Lunch was maybe the best experience I’ve had in a one hour period. I briefly panicked afterward as I thought maybe my tryout would be immediately after lunch, however, I am not that important: It’s two days from now.

  I message Hamster to ask if we still have a gaming session today and he confirms with six hours of booked time. Good thing I asked my secretary to have grub for us. I message Jessie telling her that she absolutely needs to be here day after tomorrow to help me through the gaming media and coordinating stuff. I don’t know I’m panicking and I want my peeps around.

  When I get to the ATC game room, I find that we’re not in sync time and that there are more people around than just Darth Hamster. I know who they are, the top laner from Orion Black, Callout, is here with Bossboi, their mid-laner, and a team full of other folks I have never seen before.

  Hamster speaks first. “Everyone, this is Zhantsa. She’s pro in five games and was the MVP of the Valkyries team in Worlds. Zhansta, you will be playing with our b-team.” He just states it as fact and expects me to sit and spam keys.

  I find a seat and introduce myself, though the gamers on the b-team give no shits and wonder why I’m coming in. Despite Hamster saying why I should be here, they tell me not to suck too bad. It doesn’t seem like Ham to plan this level of sabotage, but I’ll just take it one mob at a time and see what his plan really is.

  I’ve never seriously played roam before, so it takes a few games of getting screamed at before I can stuff my foot into that banshee’s mouth and actually compete on a competent level. Six games later I’m trading computer-nominated MVP’s with the mid-laner. Ham may have called them the b-team but they have the talent to be every bit as good as my old team, save that everyone on this team is trying to stand out and the team cohesion is not fantastic.

  The last few games of our six-hour period, I have enough confidence and a feel for our team’s playstyles that I start yapping into the mic to try and get the individuals to be more team-like. I’d like to say that we beat Ham and his squad, but we don’t. We do get a kill on everyone by the end and I’ll take that as a triumph.

  “We doing this again tomorrow?” I ask Hamster.

  “I want to work on Gigavibe for the rest of our time, and I would like if you would spend some off time playing as well. There is a tournament next month after all.”

  “A January tournament? Yeesh. Alright, gotcha. After my tryout, I’ll degen Gigavibe.” He nods at that and turns back to his computer, where I see he’s accepting an autochess match. The man is relentless.

  “How is the game you are testing?” Hamster asks as I turn away.

  “It’s like a second life MMO. I’m testing the heuristic version that’s like the ATC in that it imports your subconscious self. Most of the time, I forget I’m playing a game, save that I have a HUD and I can query the system for basic information.” I’m ready to keep describing my experience, when Hamster speaks.

  “Not a game for me then. I do not enjoy MMO’s. The leveling experience takes time away from the gameplay I want to do. If I want to play a different class for different content? I have to spend days leveling each character!”

  I chuckle at his rare show of negative emotion.

  “I like that part, it makes me feel more attuned with the character.”

  “Yes, yes.” He waves his hand, “Your Raidcraft team is well known. It is a game you will not have to fear my dominance.”

  “Okay, rude. I do not live in constant fear of you taking over my games. I just carry a bit of jealousy over magic chess, and some awe with Fathoms—no fear.” I scoff at the confident gamer.

  “Go enjoy your life game. I will be here gaming for life.”

  Okay, now I’m mad that not only did he dismiss me, he used the perfect line to do it. Legendary asshole.

  ***

  “Hey cutie, how should I dress?” I ask Lucy through a holo-call. Her face pops up, smiling at me.

  “Not fancy. If you have normal townie clothes, do that.” I frown at her answer.

  “Alright, but don’t complain if I’m not dressed appropriately.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Okay, worry wart. See you in an hour in the lobby.” She hangs up on me.

  Grumble grumble, stomp stomp. I pout, flop into my bed and beat it up a little. My date gave me very little direction, damn it. I think about something casual but quirky, make a statement without dressing up too much. It’s also getting cold out, so I should take short jaunts outside into account.

  I decide on a long sleeve shirt with a collar with an argyle sweater vest a cute hunter green pleated skirt that may be a tad short, some mocha tights, knee high argyle socks and some clumpy black shoes that are essentially boot tread loafers. Eyeliner and some muted red lipstick complete my look. I take a moment to appreciate how cute I look.

  This would be a good fit for my socials. I set a spot to record from and bounce and pose for a minute or two and then send the whole thing to Jessie.

  I’m buzzing by the time the elevator hits the ground floor, wanting to see how Lucy reacts to my outfit. Of course, when the elevator opens, I’m too busy trying not to trip over my own feet after seeing her to notice how she reacted.

  Her blond bob is in a tight pony nub, showing off her sharp jaw and long neck, leading to a black leather bomber and a white crop top. Combine that with the tight low-rise jeans and some tasteful black boots, she looks good enough to lick with enough tummy real-estate showing to open up an ice cream parlor. She pushes against the counter she was leaning on and her tummy ripples with abs and I almost trip again.

  Keep it together Selena. Lucy is a person, not just a hot body for you to drool over.

  “It’s not fair. You’re cute to begin with, but this. How do people not hit on you all the time?”

  I scoff, “Have you seen my model friends? Speaking of, you look thrilling and like a reckless good time--basically a lesbian lollipop.” She chuckles and her smile is light and happy and I feel like I’ve won at life.

  “If this is how you act on a date, I don’t know how long I can behave.” She warns with a smirk and an up-down that sends tingles through me.

  I bounce over to her and take her arm, “I was hoping you wouldn’t” I say, looking up with what I hope is a saucy wink. I see some red creep up her cheeks and know I’ve got her thinking inappropriately. Heh, good. Tonight should be fun.

  We walk out of Orion HQ and a cab is waiting for us. I scootch next to her while she tells the cabbie directions, and grab her hand to ensure that I am in as much contact with her as possible. I like to touch people I’m close with, and if we’re going to date, I want her to have as much fore knowledge as I can squeeze in.

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you look so . . . stylish, but it looks good on you.”

  Mmm, warm fuzzy middles. Please, compliment me more.

  “Thank you. I figured that if you weren’t going to give me direction, I could be quirky and see what happened.”

  “Quirky is good.” She squeezes my hand to reinforce her words and I wiggle a bit with excitement. Lucy shakes her head at my actions but I just keep on smiling: I’m going on a date with a pretty girl that likes me.

  The cab drops us off at a pub with a Ladie’s night banner that says we get half priced drinks and free darts all night. Casual environment, available competition, and deal-savvy fare? If I wasn’t crushing on Lucy before, I am now. As soon as I get out of the car, she’s got her arm around me. I find it a tad suspicious when I had to initiate hand-holding, but I can’t complain.

  When we walk into the bar, a dozen pairs of eyes are upon us, all of them appraising. Okay, now I get the arm thing. When they say Ladie’s night, the local gays take it as an invitation. I smirk and take Lucy’s arm as an invitation to touch her bare middles as I reach my arm around her and thumb the soft skin just above her hip bone. Mmm, side meats.

  She drops me off at a table and kisses my head as she hugs me. “Sorry I’m playing it up, but I don’t know if I could handle people hitting on you while we’re out together.”

  “Hey,” I reach up and pet her face, “You don’t have to play. I’m comfortable with this level of affection. Sure this is our first date, but we’ve known each other for nearly a year and I’m comfortable with you.”

  “Heh, so it’s just me that’s nervous then?”

  I move my hand, well hands, to her stomach. “What’s to be nervous about? I want to be with you, I’m obviously attracted to you,” I pat her middles for emphasis, “and I doubt there is a person in all of ATC London is hotter than you are right now.” I may have growled out that last part. I may also be drooling as I pet my date.

  “That does make me feel better. And with you pawing me, no one will mistake us for ‘good friends’.” She gets a snort out of me with that one. Puritanical history’s view on the gays: such good friends.

  Lucy then has the audacity to interrupt my belly-petting time to get us drinks. The bar is actually busy at this time, so I get up, grab the darts by an un-occupied board and casually toss them. A few minutes in to my toss and fetch routine, a butch woman with muscles and a pixie cut comes over.

  “Need a partner?” Oh, wow, not being coy at all—she meant that in both connotations.

  “Oh, thank you but no. My date is getting us drinks.”

  “You and the biker blond?”

  “Yes ma’am.” I grin as I fiddle with the darts in my hand.

  “Daaaamn. You want a third?”

  I cough as I choke on my spit. Before I can answer Lucy is setting a fruity drink behind me and wrapping her arm around me possessively. “We have more duo activities to discover before we look for a third, but thank you for the compliment.”

  The woman raises her hands and backs off.

  “That was well done, Lucy. If that’s what your jealous looks like, I’ll say I’m pleasantly surprised.”

  “How would you act if someone were hitting on me?”

  Now that’s a thought. I don’t know if I’ve really ever felt jealousy like that? Mostly because I don’t see what people see in me. “I would probably just come over and touch you casually if he or she looked like they were getting familiar. Introducing myself of course.”

  She smiles and kisses my head again, sending flutters through me. “Of course. Now what do you say? Care to dart with me?”

  “You are a dork.”

  “Sure, but I bet that you don’t take a match from me at this game.”

  After several hours of trying, I lost that bet. After that many hours of drinks and pleasurable company, I don’t care one bit.