This story is meant to be fairly wholesome and for most viewers. However…
*This story includes numerous LGBTQ characters, with transgender main characters.
*Some heavy themes, particularly homelessness and searching for a lost friend, are found.
*There are depictions of assault and abuse some may find troubling.

Roland’s Story (Part 1)

It was just after Christmas. Roland was still in the heart of the Citadel Harbor University Catacombs, in his temporary dorm within the vast underground network. The people here… A part of him didn’t want to leave for Fireleaf Hills when spring arrived (or when his new RV was finished – whichever came last). The people here didn’t bat an eye to him being trans, and they regularly made sure they got his pronouns right. Even though he wore pink and…

He looked down. His unbound chest was enormous. He sighed. Dysphoria had been a constant companion in his life, to the point he realized now he might have numbed himself to it a little. But then he came here, and everyone did what they could to make him feel better. Almost no “madams” or “misses,” no one trying to spit in his face or harass him. Now he knew why Kaylee and Andrea loved the place.

And if it wasn’t for that strange, otherworldly advice from Ariel and the subsequent suggestions from the rest of their friends, he’d still be dealing with all of that at home.

When Ariel returned to his life as an Angelic Genie, she out-of-nowhere recommended that Roland should, instead of trying to save up for a home, try to save up for the shell of a school bus to convert into an RV. Given she seemed out of it just after that, Roland decided to heed the seemingly divine advice. A couple of months later, he found such a shell he could afford, in which Kaylee and Kit suggested that he find a way to get it over to Citadel Harbor University where, thanks to being friends with magical folks, he could get a full RV built for free from the people there. A teleport with Ariel later, and here he was.

Better than trying to keep warm in his SUV. A lot better.

But unlike most days, the Catacombs were quiet. Heavy snow trapped the residents of Citadel Harbor in their homes, and all traffic in the city came to a halt. A whopping two feet of snow overnight will do that. The only people that could make it were the ones who already had dorms within CHU like him, or the merfolk who could swim into one of the seaside loading docks from elsewhere.

Honestly, he needed interaction. It gave him something else to think about other than the parts of himself he felt were wrong. And he wasn’t getting that today.

Unless…

He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. He knew someone would hear it… “Ariel, I’m feeling lonely today. And I admit, my dysphoria is hitting hard today because of it. Can you help me?” He took a deep breath, hoping she’d hear.

He then felt an odd breeze come from behind. He turned around, and there was a circular gateway, with Ariel’s cabin-like living space on full display. Ariel was sitting on the couch, looking right at him. “Hey, Roland! Sorry to hear that. You want to come over to my place for a while?”

For everything he’d already encountered in the past few months, he was still getting used to magical spectacles like this. “Uh, sure… If you don’t have anything important to do…”

“Nah, Heather and her family are doing just fine. Their vacation is going pretty well, even with Frua here with us. I was just taking some time to relax,” she replied, smiling. “Besides, you’re a good friend, Roland. I’d love to spend some time with you!”

Roland nodded with a smile and walked up to the portal. He hesitated for a moment at the event horizon.

“Don’t worry! If you bump the edge, it’s like a solid object. No harm unless you really throw yourself at it. Or trip on the edge walking through… I may have done that a couple of times myself…” Ariel admitted.

Roland carefully stepped over the bottom edge of the portal and through it. He looked around as the portal closed behind him. “So this is your… Vessel?”

Ariel nodded, smiling.

“Um, question. Are we super tiny in here or something?”

“It’s its own dimension in here. You’re as big as you want to think of yourself as.”

“O-kay…” He admitted the mind-bending concepts of space and time that Ariel now opens up as a genie often fly straight over his head. He sat down on the couch, suddenly relaxing as he sank into it. “Oh my gosh… This feels so good…”

“Hehe, yup! I wanted the most divine couch to sit in, and well, it happened!”

“And this is your life every day now. I still can’t wrap my head around it…”

“I mean, I’m the genie here, and sometimes I can’t either!” Ariel admitted. They both chuckled.

Ariel looked down. She could see easily that Roland wasn’t wearing a binder. “Do you need a binder, or…?”

“Well, you’re not supposed to wear one all the time. I figured I wasn’t going anywhere today, not meeting people, so binder off for the day. Still, yeah, I’m not moving around too much today if I can help it…” He sank lower into the couch. “Oooooh, this just melts the back pain away…” he sighed contently.

“Well, if you need anything, I can get it for you! Go ahead and relax, Roland.”

He was too comfortable to say anything. He just smiled.

Ariel smiled back. “Anything you want to do? I got plenty of games! And books, but you wanted to talk with someone, so that’s not quite a good idea… I could make some food, or-“

“Hey, now. I know you can ramble a bit. We can figure out more later. It’s still early, at least for me. Just take a moment…”

“Okay. You know… You know everything about what happened to me since I became a genie. But I never got to hear how things went for you…”

“You… You really want to hear that?”

Ariel sat cross-legged on the floor, looking at him with full attention. She nodded, smiling. There was something about this that was endearing, Roland had to admit. Here she was, an immortal, unageing magical being now, and she was still the cute human girl she always was (even if some would dispute that because of who she was born as). She was like a little girl ready for storytime.

Roland chuckled. “Well, I just want to recount that day you rescued me from the ‘suits.’ You remember that bunch…”

=== August 4, 2021 ===

“N-n-no, please! I don’t have anything left!” Roland stuttered as he backed into a corner.

“Of course you do!” snarled the woman in the black suit. “Live entertainment! Please scream a little, will you?”

The “black suits,” a bunch of people who seemed to run Fireleaf Hills from the shadows. He knew these people well. Sort of. No one really knew who they worked for, but they were brutal to just about anyone they came across. Especially to those homeless and especially trans. And Roland was both.

Roland braced himself, but out of nowhere, the woman’s partner fell on his face, unconscious! A boy, probably in his late teens, came out of nowhere and hit him in the back with a two by four. “L-leave her alone…” he stuttered.

“Oh, you think you’re so brave? Just wait until our boss hears about this! Then we’ll have some real fun with you!”

The woman lunged at the scrawny boy, but with determined eyes, he swung the two by four with all his might, smashing the beam to splinters on the side of the woman’s head. She was out cold, but still breathing.

He dropped it and held a hand out to Roland. “H-hey, need some help?”

Roland took the hand. “Hey, thanks. And, um, I’m not actually a girl, despite what I may look like. I’m a guy. Name’s Roland Mitchell.”

“O-oh! S-sorry about that. I-I’m…” the boy started. He – or rather she – switched to a whisper. “I’m not a boy, I’m a girl. O-on the inside, I mean.”

“Seriously, I won’t judge you on that. Have a name, miss?”

She blushed at the title. “I-I don’t know. J-Joel – I mean, Ariel…?” she said slowly. “A-Ariel Arden-Smith.”

“Arden-Smith!? The kid of the family that practically owns half of the city!?”

She nodded, clearly ashamed. “I… I don’t have a home anymore. Or anything more than the clothes on my back… Mom threw me out a couple of hours ago. Still hurts…”

Roland noticed markings where her shirt had rubbed against her neck, like she was picked up by her shirt (and who knows where else) and physically tossed onto the street. There were rumors about the family, but this was just inhuman.

“Well, Ariel, I’ve been out here for a while. I’ve been homeless for a couple of years now. And you seem like a good girl. You protected me, so it’s only fair if I do the same!”

“R-really!!?” Ariel lunged forward and hugged him, tears coming from her eyes. “Thank you m- I mean, sir!”

Roland returned the hug. “Now, Ariel, think you’d be okay thumbing through some trash?”

“Sounds gross. Why?”

“Well, I think you need a bit more ‘girl’ in your life. And, well, seeing as you don’t seem to have money, and I have little myself, the cheapest option is…”

“The dumpster.”

“Sorry.”

“No, if it’s what I have to do… And, not hurt anyone, I’ll do it.”

“The apple fell far from the tree…” Roland muttered. “Alright, Ariel, follow me!”

=======

“And I was still wearing the skirt and bra we found when I became a genie. Actually, they’re still a part of my outfit, now that I think about it…”

“Eww.”

“Well, yeah, you’re right,” Ariel chuckled. “But they’re clean now, don’t worry! Anyway, is it just me, or was Fireleaf Hills filled with psychopaths?”

“You have NO idea… But there were good people too, just like the one that helped me just over a year later…”

END OF PART 1

By Erica Chrisman (CrystalSeaDragon44)