***

  Gestalt and I rerun the morning assassination attempt over and over, spending time working out what went correctly and what I could have done differently.

  The obvious was the freezing. Without Gestalt, freezing up like that would have killed me.

  [We can rerun the scenario, if you like?]

  'What do you mean?'

  [We do not have to watch this from third person, and we do not have to replay the event exactly the same.]

  'We can train?'

  [Yes.]

  'Hell yeah. Let's give it a go!'

  We spend the rest of the night trying different methods and ways to handle the situation. It's not perfect by any means, I'm asleep, so I'm not using my real body, and everything in the dream has a weird weightlessness to it.

  Also realized another thing.

  This is video games! I have video games back, baby!

  The whole thing is like the best VR setup that money can buy. We start running through some other scenarios; Gestalt had a gunfighter as one of their brains. It was the first time I had interacted with one of their brains more independently from the rest of the Gestalt.

  Major Roger Williems used to be his name. Had me running through a bunch of his memories from his former life. Nice guy, though he didn't stay out long before asking to be re-subsumed into the Gestalt. Apparently it's uncomfortable for a brain to be independent for too long.

  With all this new training, hopefully next time the shit hits I won't freeze.

  ***

  Woke up in spooky hotel. Maria has already woken and Lillian has rolled over. Her arm flopped across my chest and her drool on my shoulder. I'm surprised that my gay panic doesn't set off. I guess I just never really got the vibe from Lillian, not like Daisy. To be fair I don't think Daisy could have made it more obvious if she tried.

  Not that I push Lillian off me. Lils is still hot as fuck in that MMA fighter kind of way.

  When she slowly comes too, I look down at her. "Morning Princess." I said with the biggest shit eating grin.

  All I got back was a groggy little "Fuck off." As she rolled away from me.

  "Where’s Maria?" She asked.

  "Don't know, only just woke up myself. I doubt she's far, maybe trying to get breakfast?" Maria's family seem to be big on breakfast. I never really bothered back on earth. Less breakfast meant more sleep. Though I am waking up a lot earlier these days, I'm going to sleep earlier too.

  I don't want to say it was the phone keeping me up at night. But it was, wasn't it.

  [Yes.]

  'Nobody asked you.'

  Lillain rolled out of bed and started stripping. Which surprised me. I wasn't able to hold back the tiny little "Meeek" that slipped my tongue.

  I roll over into the pillows. My face is aflame. I'm not crushing on Lillian, but that doesn't mean I'm dead. Boobs are boobs.

  She has really good boobs as well. I’m guessing B cup, but perfectly shaped. I briefly wonder if I can get Gestalt to replay this memory in dream land.

  [No, and gross.]

  'Hey, I would be dreaming about them without you! Who are you to deprive me of booby dreams!?'

  [We will put your dreams to better use.]

  Damn, I can't even get laid in my dreams now. Life sucks.

  "You alright?" I hear from the person that still hasn't put any clothes on.

  "Yep yep, totally fine. Put on a shirt maybe?"

  "Why? ...wait, are your ears red? Are you blushing?"

  "No, shut up!" I squeal. All my dignity has gone.

  "Hah, didn't peg you for a Sapphist. You don't look the type."

  "What does that mean?" Now I'm indignant.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  "You are all girly. You put on make up and stuff?"

  "Look, honestly I do most of this because I'm bored. My home realm had a lot going on all the time. Most of it was time wasting brain rot. But I'm used to a certain pace, you know. Anyway, how do you know about Sapphists? Princess."

  Lillain just laughed at that. "I grew up on Arthurian. If you think the City is slow then you have no idea how boring that place can be. In winter there really is nothing to do other than sleep, eat and fuck. And being a Princess, I can't really go around fucking the hot guard boys can I."

  "So?"

  "Princesses often sleep with their hand maids to keep warm. Castles get really fucking cold in winter. Long very boring nights, things just kinda happen. I tried it a few times, mostly because of boredom." She shrugs her shoulders. "Not really my thing. I like a nice hard chest, broad shoulders, fat coc..."

  "Yes. Yes. I got the message." I cut her off. I can't believe the fucking straight girl has gotten more action than me! Life is so unfair.

  "Hah, I knew you were the shy type. I can introduce you to my hand maiden if you want." It is now her turn to wear the shit eating grin. "She would eat a girl like you alive."

  "NO! No thank you, that's quite alright." I turned her down.

  Wait, why am turning her down again? Maybe her handmaiden is hot? I get the feeling it was her leading it, so it's not like a weird forcing your servant thing.

  Oh.

  [You want your first time to be special.]

  Oh, no. I am the shy type! When did I become so, so... basic?!

  Lillian thankfully put some clothes on, barely flashing me in the process. Fucking straight girls. "Are you going to get dressed?" She asked, while flopping down on the bed, head in her hands, just staring at me.

  "Fuck off. Leave the room and I will."

  "Why though? We are all just girls here." She said with a smirk.

  I am a mature and confident woman. So I don't pout at her like a six year old.

  And no one can prove I did.

  Lillian laughed and threw a pillow at me. "Fine, be like that. Shame though, maybe you would have been the one to make me switch sides."

  I just gave her the middle finger as she left.

  ***

  After a quick change, I joined Maria and Lillian for breakfast. There is a little cafe area just off the hotel lobby. Spooky as shit just like the rest of the hotel. One of the mirrors did try to scream at me but I just ignored it. Screaming mirrors are overplayed and if Maria was worried about the place we wouldn't be here. Honestly, the whole place gives tourist trap vibes.

  I'm laying it on thick during breakfast. "Can I cut your toast, Princess." and "Princess may I please pour you a glass of juice. It would be my honor." Serves her right for fucking with me this morning.

  "You know you are more of a Princess than I am right?" She pointed out.

  "You're making jokes about how I dress again?" I can't help that I look fucking amazing in a corset. It would be a crime not to wear one.

  "No. I'm a third Princess of some two bit nation in a backwards realm that nobody cares about. You are de facto ward to Maria Rockwood. The dean of the Academy. The highest position possible in the City of Doors."

  I look at Maria, and give her a 'is this true?' look.

  She was currently eating, so all she did was give a slight head tilt to the side and throw up a shaking hand gesture. The universal sign for 'Kinda'.

  I sit back in my chair. I don't slump, because corset. Damn, I'm kind of a princess? Well closer to a president's daughter I guess. Adopted, not that I have been adopted. But I have been claimed. Openly.

  Wild.

  I don't give Lillian anymore shit about being a princess after that.

  ***

  We finish up breakfast and head off on our next leg of the journey.

  Horse and carriage for the next part. Of course, Morgoth being the realm of the comically spooky. The carriage is black and gothic and the horses are skeletons. Never was a horse girl. Honestly I think them being skeletons has improved them somewhat.

  Rifts, as it turns out, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are the obvious ones, like the big tears in reality that surround the City of Doors. Those are big enough to drive trains through. There are the little tears, like the one connecting my core to my domain. These little ones are also how rift walkers pull mana from all over as well. Giving them a massive advantage over normal mages that can only pull mana from their local surroundings.

  And then there are the weird rifts. Pick up a kettle, turn it ninety degrees clockwise, and when you put it down again you are suddenly in a different realm. The rift blends the two environments so you won't even notice at first.

  We had been traveling most of the day by carriage. Not as fun as the train and my spine felt like someone fucked it up with a jack hammer.

  The clouds are thick and dark overhead, the trees bare and the lands spooky. We arrive at a creepy little church in the middle of nowhere. I followed Maria inside, where she walked up to a painting of a bleeding lady. It's hung crooked on the wall. Maria straightened it, then turned around and left the church.

  I followed. The thick clouds are gone. Replaced by the slightly ruddy sky of early evening. The fields are green and the trees are full. There is still a carriage, but the horses are very much alive. Ugh I think one of them had taken a shit. I knew skeleton horses were better.

  "This Arthurian?" I asked Lillian.

  "Yeah, this is home."

  The realm really did look like a painting of classical fantasy. I keep expecting to run across a wizard pondering his orb.

  We don't arrive at Lillain's home castle until late. I spent most of the carriage journey practicing cycling mana, which I still suck at, or practicing my reload trick. Which I can mostly do without thinking at this point.

  There's a whole fan fair when we pull up to the castle. Which honestly makes sense now that I know how much of a big wig Maria is. The fact she is the most powerful person of multiple realms is quite the trip. She really doesn't show it off. I guess that's why I just thought of her as Maria the cop for so long.

  We are beat after a long day of traveling, so we turn in pretty much as soon as we arrive. Lillian threatened me with her handmaid. Who was in fact hot. But I manage to hide behind Maria who shuts that shit down.

  I fell asleep early, ready for some more video games!

  I mean dream training.

  Yeah, that.

  ***