Greg woke up to find Marina's face about three inches from his own. Her green eyes were staring at him with an intensity that was both adorable and scary.

"Good morning, my sweet blacksmith hero." She said with a smile.

Greg yelled and almost fell off his cot, which was impressive because he'd been sleeping on it for months without any problems. "Marina! What the fuck are you doing on my cot?"

Marina said, "Watching you sleep," as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "By the way, you snore. It's cute."

"I don't snore," Greg said, sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair. "And how long have you been there?"

Marina's smile turned into a sly grin. "Long enough to prove that you snore and talk in your sleep."

"You said something about a butter knife and a dragon? I have questions."

Greg moaned and put his hands over his face. It had been a week since they got back from the Crystal Coast, and Marina had apparently decided that her new favorite thing to do was to invade his personal space whenever she could. Although he didn't mind, he was finding it difficult to adjust.

"Marina, we've talked about this," Greg said, looking at her through his fingers. "Don't just stare at me while I sleep. It's creepy."

"But you sleep so well," Marina said as she sat down on the edge of his cot. "All the guilt and self-hatred just goes away. You look like you're really relaxed for once."

Greg's breath caught when she reached out and ran her finger along his jaw. Even after everything they'd been through and even after they were officially a couple, Marina's touch still made his heart race.

"Besides," Marina said, leaning in closer, "I'm your girlfriend now. I'm pretty sure getting too close to you is part of the job."

Greg said, "I doubt that's how relationships work," but he was smiling now even though he didn't want to.

"Then it's clear that you've never been in a relationship with me," Marina said, and before Greg could say anything, she kissed him.

It was soft and sweet, and it tasted like the mint tea Lylia had made the night before. Greg kissed her back without even thinking about it. Marina was smiling like she'd just won a prize when they finally let go of each other.

"Good morning to you too, by the way..." Greg said in a dry voice.

Marina said, "This is the best way to start the day."

"Get up now. Lylia made breakfast, and if we don't hurry, Bork will eat all the delicious bacon."

She bounced off toward the kitchen, and Greg watched her go with a mix of love and confusion. He thought this was his life now.

Despite enduring weeks of torture and witnessing her friends' deaths, Marina Ashwood maintained an annoyingly cheerful demeanor every morning. He had no idea what he had done to deserve being the luckiest man alive.

Greg got to the kitchen area after everyone else had already arrived. Lylia was flipping pancakes at the stove, and she did it quickly and accurately.

Elwen was setting the table, but she kept giving Marina dirty looks that made it clear she wasn't happy about the relationship announcement. Seraphine was reading a book and drinking tea, which is what she usually does in the morning.

Bork and Felix were having a loud and animated conversation about something that involved a lot of hand gestures. It was the third time that week that Mira had to reorganize the spice cabinet.

Mira was cleaning and setting up materials like always. And Donetta was just sitting there, smiling at everyone like she was in on a private joke.

Lylia said, "Good morning, Greg," without turning around. "Your girlfriend already took a piece of bacon. I'm writing this down for later."

"Traitor," Marina said with a mouthful of bacon. "I thought we were best buddies, Lylia!"

Lylia said, "We are friends. That's why I'm not kicking you out of my kitchen for taking food."

Greg saw the smile on her face when she finally turned around. Lylia seemed genuinely happy for Marina and Greg, even though she had been upset that Marina won the race for Greg's love. One of the things Greg liked most about her was how she could put her own feelings aside for the sake of others.

"Everyone, sit down," Lylia said as she brought over a giant plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. "We have a lot to talk about today."

Felix said, "Oh no."

"When Lylia says we have a lot to talk about, it usually means she's going to give us chores."

Lylia said, "You're right. But first, breakfast. You cannot begin the day without a full stomach."

Everyone started eating, and for a few minutes, the only sounds were forks and knives clinking and people groaning in pleasure when they tasted something delicious. Greg ended up sitting next to Marina, who had somehow gotten her legs to touch under the table. She would lean over and take food from his plate every few minutes, and when he tried to stop her, she would smile at him.

Greg said, "You have your own plate," after the third piece of bacon was stolen.

"But yours tastes better," Marina said in a naive way. "Scientists have shown that food that has been stolen is better than regular food."

Seraphine said, "That's not a real thing," without looking up from her book.

"It's now," Marina said. "I just made it a law."

Elwen said, "You can't make laws."

Marina said, "I can if I'm dating the most famous blacksmith in the area. It's called power through connection."

Greg said, "That's not how that works either."

"You're all just jealous," Marina said as she took another piece of bacon.

Lylia did start giving out tasks after breakfast, but they weren't as hard as the usual workshop chaos. Bork and Felix were responsible for putting the scrap materials that had been piling up in one corner of the workshop in order.

Seraphine had to finish putting together a list of all the things Greg had made for her research in the past few months. Elwen was supposed to work on her crafting skills, while Mira and Donetta were responsible for cleaning and organizing in general.

Marina asked, "What about Greg and me?"

Lylia looked at her with understanding. "You two are going on a real date."

Greg almost choked on his tea. "What's that?"

Lylia said again, "A date."

"You've been through a lot together, you've told each other how you feel, and now you're officially a couple. But you haven't really gone on a date yet."

"So today, you're going into the village and doing normal couple things. No dungeons, no monsters, and no life-threatening situations. Just a lovely, quiet day together."

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