herself with a shake of her head. She makes a few motions with her finger and the pen draws a quick strike through the half-formed sentence. It then floats over and slides into a half-filled inkwell hidden among dozens of empty ones scattered around her writing desk. Betty pushes her chair back and lets out a frustrated sigh. Explanations and descriptions came readily enough to recount her experiences with MMS, but whenever she attempted to articulate her time as Golb words utterly failed her. The problem was in the inherent contradiction of using language – a system predicated on ordering abstractions – to express Chaos itself. Chaos as only she knew it. She'd been wrestling with it since early morning.

No. Not only that morning: ever since she'd lost her divinity.

Betty lifts her glasses and rubs her weary eyes. "Break time."

The sorceress stands up with a stretch and makes her way out of her office, drifting between the many bookshelves and plants. The scents of old tomes and dirt are presently masked by Simon's cooking. It reminds her that she hadn't eaten much of anything that day besides one or two distracted bites from a sandwich that Simon had left on the corner of her desk around noon. She follows the aroma into the kitchen and finds her love hard at work chopping up a piece of chicken while two pots – one large and one small – boil on the stove next to him. He looks up as she enters and smiles.

"Evening, Betty. Did you make some headway on your book?"

She shrugs, "Eh, not as much as I wanted. I hit a block I can't seem to get around."

"Oh, that's too bad," he says as he resumes chopping. "Well, keep at it and you'll find a way around it, I'm sure."

"We'll see." Betty floats over to the pot and lifts the lid with casual curiosity. Steam comes billowing out to reveal a dark brown broth bubbling with veggies, shrimp, and chopped sausage inside. She takes a deep whiff of it. "What's cookin'? Smells great."

"Gumbo. It's almost ready; I just have to add the chicken." Simon takes the cutting board over to the lip of the pot and uses the knife to push the chicken strips in. He then exchanges the board and knife for a ladle from the countertop and gently stirs the thickening roux for a bit. "Would you get some bowls and spoons for us, please?"

"Sure." Betty makes a gesture and a pair of bowls and spoons come floating out from the kitchen cabinets, encased in her magic. They land next to Simon while he lifts the lid on the smaller pot. Another plume of steam escapes, fogging up his glasses as he spoons out some brown rice for the two of them. He pauses to wipe his lenses on his sleeve then returns to the gumbo to give it a final stir before doling out a hearty helping into each bowl.

"There we go," he says, passing one to Betty as he takes his own.

"Thanks. You go sit, and I'll grab us some drinks."

He nods and exits the kitchen.

"Whaddya want?" She calls out after him as she hovers over to the fridge.

"Just some ice water for me."

"Feeling daring today, huh?" She teases him. "Coming up."

Betty makes another swift gesture. A glass comes floating out from the kitchen cabinet like a balloon and lands in her hand. She opens the refrigerator door and lifts up one of several large, pre-chilled jugs of ice water packed along the bottom shelf. Filling the glass nearly to the top, Betty gives it a light tap, letting her magic guide it back to Simon. She then browses the various bottles and brews lining the inside of the door before settling on a can of wizard beer for herself. Betty grabs it, shuts the fridge, and glides out into the dining room.

Simon is waiting politely in his usual place across from hers at their small dining room table. She lands in her seat and places her meal down before her, cracking open the tab on her beer with a hiss.

He grins and holds up his glass to her. "Bon appétit."

Betty returns his smile and clinks her can against it. "Salute."

They drink and dig into their dinner. Betty makes a note of approval on the first spoonful; it's spicy but balanced with the more subtle, savory ingredients. There's something else there, too – not the flavor or the aroma, but about the dish itself. She can't quite pin it down.

"You like it?"

"Mhm. It's great!" She pops another spoonful in her mouth, talking as she chews: "So, besides practicing your culinary skills, what'd you do today?"

"Nothing too interesting. I had breakfast then looked around for some jobs in the paper and online for most of the morning. Nothing that suited me turned up, though."

"Hm. If the job hunt isn't going anywhere, then you don't have to get one. My magic can provide us almost anything we'd ever need."

"I know, but after everything I did as…Ice King, I'd like to do something that'll have a positive impact in Ooo. Also, I want to feel like I'm contributing to our new life here."

"If that's what you want, I'll support you either way."

"Thank you."

"No probs." Betty takes another sip of her beer. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Well, once I gave up my search, I made us those sandwiches for lunch. After that, I read, had my tea, and went for a long walk through the-"

While Simon prattles on about his doings, Betty eats and listens, enjoying both the food and the sound of his voice. They draw her back a lifetime ago, to dinner dates, lecture luncheons, and quiet afternoons sharing bread fresh out the oven. She thinks of how another Betty she could no longer call herself had sat and thought just as she did now, eating and listening to the comforting voice of a man from a thousand years past.

Suddenly, she understands what had initially eluded her about the dish.

"-at that point I realized I'd been in the freezer aisle staring at ice cream for twenty minutes, so I got my cart and made for the checkout line."

Betty sets her spoon down with a clack. "Simon."

"Hm?"

"Did we…have this gumbo? Back before the war?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you noticed," he says with a delighted smile. "We did, actually. I found the recipe in one of my old scrapbooks."

"A-and you…you thought that it'd be-" She chuckles and shakes her head. "You thought it'd be fine? Like, something normal, something normal to bring us back to what we were even after everything…after everything that-" She breaks off again as she's abruptly seized with laughter. Her laugh is hard and loud, ringing uncontrollably throughout the house.

Simon leaps up from his seat in alarm. It wasn't the first time Betty had suffered a bout of hysterics – she had them more or less weekly – but this one was much more intense than usual.

Betty is about to hold up a hand to signal to him that she's okay (the episodes never lasted too long), only for a violent coughing fit to overcome her. As she coughs and chokes, a harsh burning sensation starts to rise up her throat and she knows that something is wrong. She claps a hand over her mouth and jumps up from her chair, dashing out of the dining room and into the bathroom.

"Betty!"

She locks the door behind her and rushes to the sink. Immediately, she faces down into it and opens her mouth, expecting a wet heave of vomit to hit the basin. To her horror, what comes out rises to the bathroom ceiling instead: bright green fumes, noxious smelling, like burnt hair mixed with ammonia. They stream from her mouth and nostrils, bringing stinging tears to her eyes.

Betty lifts her gaze up to the mirror. Within it, wherever the green haze wafts past her reflection, she sees a terrible red entity with four glassy blue eyes staring back at her. A shudder runs through her, and she clings desperately to the sink to keep her legs from giving out. Its fanged mouth etch shapes in reality, and those shapes are words in her mind that only she comprehends:

'E̸n̴d̶ ̶o̷f̷ ̶E̶t̷e̵r̶n̶i̷t̷y̵ ̶i̴s̵ ̴c̷o̵m̶e̶ ̸a̵g̷a̴i̵n̷.'

There's an urgent knocking at the bathroom door and Betty whips her head around to it.

"Betty?! Are you okay?!"

She takes another quick, terrified look back at the mirror and finds it empty of anything save her normal reflection. Even the fumes rising from her face are gone without a trace.

"Y-Yes!" She finally answers, turning back towards the door. "I'm alright. I'm pooping!"

"Oh! Um, okay. You're sure, though? The way you were coughing back there sounded…bad."

"I know, but I'm better now. It was some usual MMS brain funk. Sorry for worrying you like that."

"It's okay," Simon replies, his voice retreating as he leaves the door for the dining room. "I'm just relieved you're alright."

"Right," Betty says. She turns and faces herself in the mirror again. "I'm fine."

"Hoh, dang that was great," Finn pronounces, patting his stuffed gut in approval.

He strolls alongside Huntress Wizard, Jake and Lady's house receding into the low horizon behind them as they cross the first of the meadows that would lead back into the hills. The shadows of the mountains and trees draw outward at evening's approach.

Huntress Wizard nods. "Jake and Lady are excellent cooks. I enjoyed seeing them. Bronwyn, BMO, and NEPTR, too."

"So, you had fun?"

"I did. It was a nice visit. I liked the games, too. That fighting one, especially."

"Awesome," Finn smiles. "I'm glad you got along so well with Bronwyn. Seems like she's taken a real shine to you."

A northerly wind whisks the grasses against their feet.

"She has a wildness in her that's similar to ours. We had an interesting talk."

"About that forest park place she skates in?"

Huntress Wizard gives him a light bounce of her shoulders instead of a reply.

Finn doesn't press for an answer. Doing so would likely invite an uncomfortable line of inquiry into his own private discussion with Jake and Lady. And although he still wanted to talk to Huntress Wizard about what they'd discussed, Finn did not want to start that conversation off with her feeling embarrassed or embittered that he'd divulged her recent MMS episode to others without her consent. He'd wait until tomorrow, or maybe a few days, before bringing it up. Less obvious that way.

So, they walk awhile in silence, following the gentle rise of the earth through more meadows and fields. When the familiar forested slopes of Finn's home appear ahead, Huntress speaks again, suddenly:

"You ever think about the future?"

"You mean about what we're gonna do tomorrow?"

"Further than that."

"Oh, you mean planning ahead and junk. Like, how I'll have to find someone to place a curse on me that makes it so I can't read numbers good to keep PB from teaching me calculus. That sorta thing?"

"Don't curse yourself to get out of schoolwork, Finn," Huntress Wizard lightly admonishes him. "But, yeah, something like that. Way, way further down the line."

Finn shrugs. "Honestly, not a lot. I once thought about opening up a barbershop when I hit 35, but that was mostly stressed-out cloud talk with Jake."

"Say that you went through with it, though. You wouldn't be an adventurer anymore. No more swords, no more monster slaying, no more exploring – just haircuts day in, day out." She looks at him. There is a strange insistence in her eyes. "Would you give it all up for a barber's life?"

"Give it all up?" Finn echoes. He glimpses off toward the dusky haze deepening above the hills. Pale evening stars were starting to emerge from within it. He ponders as they continue to walk, then answers Huntress Wizard: "I think I'd still go on adventures even then. They might not be as often or as intense as the kind of quests I go on now, but I'll always do what I can to help peeps in need. I wouldn't change that for anything."

"Yes…you wouldn't, would you?" She smiles and takes his hand. "Thanks, Finn. That's reassuring."

"What's got you so worked up about this stuff all of the sudden?"

"Nothing. Just thinking weird field thoughts out loud." Huntress Wizard picks up her pace, pulling him straight towards the foot of the hills. "C'mon, it's getting late. I want to get back to your place before dark."

Stumbling a little before catching up to his girlfriend's stride, Finn follows Huntress Wizard as she leads them further into the trees. He watches her from behind the whole way, absorbed by the thoughts rolling around inside him.

When Finn latches the front door behind him and switches on the lights, he turns to see Huntress Wizard already in the process of making herself more comfortable. Her cloak, quiver, and boots are off and away, settling as leaves on the living room floor.

"You're staying the night?" He asks. The question is purely a formality at this point in their relationship.

She glances back over at him. "Can I?"

"Always."

"Then, yes. Yes, I am."

She proceeds over to his couch and plops down haphazardly upon it. Finn shrugs off his backpack and doffs his hat, hanging both items on the coatrack next to the doorframe. He then kicks off his shoes and socks and crosses the room to join Huntress Wizard. As he sits, the forest nymph sidles over and presses up close against his right side, tilting her head to rest upon his shoulder. She sighs softly.

"Dubs?"

"Hmm?"

"You…" he pauses. "You wanna watch anything? I got the next Heat Signature movie ready to go. Or maybe there's something you'd rather talk with me about? Maybe?"

Huntress Wizard doesn't reply straight off. She slips past his shoulder and falls front-first across his lap. "You can turn whatever you want on, Finn, but I'm pretty worn out. How about a massage while we watch? I can do you after."

"Oh, uh, sure. Lemme just…" Finn shifts his hips a little under Huntress Wizard's weight, feeling around the crack in the cushions directly below him. He grabs hold of the remote wedged down inside and fishes it out. "Ah, there we go." He points the remote at his television set, clicking a couple buttons.

The VCR player underneath the TV comes to life with a whir of its loading motor, swallowing the black VHS cassette already sticking halfway out of its mouth. The tape settles inside the carriage with a hefty *ka-chunk* and the screen switches on, first blue, then a staticky black, before transitioning to the intro cards of the movie. While the opening scene unfolds, Finn moves his hands to the small of Huntress Wizard's back and begins to rub along the tense muscle gathered there. He feels her immediately relax against his touch.

"Yeah, right there," she hums.

Finn continues diligently with his ministrations, inching up under the hem of her shirt as he follows along the furrow of her spine. As he starts to hit up against the belt wrapped around her trunk, Huntress raises her hand to him.

"Hold up for a sec, dude."

She makes a small motion with her finger and both the belt and shirt transmute into another couple of leaves, leaving her back bare except for her chest wrap.

"Okay, keep going."

He brushes the two leaves away and resumes the concentric motions of his fingertips, tracing firmly over the collection of claw and fang marks that scored the wood nymph's back. The scarred flesh dimples against his touch. She tucks her arms underneath her chin and lets out another sigh, almost a purr.

"That good?"

"Mmhm. Don't stop."

The young hero does so gladly, working over the full sinewy reach of Huntress Wizard's back while they watch the first part of the movie play out to the occasional refrain of her sighs and murmurs. It's not until a half hour in, just as his fingers start to descend for yet another pass between her shoulder blades, that Finn suddenly stops. It occurs to him that he should have reached the top of HW's chest wrap by now. He looks down. Below, he finds that not only is Huntress Wizard not wearing her chest wrap; she's not wearing anything at all. His hands spring up in surprise.

Huntress glances over her shoulder and then rolls around, exposing herself completely to him. She stretches out and looks at him with open expectation.

"I said don't stop."

The casual indifference of her expression betrays nothing, as though she'd simply switched positions to benefit Finn's massage.

"R-right…sure," Finn answers, making a snap decision to play along. He places his hands gingerly back down on his girlfriend, just below the rise of her chest. Her abs are wiry and solid as sheetrock, trimmed through with lines of definition so fine it's as though a jeweler had sculpted them. Reverently, he begins to rub them and her sides, having to apply more pressure to manipulate the densely packed sinew.

"Mmn." Huntress arches her body slightly, pushing into his touch. "A little further up."

Taking her suggestion, Finn trails his hands up from her belly to her breasts, gently cupping each one. They yield softly to his touch, her nipples already poking out hard against his palms. He gives them a tentative squeeze which elicits another small huff from Huntress. Finn grins a little at her reaction. He still felt awkward and unprepared for this spontaneous kind of play, and yet he couldn't deny his growing arousal – it was new, sexy fun. He squeezes again, this time hard enough to sink his fingers in. Huntress Wizard lets out a low moan from the back of her throat and clenches her thighs together. He can feel her heart beating faster as she looks up at him with smokey, half-lidded eyes, a deep rose blush burning across her cheeks. He feels his heart beating faster, too.

"C'mere," she says, reaching up to lace her fingers around the back of his neck. She pulls him down, pressing their lips together. Their tongues swirl. Huntress Wizard slides her hands further up along Finn's neck and into the lush golden tumble of his hair while he continues to knead her chest with the grip of a master swordsman. They share a groan inside each other's mouth and, after a few moments, separate with a pop of lips and a little catch of breath.

"Mh, gotta change positions," Huntress Wizard announces as Finn sits upright again. "Something of yours is really starting to dig into me." She leans against Finn's lap, deliberately grinding her back against the tent in her boyfriend's shorts.

"Hun, c'mon!" Finn protests with a wince, squirming underneath her weight.

Huntress Wizard smirks coyly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Finn." She shifts off of his lap and crawls further down the couch (purposefully flashing him a nice view between her thighs in the process) before spreading out again with her back and elbows propped up on the opposite arm rest. "You're just giving me a normal, everyday massage right now. But if you're suddenly feeling uncomfortable, you can ditch those clothes."

'Grod,' Finn thinks, huffing with frustration and amusement. He knows exactly the type of game she's playing with him. Nevertheless, the young hero wasn't about to be the first to break in a test of willpower. He shucks off his shirt, shorts, and then his underwear in short order. His hard-on springs free, curving up proudly to his belly button.

The nymph takes time to ogle Finn's stout musculature, crisscrossed with scars of his own, then carries on casually as before: "Now, why don't we get back to the movie while you give my stems some attention?" She stretches her legs out across his lap, letting his erection poke out between her calves.

"Yeah," Finn replies, trying to match her cool despite biting at his lip. "A completely normal leg rub. Here we go."

He sets to work along the lower length of her legs, doing his best to maintain focus on the television and his pampering. It's a wasted effort, however. Before he can properly distract himself, Huntress Wizard counters by pulling her legs together and gliding their smooth insides ever-so-lightly up and down his shaft. Finn endures it with a straight face for as long as he can, but his increasingly aching hardness under non-stop stimulation proves too much after a time. His expression contorts with a sharp wince as a heavy glob of precum suddenly escapes from the tip of his cock, landing on one of Huntress Wizard's legs. Against another pained grimace, he glances over at Huntress Wizard and sees her smirking haughtily at her handiwork.

"Nice of you to add a little massage oil, Champ," she remarks in a teasing tone.

A deep flush of humiliation and desire burns across Finn's cheeks. "Okay, that's it," he declares, lifting Huntress Wizard's legs up from his lap. He quickly repositions himself above her so that he's straddling them, knees on either side of her thighs.

"Oh? What's up?"

"You wanted a massage; you're getting one." He holds his robotic arm up to his face and speaks into the microphone at the wrist: "Arm: magic fingers mode."

A whirring buzz picks up as the three fingers at the end of the prosthetic start to vibrate with enough intensity to leave a blurred outline around each digit. Finn grins down at her, almost threateningly.

Huntress Wizard's eyes widen. "Not fair."

"Whuddya mean, Hun?" He asks, hovering his hand just above her. "This is still just a normal massage, right?"

"Yes. It is."

"So, don't you want some vibe to go with it? Or can you not hack it?"

She gives him a challenging look. "I do. And I can."

"Rad."

Finn presses his buzzing fingers down directly onto Huntress Wizard's lower abdomen. As the vibrations radiate across her core, HW stiffens with a barely repressed groan. Encouraged by her reaction, Finn doesn't linger at that location for long. He pushes his prosthetic hand south, creeping slowly down through his girlfriend's lush trail of maidenhair leaves.

"Rhh," Huntress Wizard strains through gritted teeth, sweat beading at her forehead at his unhurried approach. Her fingers dig down into the couch upholstery.

He comes a few centimeters shy of the top of her hood then veers away from it sharply, running around to her thigh instead. Huntress lets out a ragged gasp of frustration. Her needy breaths go unheeded, however, as Finn continues to work around her lap, keeping the caress of his whirring fingers as tantalizingly close to her sex as possible. The inside of her thighs soon grow slick to his touch, bathed in a heavy coating of sweat and wood nymph honey.

Huntress pants openly as Finn makes several tortuous passes around the edge of her mound without touching her dripping slit. She clenches her legs together with a hiss: "F-Fiiinn."

"What's up, Dubs? You gotta ask if you want me to do something for you."

She bites her tongue from crying out her obvious need. Begging would be tantamount to defeat, and she wasn't about to lose while she still had another play to make. With effort, she manages to lift her head and turn her gaze back down toward her boyfriend's cock jutting out as hard as ever over her lap. "A-Actually, I was just thinking I should *hah* return the favor a little." She makes a gesture with her hand and a small line of yellow magic lances out from her fingertip, hitting Finn square on the tip of his dick.

Finn stops his massage and looks down at his junk as the yellow light contorts around it. "Hun? What's this?"

The answer comes immediately as the spell reshapes itself into a ring of light wrapped tightly around the base of his cockhead. It starts to vibrate furiously, sliding up and down his length.

Finn shrieks as if shocked by the sudden pleasure overload, back arched while he humps uncontrollably at the air. Huntress pulls herself up to a sitting position across from him, a triumphant grin returning to her face.

"How's that for a nice relaxing vibration, sweet Finn?"

"Hu-Huntress! Y-You flippin'-GLOB! AH!" Finn can't finish. He moans as a shot of precum is thrown from his bouncing dick, landing in a wet mark across Huntress Wizard's stomach.

She turns around, lifting her butt up to give it a tantalizing shake as she watches him shiver and leak from over her shoulder. "Ready to give in?"

"Ghrr! N-NEVER!" Finn lunges across the couch in desperation, wrapping his left arm around her midsection while his buzzing prosthetic plunges down to her crotch. The base of his palm presses up directly against her clit as his fingers slide along her sopping folds, tugging her open.

"AH!" Huntress Wizard shouts in surprise and pleasure, her hips spasming at the sudden assault. To Finn's credit, she hadn't expected him to persist in the face of her magic, let alone even the odds again. It was simply a matter of who cracked first, now. She steels herself as best she can and tightens her grip on the armrest, still determined to come out on top.

"C'mon, Dubs!" Finn pleads, finally shedding all pretense. His achingly hard cock rubs against her thighs, sticky threads of precum hanging from the underside. "Just *hah* back up onto me!"

"Not gonna *ah* not gonna happen, nerd. You stick it in already!"

"You do it!"

"No, you!"

They go on, desperate for release, yet unyielding to their partner's demand for them to make the first move. Through all their shuddering, squirming, and humping, however, the pair manage to unconsciously arrange themselves bit by bit until the tip of Finn's flaring cockhead aligns right up against Huntress Wizard's quivering entrance. They're both so wet and ready, that it's effortless: all at once, Finn feels HW's silken, clenching walls pull tight and warm around him, just as HW feels Finn's thick, buzzing shaft fill her up.

They gasp and groan in realization, grinding lightly against each other at the sensation of their union.

"So, who do you *mff* think won?"

"Mm, too close to call. And you know what? I don't care anymore."

"Then can you turn off the *ah* magic on my dick? It's gonna be pretty donking tough to last like this."

"Fair point." She makes a quick motion with her hand, dismissing the spell. The tingling buzz inside her ceases, though she can still feel the steady pulse of his heartbeat.

"Thanks," Finn says with a breath of relief. "You want me to switch off my hand?"

"Nah, keep it on. But maybe don't put it right on top of my bits for now. I wanna last a little longer, too."

Finn removes his right hand from directly over her mound and grabs one of her hanging tits instead, clamping her nipple between his whirring fingers. He releases her midsection and grabs the other as well.

"This better?"

"Aah, yeah, that's it. Now, rut me stupid, stud."

The young champion needs no instruction. He pulls out to the tip just as easily as he entered and rails back into her with a sharp clap of his pelvis against her butt. Huntress Wizard sucks in a breath as she feels the underside of his girth rub right up on her sensitive spot.

"Geez, you gotten bigger?"

"Could be," Finn says with a grunt. "I'm still a growing teen, after all."

"Good thing I'm around *nnh* so you get plenty of fresh greens."

Finn giggles and kisses Huntress between her shoulder blades, grinning at the small shiver it sends up her back. From there, he sets into motion with strong, steady thrusts that reach deep into the wet heat of her sex, pressing right up against her cervix each time.

"Yes! Oh, Finn! That's so good! More!"

For the next several minutes, Finn delivers. He pumps doggedly in and out of her, building up speed and momentum bit by bit while also switching up the angles of his thrusts, determined to satisfy his love despite the near painful shocks of delight and desire burning through every fiber of his sweat-drenched body. He grunts and moans, gasping Huntress' name repeatedly into the leaves along the back of her neck.

Below, Huntress Wizard murmurs breathy words of encouragement between pants and huffs, growing louder and more ragged as Finn continues to methodically nail her. It's all so good, too good: the hard stroke of his human cockmeat, constantly stirring and stretching her; his dense male musk packing her senses; strong hands groping at her breasts, tweaking and rolling her nipples, vibrating – she can't contain her instinctive hunger for everything her mate has to offer any longer. A pained sound somewhere between a growl and a moan suddenly escapes her throat.

Hearing this, Finn stops mid-thrust. "Hun? You okay?"

The wood nymph looks back over her shoulder, piercing him with a violently feral gleam in her eye. It sends a bolt of fear (and excitement) up his spine.

"F-FFinn!" She presses out his name through bared teeth. "I told you: Rut. Me. STUPID!"

Huntress Wizard hooks her ankles around his thighs and throws herself straight back to bounce wildly up and down Finn's shaft. Finn cries out, unable to restrain himself against his girlfriend's furious pace. He hammers roughly into her, folding his arms tight around her chest to keep from being thrown off. Panting, gasping, and groaning – the entire cabin rings with the rapidly escalating sounds of their intense, messy lovemaking.

"Faster! Harder! Harder!" Huntress urges.

With his limit bearing down on him, Finn tenses his calves and shoulders while tightening the rhythm of his thrusts. He powers through another fresh rush of ripples rolling along his shaft, milking him for all that he was worth.

"Hun! Glob! *ngh* I'm close!"

"*Ah* Me, too! Fill me! I need it so flippin' bad!"

Unable to hold back, Finn makes his final move: he slips his prosthetic hand back down to Huntress Wizard's pussy, splitting his vibrating fingers into a "v" to cup her swollen wet lips and kneading his palm directly into her hood, all while blasting her with a burst of desperate, lust-fueled bucks as hard and fast as he can go.

"YES!" Huntress yells, flinging her head back. "GROD! YOU HUNK OF A BEAST! *AH* CLAIM ME!"

"HUNTRESS!"

Finn gives one last weighty push that sends him crashing up hard into his girlfriend with a shout. Spikes of dizzying pleasure rock through him as his balls clench and his cock gives a powerful jerk in climax, firing a dense load of cum straight from his tip. Huntress Wizard cries out in concert with him as a wave of pure ecstasy overtakes her as well, a gush hot nectar splashing against their thighs as she squeezes down tight over her boyfriend's twitching, throbbing manhood. Rope after rope of rich hot seed pulses directly into her womb, filling her up completely and then some. A stream of excess leaks out down her thigh and Finn's balls.

They stay locked together, lightly humping and rubbing against one another while they come down from the peak of their shared orgasm. Once the last tingles of pleasure melt into a warm hazy fog of satisfaction, Finn pulls out of Huntress Wizard. He breathes deeply, letting his head roll back as he leans against the arm rest, completely spent. After a moment, he speaks:

"That was *hah* great! How 'bout you, Hun?"

He receives no response.

"Huntress Wizard?"

Looking back at his lover, he's surprised and a little confused to find a log resting on the couch instead.

Finn frowns. He didn't pretend to know much of anything about how Huntress Wizard's powers worked (particularly those that related to her deeper physical and spiritual connections with nature), but during their time together, he'd noticed that she tended to turn into a log whenever she felt dead tired, unsafe, or anxious about something. It wasn't at all like her to conk out immediately after sex, especially since they both loved a good post-coital cuddle sesh. Or, at least, he thought she did…

He studies her for a time, then rises from the couch, leaving behind a large wet stain on the upholstery. Across from them, the television screen is a hazy black broken by flickering scanlines, the movie having ended some time ago without notice. He switches it off and then lifts Huntress Wizard up, hauling her unwieldy form, bridal style, over to his bed in the corner of the room. He sets her down gently amid the thick pile of furs and skins, tucks her in, then climbs in next to her. His girlfriend's wooden bod is cold and coarse against him, but he still wraps his arms around her as best he can and gives her a goodnight kiss.

Finn lies there, watching her under the dim moonlight in hope that she might turn back soon.