Dyalessia Games: Alex & Christie

by Scott Kujawa

  Living in the dungeon were the monsters and beasties that Alex hoped most people would enjoy. These were not the usual scary and dangerous creatures she enjoyed creating, this time the monsters looked like they were wearing different costumes as people did for Halloween. Ghosts, vampires, were-animals, pirates, and dozens of other stereotypical costumes were being worn by the creatures.

  When the residents of the dungeon were attacked or interacted with, they hit people with buckets of candy and other sweets. Once they were beaten, the players could loot those same buckets of candy and open them up to reveal their rewards. These were candies, costumes that the players themselves could wear on their characters. In rare cases, the players might also find a companion pet that was a cat dressed up in one of the costumes, which the players themselves could choose for the cat to wear, or they could change the costumes, depending on which they wanted the cat companion to wear. They could even change the appearance of the cat itself, giving them a chance to change the breed of the cat, the color of its fur, or the length of its fur, and a few other details.

  Finishing the touches she thought she wanted for this small dungeon that would add something new to Dyalessia, Alex added it to the test server and let the players over there give her feedback, look for bugs in her code, and explore the four levels that made up the dungeon. Each floor also had a boss battle, but that was something she hadn't completed yet even if she was working on ideas on what those four harder battles would include and what the creatures would look like. Plus she needed to send the sketches and her notes off to Bess so that her friend could work out the images and graphics of the creatures and the boss since Bess was still the one that created most of the artwork for Dyalessia.

  Laughing a little to herself at what she had created, Alex sent a copy over to Melody to hear her sister's thoughts and to see what ideas Melody might give her on ways to spin her touch on the holiday and the dungeon.

  *****

  Pacing around the living room of the apartment she shared with Sunny, Christie was nervous about the meeting that was scheduled in about an hour. Meeting Melody in person was a lot different from having the phone interview that Christie had back when she was living in New York City. She knew she had already pretty much passed the interview but again, it was a different game to meet Melody in person. Even more so because Christie admired the sisters due to how popular their game is, how the two of them ran their company, and for other reasons that made Christie was to fan-girl out on meeting Melody or Alexandria.

  “You're wearing a track into the floor,” came Sunny's voice from where she was sitting on the couch while watching Christie fall apart ever since Christie woke up this morning and realized that she had the meeting with Melody today.

  Christie looked at the woman that had become a friend to her over the weeks once Christie had moved into the room and became Sunny's roommate. “I can't help it; I'm nervous and petrified about messing up.”

  “You'll be fine. I've come to know you over these past few weeks. Besides, Bess wouldn't have put in a good word for you if she didn't feel you would fit in with the video game, the sisters, their employees, or the company they are all a part of.”

  Smiling now, Christie nodded. “You're right, but I still can't stop feeling the way I am. Getting an internship with Dyalessia Games was not something I ever thought would happen so I'm allowed to freak out. Okay?”

  “All right. I want to tell you that everything will work out, or so that spirit is telling me. She's very insistent.”

  The look that Christie sent Sunny this time was still one of skepticism. Christie still wasn't sure if Sunny was for real when Sunny mentioned being able to hear voices from the dead or if Sunny was just putting her on. “If you say so, Sunny.” Now Christie smiled again and added, “Even so, the pep-talk helped, so thank you.”

  “Good. Now get out of here since I want to save my floor and dazzle Melody. I know you can do it, Christie, because you did that with me, which is why you're living here with me.”

  Christie stepped up to Sunny and wrapped the strangely dressed woman in a quick hug. “Thank you again, both for the talk and for giving me a chance. You didn't have to let me live with you, but I'm glad you agreed to do that.”

  Seeing Sunny's blush began and spread, Christie moved away from the hug and laughed in delight as she headed out of the apartment. Catching and riding on one of the trolley cars gave Christie a chance to settle her nerves, and she was calmer when she stepped off the trolley and into the building that Dyalessia Games had taken over and made their own once they moved into the building.

  After she stepped out of the elevator and onto the floor that contained Alex's and Melody's offices and the open area where the coders had their stations, Christie stared back at the stares of dozens of eyes that felt like they were piercing her. A quiet noise grew louder than as someone first noticed her and spread the word to the next person and so on until it felt like everyone was looking at her while asking a “Who is that?” type of question.

  “Hey!” came a different voice from another part of the floor. “Why is everyone staring at the -” Melody broke off and added her stare at the woman that looked like she was pinned to the doors of the elevator, which had closed behind her. “Are you Christie?” Melody asked as she realized she was supposed to be meeting someone she had interviewed over the phone a few days ago.

  A quiet, “Yes,” came from Christie. After swallowing her dry mouth, Christie spoke up a little louder and repeated her agreement.

  “Awesome,” Melody stated as she wove among the desks and workers, making her way towards Christie. After passing the workstations, Melody called out various, “Stop staring at her! Get back to work! Come on all of you!” and other phrases until she reached the place where Christie had frozen up when she caught all the stares that had been sent her way. She was relaxing a little more now once the gazes returned to the screens of their computers, laptops, tablets, and phones.

  “Sorry about that,” Melody said, looking at Christie and giving her a wide smile. “I should have met you downstairs or at the elevator here, but I was held up with a phone call.”

  “It's all right; I didn't expect to step off the elevator and become the center of attention by so many people.” That brought out a round of laughter from almost everyone since they couldn't help hear the conversation.

  Melody turned around and called out another “Work! Get to work!” while she smiled at everyone, causing the room to fill with more laughter. “Come on; we'll talk in my office.” Before Melody closed the door to her office once they were inside she spun back around, “You're all pushing it!” when she heard a chorus of, “Not fair! We want to hear what you are saying to each other!” and other conversation that told her that everyone was very interested in whom this woman was and why was she meeting with Melody.

  Taking a seat that was offered, Christie watched Melody take the other seat, so they two were facing each other instead of having Melody's desk between them. Seeing the way Melody sat with her showed Christie another way that this company broke the rules of business and kept a more informal workplace.

  Christie answered the business related questions she pretty much answered the first time when Melody had given her the phone interview. Christie figured that Melody wanted to see what Christie's body language, the tone of voice, and more would show now that the two were in person. Afterwards, the two spent the rest of the interview talking about Christie's classes she wanted to continue to take at Rochester Institute of Technology and what she hoped to learn while working as an intern and member of the team at Dyalessia Games.

  “Bess pretty much told me I had to give you this change and I see no reason I shouldn't do that,” Melody admitted at the end. “Besides, if Bess finds out I didn't give you a chance I must listen to her berate me until she was happy with however long she wanted to punish me. So, Christie, welcome to Dyalessia Games. How about starting next Monday? That will give you the rest of this we
ek to rest up. It had to be tiring getting out here so quickly.”

  “Next Monday sounds great. I'll see you then!”

  “Great. I'll also let me sister know we have someone new on our team.”

  “Wait,” Christie said, giving Melody a frazzled gaze. “Do you mean I will work with Miss Alexandria?”

  “Yes. I only take care of hiring and the finances side of the business while she's the one that does the creative work and works with all the pains that are out there in the bullpen.”

  Christie continued to give Melody a pair of wide eyes. “Oh, my gods., Okay. I... I see.”

  “Do you have a problem with working with my sister?”

  Feeling her dry mouth return while she looked at Melody, Christie shook her head. “No, no, no. It's only that I've idolized the two of you for a long time but of the two of you, I idolize Miss Alexandria more.”

  “Oh,” Melody said, her smile widening as she laughed softly. “Thank you for admitting that and I'm flattered. Alex will love meeting you, and I can't wait to see how she reacts to you once she learns what you said. It will make my day, I can tell you that much.”

  *****

  “So?” Sunny asked as soon as Christie stepped inside the apartment. “Did Melody love you as much as she seemed to when the two of you have the phone interview you told me about?”

  Christie smiled in joy, holding off on answering Sunny as a way to drive her roommate a little crazy. Laughing a little to herself, Christie went to change her clothes while listening to more of Sunny's, “Come on, tell me!”

  “Yes, she did,” Christie said after slipping into a t-shirt that had an image of a twenty-sided die on it that was rolling a one and the words, “Epic Fail” across the top of the die. “It went great, and I start in a week.”

  Pulling her roommate to her, Sunny wrapped her arms around Christie's body and held on tight. “I know it! Didn't I tell you? It was meant to be that you would work with everyone at Dyalessia Games.”

  “You told me,” Christie said, laughter bursting out of her still even as she rocked back on her heels from the weight of her friend slamming into her once she felt Sunny wrap Christie into the hug that came from Sunny.

  “I want to go celebrate though, so let's go out tonight. We can get dinner and maybe hit a bar or two, or maybe a club or two instead. I don't have a plan,” Christie stated, “I want to have a good time.”

  Christie and Sunny stepped out of their apartment about an hour later, having decided that they both were craving Italian. The restaurant they found online wasn't a long drive from their apartment, which made it a perfect place to go to for dinner before they would head out to do some dancing or cruise the clubs and bars that were nearby.

  Christie was almost done with her lasagna when she looked up and saw who was being led to a table was in the middle of the restaurant and away from the table in the back where Sunny and Christie were sitting. “Sunny!” Christie said in a rush, causing her friend to look at Christie with puzzlement.

  “What?”

  “You will not believe who just walked in!”

  “What?”

  “Miss Alexandria!”

  “What?”

  Christie glared at her roommate. “Come on, follow along! Alexandria just walked into the restaurant.” Flicking her eyes over to where her idol was now sitting, Christie watched as another woman stopped by the table where Alex just down. “And it looks like Alex is here on a date from how the other woman is introducing herself.”

  “You're serious?”

  “No! Don't turn around and look! Oh my gods, Sunny, stop staring!”

  Laughing suddenly, Sunny turned back to look at Christie. “It's not like they saw me looking at them and besides, it's not like either of them have met us. So I can look if I want too.”

  Christie frowned at Sunny and shook her head even as Sunny turned around to look across the restaurant again at the table where Alex and her date were now sitting across from each other and in conversation. “She is pretty; I'll give you that much, Christie.”

  Blushing with those words, Christie mumbled, “I know. I also know she is way out of my league.”

  “Stop that thought right now!” Sunny said with some strength after she whipped her head around to look at Christie. “You are not out of anyone's league, and I do not appreciate you thinking that you are! Even though we have only been living together for a little while, I know that you are intelligent, a good friend, and more. So no more of the negative talk about yourself.”

  “Okay, okay,” Christie said, feeling the blush heating her cheeks still since Sunny embarrassed her even more with the words that her friend spoke. Christie looked away from Sunny, needing a moment to process what Sunny said, allowing Christie to look across the restaurant to where Alex and her date were sitting. “At least it looks like they are having a good time together.”

  “I guess I spoke too soon earlier,” Christie said after some time had passed once Sunny and she stuck around for a while to enjoy having a drink or two. “It looks like something has annoyed Alex's date,” Christie said, not caring now that even Sunny watched the two that were across the room from where Sunny and Christie were sitting. It helped now that Sunny was sitting next to Christie instead of across from Christie, having slid next to her friend once their main meals and dessert was finished.

  “Yea. It looks like a fight about the wine and the main meals that both of them ordered for themselves.”

  Resting together in the booth, Sunny and Christie also flinched many times each time they saw Alex give her date a death glare every time the woman looked down and answered her phone. That last bit seemed to draw Alex's ire, causing Alex to thrown money down onto the table and stride out of the restaurant.

  “Oh, spending more time looking at your phone instead of your date is just being rude.”

  Sunny nodded in agreement. “So true.”

  Now that the two had nothing else to watch, Sunny grabbed Christie's hand and looked at her friend. “I want to find a place to dance for at least an hour, and then we'll call it a night.”

  Laughing at her friend, Christie smiled in delight. “I like that idea, and that sounds like a great way to finish the night!”

  Chapter Four

  “Alex...” She ignored the first call of her name coming from Melody. “Alex...” That second call was also ignored because Alex was wrapped up in staring at the space before her desk while she thought about some ideas she might want to work out for Dyalessia. “Alex, seriously?!” came the third call that also was ignored since she wasn't paying any attention to Melody. “Dammit, Alexandria Smithsonian Johnson! You know I hate when you ignore me!”

  “What?” came from Alex. “Wait! What did you say? Did you call me by my full name just like our ma would do when we were in trouble? Seriously? You went there, Mel?”

  Melody's laughter came from her as she grinned at her sister. “I knew that would get your attention. It's not like I haven't been trying to do that for the last ten minutes. You were just wrapped up in your thoughts, so I had to take drastic measures.”

  “You're so mean to me, Mel.”

  “Sure,” her sister answered with another grin. “Anyhow, we're going out. Everyone pretty much left of the day and I decided that you and I need to having bonding time. Now let's go. I need a drink.”

  “Let me guess, we're going to the Alex Bar & Grill. Melody, what are you up to? I'm not looking for...”

  Melody let out a snort as she looked at her sister. “Don't lie, Alex. You've been mopping and being so emotional for the past week. I let you act that way long enough. Now we're going to the bar and getting me a drink. We will also see if there is anyone that might be interested that you might want to date.”

  “But... it's always the same people at the Bar & Grill, you know.”

  “So? Maybe this time there might be someone new.”

  Alex heaved a sigh, knowing she would not out stubborn her sister. In the end, she thre
w up in her hands in defeat and issued a long-drawn-out, “fine!” before she let Melody pull her out of Alex's office.

  Knowing Melody was interested in having more than one drink, Alex drove even though she thought she might want a glass or two of something. The two of them were going out. Plus it was Friday night and neither of them had to go into the office for the weekend if they choose not to.

  Stepping inside of the Bar & Grill, the two looked around. The place wasn't as busy as it would be as the night progressed but that didn't mean the bar was empty. Melody shot a grin over at Alex and nodded towards the stage where two women were setting up for the night.

  “What do you think, Alex? Want to be a groupie and take home one of the members of the band?” Mel asked, her smile wide to show she was also teasing her sister.

  “Argh. I did that in college, remember? You can't tell me you forgot all about Sunny and how that turned into such a disaster? I still have the tattoo of a sunflower on my leg because of her. I can't believe you didn't stop me from doing that.” Alex paused and looked at her sister before she laughed again. “Although if I remember right, Sunny and I got together because you liked her brother.”

  “Let's not talk about that, all right?”

  It was Alex's turn to smile at her sister with the same smirking smile that Melody had just given her. “Turnabout is fair play, sister.” With that said, Alex wrapped her arm around Melody's and moved towards a table that would be theirs for the night.

  Alex knew Melody wouldn't want to leave the bar until almost closing time, so Alex kept her drinking to a minimum, for now, nursing the first glass of Merlot that she had settled on as her first drink of the night. Watching Melody, Alex smiled over and over once she saw that her sister wasn't refraining and that Mel was already onto her second Whiskey Sour.