by David Petrie
The Venom Mage leading the group of angry players glowered at her.
“He started it.” She stabbed a finger up at Max.
Max panicked, pointing to Klaxon. “He threw the first pulse.”
Klaxon raised his chin and folded his arms. “Amelia told me to–”
He was cut off as the Venom Mage in the center of the crowd yelled a furious, “Shut up!” He hunched over a handrail, breathing heavy. Then he threw a hand out to point at the edge of the canyon. “Get the hell out!”
Max patted Klaxon on the back. “Okay, you heard the guy. I’ll get you a drink in the next port.”
“That’s probably best,” he agreed.
Corvin stepped aside to let Amelia pass. She held up her House ring to let the rest of her people know where she was going. She also had some choice words for the idiots still clinging to the wall that couldn’t even kill a single Leaf. Max waited for her on the platform above. Apparently, he had a transport ship waiting. Unfortunately, the path up to where he’d left it took them past the row of angry players who definitely wanted them gone sooner rather than later. They stared daggers at her as she passed.
Granted, the mob could have tried to kill them right there, so in that, Amelia figured she was getting off light. Although, after the fight they had just witnessed, they probably didn’t want to risk the rest of their city’s buildings being caught in the crossfire.
Max turned sideways to squeeze past the Venom Mage in the center. “'Scuse me, Sorry. I parked up there.” He pointed a finger toward the top of the canyon.
“Get out!” the man yelled in his face, spittle flying.
Max wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. “Alright, alright, god.”
Amelia squeezed by behind him only to be followed by the same irate Venom Mage all the way back up. She could feel his death stare on her back. It was as if he wasn’t going to be satisfied until he saw them board the ship and fly off. She shoved her hands into her pockets and took one last glance at the city.
Smoke flowed up one side of the canyon.
“I guess I won’t be coming back here for a while.”
Chapter Thirteen
Farnsworth marched through the door of the Hanging Fredrick Tavern, her cape trailing behind her majestically. The bracers on her legs rattled as she walked, like a drum roll announcing her presence. She had been standing tall ever since they’d left Fashion Souls back in Lucem.
In her new gear, she felt strong, confident, and in a way, beautiful. She was the First Knight of House Lockheart, and she looked the part. With that, she held her head high and strode through the tavern to where the party’s usual table sat near the back.
A regular of the establishment, a player named HastleTheHoff, sat on a stool in the corner, playing a cover of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” on a ukulele. He paused to wave.
“Lookin good, Farn.”
She responded back at him with a click of her tongue and a quick finger gun before flipping her cape back over her shoulder with a flourish.
“Ack!” Kira squeaked from behind as the fabric swatted her in the face. “Watch where you're flapping that thing.”
“Oh, god, I’m sorry.” Farn spun around, knocking over a chair in the process. “I’m still getting used to it.”
Ginger sighed at the display. “Yeah, that’s about what I’d expect from this house.” She slipped past her subjects and settled into a seat in the corner.
Farn picked up the chair and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed her making a scene. The tavern was empty, save for a couple other groups, like always.
The Fredrick was one of Noctem’s best-kept secrets, tucked away in the back alleys of the city of Valain. What made it special was that its merchant system worked off in-game credits rather than real-world dollars. This made food and drinks, which were considered luxury items, practically free. Since Max still hadn’t checked in, it was as good a place as any for Farn and her cohorts to hang out and wait.
Farn had spent many nights at the Fredrick over the past year, either to play cards with Max or help Kira consume the entire menu. The place was dim, dingy, and half the tables wobbled, but in a way, it was home. Even the faces that watched her from the dozen or so portraits that hung on the walls in a plethora of mismatched frames welcomed her.
Kira made her way to the bar while Farn settled in. The Fredrick didn’t have much of a drink selection, just a massive keg of the darkest stout ever imagined and smaller one of a particularly lovely hard cider. Kira didn’t bother taking orders, returning with a few wooden mugs. A beer for Ginger in one hand and two ciders in the other for her and Farn. Her hands shook with effort as she struggled to hold them steady.
Farn jumped up to help her. It was easy to forget how weak the fairy actually was. She gave Farn a delicate smile in thanks. Then the fairy dropped into a chair and slouched down until her head was practically level with the table.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ginger gestured at her with her mug, a few drops of dark beer spilling over the side.
“I wish I had stopped at the bakery I saw back in Thrift. They had some lagopin buns that looked good, but I forgot to go back and buy some with everything going on.”
“Oh!” Farn let a wide grin stretch across her face as she scrolled through the inventory tab on her wrist and materialized a box. She turned it to face the fairy and opened the lid. Inside were six of the fluffiest, lagopin-shaped buns the world has ever known. “I bought them to have at karaoke, but that didn’t end up happening so…” She trailed off as the fairy leaned forward, her eyes locked on the two rows of bread.
“You got six?”
“Yeah, the guys were going to be there too, so I got one for everyone.”
“Oh,” Kira glanced back over her shoulder and lowered her voice to a whisper, “but they’re not here now.”
Farn snorted as she followed Kira’s line of thinking. “No, I guess they’re not.”
A gluttonous grin claimed the fairy as she reached out with both hands. “So we each get an extra.”
“Really? You’re not going to at least save one for Max?” Ginger shook her head. “Isn’t he your bro?”
“Food before bros,” she explained through a mouth full of sweetened crust.
“Can’t argue with that.” Farn raised one of the bunny-shaped buns to her mouth and casually bit off its face.
Ginger cringed, prompting Kira to do the same, except slower while making eye contact with the Coin.
“You got problems, you know that?”
“Probably.” The fairy wiped a crumb off her nose.
Ginger nodded and took a sip from her mug before giving her attention to Farn. “Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice that you were sitting quite cozy with Max back in Thrift?”
Farn winced. “Umm, what do you mean?”
“I mean, how are you two not a thing yet? I’ve been starting to think you didn’t like him or something, but there you were, squished into a couch with him instead of your bestie here.” Ginger gestured to Kira.
“I, um…” Farn squirmed in place, her eyes seeking out the fairy for help.
Kira shifted her view away toward one wall and sipped her cider, holding it up with both hands.
Traitor, Farn thought as the little mage hid behind her mug from the embodiment of awkwardness that was Farnsworth as a person. She groaned and sank into her chair as low as she could, trying to find someplace where Ginger’s curious stare couldn’t find her. It was clear the woman had been waiting all night to probe her about the matter.
In all honesty, Farn didn’t know what to say. Pretty much any answer she gave would raise more questions. Just saying that she wasn’t interested in Max like that wasn’t going to fly for Ginger. She settled on a half-truth. “He hasn’t asked me out or anything.”
Ginger set her drink back on the table hard enough for the near-black liquid within to splash into the air before falling back into the mug. A laugh followed. “So ask him f
irst. I’m pretty sure he’d say yes. After all, the poor guy has been single for as long as I’ve known him. It’s not like your calendar is full either.” The Coin poked at one of the lagopin buns. “I mean, what do you do on your Saturday nights anyway?”
Farn sunk a little lower. “I don’t know. Get Chinese food, watch a season of a show, and go to bed.” She left out the part about snuggling with a Japanese body pillow until she fell asleep. No, best to leave Riku-chan out of the conversation.
Ginger sucked air through her teeth. “That’s just a little sad.”
“I’m aware.” Farn blew out a sigh. “I’m not really good at that sort of thing. I kinda had a bad dating experience a while back, so I haven’t really gotten out there much.” She made a point of not mentioning how long it had actually been.
The Coin raised an eyebrow as if picking up on the omission. That was when Kira finally quit minding her own business and weighed in. She cleared her throat and set down her mug. “Ginger’s right.”
Farn couldn’t slouch any further, so she just closed her eyes in defeat. She was really hoping her best friend would back her up a little.
“Sorry, what I meant was Max would definitely say yes, and if you were looking for a great guy, then I can’t think of anyone better.” She leaned forward, closer to Farn. “But if you don’t feel ready to put yourself out there, then that’s fine too. So relax, Max isn’t going anywhere. That dude can’t even ask you out, and you’re awesome. So, I hardly think he’s gonna get snatched up by someone any time soon.”
Ginger laughed. “I don’t know. He is kinda cute.”
Farn snorted and sat up straight. “Oh, really? Maybe we should be pressuring you into asking him out then.”
Ginger waved away the suggestion. “Nah, I’m pretty sure he’s not looking for an instant family. That’s a deal breaker most of the time when you come with two kids.” Ginger shrugged it off. “But that illustrates my point. Life happens, so you may not have as much time as you think. Case in point, me. So don’t waste time. After all, your heart is free, you just have to have the courage to follow it.” She raised her mug high as if toasting.
Kira arched a silver eyebrow at the Coin. “Did you just quote Braveheart?”
Ginger gave her a wink. “Maybe.”
The fairy scoffed. Then she scoffed again a second later. “I hardly think Mel Gibson is the best person to quote about love.”
“True, but it applies.” The Coin gave her a smug grin and sipped her beer.
Kira tilted her head and raised her mug before adding a quote of her own, “As you wish.”
The reference clearly passed over Ginger’s head as a simple acknowledgment, but the words warmed Farn’s heart. It was a far more appropriate quote, The Princess Bride, being a favorite movie of Farn’s. She and Kira had already discussed the film at length while farming.
The fairy gave her an enchanting smile, then chomped into her second bun. A look of pure happiness spread across her face. The warmth in Farn’s chest grew into an ache.
Stupid, adorable fairy, she thought, immediately feeling guilty for it. Farn tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. The sight of Kira was more than she could take without blurting out the real reason for her lack of interest in Max.
She was already in love with someone else.
Kira hummed as she ate, piercing Farn’s armor without even meaning to. It only made her feel worse. Kira had been her first friend in nearly a decade, so in a way, falling for her felt like a betrayal of that relationship. Farn didn’t even know when it had happened.
During the mission last year, the fairy had almost died, and Farn had seen every side of her back then as she went through the trauma. Back then they had only known each other for a day and a half, but Farn had adopted her as a new best friend regardless. Then after nearly sacrificing herself, Kira had been whisked away for quarantine without even a chance to say goodbye. It had only been for two weeks, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Farn had built up the memories in her mind, so by the time she set eyes on the fairy again, it was already too late. She was in love.
Farn sighed.
Things were so much easier in the real world. There, she could just carry a gay pride mug around the office, and no one batted an eye. It wasn’t like she was in the closet or anything. She had been outed back in high school, after all. It was old news. However, the thing that people don’t realize about coming out is that you have to keep doing it every time you meet a new group of people.
During the mission last year, Farn wasn’t even sure she would see everyone again afterward. Not to mention that there hadn’t been a good time to bring it up. What was she going to do? Gather everyone around to announce her sexuality in the middle of a Nightmare battle? No thanks. Farn was awkward enough as it was.
After that, time went by fast. Too much time for it to be something that she’d simply left out. She started feeling guilty, like she was somehow being dishonest with everyone by not saying anything. Eventually, it grew from being something that she felt anxious about to something she feared. It was like high school all over again, a wall that Farn just couldn’t climb.
Kira pushed the box of baked lagopin toward Farn. “You still have a second one.”
Farn sat back up and shook off her melancholy. “You can have it if you want.”
Kira’s glistening, violet eyes widened, but she pushed the box away. “No, it’s yours.”
“Okay,” Farn closed the box and stored it back into her inventory, “I’ll save it for later.”
“Or you could give it to Max.” Ginger waggled her eyebrows, clearly oblivious to the truth running through Farn’s mind.
She stared to respond, but Kira spoke first, rescuing her from the conversation.
“So are you gonna be this nosey when Piper discovers boys?” Kira asked, spitting crumbs in Ginger’s direction.
This time, it was Ginger's turn to slouch her way into oblivion. “That’s already happening. My lovely daughter is actually crushing on a guy pretty hard right now.”
“And how are you handling that?” Farn laughed, glad to have a subject to talk about other than her own love life.
“Pretty well, actually.” Ginger slung one arm over the back of her chair. “I don’t really have to worry about it.”
“Why not?” asked Kira.
“Well, mostly because the guy she likes is older and knows damn well that I’d kill him if he touched her. Plus, he’s a good guy, and I trust him.”
Kira lurched forward, almost spilling her drink. “Oh my god, it’s Corvin!”
Ginger laughed in confirmation. “His dorm is a couple towns over from my house. He’s an engineering student, so I asked him to help Piper with math. She’s always done well, but she started advanced placement classes this year and has needed a little more help than I’m capable. He’s actually a great tutor, and Piper is doing so well now that if she keeps it up, she should be able to get into any school she wants."
"But she’s been having trouble getting the attention of the boys at her school. Probably because of her hearing aids.” Ginger frowned, her eyes welling up for an instant. “She’s at a fragile age, and Corvin is nice to her. Plus he’s not that much older when you think about it, just four years. Though, that’s still quite illegal last I checked.” Ginger sat up straight and folded her arms. “My girl is just growing up so fast, faster than I’m ready for.” A bit of sadness crept into her voice.
Suddenly, a system chime sounded in Farn’s ear. Then a second one. Kira jumped in her seat as if startled. She must have gotten one too. Farn pulled out her journal, an icon of a feathered quill overlapping a scroll staining the binding to indicate a new message. A third chime sounded as she opened the book to her inbox. Then a fourth and fifth. Messages appeared one after another on the page, each from a different sender.
Ginger received another two while Kira got flooded with seven. Farn scanned over the subject lines. Many were written in al
l caps.
The Coin opened one message and stared at the page. Then one of her eyes twitched. “How am I not surprised?”
Chapter Fourteen
Max threw open the door of the Hanging Fredrick, startling a few players in the process. A version of “Africa”, played on a ukulele stuttered to a stop, several notes plucked out of order. Max ducked his head, not realizing how hard he had pushed on the door. “Sorry, Hoff.”
The player with the ukulele gave him an annoyed nod before picking up the song where he left off.
Max glanced to the pair who came in behind him. Corvin closed the door gently while Kegan shoved his hands in his pockets. Max gave them a nod, then continued his strut through the room with a prideful swell in his chest. He had completed the night’s mission with overwhelming success, so he deserved to show off a little. He couldn’t wait to tell Kira, Farn, and Ginger about everything he’d learned after buying Amelia and her mage a couple rounds. Probably best not to mention getting kicked out of Tartarus, though.
He approached his party’s usual table near the back as three pairs of eyes fell upon him, each narrowing to slits.
Uh oh. What do they know? Max gave them a slow wave. “Umm, hey.”
“Hey yourself.” Ginger held completely still.
“Welp, I’m gonna get a water.” Kegan stretched his arms and slithered his way out of the line of fire. Corvin followed, backing away without making a sound.
Max ignored the two deserters as he tried to avoid the Coin’s accusing stare. “What’s with the new getup, Farn?” he asked as a distraction.
Ginger answered for her, “She’s a strong and powerful woman. She should have gear to match.”
“Cool, cool. Very, cool–”
“So we hear you spent some time in Tartarus tonight?” Ginger crossed her arms.
Max ran his fingers along the back of an empty chair. “Yeah, we may have stopped by.”
Kira placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward to rest her chin in her hands. “Would you say your visit was—eventful?”
Max groaned. “Okay, clearly, you know already. So yeah, we kind of had an altercation.”