The Alchemical Star ferried David and Niala all the way back to Riverwall, much to their relief. The trip, or at least the parts where they weren't being kidnapped or forced to deal with family issues threatening to shackle them, had been enjoyable. Still, it had also overstayed its welcome, and they were both more than ready to go back home.

  David still had that small tingle in the back of his mind whenever he thought of that place as his home. The kind that surprises you each time, when you realize that no, it's not a dream, it's real. He wondered if he'd ever lose that feeling.

  He hoped he never did.

  The airship swept in from the south-east, in a wide half circle along the periphery of the small town. From up high, they saw that the snow had all melted away during their trip, and the land had regained its greens and browns, with large swathes of flowers blooming in the mid-spring season. They drifted down over one of the flatter meadows to the west.

  David, and especially Niala, thanked the crew for the voyage, and Captain Plerigass for agreeing to bring them back directly, without stopping by Majestic, to which the dogkin woman smiled and let Niala know that she had standing orders to consider the oldest All Brew on board as commander, winking as she did so.

  They watched the Alchemical Star lift away and turn south, toward their port of call, and possibly an irate catkin father who would be wondering where his daughter was.

  Not their problem!

  They turned and walked home, their content smile growing noticeably once they caught sight of the building, their feet moving just a tiny bit faster, their lungs drawing in the now familiar scent of the abandoned part of town being slowly reclaimed by nature.

  They came in through the walled garden. As soon as she'd stepped past the threshold, Niala threw her hands up.

  “We're back!” She exclaimed, hopping to face David. “We're home! We're back!”

  He smiled and put a hand on her head, giving her a head rub. “We are. Can't wait to sleep in our bed.”

  She pushed her head into his hand and nodded.

  A clatter drew their attention, coming from within the greenhouse, the door of which was open.

  From within bumbled out a dog-sized bundle of moss, ambling on six stubby feet, a nub where a dog's head would be, topped with a pair of snail-like feelers flailing about.

  Niala's smile turned jubilant, her tail wagging. “Lychee! Is that you? You're so big!” She squealed, stepping forward into a kneel to receive the scrambling bumblemoss pet, who did its best to ram itself into Niala's waiting arms, its feelers squirming all over the catkin's face, making her giggle.

  “Haha! You're happy to see me?! I'm so happy to see you, too! But!” She held the wriggling plant at arm's length, getting a better look at it. “You grew up so much! How did you get so big?!” She asked, her ears wiggling.

  The bumblemoss simply kept waving its feelers toward Niala, who soon relented and hugged the creature once more, letting go after a few seconds and getting back to her feet. “Come on, Lychee! Let's go say hi to Linzy!” Niala said as she turned toward the house's back door and made her way in, the plant pet bumbling in after her, with David closing the line.

  Stepping into the house added a certain finality to their trip; now they were home. He took in a deep breath, and followed after Niala, who'd already trotted over to the front desk.

  “Linzy!” the catkin exclaimed as she turned the corner and found the goblin woman scribbling in a book, the storefront empty for now. Geralt was perched on top of her head.

  The shopkeeper looked up and smiled. “Boss! Yer back! How was yer trip?”

  The immortal rat spoke up. “Ms. Niala! Welcome back to your domain! Has your voyage been satisfactory?”

  Niala ignored the questions and walked right up to the goblin, enveloping her in a hug, which Linzy tentatively returned.

  She let go of the goblin and stood a step back. “It was great! Well, some of it was great.” She then looked up at Gerat. “Hi!” She squeaked.

  Linzy quirked an eyebrow and leaned her head to look at David, who was entering the room behind the catkin. “Did Morgo spoil things?”

  Niala glanced over her shoulder at David before shaking her head. “No, no! Not at all! David was perfect, like always! We just... kind of got kidnapped. Twice, in my case. But! It's fine, David and I beat up all the bad guys! Mostly David!”

  Her eyebrows rose as she remembered something. “Oh! Linzy! We have a new friend to introduce! You're going to love him!”

  The goblin shoved off her question about the kidnapping as a much more interesting topic was offered. “A new friend, huh? Is he rich, single and horny for green cheeks?” She asked with a hungry grin.

  Niala blinked. “I... no? David?” She looked back at him.

  The man shrugged. “I guess horny could apply, in that he has horns, but he's spoken for.”

  Linzy tsked. “Worth a shot. So, what's this about kidnappings?”

  Niala, ears wiggling, opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when David put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head toward him.

  “Let's keep the story once we get everyone together? Over a good, hot, Niala-cooked dinner?” David proposed with intense eyes.

  Linzy's ears twitched. “Oh... Oh! David, my man! That's the best idea yer ever had!”

  Niala blinked, looking to the side, before she nodded. “That's actually a pretty good idea! It'll give everyone a reason to group up, I'll be able to give everyone their gifts!”

  Linzy nodded. “And I'll get to eat yer cookin' again!”

  “My cooking? Is it that important?”

  David answered for Linzy. “It is. I want to eat your cooking too.”

  Niala quirked an eyebrow. “But you ate my cooking during the trip, at the guest house...”

  “And that was days ago. I can't go that long without it.” David said, Linzy nodding along, while Lychee did clumsy circles around Niala's feet.

  The goblin woman looked down. “Oh, ya already met Lychee. She's grown big, huh?”

  “She has! What have you been feeding her?!” Niala asked, ears wiggling.

  Linzy rubbed the back of her head. “Ah, well... easier ta show you.” She picked up the rat from her head and deposited it on the desk, looking at it. “Papo, take care of the shop while I'm gone, please?”

  The rat nodded. “With pleasure, Ms. Linzy. This unit will handle customers as per your instructions.”

  The goblin nodded. “That's right. What do customers all secretly want?”

  “To feel smart.” The rat replied.

  Linzy grinned. “And how do we do that?”

  “We make them think they're underpaying for the product.”

  “Good lad! And don't forget to let Gerat out now and then, some people actually love talking to him!” Linzy added, before jumping off the bench and heading to the storeroom.

  David and Niala shared a glance, him shrugging and her slumping her brows, before following along.

  “Papo?” Niala asked.

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  Linzy glanced back, speaking over her shoulder. “Ah, the, huh, consciousness that shares Geralt's headspace?”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, it needed a name, an' discussing with it, they were usually called after the building they administered. Callin' it Panacea Potions was a big long in the mouth, so it's just Papo, now.”

  “Ah...” Niala said, glancing at David, who smiled and shrugged.

  Linzy walked up to a shelf full of empty potion bottles, with a small wooden crate at its feet, half-filled with what seemed to be dirty bottles.

  The goblin picked up one of the dirty bottles and put it down on the ground.

  Niala looked from the bottle to Linzy, opening her mouth to speak, but the goblin shook her head. “Jus' watch.” She said, pointing at the bottle.

  Niala looked down just in time to see Lychee amble up to the dirty glassware, grow a few extra feelers and enthusiastically pick up the bottle, jamming as much of itself as possible into it, and thoroughly slurping up the dregs of potions left within.

  By the time Lychee was done, the bottle looked immaculate.

  While a wide-eyed Niala walked over to the clean bottle and looked up at the shelf full of them, Linzy explained.

  “I had the idea to offer a few bits for empty bottles, to get people to bring them back instead of throwing them away. Each bottle brought back is one less we have to buy, and you know that bottles are worth a lot more than a few bits each, so we're saving a ton with this!”

  She pointed at Lychee. “I just needed a way ta properly clean them, and I sure wasn't going ta do each one by hand. At the beginning, I thought about jus' letting them soak in soapy water, but then one day ah found the bucket empty, an' Lychee tangled in the bottles, slurping them clean one by one. It's been working out great! And she's grown a lot doing it!” She finished with a grin, which went away when she spotted Niala's horrified expression.

  “What's wrong, boss?”

  Niala looked away from the shelf and at Linzy. “You've been feeding Lychee leftover otions?” She asked, her voice straining.

  “I... guess I have? Is that a problem?”

  “A problem!? Of course it's a problem! We have no idea what she's drunk and in which combination! It could result in any sort of effect! She-” Niala stopped her panicked outburst when David put a hand to her shoulder.

  “David...!” She exclaimed, pleading.”

  He pointed at Lychee with his chin. “You're forgetting it's a plant, moss, not an actual living thing.”

  Niala blinked, ears twitching. “I... I guess, but... It's still mixing so many different things together!”

  “Lychee doesn't seem to mind. Look at her.”

  She turned her head toward her pet, only to find it doing its best to clamber up the crate and into the feast of potions leftovers.

  Her ears started wiggling. She stepped up to Lychee and picked her up. The bumblemoss almost seemed to whine as it was pulled up and away from her meal, her feelers wagging desperately toward it.

  Niala turned to Linzy. “No more potion feeding to Lychee until I've run some tests on her, ok?” She asked, but her tone made it clear it wasn't a question.

  “Ah... ok, boss. Sorry if it's a problem.” The goblin said, rubbing the back of her head.

  Niala scrunched her lips and stared at the goblin for a few moments. Just as she was about to speak, they heard the front door slam open, and a familiar rumbling voice call out.

  “Ms. Linzy, people reported an unidentified airship landing close by. Is everything under control? Oh, hello Papo.” They heard Leandro say.

  They dropped the current topic and made their way back to the front, Papo answering the knight as they did.

  “Greetings, Sir Gustall. Everything is under control. No unknown entities have been noticed. Would you be interested in one of our premium potions? I am allowed to offer you a friend's discount of 10%.”

  Leandro sighed just as he noticed David and Niala, his tired face turning joyful. “Boy! Girl! You are back!” He exclaimed, walked up to his proteges, bringing Niala into a gentle bear hug, letting go of her and switching over to David, who noticed the man's evil grin too late to avoid the full strength bear hug.

  He resisted with all his might, but was left gasping for breath anyway.

  The large man laughed as he released David, giving him a battering slap on the back that had the young man stumble forward a few steps to keep from falling on his face.

  “Back and healthy, I see! Was that airship...?”

  Niala answered while David was trying to reach the sore spot on his back to massage the stinging skin.

  “Yes! That was my father's! The Alchemical Star! We got back here so fast thanks to it!”

  Leandro and Linzy stared blankly at the catkin.

  The goblin broke out of the daze. “Niala?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Would yer dad want to adopt a poor, orphaned goblin girl?”

  Naial tilted her head, ears twitching. “Who?”

  “Me.”

  “What? But you have a mom!”

  “I can get her to disown me.”

  “Linzy!” Niala called, tail straight.

  “Fine! Fine... worth a shot...” She said, kicking at the floor.

  David looked at Linzy. “Don't worry, you'll meet her dad at the wedding. You have until then to think up a ploy.”

  The goblin's ears twitched as a full-toothed smile slowly drew across her face.

  Niala turned toward David. “David!”

  “What?”

  “Don't give her ideas!”

  He frowned. “If your dad is busy trying to fend off that little green shark, he won't have as much time to mess with the wedding or give speeches.”

  Niala opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Eyes widening, she looked at the floor.

  “That's... it's... but...”

  “But it's a good idea?” He proposed.

  His only answer was a glare from his girlfriend, which told him he was right, but she didn't want to admit it.

  He took his victory and shut up about it, as was the way.

  He, unfortunately, forgot about the third, hidden aspect of winning an argument: not looking smug about it. By the time he remembered to school his features, it was too late. The look he found in Niala's eyes made him wince.

  Leandro inadvertently came to his rescue. “Ah! Girl, this reminds me, my friend arrived in town a few days ago. She has been setting up in her lodgings and lab, but she will be wanting to meet you.”

  The large man's unflappable facade suddenly looked a bit shakier. “I fear I will not hear the end of it unless I arrange for the two of you to meet as soon as possible.”

  Niala quirked an eyebrow and smirked, turning an eye toward David, who caught her smug look and sighed.

  She turned her attention back to the large man. “We were going to hold a welcome back feast tonight! You can invite her! Do you know if Karline is in town? She's invited too! And Hodge and Anaakendi, too, if they want.”

  Leandro nodded. “That will work. I will go and let her know. We shall be back for dinner, then. As for Karline, I believe Linzy would know best.” He smiled once more. “It is good to see you both! The town is pleasant enough, but it does not feel as lively without you two!” He declared, before slightly bowing and leaving.

  They waved the large man goodbye, turning to Linzy after he left.

  “Is Karline in town?” Niala asked.

  The goblin nodded. “She should be. She kinds of come and go, but she showed up yesterday for a bed. I haven't started ta ask her fer coin for ta bed yet, but...”

  Niala shook her head. “No, Karline has helped us a lot; she'll always have a bed in my home if she needs it.”

  Linzy shrugged. “Yer ta boss, boss! So, what are we eatin'?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Ya told Leandro we'd be having a dinner tonight. I'm guessin' something quick? It's already nearly third bell, doesn't leave that much time.”

  Niala froze.

  David looked at his girlfriend. “You just wanted to invite his friend over as soon as possible, so I could see I was wrong, and a dinner was the best thing you came up with, wasn't it?”

  “...No?” She said, her ears drooping.

  He tilted his head.

  “Whatever! Come with me!” She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

  “Where are we going?”

  “The market! Hurry! We don't have a lot of time!”

  David grinned as he let himself get pulled along.

  No need to try and win this one. In the end, he was the winner. Getting to eat a Niala-prepared dinner was always a win.