Page 35 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"Good evening, Hildegard," Magnus said warmly, then nodded to Tim.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Hildegard offered. "Beer? Wine? I think I have some of that mead you like."
"Mead would be perfect, thank you."
"Tim? Another beer?"
"Sure," he said, though he'd barely touched his first one.
Hildegard disappeared into the kitchen, and Magnus settled into the armchair.
"You look good," Magnus said. "Hildegard must be working you hard."
"She is." Tim glanced down at himself.
He'd grown four inches and put on muscle mass that would have taken years of gym work to achieve as a human. His clothes had all had to be replaced, and he sometimes still misjudged his new strength.
"It feels weird," Tim admitted. "I broke three coffee mugs in the first week."
Magnus chuckled. "I still remember that phase, even though it was a long time ago, and I was a teenager at the time. The key is to always assume things are more fragile than you think, and it's especially important to remember when being intimate with human ladies."
Tim wasn't intimate with anyone, human or immortal.
Hildegard returned with their drinks, handing Magnus a large mug of mead and placing a fresh beer in front of Tim.
"I will leave you boys to talk," she said. "I'll watch the latest romcom in my room." She cast Tim a smile. "I didn't want to subject you to the torture of having to watch it with me."
He dipped his head. "That's much appreciated, but I wouldn't have minded at all. Would have given me more material to make fun of."
She laughed. "That's why I didn't want to watch it with you. Some things are not supposed to be made fun of."
"I disagree."
"I know." She continued walking and waved at them before disappearing into the corridor.
Tim waited until he heard her door close before slumping back against the couch.
"That bad?" Magnus asked, taking a sip of his mead.
Tim groaned. "We live together, but we're like a couple of polite roommates. I don't even know if she's interested in me that way."
Magnus studied him for a moment. "Have you tried talking to her?"
"And say what? 'Hey, Hildegard, I know you invited me to live here out of pity because I had nowhere else to go after my transition and needed physical therapy, but I have feelings for you?' That's so romantic that she will right away fall into my arms and kiss me breathless." He batted his eyelashes.
Magnus set down his mug. "Hildegard doesn't do anything out of pity. If she invited you to stay, it's because she wanted you here."
"As a roommate."
"Maybe. Or maybe she's waiting for you to make a move." Magnus leaned back, the chair creaking ominously. "What was your experience like with women before your transition?"
Tim felt heat rise to his face. "Not extensive."
Magnus waited, patient as a mountain.
"Fine. Nearly nonexistent," Tim admitted. "I went on a few dates in college, none of which led to a second date. After that, I threwmyself into my work and pizza." He patted his flat stomach. "I'm glad that's at least fixed. I never liked to watch what I ate." He picked at the label on his beer bottle. "I actually looked into those companion robots. You know, the really sophisticated ones from Japan? I figured if I couldn't connect with a real woman, maybe an artificial one would be better than nothing." He snorted. "The best part about them is that you can put them in the closet when you are not interested in their company. I pity men who have to listen to their wives' nonstop gabbing."
He was such a liar. He would have gladly listened to endless gabbing from a woman if she actually gave a damn about him. It would have been music to his ears.
