Love in Flux

"I-I see," I said. "Of course." Cam set the bag of litter with her phone on the counter, and then we heard the flapping of wings as Paige took off and began flying in huge circles around the shop, squawking and honking all the while.

"Paige, do not start with that - I need to help these two out," Mira barked at the bird, and Paige made her way back to the counter and quickly folded herself into a book again. "Sorry about that - she can be a bit of a handful sometimes."

"Oh, we know," Cam added, as she looked around at the place. "So... I don't even know where to start with all of this. What would you recommend?"

"Well, I'd be happy to whip up a spell for you guys. That'd probably your best bet. I can do all sorts of things, so it's really up to you guys." Mira said, and then her eyes landed on Paige, and she gasped. "Oh, actually, that reminds me! You said earlier that you guys got lost in the woods for a bit, right?" We both nodded. "Well, it just so happens I've been working on a little something I was planning to try out when I got back here. I was going to use it while I looked around for Paige, but since you two found her, I figured you might be able to use it!" Mira snapped her fingers, and a golden band inlaid with three rubies appeared in the air next to her. She put her hand out and let it drop into her palm, then held it out toward us.

"A... ring?" I asked.

"It's more than just a ring; it's a magic ring! With this little guy on, you'll never get lost again. It's like a map and compass, all in one!" Cam raised her eyebrows at that, and she eyed the shiny ring in the pale woman's hand.

"How does it work, exactly?" she asked - I could tell the little trinket had definitely piqued her interest.

"All you do is slip it on and walk, and it will create a faint trace of magical energy that you can use to retrace your steps. You can also think about where you'd like to go, and the ring will lead you there - as long as you've been there before, of course."

"Oh, that does sound handy... especially for work," Cam said. "I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost."

"You'll also be able to instinctively tell which direction is North, and unlike a regular compass, it should work even through magical interference, like in the woods."

"Wait... are the woods going to stay like that... forever? With the vines, and wonky weather... and finicky magnetic field?"

"Well, if flowerfalls from other planes are anything to go by, the unpredictable weather patterns should calm down with time, but unfortunately, the vines and the electromagnetic interference will probably stick around. Without a pod to control them, though, I don't think you'll have to worry about them getting grabby anymore."

"Well, that's good, at least," Cam said, as she took the ring and examined it. "And I can... really have this for free?"

"Yes! You're welcome to it - it is my first crack at the spell, though, so there might be some hiccups. I haven't gotten a chance to give it a test run. Would you want to do the honors?" Cam eagerly slipped it on her finger, finding it a perfect fit. She smiled as she examined the glittering ring on her hand, and splayed out her fingers so I could see. Suddenly, she grimaced and put a hand to her head, and concern flooded Mira's features. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Y-yeah, Cam replied. "Just a little woozy." She shook her head and then opened her eyes a few seconds later. "Alright, I feel better now." Her body immediately swiveled in a direction, and she faced the front of the store. "Oh. Oh, wow!" Yep, that'd be North." She looked down at the unassuming ring on her finger, then back at Mira. "So, you, said I just have to... think about a destination?" Mira nodded, and a few seconds later, Cam's eyes widened as she turned toward me. "Babe, I know how to get back to the car now! It's like the route just... came to me, and I can even tell exactly how far away it is! It's like I've got a GPS in my head!"

"Woah, that's awesome!" I said, just before I looked back at Mira. "Thanks so much for this!"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all! I'm just glad I got the runes right on the first try. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"Me? No," I said, shaking my head. "Seriously, you've done more than enough for us."

"Are you sure? I always try and make sure all of my customers leave my shop satisfied," Mira said, with a grin. I nodded.

"Um, yeah, it's alright," I said, as I looked over toward Cam. "I'm just happy she's happy." I suddenly remembered the business card in my pocket. "Oh, by the way, I've still got your business card. You can have it back." I fished it out and held it up to her.

"Why don't you go ahead and keep it? If you change your mind and think of anything you'd like, you can give me a call, and I'll be back as soon as I can. As long as you've got the card on you, I can pop in close by - hopefully not so close, though, next time."

"Alright," I said, taking one more look at the business card and shoved it back in my pocket. We heard another ding, and Mira checked her watch again.

"Well, how about that? The engine's all warmed up and ready to go. I really should be heading back to my usual haunt soon - I've got some things to take care of by tomorrow afternoon - I wouldn't want to be late for Margarita Monday!" Mira looked over at Cam. "Actually, if you don't mind, I've got another favor to ask before I go."

"Hmm? What is it?" Mira blushed a bit before she spoke up again.

"Well, it's less of a favor and more of a... business proposition. I was wondering if you'd be willing to sell me that pollen of yours. It wouldn't be much - a few vials a month, maybe? It'd probably take an hour of your time here in the shop... I-I'd pay you for it, obviously."

"Um, I... guess. How much would I get?"

"Well, if that sample was anything to go by, it's pretty high quality stuff. I'd be willing to pay you, oh... how does four hundred dollars sound?"

"Four hundred dollars?! For me to sit around for an hour and waggle my fingers? That's fine by me!"

"Well, just so you know, time passes more slowly here in the shop, so it'd actually only be about six minutes outside."

"Oh. Well, shoot, that's even better. Whatever time travel sorcery you've got going on here is fine by me. I'll bring a book." Mira clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Wonderful! That way I don't have to deal with finding new suppliers all the time at the bazaar." She looked over at me next. "If you'd like, you can come look around at more of my wares - see if you can't find something that catches your eye, hmm?"

"Fine by me," I said, and Mira nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Alright, then - it's a deal. Actually, if you could leave your phone number with me, I'll be in touch." I gave her mine, and Cam looked at the bag of litter still lying on the counter.

"Uh, I'll still give you mine - hopefully this litter works." That done, we both headed over to the door, and Mira opened it so we could leave.

"You might want to stand back a bit and wait for the shop to leave. Once I'm gone, your cabin should be waiting for you!" We nodded and did as we were told, and headed away from the shop a bit. It was a strange little building, somehow managing to be unassuming and stick out like a sore thumb all at once - though that might have been due to the huge, neon 'Mira's Marvel's' sign.

A couple seconds later, the clearing began to shake, and then the shop disappeared a hazy flash of light that slowly faded away, and sure enough, the cabin was sitting there, looking the same as it had before. We both headed inside to find everything just as we had left it.

"Well, it's certainly been an interesting day, hasn't it?" I asked.

"It's been one hell of a weekend," Cam replied, looking down at her ring. "It hasn't been all bad, though, I gotta say. A little messy at first, but I'm glad it all worked out. By the way, why didn't you ask for anything from Mira?" I looked over at Cammie and smiled.

"I don't need any potions, or magic rings, or anything like that," I said. "As long as I've got you, that's all I need, babe." Cammie feigned gagging, and then her fake gagging evolved into a fit of laughter.

"Jesus, babe, that was even worse than the hummingbird pun!" I started chuckling, too, and soon we were both laughing. Once we had calmed down, Cam wiped a tear from her neon-blue eye and pointed toward the stairwell at the back of the cabin. "Alright, you goofball - what do you want to do next? I wouldn't mind finishing that nap."

"Oh, really?" I asked, with a smirk. "I figured you'd be raring to go play around with your new toy... enjoy the great outdoors some more."

"I've had enough of the great outdoors for one weekend, I think. But at least we can make it back to the car tomorrow with no trouble. No, I was thinking we take it easy the rest of the day - soak in the hot tub, actually catch that sunset, take a soak in the hot tub... and then maybe we could have a little more fun?"

"Sounds like my kind of night," I said. "But first let's head upstairs and get that bedroom back in order."

"Right," Cam said, as she headed off toward the stairs.

Strangely enough, the bedroom was already in perfect condition - the earlier effects of Mira's unexpected landing were totally absent.

"Well, never mind, then," I said. We both looked at each other and shrugged, then stripped down and slid under the covers. I looked over at Cam, and she had a dreamy smile on her face as she plopped her head down on the shoulder. She put her arms around me and then snuggled up against me, and I hugged her right back.

"I love you, babe. Thanks for being there for me this weekend."

"No problem, Cam. You know, I don't really feel like I learned much about surviving in the wild, though."

"Well, no, but we learned about other things! Like how magic is real, and alien weeds... and about these crazy powers of mine. But trust me, you'll be a survival expert in no time, babe. Next time, we can camp out for real. It'll be the whole survival experience... just you and me together under the stars - plus we won't even need to bring a tent!" My first outing in the woods had been absolutely insane, and more than a little stressful, but despite that, I wouldn't trade it for anything. After the events of the last couple days, I thought I'd had enough of these crazy woods for one lifetime, but as I smiled at Cammie and ran my fingers along the beautiful blue swirls than ran down her skin, I realized that sounded like the best idea in the world.