Diffidence and the Rift

Diffidence Obedience Atonement Smythe is a grad student who prefers to never use his full name. Ever. He's finishing a PhD in extemporaneous magic, and his research project for his dissertation is closing the Rift between worlds that he accidentally opened when he was thirteen. Obviously, caffeine is an important part of his life. Ergi Thusol-Von Klempt is a half-orc who works in the infamous Goblin Market, selling magical pastries to those who need them—or, in Diff's case, just want them. He's got bubblegum-pink hair, lovely lilac skin, and a smile like sunshine, at least if you ask Diff. Ergi is intrigued by his frazzled, but handsome, frequent customer. The Goblin Market is a magical space that anyone can find if they truly need it, and most people visit once or twice if at all. Diff is there several times a week as he untangles the layered mysteries of the Rift, and has had years to develop his crush on Ergi. In this cozy urban fantasy, Diff and Ergi find some solutions to life's problems in the Market, along with the courage to talk to each other. Diff might even find a future beyond the Rift that has consumed over a decade of his life. Contains mature themes.