Walking back toward the barrier, both Elegard and Mylo recognised the figure working a shift at the front line. Port Harvey finished with the current Munst, and his expression soured as he stared at the two figures. A mixture of fear and apprehension filled his entire frame as he began to clutch the clipboard tightly.

“Two of my worst enemies walking toward me...joy,” he mumbled to himself, unaware both could hear him. Still, they simply continued past, discussing some new drink the dragon had yet to try.

“And this ‘alcohol’...is good? You’re literally drinking rotten food.” Utterly flabbergasted—that was the word Mylo would use to describe the situation. A soft laugh left Elegard.

“It’s not rotten. Some food ages gracefully. Ever had cheese? It’s like that.” Another laugh left him as Mylo shook his head. This would be fun. As their conversation faded into the crowd, Port let out a relieved breath. It was all too easy to focus on the shift ahead of him, at least until it was done.

Clocking out, he made his way through the town and toward the bakery, opening the door and adjusting the blue wrist bracelet as the baker moved to pluck out a similarly colored cupcake with a bright smile.

“Good afternoon. How was work?” She leaned forward on the table as Port quietly nibbled the cupcake. Each bite was a delaying tactic, but eventually no more remained to protect him from the question.

“Terrible. I ran into that dragon AND that soldier, talking together like friends!” The entire situation was stressful enough without those two powder kegs. A quiet look from Enis caught his attention though.

“Mmmn, yeah that sounds rough. Must have been really scary,” she responded as she moved to pull out a folder and leaf through to a page. The decision she had come to was one she knew Port would hate.

“Well, I’ve been hoping you’d stop by. I wanted to show you my decision,” she said, tapping a picture of a scaled, crocodilian Munst. Making a move to snatch the folder away, Port stared at them and was already preparing to say no.

“Before you speak! Hear me out, Port.” Lifting a hand, Enis frowned softly. With a begrudging sigh, Port put the folder down and listened.

“Out of the Munst, only three aren’t furred. I’m not going to risk getting fur in my baking, it’s easier to just get someone with scales. The small kobold has found a job, and the other is an insect. I chose Gator because he’s strong and suitable for the job. Now, if you can think of any reason besides them being a Munst for me to deny it, let’s hear it.” Folding her arms, Enis waited.

“...” he sighed. “Alright. You win. But I don’t think this is a good idea.” Lowering his head, Port stared at the image. Moving over, Enis placed a hand on his shoulder and briefly rested her head on his cheek.

“Relax. I know. I’ll be careful.” She stepped away and moved to head for the entrance. She flicked the sign into the closed position and glanced back at him.

“So. Newtflox, or Punimation?” That got Port to relax, moving to shuffle over and cup her hands with a glimmer of moisture in his eyes.

“Really? I can pick? Ok ok, I’ve got the perfect anime. It’s about this guy and girl that become a giant spacewoman and then float through space together for the rest of eternity.” Following her out, Port waited as she locked up, and they began to walk the short distance to Enis’s home.

“Is this another mecha anime?” A sigh left Enis as she smiled at her geek boyfriend, watching him try to weasel his way into getting them to watch it. The door was unlocked as she relented, and she called out to the AI that ran her room.

“I got guests over. Load design 2 please.” There was a pleasant booping and a brief chime as the plain room and furniture changed into a proper geek paradise. Posters and various items lined the walls. Two robots hovered out from the ceiling and lifted the couch away as two saggy bean bags plopped to the ground. There was a buttering pop as the popcorn began to cook in the kitchen.

Moving to flip into a bean bag, Port began to flick through the items on the tv to get them to the proper media. Enis joined with soda and popcorn and set it between them with a bag of chips for a light after-snack. Moving to press play, the two watched as it began.

“I’ll admit this story is interesting,” mused Enis as they went through it episode by episode. A stifled laugh left Port as he waited for the midseason finale. When it hit, Enis stared in shock.

“...Why did we spend 4 episodes on a marriage of background characters...Pooort.” Turning to glower at him suspiciously, Enis stared as he began to break down laughing.

“Trust me! It gets really, pff, good!” Trying to hide his laughter, Port watched as episode after episode passed.

“A-What- Why! How!?” When the final episodes hit, Enis was absolutely broken, and Port laughed alongside her. They both watched as a giant mech became a woman and fought a space armada.

“I know! Isn’t it amazing?” With a grin, Port watched as Enis pouted for a moment, then relented and began to laugh alongside him.

“Ok ok, you win. This is hilarious.” The two continued to laugh and laugh as the ending got sappier and sappier, each 30-minute interval filled with their laughter until the show finally moved to an end. The two had exhausted all of their snacks, and so Enis moved to the kitchen to order some more.

“We should get ready for bed. It’s already 2am,” she called out. A soft smile graced Port as he merely prepared the next item of media to watch.

“Why are you putting something else on—is that super monkey ranger force?” Immediately Enis was sitting and munching on the refreshed treats. “Ok, but only two more hours,” she warned him as he merely grinned.

“Of course,” he spoke. Both knew it would be dawn before they actually got to sleep.