“Sounds good to me,” Ky said.
“Same here. Good night, Leo,” Jennifer said as she stood from her stool.
I walked out of the lab and back into my suite. A few minutes later I was in the shower and washing off all the VRIU juice. When I finished drying off, I heard a knock at the front door. I walked through the living room and then looked through the peephole.
“Well, well, well. I thought you were avoiding me,” I said to Zarra as I opened the door.
“Hi, Leo,” Zarra said with a smile. “Oh, my. Did you put that on for me?” she gestured to the wet towel around my waist. “You didn’t need to.”
“Ha. Just finished my session. How was your business trip?”
“It was okay. Sorry I had to leave so quickly. Want to have dinner?”
“I’d love to. Let me go put some clothes on,” I said as I opened the door more so she could come inside.
“I can wait out here…” she began to say.
“Or you can come in. I don’t bite unless you ask me to.”
“Ahhh,” the beautiful girl stepped inside of my room and moved to sit on one of the small loveseats in my living room. She was wearing one of her business suits with the pants. I had trouble deciding if I liked her in pants or the pencil skirt better. With the skirt I could see her bare legs, but she always wore pants that were perfectly tailored to showcase her every curve.
“Miss. Zarra Zerne, are you blushing?” I asked her once she sat down. Her cheeks seemed brighter hued than normal.
“No. Of course not.” She crossed her arms and scrunched up her nose at me.
“Oh, of course not,” I echoed her voice with a laugh that she shared, and then I went to my chest of drawers to get some clothes.
“So why did you have to go so suddenly?” I asked as I walked to my bathroom with my underwear, pants, and a shirt.
“There was a VR conference in Austin. I’ve been trying to recruit this woman who does stunning visual design and texture mapping. I found out about her a touch too late, and I thought your pal Arnesto was going to grab her. A little birdie told me last second she hadn’t accepted his deal yet, so I wiggled my way into this conference and got to spend some time with her. I didn’t get a yes from her, but she’s coming by tomorrow to see our outfit.
“Ahh. I guess recruitment is a problem with game companies.”
“With any company really. Only as good as the talent we have working for us. She had heard about us. Well, you of course, so I think that was why she didn’t take Arnesto’s deal.”
“Huh?” I asked as I stepped out of the bathroom with my clothes on.
“I think I liked the towel better,” Zarra winked at me as she stood from the couch.
“Maybe you’d like nothing better?” I smirked at her.
“I think you know the answer to that without even asking. Dinner?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it,” I said, but I did see the beautiful woman’s eyes stray to the bedroom door that was only a few feet from us.
“You are leveraging me for recruiting?” I asked as we stepped out of my suite and walked down the hallway toward the cafeteria.
“Of course! Everyone wants to work with the champ. It’s all part of my plan. We are going to save so much money on payroll. I’m getting tens of thousands of resumes a day since the announcement that you are working with us. I kind of thought they would slow down a bit, but they haven’t. This young woman didn’t know who I was when she saw me, but as soon as I introduced myself, she was almost drooling. I love it!”
“Ha, I bet you love people drooling over you,” I said to the gorgeous woman with a chuckle.
“Doesn’t everybody?” She let out a surprisingly mirthful laugh, and she somehow seemed to grow even more beautiful. “Can I have you for lunch tomorrow?”
“Oh?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t really need to ask if you can have me.”
“For the interview. Ha!” Zarra chuckled at me. “Just lunch. I hate to take you away from your game, but you are just stuck on that ship for the next few days. I’ll close the deal if I can show you off.”
“Is she a fan?”
“Leo, everyone is a fan. I just need you to eat with us and maybe shoot her one of your charming smiles. She’ll sign the paperwork over the dessert.”
“Haha. So that’s it then. I’ve been reduced to arm candy?” I laughed as I shook my head.
“Leo, I’ll have you know that you are probably the most expensive piece of arm candy in the entire world.” She laughed.
The cafeteria wasn’t that busy, and we found our usual booth in the corner unoccupied. As soon as we sat down, a waitress came to give us menus.
“Do you wish to see the chef, Ms. Zerne?” she asked.
“I feel like sushi. How about you, Leo?” Zarra asked me.
“Sounds great.”
“And pizza,” Zarra added. “Pepperoni.” The dark-haired beauty turned to me. I’ve been thinking about the diner where we first met. I really liked that pizza.
“Me too,” I agreed and then I turned to the waitress. “We’ll split the pizza.”
“Wonderful. Drinks?” the waitress asked.
“Water, sake, green tea, and Japanese beer. I don’t care about the brand.” Zarra handed her menu back to the woman.
“Damn. She’s reading my mind. I’ll have the same,” I chuckled as I handed the menu to the woman.
“Great. I’ll be back with your drinks soon.” The woman gave both of us a big smile and then she walked away.
“So that is why I missed your call… Yesterday? Or was it the day before? I’m getting my days mixed up. Too much work. I haven’t even been able to review your game footage from when you got the relic,” Zarra sighed.
“Ahh that’s probably okay,” I said. I thought again about Lady Feeyaz. I hadn’t actually done anything sexual with the sensual drow woman, and Zarra and I weren’t actually dating, but I did feel some shame when I thought about how much the white-haired woman with the mint colored eyes had aroused me. I shouldn’t have flirted with her as much, and I guessed that Zarra would not be happy when she saw the replay.
But then again, Zarra and I weren’t in a relationship. We were working together, and I was a man that hadn’t been sexually active in probably way too many years. I probably shouldn’t feel bad for getting distracted by the drow woman.
“That’s okay. I got it. That is what matters.”
The waitress came with our drinks, set them down on the table, poured our beers, and then poured our sake from the ceramic jug. Zarra waited until the waitress left before she spoke again.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Talk about?”
“You left me a voicemail or… was it two? As I said, I’ve been a bit scatter-brained.”
“Yeah,” I said as I glanced around the cafeteria. There was no one within earshot, but I leaned forward to whisper, anyway. “There is something strange going on.”
“Strange?” she raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to mirror me.
“I’m really strong.”
“Oh, I know you are, Leo,” the woman smirked at me. “I can see the muscles pushing against your shirt. It’s really ho--”
“No, I mean that I’m much stronger than I normally am. I’m lifting some seriously heavy shit, and I’m not getting tired. I feel like I’m almost as strong as I am in the game.”
“We were in the gym together a few days ago, and you didn’t express any--”
“I kind of felt it then also, but I was distracted a bit by watching you work out.” I laughed.
“Was it the outfit? I love that outfit,” she said with a coy smile.
“Ha! Okay, yes.” I thought about the tight gym pants Zarra had worn, and my imagination pushed all memories of Lady Feeyaz away. “But I’m stronger; quantitatively stronger. I was doing stuff that an Olympic lifter would probably have an issue with.”
“You are the world champion, Leo. You are really damn strong. How
much have you been hitting the gym? I haven’t seen you in there every morning.”
“Only one other time since you and I worked out together.”
“Maybe your muscles needed a break?” she asked as she raised her beer glass toward me.
“No. I thought that might have been it, but this is way beyond that. Cheers,” I said as our glasses touched.
“Cheers,” she said before she took a long sip from the glass.
The beer was great, and we each took a few more sips before we set our glasses down.
“So…” Zarra began with a sigh. “You might not be crazy.”
“Ha. That is good news,” I chuckled.
“I am assuming that you know how muscles work since you’ve got a lot of them.”
“Yeah, I know how they work,” I said before I took a drink of water.
“Do you really? Do you know they work as brakes?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“How do normal everyday people perform heroic acts of strength in times of need? You’ve seen the various news reports over the years of mothers picking up cars and such. How do people do that?”
“They get a boost of adrenaline, and it pushes their nervous systems to work.”
“Ahh, exactly!” she whispered exorbitantly. “Our nerves and tendons are already super strong, muscles act as a brake so that we don’t injure ourselves.”
“I’m not sure that is what is going on here,” I said.
“I’m not either, but it makes sense with our treatment. We are curing people of neurological diseases by working their brain in new ways. We are teaching them new skills, and it is helping to strengthen the nerves in their brain. If your brain and nervous system are used to lifting a lot of weight in Ohlavar Quest, it might be that it thinks you can do it in real life, and it is working past the weight that your muscles consider safe.”
“Huh. It just seems like I should be sore or something. I felt just fine,” I said as I thought about the time I spent in the gym with Chip. I had not felt a bit of fatigue from the ridiculous amount of weight I had lifted.
“What else could it be? Magic?” Zarra laughed. “I still don’t know if I believe you. Can you give me a short demonstration after dinner?”
“Ha, sure, as long as you put that gym outfit on.” I winked at her.
“Oh, I can do that. Maybe you’ll help me take it off?” she raised an eyebrow, and our eyes met. My pulse quickened immediately, and I felt as if I was falling into those lavender orbs.
“Your eyes are very beautiful,” I said.
“Thank you,” she licked her lips, and I saw her eyes glance between my mouth and my eyes.
“Alright! Here is your miso soup.” The waitress set down the wood bowls in front of us, and I felt the air leave my body with a slow sigh.
“Edamame, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. Do you want horseradish? The chef told me not to bring it out because he has real wasabi that he is adding to some of the rolls.”
“No, we are fine. Thank you.” Zarra smiled at the girl, and the waitress nodded before she walked away.
“Do you get compliments on them often?” I asked.
“Hmmm?” She was blowing on a spoonful of soup with perfectly pursed lips.
“Your eyes. They are such an unusual color.”
“I do, but tell me more about how beautiful they are. I enjoy it even more when it comes from you.” She winked at me playfully before she ate the spoonful of soup.
“I’ve never seen anyone with purple eyes before. They are striking. Have they always been that color?” I had asked before I tasted my own soup. I really loved Japanese soup, but the chef here at Arnacript made the best damn miso I had ever tasted.
“Purple? Leo, what are you talking about?” Zarra asked with a surprised expression on her lovely face.
“Your eyes are purple. Gorgeous, and unusual. I--”
“Leo, my eyes aren’t purple,” Zarra said flatly.
“They look purple to me,” I said.
“Are you fucking with me? It isn’t funny,” she growled.
“No, of course not. Why would I be fuc--”
“Okay. Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t be this mad, but I’m kind of upset that you don’t know the color of my eyes,” she sighed and crossed her arms.
“I do. Zarra, your eyes look purple to me. They are strange and beautiful. This isn’t--”
“Leo, my eyes are hazel. They are a light hazel. Purple? I’ve never had anyone tell me I have purple eyes.”
“I’m sorry. They look purple to me.” I shrugged my shoulders and tried to think of what to say next. The woman looked pissed.
“Are you for real? You really think I have purple eyes?” she asked after a few moments of painful silence.
“Yeah. Sorry. Maybe it is--”
“Did you sleep well last night? How about the night before? You have put more play testing hours into the game than anyone else. I’m worried that it might be doing something to your vision. Have you seen weirdness with other colors?”
“No. I haven’t. I don’t think it is something wrong with my eyes,” I said as I looked around the cafeteria. The colors looked normal to me; it was just Zarra’s eyes that looked like amethyst stones. I thought about telling her that I noticed her purple eyes when we first met at the diner in the Bronx, but it didn’t feel like the right time. The waitress was approaching our table with a large tray.
“Here is your assortment. He made some Spanish Mackerel sashimi as the centerpiece. He did some more western rolls on this end. Then we have your more traditional sushi over here.” the waitress gestured to the beautiful array of food as she spoke, and my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Can I ask you a question?” Zarra looked up to the waitress.
“Of course, Ms. Zerne.” The woman looked a bit nervous.
“What color are my eyes?” the dark-haired beauty asked.
“Ahhh.” The woman looked at me and then back to Zarra. “Is this a--”
“No, it isn’t a trick please take a look and tell me what color they are. The champ and I were talking about them and had a bit of an argument about the color. Don’t worry, just be honest.”
“Uhh, well. Hmmm.” The woman leaned down a bit, and Zarra looked up and opened her eyes with a wide smile, “Ms. Zerne, they look light greenish brown. Uhh, hazel I guess. They are really pretty, especially with your dark mascara.”
“Thank you!” Zarra beamed at the woman, and the waitress’ shoulders relaxed.
“Okay. Good. I thought I was going to get it wrong, or something,” the woman said with a big smile.
“Nope, you did fine. Thank you.” Zarra turned to me with an ‘I told you so’ expression on her face.
“Great! I’ll come check on you in a few minutes.” The woman left, and Zarra began to pick some pieces of sushi from the main dish.
“It’s weird that I don’t see your eyes as hazel. It is evident that everyone else does,” I said after I watched her pick her food for a few seconds.
“Yes. I’ll have Trina take a look at you tomorrow,” Zarra said with a sigh.
“I don’t think that is really needed. I’m totally fi--”
“It is!” she hissed at me, and her purple eyes seemed to glow with anger. She suddenly realized she had snapped at me, and her face softened. “Ahhh Leo, I am sorry.” Zarra set down her chopsticks and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’m really stressed out. I need to rest more. I’m concerned that there might be something wrong with your eyes, or your muscles.”
“I’m fine. I’ve never felt better. There isn’t anything wrong with the VRIU.” Zarra really did look upset, and now that she mentioned how tired she was, I noticed the dark circles under her eyes.
“You say that, but you are putting the most hours in. We need to--”
“When is the last time you had a good night sleep?” I interrupted her.
“Ha. That depe
nds on what you consider a ‘good night sleep.’” She let out a long breath and then picked up her chopsticks.
“Like eight hours of sleep,” I said.
“Ha.” She shook her head and put a bite of sushi in her mouth.
“Six hours?” I asked.
“Haha,” she replied as she chewed her food.
“Uhhh, five hours?” I winced.
“I probably get two, maybe three hours a night. I have awful insomnia. Always have. Although, I have to say that it feels like it is catching up to me today. I’m sorry I snapped at you, and I’m sorry I got so mad about my eyes. Just kind of thought the guy I liked would know what color my eyes were, but I think you are being truthful.”
“I am,” I said. “But hey, sleep is important for high performers like you and me. Let’s skip the gym tonight. Let’s just split this meal together, and then you get some shut eye. Okay? We can work out tomorrow or something.”
“Ugh. I have so much to do. This trip took a chunk out of my--”
“It will still be there. You won’t do anyone good if you aren’t one hundred percent. Promise me you’ll go to bed after dinner and sleep at least eight hours?” I asked.
Zarra leaned back in her chair and fixed her purple eyes on me. Maybe I did need to get my eyes checked out. Everyone else seemed to think they were hazel.
“Okay. I’ll sleep tonight, but I do want a rain check on our workout.”
“You got it,” I said. “Now, let’s kill this sushi and drink some beer while you tell me more about this texture artist I’m supposed to seduce tomorrow.”
Chapter 6
“Anything happen while I was gone?” I asked Cornalic when I logged into Ohlavar Quest the next morning. I didn’t see Allurie in the room.
“Nothing of urgent importance, dear Leo.” The man was sitting cross-legged on his bed. His cloak, shirt, armor, weapons belt, boots, and socks were off.
“Did I wake you up? Sorry, buddy.”
“Tis alright, dearest of my friends.” The half-orc stifled a giant yawn with his green, ham-sized fist. “I’ve been awake for too many hours. Sleep calls. Allurie is next door with the future queen. I’ve marked off the crew members I have interviewed on the ledger. Oh, and the captain has sent people to find you a few times. It is about that new prisoner.”
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