THE MOMENT
"Wow, five years already?" Dread feigned interest with a sociable smile. She didn't dislike the guy at all, and generally considered Willis to be a friendly acquaintance. As soon as he announced the anniversary, she'd realized she'd known him for that long. She often hung around the Beast Master trainers to help out any newbies with their questions. She'd only needed to group with Willis once before he got the hang of things, and by now, he was a pro-adventurer on his own terms. She was furiously angry inside. It had nothing to do with him, and she didn't know why she was upset, but there was something not sitting right in her soul. It began unnoticed a couple of days ago and she only realized it as she tried to find the root. The best she could do was engage politely until she could determine why she felt that way.
The anger grew fiercer even as she made her way to her usual spot, but she didn't know what it was and hoped it would go away. It was already past noon and it hadn’t.
"Time flies in a fantasy world I guess," he chuckled. "I've been having tons of fun."
"You're still a Tamer, right?" Dread asked in an attempt to distract herself. The Beast Master Class had three approved Specializations; the Tamer, the Hunter, and the Soul Survivor. They all used animal partners in different ways. Dread was a Soul Survivor, and she considered her animals to be an extension of herself. They let her use their Abilities, whereas the Tamer kept a stable of various creatures with their own strengths and weaknesses. "Which one's your favorite pet?" If he wasn't a tamer, she wouldn't have used the word 'pet', but that was how that class tended to view the relationship.
"Well... I kind of have to say my bear, Rudolph," Willis chuckled. "He's the only Unique animal I have, and he might take it personally if he hears one of the others is my favorite," he smiled, and Dread tried to laugh. Unique Animals were animals with Unique Souls, and many of them had human-like personalities and intelligence. Both of Dread's animals were Unique as well. Her Specialization didn't allow her to collect as many as a Tamer, and two was all she needed.
"I'll see you around, Dread," Willis nodded. He wasn't as experienced as her, but working with animals for five years taught him to be more astute in social situations. Dread wasn't feeling their conversation; that much was obvious. And, he also knew her well enough to know he wasn't the problem. She would've made it clear if he was. "I've got some things to prep," he waved, and Dread nodded with a neutral smile.
"See you next time."
Even the poor excuse for a smile vanished once Willis was gone, and she caught sight of a trio headed toward her. They were her friends, and she recognized them, but she also felt the anger taking hold in her. One of them was the reason.
"Hey, Dread," Aurelio, a chubby teen with wild curly hair, waved at Dread as the trio arrived. She nodded. He wasn't the issue.
"Hi," 23, a young blonde-haired girl, smiled at Dread.
"Hello, 23." She wasn’t the issue.
"Hi," Jenny greeted Dread without meeting her eyes. Dread's blood boiled. "Can I... talk to you alone.. please?" Jenny asked.
"Will you be explaining why I want to pull your head off?"
"Yes," Jenny nodded and gave a clear answer.
"I'll start to listen, at least," Dread replied, then walked away to a shadowed corner of the courtyard.
"Keep an eye on your dad," Jenny turned and nodded at 23. "He's not even supposed to be here, so don't let him get into any situations."
"You got it," 23 grinned as Jenny walked away to face Dread.
"But, we know what they're going to talk about? Why alone?" 23 looked up and asked Aurelio.
"Because if we're there, Dread will hold back. And it's kind of unfair to drop everything on her and put her in a situation where she feels she has to hold back. This way, Jenny's her only target, and she can handle it."
"Oh," 23 nodded.
"Is this part new?" Aurelio asked. "You've done this before, right?"
"I think," 23 nodded. "But, it's never exactly the same, there's always something new. And I think this is the first time she tells Dread everything about her relationship to Ms. Sharp."
"WHAT!????" Dread's roar echoed through the courtyard and shook the stone building that stabled their animals. Small fractures split open around where Jenny and Dread stood, and Jenny was making apologetic hand motions.
"This is going to take a while...," Aurelio sighed.
"Wanna play a game?" 23 asked. She was always ready to play, but Aurelio never was. It genuinely surprised her when he shrugged and nodded.
"Sure, we’ve got nothing else going on," he turned to her and smiled. "You choose the stakes, I'll choose the game, deal?" he asked.
"DEAL!" 23 jumped at the chance.The AlterNet was saturated in nanos that were trained on games, and in the right circumstances, they could be invoked to enforce negotiations. 23 was fully aware, and thrilled, that she was bound to play a game with him. Nanos stored information between universes and timelines, and they would always remember that he had to complete a game with her.
"If I win, you're going to owe me another game, whenever I want. If you win, I'll leave you alone for three months." She’d offered a game, and he accepted it. She suggested the stakes, and if he accepted again, they would play. She was hopeful and began to wonder what game he’d choose. She could easily reject the suggestion, but couldn’t think of any that she’d object to from his limited preferences. He was a Card Mage and preferred card games where he had an advantage. Except, she was too.
"Alright, I accept," Aurelio nodded. "So, let's game. Right?" asked. He smiled at her with an encouraging tap on her shoulder.
"Yeah," she grinned. A black portal opened under his feet, and he began sinking into it slowly, like an elevator going down. She wasn’t close enough.
"Wait, I have to come with you," she tried stepping onto the portal with him, but she couldn't. The portal did not exist for her, and she only touched solid ground whenever she tried to pass through it.
"Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you what game you agreed to. Right?" he laughed as his head vanished below the surface and the hole began to close. "It's hide and seek. Good luck!"