Role Play

by Alison Hendricks

  "I know you want what's best for David," I began softly. "While you're deciding what that is, I need you to know I've seen your brother make so much of an effort. Not just with Dungeons & Dragons, but in anything he needs to better understand with David. He may not be the traditional caretaker, he may not have access to the specialists your husband would, but he adores that boy. He'll fight for him if he needs to... I just don't think he'll fight you."

  She said nothing for a time, just watching the game. The party had reached the dragon's inner sanctum and they were engaging with its riddle.

  "I'm worried I'll just be this distant... speck in his memory," she admitted. "Someone he knows exists, but who doesn't really factor into his daily life. Reuben adores David, but so do I. He's... he's all I have left of my sister, and it's been so great to see the person he's turning into. To know she'd be proud of him, and proud of the job Reuben and I--" she stopped, correcting herself, "the job Reuben's done raising him."

  Again she was quiet, but I could sense she had more to say.

  Finally, she added, "I don't want him to forget me. To forget how much I love him."

  "He won't," I said, my throat closing up. "Reuben won't let him. And... you could always stay. Your husband's career isn't the most important thing. It doesn't have to govern your life."

  She closed her eyes, tears slipping free to trace down her cheeks. Tentatively, I reached up a hand and touched her arm. When she didn't pull away, I rubbed it gently.

  "How do you choose between two people you love with all your heart?"

  I frowned, my brow furrowing. "You should never be forced to make that choice in the first place."

  She nodded, lapsing into silence again. I could tell she was crying, as much as she tried to conceal it. Not wanting to draw attention, I just stood by her and kept rubbing her arm, offering quiet support as we watched Reuben finish the game.

  28

  Reuben

  "I cast Fireball."

  I watched, anticipation running through me as the wizard rolled their dice to tally up the total damage for the spell. There were several good rolls, the total number seeming just high enough to do the trick. Behind the DM screen, I checked the dragon's remaining health and smiled.

  "As the mass of fire leaves your hands, burning hotter and hotter, bigger and bigger the further it gets from you, you know it's going to find its mark. The dragon is weakened and, while it normally wouldn't be as susceptible to your spell, the work you and your party did earlier has nullified that protection." I turned to the table, addressing them all. "You watch as a massive ball of flame lights up the dragon's features. The arrogant creature sneers at it, opening its mouth to answer with its own blast of fire. But, before the embers even begin to glow in the back of its throat, the ball of fire detonates, a shower of fire raining down on the dragon, burning through scales as if they're made of parchment. You see the panic come over the dragon's face as it realizes what's happening. It cries out, 'No!’ and calls for its kobolds, but it's too late. The dragon is consumed by the flames, leaving a charred corpse atop its previously-protected hoard."

  The players listened with rapt attention and, when those final words left my mouth, they cheered. The celebration didn't last too long, since they wanted to know what they recovered from the hoard, but I felt a sense of pride and relief even as we finished up. I'd done it. I'd actually run a session from start to finish. It was simple and short -- definitely not winning any awards for originality -- but it was something I'd written and designed, then had executed with only a few bumps along the way.

  It was all worth it to see how engaged David was the whole time, his eyes bright and focused on me when I described things, his attention moving from player to player as they took their turns. He'd interacted with every aspect of the session, not just the numbers. He'd even roleplayed his character a bit, withdrawing his boar from combat once even though it made more strategic sense to keep her in, just because he thought that's what his character would do.

  I was proud of myself, so proud of him, and riding the wave of accomplishment... until I realized the kids at the table weren't the only people in the room. The "audience" faded from my mind quickly, but they all came rushing back now. Especially Elliot and Ruth, who were standing side by side when they definitely hadn't started off that way.

  After giving the players their reward and wrapping up the session, I thanked each of them for playing, nerves tightening my stomach into knots as I realized I was going to have to talk to my sister without knowing whether any of this had changed her mind.

  I spoke to David first, though, watching as he made extensive notes about the bow his ranger had received.

  "What'd you think?" I asked, knowing I might not get the answer I hoped for.

  "It was good. You did a good job. Almost as good as Elliot." His honesty just made me smile. That was high praise. "I'm glad Sheila didn't die."

  Sheila was what he'd named his ranger's boar. She even had her own little miniature that stood by his for the whole session.

  "That was a pretty badass decision to protect her so she could get away."

  "Yeah," he said, almost breathless with excitement. "I didn't think I'd be able to. I'm glad I did." Looking up at me, he immediately segued into, "Can you DM another game sometime?"

  I tried to conceal the sharp stab of pain that lanced through me at that. I would have loved to do that for him, but I had no idea if I'd get the chance. If nothing else, maybe we could set it up online or something.

  "I'll tell you what. I'll DM another adventure if you'll agree to do one too. I think you'd be good at it, and I want the chance to play, too."

  His lips twitched just slightly upward, and he answered, "Deal."

  I saw Ruth approach out of the corner of my eye. Her arms came around me and she squeezed tight enough to bruise my damn ribs. Her eyes were red and puffy, tear streaks painting the curves of her cheeks.

  "Everything okay?"

  "Everything's great. I have proof you're a massive nerd now, so I can hold it over you for the rest of our lives," she teased.

  I scoffed, a smirk curving my lips. "Whatever. Don't think I forgot how you used to assign all of your toy horses height, weight, and all that other shit."

  "Excuse you, how were they supposed to compete in shows if I didn't know everything about them?" Her expression eased from playfulness to something pained that I didn't like at all. "Sorry I was late. It... wasn't traffic."

  I held my breath, waiting for her to tell me she already had David's things packed or something like that.

  "I'm not taking David to Utah, Reuben. I can't do that to him or to you."

  Those were the last words I expected her to say. That held breath rushed out of me, my body feeling suddenly shaky as I processed.

  "I... don't understand. I mean I was hoping you'd change your mind, but I also had this whole speech planned..."

  "Ugh, God. Definitely don't subject me to that," she said dryly before her tone returned to normal. "I knew before I came here. I think I knew the first time Marcus brought it up. I'm sorry I ever suggested it."

  I stood there awkwardly, unsure what to say. I'd expected so much resistance. A big, tearful fight through which I was maybe able to make a little headway, but nothing like this.

  "So... when are you leaving?" I asked, my voice catching.

  She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, and I could see her chin tremble a bit before she composed herself. "I don't think I am. Coincidentally, I'm pretty sure my marriage is over, but what are you gonna do, right?"

  "Ruthie..."

  She waved off my concern, lifting her hands to swipe at her eyes. "Don't you start. I need some time to process this before I get the sympathetic brother treatment. Just... can I have a hug?"

  I gladly pulled her into my arms, holding her tight. I didn't say anything else, no matter how much I wanted to. I knew she needed time to sort through her own feelings before I added mine to the mix.

&
nbsp; "I'll be here for you, okay? No matter what."

  "I know," she said as she pulled back, fresh tears staining her cheeks. "Don't worry, I'll be bothering you soon. But right now I need to... stop avoiding my husband, I guess, and get this over with." She gave me one last squeeze before letting go. "And you need to stop being an idiot and fix whatever's going on with you and Elliot."

  I just stared at her, dumbfounded before shooting an accusatory look at the man who was making the rounds with the kids. "Did he...?"

  "Do you seriously think I couldn't tell you were seeing someone? Besides, David told me."

  I let out a huff of breath, feeling like my world had been turned upside down for the second time in just a few minutes.

  "But I'm serious. Whatever's going on, fix it. Elliot's a keeper. I'm pretty sure he would've challenged me to a duel or something if I'd still planned to take David."

  I let out a strained laugh, my gaze moving to Elliot. He caught my eyes, a question in his own.

  "Call me later, okay?" I asked Ruth. "I want to know how it goes."

  "Ditto."

  She leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, then left to talk to David for a couple minutes. As I made my way over to Elliot, I saw her slip out of the youth center, phone in hand.

  "You did an amazing job," said Elliot, smiling cautiously at me.

  "I had an amazing teacher." Licking my lips, my nerves frayed, I said, "Can we talk?"

  Elliot left word with one of the other volunteers, then brought me into that same side room we'd talked in the first time. Back when he'd been little more to me than a stranger I couldn't get out of my head. It felt so different being here with him now. In such a short time, he'd become so much more to me.

  I didn't know how I would have gotten through any of this without him, and I didn't want to think about facing any other challenges without him, either.

  "David's staying here," I said, a little afraid to just launch right into my feelings.

  "Yeah." A soft but warm smile curved his lips. "I'm really happy for you, Reuben."

  We were silent for a moment, Elliot waiting for me to say something. I finally screwed my courage to the sticking place and did.

  "I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna go back to being near strangers. Not having you in my life for this week, it's been... fuck, I don't want to be dramatic, but it's been unbearable."

  "I know just what you mean."

  His eyes were hopeful, but his posture was still closed off, like he was afraid of how this would turn out. I reached for his hand, taking it into mine.

  "I know you didn't mean to hurt me and that you wouldn't have forced me into anything. I just got scared. I was afraid I'd end up with another Kayden, or any of the other guys who've pulled that shit on me."

  "I know," he said softly, "and I'm so sorry. It was so stupid. I was... desperate. I wanted to have any chance at all of keeping you, but what I did was wrong. And I swear nothing like that will ever happen again, Reuben. Whatever happens with us, your friendship means too much to me to lose."

  "I hope you want more than my friendship," I said, one of my brows quirking upward.

  "I... well, yes, that would be ideal. But I don't want to imply... I mean I wasn't--"

  Just as always, I could only find his nervous rambling incredibly endearing. I also knew there was only one way to stop it. Leaning down, I closed the distance between us, meeting his lips with a slow, affirming kiss that sent a flood of warmth through me, body and soul.

  "I love you," I murmured, looking into his eyes. "I know it won't be perfect. We've got things to figure out still. But all I want is... you."

  I felt him practically melt against me, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I love you, too. And you have me."

  I knew how big that was for him. His wife was the only person he'd been with, the only person he'd loved. Even though I'd never met her, she seemed like such a good person that I was honored to be included alongside her. To share that space in Elliot's heart as someone he loved.

  I kissed him again, sweetly, a wave of giddiness washing over me as I realized this really was the start of something new. Our life together could be whatever we made it. We could both care for David, take pride in the man he became, and continue helping kids. Together.

  The corner of my lips tipped upward when I realized there were other things we could do together, too. "I've got one condition, though. And it's a dealbreaker."

  He looked at me questioningly, his gaze narrowed in suspicion.

  Leaning close, I whispered in his ear. "You have to wear that pirate costume again sometime."

  His laughter was warm and free, his arms around me the salvation I hadn't realized I'd needed so badly. He buried his head against my shoulder briefly, then pressed a kiss to the underside of my jaw.

  "Deal. But next time, I get to be the mutinous sailor and you get to be the captain."

  "I think I can handle that," I said with a grin, leaning in to kiss him one more time before we headed back out into the main room, taking those first few steps toward starting our life together. A life sure to be full of love, laughter, and maybe the occasional costume.

  Because why limit ourselves to just pirates?

  Epilogue

  Elliot

  "That's a twenty-three to hit," David said, his face mostly hidden behind the DM screen as he looked down at his dice tray.

  "That hits," came Reuben's response.

  "The wolf bites you for..." Dice were rolled again. "Eight piercing damage, and you need to make a Constitution saving throw."

  Reuben did as his nephew asked, failing the save and getting diseased for his trouble. Before David moved things along, though, I cut in.

  "When you think about the wolf attacking him, what do you see?"

  For the past year, David had gotten more and more comfortable playing with different groups and systems. He was even more comfortable playing the role of his character instead of just going by the numbers to decide everything. That incident with Sheila, his ranger's boar, had really stuck with him, and I referred to it often as a frame of reference.

  Only because David showed an eagerness to learn and explore this aspect of his own creativity. Some of my other players had no interest in it. If he'd stayed in that same camp, I would have been perfectly happy to keep giving him the encounter-heavy sessions he liked best.

  After about eight months of gradually warming up to the idea, he decided he wanted to try his hand on the other side of the table. I'd slowly encouraged the kids to give DMing a shot, but I knew it was something that would take David a while to settle into. The more time I spent with him, the more I saw that he often got caught up in the details and missed some things along the way. This led to him getting frustrated later on when he didn't understand the logic behind something, which had created more than a few occasions where Reuben had needed to smooth things over with his teachers.

  Part of me wanted him to transfer over to my school, but despite the fact that he and Reuben had moved in with me -- only a couple months ago now, since David needed to warm up to the idea -- I knew it wasn't a good idea. I'd be too worried about him, and I'd use my status as a teacher to hover. I'd probably just annoy him more than anything, and what he needed was a chance to stand on his own two feet.

  DMing was something I could help with, though, and I was glad to do so. He'd taken a full inventory of his strengths and weaknesses and told us he wanted to work on being more descriptive, so I nudged him when I thought it wouldn't be too overwhelming.

  "I saw the wolf lunging and opening its jaws wide. Maybe with green-tinged saliva dripped from them as it clamped down on his leg."

  "Hell yeah," Reuben said. "Love to get diseased by rabid wolves biting my leg."

  I couldn't help laughing at that. Reuben was always so supportive. It was one of the many things I loved about him.

  Combat continued, with our characters up against a pack of five wolves with a larger dire wolf alpha. It wa
s definitely close. I ran through all of my spells and Reuben's warrior was on his last leg by the time we killed all of them.

  "That seemed a lot better," David said. "You were more evenly matched."

  "It was great. I can tell you spent a lot of time tuning it," I said, knowing most of his learning experience as a DM had come from building combats, having us test them, then tweaking them to be more engaging.

  He was a lot better at it than I was. In my other group I fudged the numbers a little bit to make it more engaging, but with David's I usually had to have some tricks up my sleeve to add or remove challenge from any particular battle. David meanwhile was brutally efficient, aiming for an even exchange of health every encounter so that the party was forced to take a rest after to recover.

  "Now we'll do the ogre," he said, gathering his notes.

  "Let me go check on the pizza first."

  I pushed my chair out and headed into the kitchen. Reuben followed me in, so I wasn't surprised when his arm looped around my waist and he pressed his lips to the back of my neck, moving up to nibble my ear. I shivered, suppressing a moan.

  "That's a good way to have burned pizza," I warned him.

  "A little char never hurt anyone."

  I swatted at him playfully, though I did also turn around in his arms and give him a proper kiss. It lingered a little longer than it should, the taste of the peach iced tea he'd been drinking still on his lips.

  With all of us living together, we had to be quieter about it and had to confine our... activity to the bedroom mostly, but Reuben and I still found plenty of occasions to continue exploring each other's bodies and interests. Even after a year together, none of it had gotten old. I was looking forward to making some new discoveries tonight.

  "Any word on whether or not Ruth's going to show?"

  David's DMing debut was happening on his birthday, just like Reuben's had a year before.