I woke up beside someone else, with their arm draped over me while a soft snore filled my ear. For a good minute, I remained motionless, feeling confused and trying to make sense of where I was at and what had happened. It was my pounding headache which gave me the first clue, and which triggered the cascade of memories.

Last night, I’d been out drinking with Bunny and Olivia when I’d discovered that my high vitality gave me a high tolerance for booze. I’d decided to test that tolerance to see how much I could handle, which had probably been a big mistake, because while drunk, I’d also decided to test something else. My new parts.

I’d found someone…a guy…and had gone home with him to see what sex was like as a woman. It had been decent and definitely different, but also a bit disappointing. It would have been because we were both drunk, or because he was bad in the sack. I wouldn’t know until I tried it again under different circumstances.

With that, I slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb the man who was still asleep. Once I was free and standing a few feet away, I looked down on him and remembered exactly whom I’d slept with. Owen Nash, one of the local Wardens.

“Just great,” I muttered to myself.

I looked around to find my clothes, which were scattered across the floor. Then I dressed in silence before leaving the room. Since Nash lived in the same building where I had my own room, it was a short distance ‘home’.

Once I was back in my own room, I stripped my clothes right back off and casually tossed them across my own floor before I hopped into the shower. And while I cleaned myself up, I thought about what I’d done and how I felt about it.

I’d had sex with a man, one who I barely knew, and I had then done the walk of shame. But in spite of that, I didn’t feel ashamed. Embarrassed, yes. Ashamed, no.

The idea of sleeping with a man didn’t horrify or disgust me, in spite of the fact that I’d previously been a straight man. Sure, this experience hadn’t been as satisfying as I would have hoped, but I’d still do it again. My new body and hormones obviously played a large part in this change of perspective, but it still seemed a bit soon. I would have expected this particular adjustment to have taken a lot longer.

“I am a woman now,” I said as I looked over my body, smiling wryly as I stared at my tits. “Definitely a woman.”

That fact didn’t bother me at all, and perhaps it should have. Where was my old masculine pride? Why wasn’t I holding onto the past as hard as Jace had been? Maybe my age and experience had given me a different perspective about this new lease on life. What I did know, was that I felt surprisingly comfortable as I now was, and that I was grateful for the second chance.

When I finished my shower, I looked myself over in the mirror, taking in the details as I did every time I saw my new reflection. This time, I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d look like if I had my hair styled nicely, and if I wore makeup and nicer clothes. I imagined that I could be quite a looker if I bothered to make the effort.

“Something to think about another time,” I mused as I pulled my hair back into the ponytail which had become my usual hairstyle. I liked having long hair, but I also liked keeping it out of my face. “For now, I need something to eat.”

By the time I reached the Broken Yardarm, my hangover had faded away almost entirely. It seemed that high vitality not only increased my alcohol tolerance but also sped up my recovery. Vitality was definitely my favorite stat, and I couldn’t wait to add more to it.

Bunny and Olivia were already inside, eating brunch and nursing their own hangovers. Olivia looked especially miserable, in spite of the fact that Bunny was physically younger. I vaguely remembered Bunny keeping her own booze consumption on the lighter side.

“So, how was it?” Bunny asked me as I sat down at the table. “Or more accurately, how was HE?”

I chuckled at that. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

Olivia snorted while Bunny snickered. “Shows how much you know,” Bunny responded with a broad grin. “Now spill.”

“It was…different,” I admitted.

“Just different?” Bunny asked, looking disappointed.

“Different good, or different bad?” Olivia asked.

“Yes,” I replied while they both gave me flat looks. I finally relented enough to add, “I would be willing to try it again…though preferably, while a bit more sober.”

Bunny looked as though she was about to say something more, but that was when Ace and Turtle arrived. The two men swept into the diner and plopped down at our table with cheerful greetings.

“Not so loud,” Olivia hissed.

Bunny nodded agreement. “It’s a little too early for you two to be so energetic.”

“What’s wrong?” Turtle asked with a worried look.

“Hangover,” I said simply.

Turtle and Ace both nodded in understanding, though Turtle asked, “Aren’t you too young for drinking?”

“Bite me,” Bunny responded with a quick flip of the bird.

“You aren’t as old as you used to be,” Turtle continued.

“Ain’t that the truth,” I added with a chuckle. “You know, youth really is wasted on the young.”

A short time later, we were all sitting there with food in front of us, eating in relative quiet. Bunny and Olivia were still feeling the effects of last night, though they seemed to be improving as the meal went on.

“I will definitely have to slot some vitality,” Olivia commented, giving me a dirty look.

“Extra vitality is great,” Turtle responded with a broad grin. “That and strength are my two main stats.”

Bunny nodded at that. “And I hear that increasing your vitality enough can slow down your aging.”

“That’s true,” Ace added with a serious expression. “I met this guy who was one of the first players in America. The guy respawned decades ago, but he only looks about thirty because he slotted so much vitality.”

“Another reason to slot more,” I commented with a chuckle.

“Every stat has advantages,” Olivia commented. “Including ones you might not realize at first.”

Just then, there was a loud noise from outside and nearly everyone turned to look out the window. I remained where I was, taking another bite of my pancake. Whatever the commotion was, it could wait until I’d finished eating.

“It looks like the stagecoach just arrived,” Turtle said.

I chuckled at the idea of there being an actual stagecoach running in the modern world, but I wasn’t surprised. Gideon Heights and other towns near Labyrinth entrances tended to operate on older methods. Since the horse and cart were the most reliable method of hauling goods, it only made sense that a stagecoach would be used for hauling people.

“They use the stagecoach to bring people to and from the relay station,” Bunny told me. “It’s basically a parking lot where people can switch over between the coach and their cars.”

“It’s right next to the Wardens other office,” Turtle offered.

“Oh shit,” exclaimed a man who was staring out the window. “This can’t be good.”

“What can’t be?” Ace asked.

The man who’d spoken pointed out the window. “You’ll never guess who just arrived in town.”

“Men in Grey,” someone else announced in a worried tone. “More of them just arrived.”

There was a bit of commotion about that in the diner, though I didn’t pay it any mind. Having Wardens arrive shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. After all, Davis and Nash would occasionally need help or even assignment rotations. However, I knew that there could be other reasons for extra Warden presence, reasons that might indicate trouble.

“I wonder what they’re here for,” Ace said, looking a bit nervous.

“With the Wardens,” Turtle added, scowling deeply, “there’s no telling.”

“Someone is in trouble,” Bunny stated, as though this was a simple fact. “I bet it’s Jace.”

“Not unless she got into more damn trouble since the last time we saw her,” I pointed out, barely bothering to look up from my food. “And I think we would have heard about that.”

I finished up my meal, then noticed that everyone else was eager to leave and get a better look at what was going on. I rolled my eyes at that, not bothering to hurry.

“You’re acting like you’ve never seen a Warden before,” I muttered in exasperation.

Once we were all finished, we paid our bill and made our way out of the diner. The stagecoach was parked in the middle of the street, looking almost like it had come right out of the old west. It was a reproduction, one that had probably been made using modern construction techniques, though you couldn’t really tell from one glance.

My attention turned to the people who were standing around in front of the stagecoach, having just unloaded all the baggage. Several suitcases and even a large foot locker were there while the owners were in conversation with Agents Davis and Nash.

Owen Nash saw me and gave me a faint nod, looking as though he was holding back a smile. I nodded back, keeping my own expression from revealing anything.

Then I looked at the newcomers, three Wardens who’d just arrived, each dressed in their familiar grey uniforms. Their stagecoach trip hadn’t been very far, only about five miles, but they seemed happy to have been out of the antiquated conveyance,

The first and youngest of the Wardens was a young man in his early twenties, with blonde hair and an almost eager expression. I immediately marked him as the rookie who was still in training. I’d seen enough of them in my time that his lack of experience was easy to spot.

Standing beside the rookie was a woman in her mid to late twenties. She looked to be Hispanic and had long dark hair that was pulled back into a braid. Her expression was serious, and she had an air of competence about her.

And then there was the last Warden, a middle-aged black man with hair and beard that were mostly grey. He stood ramrod straight, his expression a careful mask of calm professionalism. And for some reason, he seemed familiar to me. Real familiar.

“Oh crap,” I whispered as I suddenly realized where I knew that Warden from.

My first thought was that I should go say ‘hi’, while my second thought was that I should disappear instead. I might have become comfortable with my new body, but having someone who knew me from my old life seeing me like this… That would be awkward as hell.

Before I could make myself scares, Davis suddenly called out, “Hey, Maggie. Come on over here for a moment.”

“Damn,” I muttered before nodding back to her and heading her way.

“This is Maggie,” Davis introduced me to the newly arrived Wardens. “She’s one of the new players in town. Newly respawned.” Then she told me, “These are agents Harris, Ramirez, and McNichols.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said politely, trying to keep the smirk off my face as I looked at my old trainee Simon.

Davis stared at me for a moment before giving Simon a faint nod. I wasn’t sure that I liked that interaction, even though I wasn’t sure what it meant.

“So, what brings all the Warden presence into town?” I asked, mostly to change the subject.

“We’re investigating some rogue players,” the rookie, McNichols answered.

All four of the other Wardens glared at McNichols, who winced a little as he realized that he’d given away more than he probably should. I just kept my expression neutral since I was caught between the urge to laugh and to glare at him myself.

Ramirez cleared her throat and explained, “We’re working with Wardens stationed at each of the U.S. entrances, just in case the rogues are spotted.”

“But they are also here for something else,” Davis said, looking straight at me. “And that is why I wanted to talk with you and your team.” She looked up and gestured to the rest of my team, who’d been standing back and watching the exchange with curious and worried expressions. “If everyone will come to my office, I can explain.”

“Sure,” I agreed, curious about what they wanted.

Davis turned and began heading towards her nearby office, leaving everyone else to follow. However, she paused just beside her office to hang a couple pictures up on the bulletin board, ones which looked like old-school wanted posters.

I paused and looked over the pictures, scowling as I did so. These pictures had been printed out from video footage, so they showed each of the players in accurate detail. I immediately recognized not only those two players, but also the background where they stood in the pictures. That was the cafeteria in the old nursing home where I’d died. Obviously, these pictures had been taken from the security cameras on the ceiling.

For a moment, I just stood frozen, feeling a hard knot of rage rolling around in my gut. That was the man who’d murdered me…the men who were responsible for killing Margaret and who knew how many others in the home. Come hell or high water, they were going to pay for that.

Then, from my connection to Avexis, from where she sent me the primal power for my ‘Invocation of Spite’, I felt something else. I felt a sense of dark satisfaction.